Keith Scantlebury

You're not far wrong, I remember that I wanted one on farming and they came up with ' The Seasons & the Gardener' A Book for Children. By H. E. Bates. I got the lip on and never read it. When my mother died in 2008 ,we found it among her stuff, the dust cover was wrecked but the book itself is in mint condition, ie. no marks or tears etc. its from class 4 1966 (not 67 as I previously said)

Durham is still too far south

Got nowt to do with the above, but, I still have a book presented to me and signed by Fred Hostler from the Whitley school in 1967. This was my prize for 'Scripture'. The book is in excellent nick (albeit without the dust cover). It seemed I was an aspiring vicar, which would explain the righteous life I have lead....... so far

you can say that again !

Spot on Malcolm.

Aye Merc, and some may say that I never really grew out of it !!

If you used foul language of any sort when the Extons ran the Railway Tavern, you were shown the door, no second chances, you were out for the night. John Exton would tell you that there were plenty more places in the station to drink in that would tolerate such language. If you whent back to the Railway the next day (or whenever) you had to apologise to Mrs Exton (or john) before you could get a drink. I must say though, that, that only seemed to happen to us, the younger customers.

Mrs Johnson, Clives mother, was our landlady when we lived at the market place. We always got our shoes there as kids, she would not let us try a pair of shoes on until she had measured our feet properly, then it was always Clarkes shoes. Clive would often call down the yard with a big bag of sweets for us and the kids next door. I might just call in to the Ashington shop to see him.

didn't work on the wife, her leg never changed direction one little bit, clever bitch

EEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR AYE !!!

Seemed queer looking at Jonstones shoe shop and seeing a To Let sign in the window while driving past today. That must have to have been the longest continuing business there, I cant remember it being anything else. Is the Ashington shop still open?. Is Clive Jonstone still alive? I was noticing the work going on at our old house behind the shops, you could see in as you walk up the cut by the Tavern.

Well no point in Rio Tinto scuttling back to oz then !!

agreed on all points, I think I may try and set one up in the subway to Grange Park. Handy for the traffic reports too.

dissaster zone you mean

Northumberland

I posted that on my facebook page few weeks ago as it was doing the rounds. The woman would get my vote if she was plying her trade in this country. She is completely right foreigners should change their ways to suit their adopted country's laws and customs, not the other way round. Take the likes of Bradford for instance, the street signs have Urdu and Hindi translations on them. WHY? surely it would have been cheaper to make them learn English

wonder how long it will be before he is barred from the house of commons ?

I think it is catch 22 in many ways. The pits employed a lot of people and were a great miss when they were closed but Bedlington for one was a much dirtier place to live in those days. People were generally in poorer health than they are today and much of that (not all, I may add) was down to the pits.

Helen was in nursing all her working life, she is retired now

Wonder where they buy beds with a bend in them

He's living somewhere near Warrington now

Orloff, Helen is also my cousin. It can be a bit confusing sometimes because my wife is also called Helen and as you say it is not a common name. If you whent to west ridge at that time you may remember the Coulthards, Richard, George, Gordon and Elizabeth (now Noble) they are also my cousins.

Hello Ray welcome aboard

Yes, they are my cousins. They lived at Kelso Gardens, and we lived up the hill in Waverley Avenue.