Keith Scantlebury

All the best Vic, have a good day

'52

Camera was not working right, kept doubling the width of the subject

Right, heres where the "Well if you had come to ...... " and " I could of helped you with that " bit comes in ............. I don't know how to do it .

Picture in the paper

Yes folks that IS me in the Sunday Sun, Mr. Justice pages. Unfortunately the camera seems to have added a few pounds to me.

That looks like a Bedford Dormobile rather than a VW Adam.......... and please folks, Malcolm is just jealous of me getting a ride in those days (in a pram)

That will be me in the pram

There may well have been a Remploy workshop within the Welwyn, but I cannot remember. My dad worked at Remploy on the Jubillee estate in ashington for two or three years. They also had a storage/despatch facility at the area workshops. When I worked for Ferguson we used to load wheelchairs there and deliver them around the country, terrible job, load and unload by hand .

17 to start, then re-new @ 70 Vic

Reading my post back it does seem that I had made that assumption, I apologise, it was not intentional. When Sleekburn Cottage farm was a dairy farm (prior to becoming the stables on the Barrington Rd) I used to help out by doing the milkings occasionally while I was at college. After the morning milking the cows would sometimes go into the fields accross the road and over the railway lines. This was usually in late summer and never at night. The thing is we would expect the odd idiot to come tear arsing along the road so someone was always placed to warn the traffic well before they got to where the cows were crossing. The thing is now there are riders on horses and ponies using that road at all hours often with very inexperienced riders. Before anyone queries my knowledge, I have lived and worked on farms for many years ,mainly with dairy cattle. When I see a 12/13 year old, so called "experienced rider" on that road I cringe with the thought of what could happen. If that pony was spooked, even by the most courtous of drivers, there is absolutely no way a young slightly built lassie would be able to control that animal if it decided to "do off". There is no horse or pony 100% bomb proof. The Barrington road is busy "C" class road used my many vehicles including HGV's (which I drive). I do dot disagree with your idea on the speed limit on that road, but is it really worth bothering about having a varying speed limit on such a short piece of road?. I think there should be more emphasis on educating the riders (and indeed some drivers,) who regularly use that road on how to conduct themselves on the road. Yes, I hold my hands up, I was in a hurry but I should have been more careful, especially knowing I was approaching the stables. Just one more thing, the mobile camera was not where it should have been in the lay-by and I have photogrffic evidence to support that. But with already having 9 points I thought it better just to accept the offer of the course, especially since 6 of those points are to come off this year.

What market !!! If I did that to the Market place every Thursday I'd get locked up for fly tipping.

I am assuming nothing, just pointing out speed limits are there for a reason and you are breaking the same law by doing 34 as you are by doing 60, some folk are under the impression that they may as well be hung for a sheep as for lamb. However I do agree that the person doing 60 should get a more severe punishment. As I mentioned, I have been no angel in the past but I'd like to think that speed awareness course did me some good and that it has had a positive effect on me rather than being an £82 ball ache just to escape the points. I do a job where 2000 miles per week is not uncommon and I think the two worst things are boredom and complacency, once those things creep in, quite often your speed creeps up. I concentrate on what I am doing more now and if I am tired , I stop for while. As far as RTA's are concerned I have seen some absolute horrors over the years, you get hardened to them but some you just cannot get out of your mind for some time afterwards. A risk assesor once told me that there is no such thing as an accident, it may not have been done on purpose but there is always a reason whether it is human error,(which it usually is) mechanical failure or natural occurrences such as the weather.

I attended a speed awareness session in October. Now if you had been caught doing 34 mph in 30 zone by traffic cop, chances are you would get a bit of a lecture and a warning and allowed to go. Speed cameras wether they are fixed or mobile do not give you that luxury ie 10% + 2 mph (the trainer at the session told us that they are supposed to, but it is easier just to prosecute the lot rather that sift the borderline ones out). I was caught on Barrington Rd doing 36 mph by a mobile camera. That is the 1st time in 30 odd years of driving that I have been caught in a car, Ive been nicked in a truck a few times, thats why I elected to take the course cos another 3 points would have put me on 12 (6 come off this year) If you (sizsells) had seen some of the films of staged stopping distances , even at 32 mph against 30mph you would be extremely suprised. They showed the aftermath of an accident in Newbrough nr Hexham last year. A 14 year old was killed outside the school. It was calculated that the car was doing 35 mph when the brakes were applied, the police say that there was nothing wrong with the drivers reaction time, just that there was insufficient distance to stop in time at that speed (the car had gone round a bend inside the speed restriction), Had the driver reacted in the same way doing 30mph, not only would the victim had lived, the car would have not even hit him. Those sessions last for 4 hours and they really open your eyes for you. I for one have changed my driving habits.

Not sure if it was in the last World cup or the previous Euros, the entire Italian squad played their club football in Italy.

There might be an O'Neil influence if Pearce is allowed to continue (not that there is anything wrong with Stuart Pearce) they are big pals from their Forest connections. Notice the inclusion of Fraizer Campbell from Slumderland, his current form is excellent but it comes on the back of legnthy lay off. To be honest, I wouldn't mind if Pearce is given the job to take them to Euro 2012, after all he does have a fair ammount of international tournament experience. There are no other English coaches with that experience available to step in except Mick McArthy (and he's a plastic Irishman with a Yorkshire accent). Lets see how he does in the warm ups, Harry Redknap may not be the messiah everyone seems to think he his, remember a national team manager does not have a cheque book to wave around like club managers and because of the ammount of foreign players in the top flight, it is harder to find indigenous players good enough for internationl competions. Look no further than Scotland. They had players like Law, Dalgliesh, Souness, Jordan, McOist, Strachan, Bremner etc (in no particular order) plying their trade in the English top flight, those players dont get that sort of chance now because of the players available world wide and the Scottish national team has suffered. The same problem is starting to have an effect on England, very few players graduate from their accademmies to play for their clubs. I have a grandson who is to play for Rangers under 11's next year (their present trouble apart), but we all know that unless he is exceptional, he will not go all the way.

Don't suppose they could guarrantee that it would still be hot by the time it got to you Brian

Exactly Micky, Nobody had nowt, so there was nowt to nick. Those were the days when doors could be left open, no tellys, computers or games consoles. Anybody who was found theiving or damaging property were dealt with properly by the courts (thats if the police got to them first). There were no drug habits to finance (except among the toffs and those who could afford it) and people worked hard for what little luxuries that they did have, or they did without. Some inconsiderate bastard with nothing better to do decided to slash my car tyres last Wednesday (2 of them anyway). Now, it may be that the sad scroat simply gets his/her kicks out of causing misery and added expense to others, I cant recall upsetting anyone lately. My car was the only one in the street done, so it may be that I was unlucky that my car was randomly picked out or someone has got grudge against me. I hope they have been sleeping well in the knowledge that their wilfull vandalism to my property had maximum effect on my family. In order to replace those tyres means we have to do without something else (not necessarrily a luxury) and with the kids being on holiday this week it impacted directly on them. Well done it worked !!! So Mickey, you are right, people were happy enough having nowt, they made the best of it, to have nowt meant that thievery and wanton desctruction of other peoples property was something we did not have to suffer, unless you were stinking rich of course.

My spelling was probably wide of the mark as well

Canny lass , we posted together re Mosci's. If you look in the gallery you will see photo's of Peter Bacci and his shop in the market place, I think it was Foxy who put them in. I used to live at the Market Place between Johnsons shoe shop and what was at the time Carricks the bakers, so I remember Bacci's and Millnes well.

The cafe at the station was Mario Moscadini's better known as Mosci's (spelling). After he sold the cafe he (Mario) opened the cafe on station road in Ashington. I called in sometime in the mid 90's, oddly enough just after one of my regular trips to Itlaly, his son told me that his parents split their time between here and Pisa where they also had a home. Mario will be long dead now I would imagine.

Noooooooooooooo Peter Bacci's regulars would argue differently

Thank you very much, I am fortunate to have several birthdays a year, depending on my mood, the weather, and what form I am filling in.

Well, I thank you kind sir

Agreed, if anyone is looking to raise funds for a good cause, they could maybe ask Foxy if he would donate a ride in his TARDIS as raffle prize.