Symptoms

Dr Stone was the medic nominated to conduct my medical examination as part of my Uni application in early 69. I went to his surgery, which was on Netherton Lane, to 'drop my pants' and cough, various pressures taken and vital fluids dipped; I got a clean bill of health, "a fine specimen" were his exact words. The funny thing is I vividly remember him talking about importance of pecker cleanliness for students and ensuring no build-up of foreskin cheese to ensure the health of the ladies - I kid you not! He talked about the very low incidence of cervical cancer in the Jewish women and the link to male circumcision (no cheese).

The tit-suckers, ankle-bitters, and assorted rugrats will never be as wise as old Sym or, to a lesser extent, Mal. Go on, show them what they missed and let them weep when they compare their heros with the greats of the 60s.

Is The Blyth News still going? My old man was featured a few times and it would be nice to see if they've got a searchable archive so I can get some 'clippings'.

Nice one Mal. I'll need to find time to sit for an hour to watch it again. Why don't you put a link in the Jack Bruce R.I.P. thread to direct folks here and to show what all those whippersnappers missed back in the day.

HPW - I remember that cooked cat story that you mentioned above. It was very big local news and I remember reading about it in a local Blyth paper, the name of which I've forgotten. It fed into the widely held mythology (racist) of the time about what was served-up in Chinese (another racial epithet was used back then) restaurants. Wasn't the restaurant down an ally near the Market Square?

One of the first things I got when I went down to London in 69 was to get a bike. I'd done my bike & car tests when living in Bedders. Anyway, the beast I got in London was a second-hand Tribsa off another student. A Tribsa was a bastard son of Triumph and BSA - it had a 650cc Triumph T120 pre-unit engine mounted in a BSA frame and was a great bike for around London. All this before the introduction of compulsory crash helmets ... picture the scene: Sym astride the throaty beast, long flowing locks streaming in the wind, and the image completed with the teardrop sunglasses (Easy Rider branded). I stopped riding bikes in Blighty' cos of the crash helmet law ... there's always some bastard politicos who want to stop folks having fun. When I turned 50 I thought I'd give it another go and went for a refresher course, but when I went out on one of the training centres bikes, I discovered that London had become a very, very, scary place to ride a bike ... it had completely changed from my student days. End result .... I didn't get a bike ... it would have been a Harley.

No excuses Mal ... digital prophylactics protection dear boy.

Just look what some poxy little town in Cheshire did to gain National (and International) attention for their Chrissylight switch-on. They created a Fartbook page and Twatter storm about the glorious William Shatner (Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise) coming to do the deed ... of course, it was all a fib but it resulted in massive publicity. What a missed trick for Bedders ... it could have been put-out there that he was coming 'from far away' to get a free haircut* before the aliens turned up. *for those who don't know what that reference means do a forum search or wait for clarification.

Just who does this Les Gilbert think he is? Is he the boss of some equipment hire firm? Is he the NCC boss road bloke? Or is he the shovel leaning gadgie we always see at road mending sites?

Bad habits are creeping back ... A brief description about the links please

Reedy ... it's a shame that you're reluctant to post your Dad's pics here, but I fully understand your reasons. One of the joys of the Forum is the historic pics folks post as they are quite rare; very, very few working people could afford cameras or film back then, and those who could just about manage always did their own processing at home. Have you considered either, watermarking your dad's photos or publishing an index of what you have. As you have to scan the original snaps or negs into digital form watermarking becomes very easy using free/cheepo/expensive software. Worth considering so you can publish here and we can all enjoy, plus the bastards out there can't remove your visible watermark.

Weren't there pit coppers who would chase you off pit property? I have a clear memory of these gadgies going after us when ever we went tobogganing (on balata belt* mats) down the heaps or when we were trying to nick stuff from the pit yard. Snow sliding in Winter, dry sliding rest of the year. * for our younger viewers, balata belting was the rubber/fabric stuff they made the underground conveyor belts with. Lengths of it often appeared mixed in the slag on the heaps and we'd cut off suitable bits with our trusty knives (most lads carried knives back then).

Thanks for the clarification Mal. I did read the mission statement on my first visit, but, but, but .... often these have to be 'taken with a pinch of salt'. I'm glad that it's honest. Ditto with merc's post above. Back in the day* there was quite a bit of 'organised' stuff for us kids to do: popular and well-attended youth clubs attached (and run) by the schools, cubs/scouts/guides, lots of activities nearby (Humford Baths, for example). I'm sure other 'old timers' here could add to the list. Oh, and our parents would be content to let us stay-out all day doing our shit ... now they're petrified of lurking kiddie fiddlers. *Pre-Thatcher evisceration terror.

Yeh Brett, Openzone ... that's the beast.

Blimey Willy, there a name from the past ... Blodwyn Pig. When I went to Uni in London in 69 the bands playing at our Freshers Ball were, Blodwyn Pig, Timebox, and Free (in that order). What a lineup! I've posted here before about the remarkable college music scene in London in the late 60s and early 70s.

Mal, I've just had a look, via your link above, at Leading Light; looks to be a worthwhile venture. Just a quick question: I noticed that some of the Trustees had links to the Catholic school/church. Is the Charity a Catholic one, or is it an ecumenical one, or is it secular?

Yep, Maggs. Invented by the toffs to rot the plebs' teeth so all they could eat would be pottage. A good way of keeping the 'great unwashed' off the local Squire's land and preventing poaching of bunnies and Bambie's Mum. So, "Even 'Black Bullets" are political.

GGG wrote: " ... even as a EU citizen you are only allowed to stay for 6 months without a residents permit ... " Does that apply to those from the Irish Republic who've been in Blighty for decades, or are there 'special' arrangements for Irish nationals?

Wasn't there a sweetie factory in Blyth in the 60s? I have a clear memory of the air being thick with the smell of the things being made.

The ooze is now leaking out from the Reckless ukipper ... they're going to "send them all back".

Anyway, Philae found 'little green men' up there. She probed with her digit and discovered organic molecules on the surface. So we now know all about the Origins of Ukip, a primeval organism slithering around on a barren rock whilst hurtling through the Cosmos. Many of us have always thought that there was, 'something not of this World' about Nigel ... the swivelling bugeyes, the prehensile lips and the barbed tongue.

I think it might have been that old guy, Aristotle, who said that "everything is political." I wouldn't want some grubby corner here earmarked specifically for politics or for introducing political spin on other folk's topics. It keeps it lively, it aggravates some, offends others.

I see that the neo-Nazi Britain First Party are cosying up to the ukippers in Rochester.

I wrote: ".... in our current climate of spite, bile, jealousy, envy and zenophobia ..." I rest my case! I suppose the Rosetta Missions could be described as a metaphor for what's happenning in Europe. Launched with a feeling of hope and expectation, delivered much enlightenment, but then a dark, cold shadow befell our heroic experiment. Perhaps in the future, when the chilly vail disappears and a new bright light shines on our endeavours, will we see our venture succeed.

What a warm glow the Rosetta Mission has given me with the little Philae lander touching down on that distant comet; it reminded me very much of the cutting edge endeavours of the Ruski and Yankee space programmes back in the 60s. Euro co-operation at its finest. Conceived over ten years ago in a 'time of plenty and partnership' I doubt such ambitions would now be allowed to flourish in our current climate of spite, bile, jealousy, envy and zenophobia (and that's just the Daily Mail Hate).