Symptoms

Joe, his memory will live on through those that knew and loved him. I'd like to join the others here in offering my condolences for your loss.

In reality, the shares are currently worthless, so all those sucked into Thatcher's 'Share Owning Democracy' myth will lose most of their investment. Of course, 'the idle rich' don't risk their loot in things like NR, they 'top slice' their commission before investing the residue of the poor punters' redundancy money; yes, the 'idle rich', and their sons & grandsons, tend to be the stockbrokers - thieving bastards the lot of them! Playing the Stock Market is the same as going to the bookies - how many of Paddy Powers clients expect all their wager back when they lose? The only ones I feel sorry for are the Staff of NR who are likely to lose their jobs

Double-page spread in The Observer today about plans for an 'Eco-town' at Cambois - about 5000 new dwellings. It appears that a number of these towns are planned for around the country, the Cambois proposal being one of the smallest. What's the local take on the scheme?

Same old story ... 'old money' robbing 'new money'. Banks & most 'City Institutions' were set-up, and are currently run in the main, by the old monied families. Proof, if needed, in the papers this morning. Some Northern Rock directors might be local folk but just look at the names: Ridley (the well-known family of coal owners), Fenwick (big shop in Town and 1 in London's exclusive Bond St), token Local Grammar Schoolboy (in charge now but will make a good fall-guy for the old money lot) - seen the size of his monster house. Fleece the wage earners, get the commission up-front, sod the consequences - a modern day moto for that old profession The Money Lenders. Crooks the lot of them!!!

I'm with Monsta on this one. Dog !*!@# is bio-degradeable - leave it where it drops and it'll be gone with the first rains and adding goodness to the ground. If it doesn't rain it'll bake (just like sun-dried tomatoes) into firm lumps that can be safely kicked out of the way. Just take a look around and what do you see everywhere - litter, tons and tons of it, dropped people. I say leave the dogs alone.

I think a variation to the above is needed: Incident happens Police MIGHT arrive if they can be arsed.... ... Found guilty Get 35 minutes Community Service. Let me tell you Mr O - Les Flics (En France) are a hundred times more officious than our Plod; I lived in Paris for 2 years and witnessed some appalling behaviour from them.

When you look at these old pictures, especially the ones of the colliery infrastructure, you get a measure of how important these places were; there are loads of resources to look at which give a true measure of how massive the coal mining industry was and how important it was to the lives of those who relied on it. In addition to the guys underground, it gave local work to local people - all types of trades (fitters, sparks, canteen work, suppliers, etc, etc). Elsewhere on this site people complain about the lack of 'community' in Bedlington - it's sad to realise that once the pits closed that sense 'community' was lost forever. A story repeated all over the coalfields - that evil tyrant Thatcher has a lot to answer for!!! There's some good websites relating to the pits, The Durham Mining Museum (www.dmm.org.uk) is full of data on our area.

If you're caught with an illegal firearm you might get sent down for 5 years, then out in 2 or 3; probably worth the risk in having the gun. What about a mandatory 20 years, with no parole - that might put a stop (or at least seriously reduce) the 'casual' carrying of guns? Obviously, a few well-publicised test cases might get the message out to these gangs not to carry guns - or else! If a gun is discharged - add 5 to the above. If somebody is injured - add another 5. Kill somebody - you never get out. The point needs to be made that if you have an illegal firearm then expect a spectacular prison term.

Quite right Pete - they had a garage on the sharp bend on Ridge Terrace (the old route) near Red House Farm. In the 60's we used to catch one of their coaches (we called it The Chariot 'cos it was so old) at the top of Front Street to get to school at the B/Station - the fare was 3d (the old threepenny bit).

The horrible white base spoils the effect. Was this structure already there? I can't remember the height of the tide at Newbiggin but maybe it would have looked better if the figures had been anchored on the foreshore (at ground level) with the sea lapping at their feet. Of course other beach users may have objected to this - a bit like those miserable folk on Merseyside who complained about Gormleys beach figures.

We used to get our milk from a guy with a horse-drawn cart - the name Tonto sounds familiar. The beast knew its round - walking to the appropriate house, stopping whilst the Milky got the order, then walking-on to the next house on command of a whistle. There used to an old woman down our street who owned a parrot whose cage was in the front window; this bird picked-up the sound of the Milky's whistle and on a couple of occasions called the horse on when the guy was at a front door. He had to chase after the horse to restore order. He asked the old girl to move the parrot.

Big Geordie - what are they proposing to fuel it with?

The End

Memory playing up - Ridge, not Ridley, Terrace. Yes, it was right next to the cut into Bishops Meadow & opposite the Primary School (which I went to in the early 60's). So the Scouts place has been knocked down - I remember it as being a purpose-built venue, complete with a hall (plus stage - for gang shows) and gym stuff - wall-bars, ropes and rings, vaulting horses, etc. There was a tuck shop, office, training rooms, workshops where handcarts were made and where the Scouts could chop-up old pit-props into sticks. The stick-laden carts would be pulled by the Scouts around Bedlington so that the firewood could be sold door-to-door. Yes, I was one of the Scouts. Willie Hall was the Scout Master - he lived in a detached house on Hartford Road (opposite South Riggs) - I heard a rumour (I met, by chance in the 80's, a Bedlington lad on the London Underground who told me) that there was a bit of scandal but I can't remember any details.

What, has old Willie Hall's troupe from Ridley Terrace gone? What about Humford Hollow camping ground?

Joe - what about getting the train down to New York, liner over Atlantic, train up to Newcastle? What a great trip that would be!

Joe - Brian Cross is right to say that you've many friends here; I always look forward to seeing if you've posted. When the old site closed down I felt disappointed at (this may sound daft) losing a friend. When I discovered the new site, and your presence on it, I was glad. Best wishes.

Forget the ‘flim-flam’ about alternatives being the answer; noddling donkeys floating off-shore, wind turbines preventing the sheep from kipping, solar panels for the middle-class, heated water from the bowels of the earth. They’re never going to be the answer to our insatiable craving for convenient energy. We’re all standing on the future – 300 years worth of coal. I’m not talking about thousands of toiling pitmen hacking aways in 2’6” seams or gangs of sweating stokers chucking shovel loads into open furnaces and million of tons of filth being spued into the atmosphere. Clean coal technology is the way to go! Sure, all the ‘green’ stuff can make a contribution but it can only be a junior partner in this endeavour. Our perception of coal-fired plant has been affected by what they have traditionally pumped out into the environment but the technology now exists to deal with mercury emissions, NOx and SO2 emissions, particulates and ash disposal. The big one for the public however is CO2 and the greenhouse effect; again the technology is being developed to allow coal plants to operate with very low CO2 emissions by, for example, using gas separation filtering. There’s even been a ton of work done on co-combustion by mixing pulverised coal with wood, paper waste, plastic waste, sewage sludge, agro-industrial waste, etc. I say build clean-coal power stations – the Ruskies can’t turn off the gas tap to freeze us in the Winter, the terrorists won’t be able to do 9/11s into nuclear power plants to poison us all,. Coal is the most abundant, safe, secure and economically viable form of energy we have! Of course, the concerned middle-class can still go down to B&Q to buy their roof-mounted wind generators and solar panels, deluding themselves that they’re doing their best to ‘save the planet’ – but hey, where was this equipment made? Probably China – a place soon to overtake the Yankies as the World’s biggest polluter.

Any form of physical abuse is wrong. If a parent has to resort to wacking then they have failed in their relationship with their kids. Mutual respect is the key to any successful relationship. If a child respects (and loves) its parents it is less likely to transgress, just as a parent who has invested the time to explain (not lecture, order or harangue) is unlikely to be disappointed. Many of those who've posted here have correctly identified 'respect' as being the foundation of good behaviour. Most of what we witness is based on 'copied behaviour'. This 'in-your-face' stuff, that seems so prevalent these days, can be traced back to what's been digested from TV. All these !*!@# soaps, where the characters shout, scream, display agressive behaviour of all types, encourage the young to emulate the unacceptable. Ok, but what can be done about those who will not, even after the 'respect' experience, behave? Stocks in the Market Place I say.

Tame stuff - elastic lifelines! There was a lad who did a leap (sans elastic band) off the railway bridge near the Kitty Brewster 30 odd years ago.

How do they dish out school places in Bedlington these days? Do the 5 year olds go to the nearest Primary then when older all go to the same Upper? If so, then if you've got little kids Primary catchment area might be an important consideration in picking an area to buy a house. Where I am parents are doing all manner of under-hand things to get their kids into the 'right' Primary schools - bogus addresses, temp lodgings with friends near the school they want, etc. When I lived in Bedlington (in the 60's) the area around the Riggs had a certain 'something' about it. Maybe it was because most of the houses were privately owned, whilst the majority of places in Bedlington were rented from the Council or NCB. I bet the perception about the Riggs persists to this day even though there are bound to have been many 'new' estates established in the last 30 years or so. When buying a place visit the area at different times of the day and week (noise issues will be different) and look-out for brat-gatherings.

Phew! What a relief to get a second responsible moderator to help missvic to keep this place a welcome place to visit. Firm and fair Mr Darn please. Anyway, well done & good luck.

What was the name of the picture house on Glebe Road opposite the Tankerville Arms? Is the building still there or has it been flattened. We used to go to the Saturday morning shows to see those black & white Ripping Yarn/Great White Hunter type adventures, cowboy serials (Roy Rogers, Rin Tin Tin) and super-hero flics. I can't recall the entrance fee but it might have been an orange. The 'dress circle' was just a boarded-off section of stalls at the back.

They used to have (if my memory isn't playing-up) in the early 60's maybe 3 feature films per week - each showing for a couple of nights then the big show at the weekends. They always seemed to have Elvis Presley showing. I was in the Palace the day President Kennedy got shot - the projectionist superimposed a quickly scribbled slide with the news, over the film; the film was Its a Mad, Mad World - starring Phil Silvers (Bilko), Snozzel Durante, Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Spencer Tracy, the great Terry Thomas, etc. I can't remember when it opened as the Domino nightclub, maybe mid/late 60's, - it was very popular in the beginning but tailed off. I've got a couple of photos of us taken inside - must be 1969ish. I suppose if you wanted the genuine nightclub scene with gambling, etc. then you really needed to get up to the Town - Grey's Club, La Dolcia Vita (S?) and Bob Monkhouse's (can't remember its name) club near the City Walls. There seemed to be loads of clubs to choose from. I think the family who used to live in the big caravans opposite the Palace/Domino used to own it for years - they were friends of my Dad but I can't recall their names. Some well-known acts did appear there, although I can't remember if they appeared on the cinema stage or at the Domino. Amen Corner caused a near riot outside when they had a gig there.

It's all going to turn into some gruesome Kafkaesque nightmare (of funny Ealing comedy) where we are all going about living our normal lives when some uniformed brute barks, "Your papers please". Under the proposed legislation is wouldn't be an offense to 'fail to carry' but just wait for a quiet amendment to be slipped in later by a future Home Secretary. Your ID would be scanned by the brute's handheld and your details (including your DNA) checked against the central data-base. You get a mis-match (a bit like Pete's situation) and get lifted then disappear into the system. Forget the 28 day detention period - Gordon Brown is reported today as wanting unlimited detention - yes I know it's for terror stuff but just wait for the quiet amendment to extend the measure to all offenses. Lets not be sidetracked by the spurious arguement that "it's all OK 'cos I've got nothing to hide". Every major IT project commisioned by the Government has, or will fail to meet specification - in other words in won't work properly. You want to trust your freedom to a crippled piece of kit? Your DNA profile will be sold to the commercial sector; so the insurance companies will load-up premiums to individuals belonging to certain groups, jobs will be refused because you belong to some vague group who statistically are pre-disposed to certain behaviour. It doesn't matter that the innocent are harmed.