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For me, cheese is a staple food. Love it. The moggies like cheddar, just a taste. Brie, caemembert, stilton, anything of that ilk. Dad adored gorgonzola but I wouldn't go that far. Grandad Sparrow's favourite pastime was buying whole smelly cheeses, drilling holes in them, which he filled with port, and then wrapping them up for months, to be brought out at Christmas. If you think that sounds bad, you should have tried grandma Kate's Christmas cake. Even the birds wouldn't eat it. Her culinary skills were very bad and she hated housework. Hmmmm, sounds like me

Do you remember Black Diamond Canadian Cheddar? It used to be sold in small sticks in most places - much like US butter - but Burtons had big blocks of it. We used to buy lbs at a time. My mother used to say it was so strong it made your tabs laugh.

A trip to Burtons in the 50s and 60s with my Mum always entailed a bit of cheese-tasting and the purchase of a big block of mature Canadian Cheddar.

Found this photo of Leen Valley signalbox on http://www.annesleyfireman.com//index.html. The site owner is Chris Ward, who was the loco fireman on this engine. It depicts the 0620 Daybrook pick-up goods at Leen Valley Junction Signalbox but the date on the photo is 23/12/64. Although the track was still in-situ until 1965 the line had actually closed to al traffic on 1st June 1964; apart from use for a short period of time as a carriage and waggon storage facility, so a bit of a puzzle there. [photo credit: Chris Ward]

Bloomi ell your two your bringing back memories to me steeping tablets, echo ,lard etc. Leybourne Drive and round to the shops on Andover Road comes alive again.

Can you remember being able to buy soaked peas? For the life of me I cannot recall who sold them. You used to buy them by the pint. They were kept in a large bin and served with a pint beer glass, which was then bagged.

Remember Mam shouting to me Dad,, ""Hev ya put Peas in soak Ben""" Twas Saturday night,,and Peas had to be right colour and texture for Sunday dinner,,

Yes Ben, didn't they also come with a little net bags as well. Soak the peas overnight with the pill. Wasn't it a soda tablet? Can't remember but I think one struggled to put the peas in the bag after soaking and prior to cooking.

Anyone remember Pea Steeping tablets?

Ginger Baker, legendary drummer with Cream, Blind Faith, Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Baker Gurvitz Army, Ginger Bakers Airforce, and the Graham Bond Organisation has sadly died today aged 80. Truly amazing !

Having watched the various obituary pieces on the news channels, I cannot help but think that the Muppets' drummer, Animal, was modelled on Ginger Baker.

Tub butter you on about Barrie,,talked about it a lot on here. It came in 112lb Barrels (cwt) and we cut and weighed it into half or one pounds,,then there was lard, that came in 28lb blocks and we cut and weighed that, Then there was dried fruit,,once a year we weighed Currants,, Raisons, and Sultanas,, Sugar weighing in blue bags i think ended just before I started in 1959,,

Our supermarket has been selling mince pies for months. Smashing, warmed up with a drop of custard.

Wol hoo. Found some tea biscuits in the Kosher section of the supermarket. Cheap too. Made in Israel. As me mam would say of anything foreign, I'm not going to bleddy talk to it.

The Home and Colonial used to be the same. Cheese used to have a rind on it. If it had got a bit of mould, then you just cut it off and carry on. There was a little bakery near the wash house on Denman street and you could buy' stale cake's from them. Some of their past date cakes used to be made into what was known as " Nelson squares", lovely with custard.

Always liked and bought a cheese that when you took a bite, it would bite back. Extra mature and Spanish onion sandwich. Nothing like it.

I often look in too Fly,,,i knew lots of the faces on there,,mostly from my days working at the Railway club,,,also found photo's of my Dad and Grandad....

I regularly look in on Chris's site. It gives a great load of information on Annesley. A mine of anecdotes, pictures, lists of visiting engines etc. Brilliant.

I remember Goose Fair being held middayThursday to midnight Saturday at which time the dismantling started. By about 9 am on the Sunday it was all but gone and time for the 'beachcombers' to begin searching for dropped money and other valuables. The interesting aspect of that activity was ruined when metal detectors became commonplace.

Americans don't have a clue about cheese - like their mustard - bland and tasteless. The stuff they call Monterey Jack is possibly the worst as, in addition to the already described (non)attributes, it only keeps a few days without becoming covered in a whole fungal garden. Even the US imitations of real cheeses are rubbish. I've heard that they are manufactured to suit the 'American taste' - well, I can quite believe that. The stuff called Cheez Whiz seemed to be straight out of the chemical factory - with a taste to match and a consistency and appearance resembling kaolin poultic

Carol Ann, you may or may not be aware that 700 Hucknall Road was the old Basford Union Workhouse. It was in use in the 1920s and 30s partially as a hospital for the elderly or what we would now designate dementia patients. My maternal great grandmother died there. Nottingham City Hospital now covers this area but I believe at least part of the original building still survives. It was known as the infamous and dreaded Bagthorpe, which as was probably intended put the fear of God into most people.

Definitely, only tried it once, it was disgusting and that comes from someone that loves a fine ripe Stilton

This photograph was taken around 1946 when we were at Sutton on Sea or Mablethorpe. I was told by dad that the defences were up to stop those nasty Germans getting into Britain! For several years after the war ended, there were still no signposts on the little road going to Ingoldmells and CSL. I remember dad saying things like 'left at the red lion pub' etc.... can't remember the exact names of the landmarks, but he told us the signposts had been removed to confuse the Enemy!

Goose Fair for me was more about the sounds and the smells rather than the rides The sound and oily smells coming from the diesel generators that powered the rides and the lights. The sounds of Johnny and the Hurricanes Red River Valley and Rockin' Goose belting out from the speakers on the Waltzer. The aroma of the onions for the hot dogs, the smell of vinegar on cockles and mint sauce on mushy peas, the sweet smell of candy floss and brandy snaps. Is it still like that? or have tastes and technology moved on.

We are now in Nottingham after speNding a pleasant afternoon at a friend's house near Leicester (Groby). It was a 60th Wedding Anniversary party arranged by their daughter, who used to be a little playmate to our 3 kids when we lived nearly next door to each other in Leicester. We really enjoyed seeing them all again. SatNav directed us to our hotel (Mansfield Road) via Gregory Boulevard so it took a long time as it was heaving with people trying to cross the road to get to the fair and cars were bumper to bumper for much of the way. I think we'll go and have a wander round the fair to

Bottoms up PP., would you be able to PM me a picture post of what a scratter looks like? I would be interested to see what one looks and to see if it would be viable to decorate one, or if it would be too big a task. Hobbin irons and flat irons, no problem. B.

Here's a good one, with a blown up snip out of it; New Moorbridge plus by the looks of it, the old bridge mid demolition in 1950, note arch still there and stubs of pillars between tracks. Looks like there are men on the track clearing up.

Hucknall Road going north on the left. Rigleys wagon works is the group of buildings in the centre; the place just above was apparently Forest Farm.

26 locos were scrapped there. 42792, 45535, 61126, 61334, and O2's 63925, 6, 7, 8, 32, 35-9, 41, 45, 56, 62, 64, 72-4, 77, 80, 85 and 87.

Perhaps your best bet is to trace his family - children or grandchildren of his siblings, or relatives of his wife, if he married, may have a photo