mercurydancer

Its been two years and a couple of weeks since I lost my old dog. My mrs is a bit OCD about cleanliness and wont permit me to get another dog. I suspect that she is also a bit jealous about the strength of the bond I had with my dog, and wont let it happen again. Harvey died two years ago and I miss him enormously. He was mental. I dont mean in an aggressive or nasty way, just a loon. To give an example, I love to walk and after a medium length walk not far from Keswick me and Harvey went on a pub crawl. Keswick is remarkably dog friendly. We were at the Dog and Gun and Harvey jumped up at

DJ Brenton Loakes are about £120 per pair nowadays. Mind you they will last you 20 years at least. I have a pair of brown brogues which are now a bit tatty, and have had many reincarnations of the foot bit (I wont make a pun about soles). The mrs tries to get me to throw them out.

Beestonmick I think attitudes have changed, but the underlying temperaments have not. My father remains a remarkably peaceful man and never became aggressive to my mother, let alone hit her. My uncle was considered to be abnormal, and given the size and composition of my family, (many military) it was decidedly unwise for someone to be so arrogant and nasty. He was small and physically incapable of doing much. This was not the family hard man ruling with his fists. The family did not have any hard men for that matter. It was a large and generally friendly family. In many ways it remains so to

Mick Mine was a recycled number. Very unusual as the "new" numbers were in the 1980s to 90s (the numbers and not the dates) amongst my contemporaries. I would very much like to know who had my number before me. It was rather apt as it is the army charge sheet number!

My favourite publication (Not a comic by any means ) was the Tell Me Why and World Of Wonder weekly papers. Whilst aimed at children they were astoundingly informative, well illustrated and entertaining. Any publication aimed at children which summarised the classics such as Quo Vadis? is worth its weight in gold. It probably formed most of my education in my very early years. Maybe it still does.

Margie That is an astoundingly preceptive post. It reflects my views exactly.

Mick His number was not too far from mine. My number was 252.

Albert! You cynic! Truffles are totally different in taste and shape and size and almost everything. The person I sold them to is a famous London restauranteur who has published some books about cooking. Puffball steaks are lovely but need a good cook otherwise they absorb cooking oil and become soggy. The next year I visited the same field and there was bogger all. No puffballs, nowt.

Michael Booth I often go mushrooming and I am always careful. The most easily recognisable mushroom by far is the giant puffball. It cannot be mistaken for anything else. A giant puffball is, as the name suggests, big. It is football sized. Other puffballs are grapefruit size. A non-edible puffball will be obvious when you cut into it. It will be hollow and full of spores. A giant puffball will have white mushroom flesh throughout. Not hollow. A few years back, I was driving through North Yorkshire on the way to Whitby when I saw a field packed full of giant puffballs. I called a restaurant

The result for us in UK is likely to be for tax duty to be applied to the correct level of emissions. That means for VW cars, a huge raise in tax, and the resale value and other consequences too.

sclomax Welcome to the site. I am sure you will be an asset to the site and whilst the accent here is Nottingham within living memory, I am sure that there will be many questions which you can answer.

Cliff Ton I live near Durham and usually regularly visit my parents in Selston who arent too well, to look after them rather than do anything else. This means that I can get for a pint at the Plough and some onion bhajis or a curry but not a lot else. I would be grateful for any digging you can do for Fairfield Road in 1934! Hedsor Grove was the home of my mother's adoptive parents. A closer look at the map and the warehouse I am talking about is on Berridge Road. That fits in with my memories in that it was before Hedsor Grove on my walk from Bobbers Mill Road.

Thank you both. The location is correct as I went to Hedsor Grove as a small child and we walked from Bobbers Mill Road. I must have walked past Selhurst street thousands of times during my life and yet did not recall it until I saw that photograph. I think the place on the left in front of the Traveller (cant see if its a mini or a moggie) was a fruit and veg warehouse. I can recall the smell even now. Fresh oranges and the earthy smell of potatoes and carrots. Actually Cliff Ton I was in Nottingham yesterday and called in at my favourite shop very close to there (Bombay Sweet Centre) to

Cliff Ton Do you have a map for the Radford road area for about 1960? I am particularly interested in a row of terraced houses possibly Edsor Grove? Also, do you know how I can find the residents of Fairfield Street at any time between 1934 and the early 1970s?

Now this is my joy. I adore making beer, possibly more than actually drinking it. I love the challenge of producing a distinct taste of a beer I have drunk. I also love to perfect a beer exactly to my taste. I know Compo makes his own. Slowly, as I have gained experience and kit, I have moved to full mash brewing, but unlike Compo I dont have much space to have a set up with a liquor tank above a mash tun and a boiler below. It also drives the mrs mad. It takes me two days to make a brew (one day for cleaning, one day for brewing) and she goes ballistic when I come home with a big bag of g

Eileen I still call brussels sprouts, nobby greens. In a way it is more fitting. They are nobby and green. Because they originated in Belgium I think what else has come through Belgium? Some extremely good beers, and the German army.

On some sites, a dislike button or even something, shall we say, more robust, is necessary. I frequent a military site where the conversation can be quite basic. (To say the least) Its not for Nottstalgia. If someone says something I dont like its perfectly possible to reply in measured terms without becoming abusive or aggressive. In fact its better that way. A dislike button says very little. A sensible reply is often informative for both sides, even if neither actually end up agreeing.

bubblewrap The time warp is just a jump to the left. Then a slide to the right, then the pelvic thrusts, which make you feel all right. There is no evidence whatsoever* that I have ever dressed in a basque and stockings and have danced in the aisles at Darlo Civic Theatre at all during a theatre production of a certain play. *well there is evidence but for your own sanity, its best left well alone. Believe me it is. Really , it is.

Thank you cliff ton That is almost certainly where my mother was born.

David Thank you. I never knew my maternal grandfather but it is certain he knew of me. He lived in Radford. My father's family would not permit any connection and I was too young to understand. I know when he died but within the family it was something, to this day, that is not talked about, but enough came out that there was something, even to my naive mind. My maternal grandfather certainly drank in the pubs (mostly the Clock off Birkin Avenue) and knew of me when I was of age to drink there. I could not identify him but my family would recognise him and in the passage of time I cannot be

Thanks Robbie. I know I am working with little information. It is all I can go on at the moment.

My mother was adopted, so I have very little information about her at all. I have plenty on my father's side but very little about my mother. There is a family tragedy connected to this adoption. By pure chance this weekend I saw my mother's birth certificate for about 30 seconds. I could not see much of it and could not really read the handwriting. This was my mother's birthplace. What I could see was something like " 16 Fairfield Street" This was in Nottingham, as the registry office was in Nottingham. I am a little vague about the address. It was possibly Fairford Street or something li

HM adores bombay mix. And dubonnet and gin on an evening. One can only admire a monarch like that.

Lizzie When I meant I was in Nottingham for a short time I meant a short time! I was driving back from London and called in about the half way point home. Why stop at a MaccyD's on the motorway when you can get to to city quickly and have much more of an enjoyable meal. Tony Verma at the Laguna is an old friend. He couldnt give me a table as the Laguna was heaving. Not that Me'em Sahib was shabby at all.

DJbrenton I should have made myself clearer. A poll is a form of vote to decide an issue under law. It could also be called a referendum. The result must be acted upon by the government. The Scottish poll recently would be an example. Informal polls are different things. I meant a formal, and legally enforceable poll.