banjo48

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Posts posted by banjo48

  1. My gran lived on Corporation st, at the top end almost opposite the little beer off, remember Sat mornings catching a 31 bus from Mapperley down to Dame Agnes st and walking down to my grans.

    Her old house was very dark and smelled of damp, and the toilet was up out the back. She had a coal cellar that I used to hate, as she used to ask me to go and fill the coal bucket for her fire, in the big cast iron range, which had an oven in it too.

    She used to work at a paper bag factory somewhere around there too.

    As she got older and infirm she could only use the ground floor so upstairs was never used, then the re housing and demolition started and she came to live with us.

  2. Bit OT,

    Many years ago my brother and his mates used to frequent a chinese near Canning circus, on Alfreton road I think, After a particular heavy Friday nights boozing they went to thier usual haunt and had a sit down meal, while eating it one of his mates started choking on a small bone he had swallowed.

    He was pretty bad so was taken to hospital where the offending bone was removed under anaesthetic, it was found to be a cat bone !

    Sounds unthinkable but it did happen, be in the mid 60's.

  3. Remember putting a new phone system in the maggot place at Colwick ! should have took me half a day but took 2 days as I had to keep going outside to breathe every now and again ! Missus reckoned I stank of it when I got home too.

    The putrid smell was outside but inside it stank of ammonia ! Got the guided tour by the owner who seemed oblivious to the smell's'

    He said there was good money in it once it was established, but the council were always on his back making him put more filters and extractors etc trying to reduce the smell.

    Matt Laings scrap yard was next door, he used to dismantle "Bells" old one arm bandit fruit machines, dont know how he stood it either.

  4. Stu

    Did you infer that Jessops and Comet have gone into receivership too ?

    My missus worked for Jessops for years in Nottm and gets a small pension from them, but we have heard nothing.

    Her brother only retired last year from Jessops, he was in soft furnishings, fitter installer.

    Sorry to go OT.

  5. I actually love cooking and while we are travelling I cook most of our meals, we have a Weber gas bbq, and a full cooker inside and a convection microwave.

    I make a mean curry and a favourite is a meat and potato pie (mums old recipe).

    My missus is pretty good with sausage rolls, but I usually make the pastry.

  6. I had an uncle worked in the polishing shop, and a cousin worked in wheel assembly.

    Funny little story here in oz, I visited a remote country bush town in the middle of nowhere and they had a small machinery museum.

    Went and had a browse as I often do to these places to look at the bygone machinery they used to use.

    Anyway tucked away in a corner was a rusty old black Raleigh "sit up and beg" style push bike with the rod brakes and Sturmey Archer 3 speed rear hub.

    The little gear change chain was hanging out from the hub but no sign of the cable, or the handlebar lever.

    Anyway I was taking an interest explaining to a mate that I grew up where they were made, and one of the volunteer locals sidles up and says he overheard me and did I know what the little chain on the rear hub was for ?

    When I explained he was over the moon and said they would change the placard on it to say it was a 3 speed cycle !

    Another experience of similar nature, I worked in the middle east for a short while in the early 80's, and our camp gofer, a young Pakistani lad had as his prize possession, the same bike only it was in immaculate condition, and he washed and polished it daily.

    He used to sleep with it at his side on his bedroll just outside our camp compound !

  7. Charlie Harvey used to hang at the boat club a fair bit, don't like to speak ill of the dead, but he was a real nutter ! spoilt to death, his dad bought him a new Reliant 3 wheeler when he was sixteen and he gave me and my mate a lift in it, he was showing off and under the influence of something, going so fast he went straight over a traffic island and nearly killed us all !

    The Reliant almost exploded as it hit a road sign.

    He was a real hell raiser and into all and every thing, shame he died so young but non of us were particularly surprised when he did.

    Think his parents were separated and his dad tried to give him everything he asked for. We used to go to the Musters after the boat some nights.

  8. Golly ! how many passengers ? And I thought we get ripped off for airfares here in oz.

    I flew Perth to Darwin in Sept 12, 28 day advance purchase $150 thats it no more !

    Return flight was a little more expensive as it was the start of the school holidays, and they always hit you then.

    I read somewhere that a lot of aussie tourists are flying to europe in stead of the uk, and then getting a hop over flight to uk, to get out of the big taxes they are levying now.

    Few years back I had to get back to uk quick, my mum had took ill, only flight was to Amsterdam then a flight to Humberside where my lad picked me up. Worked out cheaper than the direct to Manchester flight that was booked out !

  9. When last in Nottm in 2011, we went to the Steamboat on a Sunday afternoon, was packed, even the outdoors area, we had to stand somewhere for 15 mins before we got a seat.

    We also visited the Trip, bit of nostalgia, same damp smell when you go in, appeared far smaller than I remember, mid day, mid week it was still busy.

    One country pub that stood out was the one in Morton in the Trent valley, lovely oldy worldy atmosphere. Another was the pub in Burton Joyce, not on the main road but up towards the river.

    Didn't do any city pubs as was warned they were not the safest at night.

    Did have Brekky at the Bank a few times, good food good prices.

  10. Wondering if Bazza still comes on here ? not seen a recent post by him.

    Think i may know him, he went to my old school, and he mentions a bloke called Kluck, my wifes brother hung around with maybe a Mick Kluck but not sure of the first name.

  11. Remember my great aunt had a large piece (around150mm) of shrapnel that she always said she picked up the next day after a german bombing raid in Nottm.

    Looking at the map in the other thread it must have been one of the bombs near lower parliament st. vic. baths as a map Clif Ton found for me shows thats where my mums family all lived. In an area behind the vic baths.

    Amazing !

  12. I remember the Lambo's and Vespa's with the chrome side panels, we all used to envy them when we met up around the square.

    I had mine professionally done with union jacks on my LI 150, but they got nicked when we moved into a house on Gladstone st Hyson Green.

    Got em replaced by insurance but only in primer as that is how they came. So ended up leaving them in the house and riding it naked (the scoot that is).

  13. My last knitting project will make you laugh.

    I have 4 daughters, two of which are midwifes. Whilst doing their upgrade course from registered nurse to midwifery at university, the course required the girls to knit, or aquire an atificial boob ! yes a breast complete with nipple ! this was to use a s a teaching aid to new young mums, in the art of breastfeeding.

    The boob is sewn up and then stuffed with dacron to represent the real thing !

    My youngest having no knitting skills asked me to knit one for her, anyway I got the pattern off the net (yes there is pattern for same) When she went back to uni her friend wanted one, then another so ended up doing 20 of them at $8 each ! (my youngest has no practical skills but a business head)

    A year later my second daughter took the same course and the teacher remembering the name asked if she was related to the other daughter, yes she says, " Oh is it your dad that knits the Boobs " lecturer asks.

    Well I got another order for 40 of them as the course now supplies them to the students!

    They said they will ring me when they require more ! Lol

    Almost a mans dream project isn't it.

  14. Strangely enough and rarely admitted, but I've been able to knit since I was around 9 or 10 ! mum was a seamstress but did heaps of knitting, including professionally for a designer, in mohair, in Intarsia style, which items were then sold in Japan for extortionate silly money ! (my mum got a fixed fee per item)

    I also used to watch gran, who was a lace worker and made beautiful items from lots of balls of thread, all by hand.

    Must be in my blood as I have always loved making things, and being a practical person can pick up skills pretty quick. I get a lot of self satisfaction from turning raw materials into beautiful things or objects.

    I have made jumpers socks cardigans you name it ! even taught my wife to knit !

    I also sew with a machine, another skill I learnt early on from my mum, as i used to play on her old singer and then her fancy pro machines.

    I still have a H Duty sewing machine with me now and do canvas and awning repairs, or make small bags and other bits and pieces.

    I have never been able to crochet well though ! strange.

    • Upvote 1
  15. I took my HGV class 1, in the late 70's, did a 5 day course with BRS on top of St Annes Well road, was in a large old Bedford with a huge hunk of concrete on the trailer.

    Most of the instruction was around the Hucknall, Watnal areas, (the Watnal brickworks photo in another thread brought back memories, as that's where the manoeuvring and reversing was done.

    Took my test on the Friday Morning and passed first time. The instructor was very professional but very abrupt and to the point.

    All paid for by my work.

    Very rarely used my HGV licence over the years, but was good to have just in case.