Jill Sparrow

Oh yes, human rights. We didn't have those in our day, did we? I can see us now, complaining to Manning Staff about our human rights. We'd have spent the rest of our school careers under the Dome!

No one had any difficulties imposing bans...on just about everything....when I was at school. Make up, nail varnish, jewellery, non uniform items, speaking to males in the street, biros, long hair not tied up,...the list is endless. Why should it be so difficult now?

True, compo. After all, a calculator is of no use unless you actually know how to do the mathematical process you're using it for.

We had the log tables chucked at us, together with chalk, board duster, textbooks, exercise books and anything else that wasn't nailed down!

You can't help some folk. Our GP surgery does vasectomies without having to go near the hospital. The senior partner performs them but if he's busy, the receptionist has two blue bricks!

Well, there's a blessing!

That's rotten for your sister, Carni. We all make mistakes but those kind of mistakes cause such a lot of stress. I hope she gets her treatment and will make a full recovery. As with most things that are free, people tend not to value them. If you have to pay for something, it is seen as being of greater worth. We do pay for the NHS of course but not usually at the sharp end...ie hospital and no pun intended. We are blessed to have such a service and abuse it at our peril. If we lost it, we would all be the poorer. My sister received a bill some months after

Quite agree, SG. If you fail to turn up for a booked appointment, a penalty charge should be imposed. After all, many people these days book medical appointments with the GP online and it takes only a moment to cancel it, thus freeing that slot for someone else. Just boils down to thoughtlessness.

The cost of interpreters is a huge factor both inside and outside the NHS. As I said, my sister doesn't speak Spanish and, after her initial visit to the hospital, she had to book the services of an interpreter for subsequent attendances. This service was not free. She had to cover the cost herself and we should adopt the same strategy.

Yer wot, Lothario? These liberty bodice Romeo types want watching! A girl ain't safe!

Guess who's...means guess who is, ie the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Guess whose...means guess who something belongs to.

My sister lives in Spain. Recently, she broke her arm and shoulder. She can't speak Spanish and no one at the hospital spoke English. Result, confusion. In my opinion, if you want to live abroad, the least you can do is learn to speak the lingo.

You are correct, VJ. Any word containing an s and an apostrophe seems to floor many people.

I was talking to a friend recently about the deprivation of school days and it made me think about winter time at Manning. All the classrooms had French doors which opened onto the terrace. This could be useful if one arrived late and the form mistress wasn't yet in the classroom, as a friend would open the doors and let you in which avoided having to go through the Admin Block and face the deputy head who would write your name in the late book. The disadvantage was that the wood had shrunk since the place was built and the wind whistled through crevices and gaps in tho

I don't like loose ends...unless it's spaghetti, of course! This post contains mention of food and an apostrophe, correctly employed!

I've noticed that the BBC news website is an excellent place to spot the erroneous use of the apostrophe. Recently, I've noticed that some reporters are not using them at all. Presumably, if you don't know how to use one, leave it out! Very sad. The rules aren't difficult to understand.

I'm sure you'll soon forget it when you find a few ladies to charm!

My father was conscripted into the Royal Navy in 1942. During basic training, they were all given a length of petersham ribbon from which they were required to fashion a bow which was then sewn onto their hats. They were each issued with a Housewife...no, don't get excited, Ben...it was the naval name for a sewing kit. Dad always sewed on his own buttons in later life and could effect simple repairs, in addition to pressing his own trousers...he was very particular about the creases. He told me that some of those on basic training with him could knit...which disturbed

Yes, the tawse was used in English schools. I've met several people, including a head teacher during my teaching career, who confirmed it was used on them. One of my father's teachers at Church Street Schools in Beeston maintained discipline with the aid of a chair leg! Painful.

Didn't Miller Bros take over the old Gas Showrooms?

My mum's name was Gladys and her siblings were Frank, Louis, Bernard and Eric twins, Marjorie Lucy and Edna May. My father had three names, Charles Daniel Vernon. His siblings were named Phyllis Mary, Hilda Burns and Claud Ernest Nathaniel.

Is there a little weed in your family, too?

No taste, obviously!

Wish you'd been there when I had to carry that damned chicken casserole home along Gregory Boulevard! The casserole crock weighed a ton without the contents and the basket likewise. I spilled most of it!

Would have loved to, Ben...but I wasn't born then!