Jill Sparrow

#11 You'd have had blue reins, Ben. Pink for girls, blue for boys, liberty bodices for both....apparently!

#30 Yes Ben, my father always wore Old Spice but sometimes I think he'd had a bath in it! It can be a bit overpowering if you use too much! Always reminds me of him!

#8 Whatever happened to reins? I was on reins virtually until I went to school at 4 years old. They were pink leather, fleece lined with a silver bunny rabbit on the front. I hated them but there was no wandering off when walking along Gregory Boulevard with my mother!

#40 The Manse was designed by Edward William Godwin who is still renowned for his building and furniture designs. The last member of the Barber family to live there was Naomi who, I think, was the sister of Sir William Barber. The house, as shown in the photos I have of it, is quirky...especially the windows. It isn't visible from the road and I sincerely hope it hasn't been wrecked. Somewhere, I have the sale catalogue for the auction after the last of the Fryar sisters died.

Vanilla! Heliotrope, which smells very like vanilla. Both divine smells. I can't bear the smell of patchouli. Too heavy and cloying.

#80 That's something I hope never to experience,Chulla! You can't beat a real fire. There's just something primitive about looking at it that makes you feel better!

#104 And...I'm only guessing...good genes? It helps a lot. Ran into a former colleague from 9 years ago today. I was horrified to hear that three people I used to work with and who are all younger than I am are recovering from breast cancer, a stroke and 3 heart attacks, respectively. Makes you think. Well,if exercisewise you're an idle beggar like me, it does!

Cliff Ton, park outside my house later this week and you'll see it happening again. Park there on Wednesday and you can see the sweep's brush sticking out of the chimney...I always run out to have a look like an overgrown child! The Multi fuel stove will be back in service as soon as the weather gets cold! As a child, our chimney was swept by a Mr Glover who lived on Chamomile Street, off Berridge Road. He had a tribe of grubby looking children who never seemed to have any shoes, and a harassed looking wife! He transported his brushes and rods on an old pram. Happy days!

Interesting photo. My sister and I had a coach built pram like the one in the window. It was built by Paragon who, I believe, made cycles but I don't know whether they were a Nottingham company. My parents had to order it early in 1950 as rationing was still in force and manufacturers were still in the process of reverting from war related industries to civilian needs. When my sister was born in July 1950, the pram was not ready and my mother had to borrow her sister in law's pram until it was! Rarely see the coach built prams today as I believe only Silver Cross make them now at

#39 Can't remember whether I've mentioned this somewhere previously but some years ago, I was researching The Manse at Newthorpe which belonged to the Barber family. My interest arose out of its occupation from the death of John William Fryar, once manager of the Barber Walker Colliery, by his spinster sisters who had kept house for their unmarried brother and who remained there until after WW2. Among the archive of materials left by Caroline Isabella Fryar, referred to in earlier posts, were photographs of parts of the exterior of the house and grounds. A f

#98 Got to hand it to you, Col, you don't do things half heartedly! Now, where's my morning doughnut!

#93 Into my late 40s I could eat whatever I liked and still remained a size 8. No longer, sadly. Middle age has caught up with me. Now I can't lose it. I won't see my 18" waist again! As long as you can still fit into your liberty bodice, Ben!

#3750 Sounds good NBL. Sometimes I think I could live on bread and cheese, peasant that I am! You can keep your fancy nouvelle cuisine. A good bottle of red never goes amiss though!

#91 You must have better legs than Dick Emery, Ben!

My favourite is Ganesh because I love elephants and I hate the way brainless human idiots hunt them for ivory. Lets have lots more elephants and a lot fewer people!

#3746 I liked the ad for I think it was Terry's All Gold. When the lid was removed, half the contents was jewellery! I remember being very disappointed when my mother got a box for Christmas in the early 60s and all it contained was chocolates. The power of advertising, eh?

#60 He was ahead of his time, indeed!

I lost interest in Milk Tray when that SAS chap stopped the delivery service, FLY!

#3742 "And all because FLY2 loves Milk Tray!"

#58 Elvis died on the lavatory. Nuff said! I believe astronomers worked out some years ago that Christ's birth probably took place in September, given that there were only ten months in the year in those days?

#3740 I'm pretty good at resisting temptation but I have to give in now and again or I'll become a bit too saintly for my own good. Visiting Morrison's when they've just taken a batch of loaves out of the ovens and they're all warm and squishy is too much for me and I go a bit mad with throwing it all in the trolley. I resisted the cheese scones and the chocolate chip cookies though!

#86 As long as you're not going to dress up as the Dick Emery character Mandy, Ben! You could get yourself arrested!

#3734 Doughnuts, donuts...however you spell it, I shouldn't be eating em, Loppy. Putting too much weight on. Don't have them very often and they are nicer than soggy brandy snap! Noticed that Morrison's are now packing their doughnuts in a box emblazoned with the union flag, as opposed to calling it the union Jack. My daddy always taught me it could only be called a union jack when flown aboard ship. I don't know whether that's true but it made to difference at all to the amount of calories in the custard filled doughnuts!

#3731 If you've got Kunzle cakes at 5p each, I'll be round, Ben! Had to make do with Morrison's doughnuts (that's donuts to you, Loppy!!) but they're not the same!

My aunty Emily from Garden Street went every year, without fail, to see the Goose Fair open. It was also a ritual of hers to buy packets of brandy snap. I always left mine until it went soft as I preferred to eat it that way.