Mattsdigs

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Posts posted by Mattsdigs

  4. Fishing

    in General Chat about Nottingham

    Posted

    There has been much chat about the various pubs in Nottingham and surrounds but the pub I remember from my childhood is "The Oak" in Gedling. It was in my mind the other day as I suddenly had a flashback to when I used to climb down and into the small stream running alongside the pub in order to catch sticklebacks in a jam jar. It used to fascinate me to watch as clever people could tie string around the tops of Jam jars in such a manner as to make it secure and still have a carrying handle and all out of one length of string.

    The stream must have flowed down and into the Trent at Colwick but I was never sure where it originated from?.

  5. Upper Parliament Street – Elite Cinema

    in 70's Nottingham

    Posted

    The Scala on Market street. I remember visiting there to see the first foreign films that I ever viewed. The two that I can still recall were , "Knife in the water" which I believe was the film that gave Roman Polanski his start on the road to fame and fortune, and the second was " Ashes and Diamonds" I can also recall going to the Scala to see the terrific and terrifying "Repulsion"

  6. County high school Arnold

    in General Chat about Nottingham

    Posted

    Ref the above number 32, If Mr Salmon is still alive and any one knows of his whereabouts then please pass on my apologies for my behaviour during his classes.

    I now know that I was a disruptive pupil and could have learned much more than I did but that was not the fault of Mr Salmon nor Mr Newton. I was born in Beeston Rylands and attended the primary school there for one term before my parents took me and brother and sister off to Australia. Twelve weeks on board a S.S Ranchi attending school. Then To an Immigrants camp ( another school) then to the town of Collie W.A. ( another two schools). Back to the U.K on board another liner ( another school). To Beeston for a six month period ( another school). To Carlton and west dale school, then to Priory road school. To Eastwood sec tech and finally to ACHS where I stood it for two years and thinking I knew best I left six months before sitting GCEs. I think I could have been the first child to leave that school and , with hindsight made the biggest mistake of my 67 years of existence.

    However, I now see that with so many schools it was a difficult thing to make friends with any one as everything always seemed so temporary to me, and, I suppose, still does. No ones fault, that was the way of things. The pattern has been repeated with my children but not as much academic disturbances as for me thankfully.

  7. County high school Arnold

    in General Chat about Nottingham

    Posted

    As a matter of interest, was your Mr Salmom very tall and thin and a pipe smoker? We had a Mr Salmon at William Crane, the best teacher I ever knew, and I've always remembered him with great respect.

    Sorry about the delay in responding. The answer to your question is Yes! He was , as viewing from the perspective of a fifteen year old boy, about eight foot tall. Quiet yet with a somewhat sardonic sense of humour. I don't know about the pipe smoking as I never had access to the Teachers restroom but I do remember that both he and a Mr Newton who was a Maths teacher were great friends, or rather they were always in each others company during school hours.I am not implying anything other than friendship with the above sentence.

    As you I found Mr Salmon to be a kind, thoughtful and interesting person both as Teacher and as man.

  12. What were you and why /Teenage Years

    in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !

    Posted

    Mattsdigs,

    The names you have mentioned ring familiar to me, but i'm afraid i can't put faces to them.

    There is a good chance our fathers knew each other as the Westdale was my Dads haunt. He was at Gedling Pit, but they all frequented the same Pubs.Sounds like you have had an interesting life, seeing the World, You caused a giggle with the Baby-sitting duties. A few names from the estate i remember....Bull, Horner, White, Hellewell, Starbuck, Windrass, Lang, Horsley, We were friends with these families and many more. Good Luck with the rest of your adventures.

    Yes I do remember most of those names. Johnny Horsley lived on the bend in the road and at the top side while Frank Starbuck lived down on the Arnolds lane area but still on the estate. Frank starbuck senior had a reputation as a very big Family man who was loved by most until "in his Cups" as it were while the son left the area to join the Guards (Coldstream I believe). Last I saw of him was in the Grey Goose? down on Arnolds lane opposite the road to Lambley Dumbles.

    As for adventures, well I have lived and worked in all continents over the twenty three years in the Corps and then having been made redundant by M and S ( thirteen years as a chauffeur) We travelled the world mainly in the far east but more recently we have been visiting the States of America that have the Rockies as their Spine such as Arizoan and New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, Wyoming and Montana. We have driven them extensively and loved every mile and moment. The best though was to be in the Cook Islands when a huge storm blew in out of the Ocean and grounded a ship on the coral almost opposite our digs. ( did think about doing a spot of luxury goods relocation but too old to go scrambling about nowadays).

  13. What were you and why /Teenage Years

    in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !

    Posted

    Mattsdigs, Ayup mi duck,

    I'd say we probably did go to the cafe around the same time as there wasn't that many places to go for the age group.

    We also used to go to The Miners club on the top of Besecar, i think it was later called The Ballaton or something similar and various Youth clubs, one at The memorial Hall and also The Miners Welfare on top of Mapperly Plains. I can't think of Carol; but i would make a guess that we knew of her at the time, i'm afraid i only have part memories as this time is over fifty years ago. I had a couple of good school mates who lived on Phoenix, who you probably knew as well, Are you still living in the area or moved to pastures new as i did in 1966? I am sure we will know many of the same people who lived on the estate, because that's how it was. Thank you for putting a name to the road i couldn't remember (Blackhill Drive), the memory is not so good any more. :) :) :)

    The girls name was Carol Hudson and she had three brothers..

    I knew Pete Jackson and nev caunt, Pete straw. My brother, two years older than I used to knock about with Curly Hatton and Chris Warfolk all lived at various houses along Phoenix Avenue. My father, obviously a coal miner at Calverton pit used to live in the miners club especially after the Friday pay day and if he wasn't in there then he would be in the Westdale Tavern.

    By the time I was 15 I was drinking regular in theOak by the cricket field ans later I was into the Barley wine by the bottle in the Conservative club at the bottom of the twitches which I think was known as Apple tree lane. Go to the bottom and then left. Take the first on the right just last the shops and the Conservative club was there.

    I left home at 17 to join the Marines and never came back as my travels took me all over the world. I ended up in Poole in Dorset after two and a half years in Wash D.C courtesy of HM government and then I lived in Poole for 32 years until last year when we moved to

    Colchester for baby-sitting duties. But still enjoying roaming the world and suspect that I will be doing that til I pop me clogs.

  14. What were you and why /Teenage Years

    in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !

    Posted

    We used to go to' The Gay Cafe' in our early teens, about 1961 ish, our paths may have crossed. The twist was the in dance, and a bit of Jiving. After it closed at night there would be a crowd of us all walk up through a little passage (Sorry, i can't remember the road names) and come out on Main Road Gedling, we would then go up Westdale Lane and up past the Tavern onto Concrete Canyon (The Pit Estate). Ahhh Memories :rolleyes:

    Our paths must have crossed. My brother and I used to go to the Cafe most evenings, "homework permitting" I lived on Phoenix Avenue on the pit estate ( number 13 ) There was a girl attended most nights...carol (?). She had two or three brothers who were known as very attentive of her so there was no messing about...but she could sure twirl with the best.

    The little lane you took led to Blackhill drive

  22. Are ya reedin' owt good?

    in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !

    Posted

    On the subject of reading I was once asked by the man in the back, What five books made an impression on me." I think he just wanted to pass some time away from business but it got both of us thinking. My eventual answer was " I cant find the five most important in such a quick fashion but I do know that top of the list is Enid Blyton because without her getting me to acknowledge that my brain can create better pictures than comics can I would never have had the interest that I still have , so many years afterward, in reading.