AlanB

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Everything posted by AlanB

  1. If ever I hurt myself my Mum would say "you'll die after it." Then she'd explain that because it had already happened, I couldn't die before it.
  2. A Hillman Hunter. I asked my brother to look for a car for me since he allegedly knew about them. The first thing I discovered about it was when I filled up the petrol tank the fuel started leaking out of a hole part way up the tank. The seller had left it with only a little fuel to hide this fault! I had numerous problems with the engine overheating whenever I did a long journey, if the AA had had a blacklist I would have been on it. My brother and I even changed the engine for a replacement one from a scrapyard because the original engine seized up. Eventually I met the love of my life, who
  3. Yes, me too, maybe it was the baldness and the moustache but I always thought he was near retirement age so I was surprised when someone on this thread a few years ago said he was still alive! I recall he was the only teacher (well apart from the Headmaster) who wore his academic gown in lessons. He also ran the stamp club which I was a member of.
  4. I was told this by an old schoolfriend who organised a reunion in 2019. Mr Jacob was there and it was a pleasure to meet up with him again. He was still mentally sharp too, and said he remembered me (from 45 years ago!). Sad he's gone, but most of us would be more than happy to reach that age with our mind still intact. He was quite a character.
  5. The Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway > Places > Hospitals > Overview (nottsheritagegateway.org.uk)
  6. I don't think it was a children's home though, at least not in the 1960s, it was more an outpost of St Ann's Hospital.
  7. Amazing it's still there. It was 50 years ago when I used to frequent it!
  8. There was the Kardomah on King Street. My Dad worked in an office a few doors away and used to take us there.
  9. I was into stamp collecting as a teenager and I used to go to the stamp shop near to the Theatre Royal. I don't supposes it's still there?
  10. I had an auntie and uncle who took their children to Mablethorpe every year. A B & B and a chalet on the seafront. Kids playing on the beach and adults in the chalet brewing tea and reading the newspaper. At least my parents took us to different British seaside resorts (no holidays abroad though, I had to wait until I was married for that). I can't think of anything more boring than Mablethorpe every summer. Day trips yes, but EVERY year for a week??
  11. This brings back memories of when I grew up in Wollaton. I used to get the E6, I think it was, to Bilborough Grammar School until I got a cycle permit. I think there was a C6 and F9 went through Wollaton too, the F9 went through the village and the C6 and B2 (?) along Russell Drive. Another bus turned down Bramcote Lane and I if I got on that one I had to walk from the library to Goodwood Road instead of just walking round the corner if I got the others. The bus tickets all had a three digit number on and there was a craze of trying to collect all the numbers, I was desperate to ge
  12. I remember the Batman cards. And Bazooka Joe bubblegum. Once my brother, who was only very young, bought a few packets of Bazooka Joe and found that there were no cards in them. He decided to write a letter to the company and his punchline, as only a young child could write, was "if you keep doing this, people will not buy your bubble gum any more." He received a dozen packets of bubble gum for his trouble!
  13. Was it Pearson's that used to have a large music section and sold Hammond and other organs? My Dad used to love going in there to browse and he eventually bought an organ of his own (second hand though, not from Pearsons). I remember Selectadisc too, I bought quite a few albums from there. Also I remember the man who worked in menswear at the Co Op. He had the mannerisms of Mr Humphries in Are You Being Served! Another shop I remember was the first supermarket to open at the far end of the Victoria Centre, I think it was called Scan (?). I had a Saturday job
  14. I'm surprised there isn't a thread for this school (or the secondary school for that matter). I was at Fernwood Junior between 1963 and 1967, my parents moved to Wollaton from West Hallam (the other side of Ilkeston) so I was late coming into my year group. I remember the headmaster was Mr Whittaker, and many years later we bumped into him outside the Camelia House in Wollaton Park. He used to come and give us special lessons called "verbal reasoning" and what we didn't realise was that this was actually coaching for the 11 Plus. It succeeded because out of a class of 33 all but one person got
  15. The first house I lived in was directly opposite Cantrell Road school but we left Bulwell when I was five. I have a vague memory of going to Cantrell Road school for half a day before we moved to West Hallam, this would be in 1961. A couple of years later we moved back to Nottingham (Wollaton) as my Dad wasn't coping with the commute to work.
  16. Hi Ann, yes Mr Mahoney taught Maths. I had him for the lower 6th but then he moved to another school. He was an excellent teacher and I was sad to see him go.
  17. So, we had our reunion last night and a great time was had by all. About 80 people turned up, most were former pupils from the class of 1967 - 1974, plus a few people brought partners and there were also some teachers: Mr Nicklin (didn't get a chance to speak to him but I don't think he ever taught me) Mr Robinson - a lovely gentleman, I didn't think he taught me either but he thinks he might have done in the early years. Mr Mahoney - he was only at the school for 2 years and he was amazed that he was remembered - but as I and others told him, you always remember your mos
  18. From what I remember: Big old ?Edwardian house in extensive grounds. You walked in the front door and ahead of you were stairs with a corridor to the left. Two rooms were on the left - the first was the dining room which doubled as the room where you would meet Dr Arkle when she visited. The other room was the lounge with sofa(s) and a TV. To the right of the front door was the manager's office and at the bottom of the stairs I think was the room where they administered the drugs. Dormitories were on the first floor, I think there were at least 6 beds in mine. At the end of the passage next to
  19. I don't know if anyone saw this recently https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-49149461 I remember when that site was the Park and Ride site for the failed Zone and Collar system to keep cars out of the city centre. The so-called "Lilac Leopard" coaches often had just one passenger on them! Later on it was Main Stop, then the Co op and then Waitrose. My Mum lived round the corner until she went into a care home last year, and my brother and I sold her house just before Christmas so hopefully we benefitted from the Waitrose effect. The lady pi
  20. Great photos Kerry, they bring back a lot of memories. Thanks.
  21. I grew up in Wollaton and have fond memories of the park and hall, and even though my Mum continued to live there until a year ago I hadn't visited since my own daughter was small - must be about 30 years ago. So today, before visiting Mum in the care home, I decided to go down memory lane. Amazed that entrance to the hall is still free, even though it now costs to park your car. The animals in there are still enthralling, and I found myself wondering if my little granddaughter would appreciate them. I remember going on one of the tours as a teenager, although in those days they only happened
  22. I've always been proud of my Grade 9 in English Lit O Level! I didn't dare to resit it, though I did have to resit English Language because it was essential if you wanted to go to Uni. I went up from a Grade 8 to a Grade 3 in a year.
  23. Horrendous thought isn't it, things were so primitive back then. It wouldn't surprise me if you said they'd made you stand in a wide open space and told you not to be so silly. I remember one occasion when we all went out for a walk and I could hear a voice behind me shouting "stop ticing!". I thought if it was that easy then no way I would have to be here!
  24. To be honest I can't recall if I went home for the weekends or not (as you say probably the drugs affected my memories of that time) but I have a recollection of constantly telling my parents how awful it was and I don't think they visited me there so maybe I did go home for the weekends. As for the drugs, the idea I think was to try different medication to see if it worked any better than what I was on, but after I came out I was still on the same tablets as I was on before! So what was the point? Also when I went to university I soon decided to stop taking the tablets and I was no worse than