jonab

Perhaps this current English idea of serving gravy in a little jam jar is supposed to compensate for the lack of walls on the plate.

Two more have come to mind Mr Pass, Art Alastair Mc??? English and Religious Knowledge (tall, gangly, very posh and shy. Totally unsuitable for Beardall Street). There was another fellow there for only a short period whose prime subject was English but his obsession was country dancing. Imagine a load of arse-out kids who didn't have soles on their shoes doing country dancing? His speciality was Morris dancing YUK YUK YUK!!! The stuff of nightmares. I should point out that these teachers weren't all there at the same time.

I remember sizzlers being on an extremely hot cast iron dish which, in turn, was carried on a wooden plank. There was no contact of food and wood. The plank was needed to prevent the waiter getting third-degree burns and also to avoid setting light to the table and its cloth. From a hygiene aspect, the iron dish approached the ideal. It was so hot that there was no change of anything dangerous being left alive on it.

It depends to some extent on what you consider is the etymology of the word "mam", "mom", or "mum". To my understanding, "mam" is a direct reference to mammary - with which all mothers are necessarily blessed. Similarly "mom" a reference to mother. Mum doesn't seem to fit anywhere.

Using dead flat items such as planks of wood or slate roof tiles is beyond stupid. The first designer of a plate was very clever and had the forethought to raise the edges of said item so that any liquids (gravy, cream etc.) would be retained on the plate instead of running down the user's chest or all over the table. Regarding drinking coffee from soup bowls - I think the idea is that you get a large portion in one filling. What isn't taken into account is that the large surface area means that the drink cools down much more quickly. Not one of France's (tass dejeuner* - breakfast

I called my mother mam but it wasn't said in a way that rhymes with jam but it tailed off into silence - a bit like the noise of a sheep (but beginning with "m", obviously) and then reduced to an almost silent "m" at the end. When speaking of my mother, though, it was mi-mam. It did rhyme with jam then.

Thanks again, woody. I forgot all about Dr Savage and Rayners. Donovon is but a faint memory. The Pilgrim is completely unknown to me.

There used to be a very profound graffito painted on one of the gas holders (gasometers) outside St Pancras Station in London (from where the Nottingham train departed) saying: NOSTALGIA AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

Invision?

Good one, Phil! I don't eat frog's legs. They are very expensive and you need an awful lot to make a meal. I'll leave 'em for the tourists - together with the snails. BTW, very often the snails served up in many French restaurants are not snails at all but are mushroom stalks.

I remember catching frogs (and newts) in Bulwell Hall pond. Don't suppose it's there any longer.

I don't think most English need to learn or practice speaking French if your only intention is to go there on holiday. Almost all of the natives in the tourist and holiday areas speak English and there is always an English speaker close by. It's only when you venture into the less touristy areas that you need French and even "les paysans" are taught a basic English understanding at school. They may, and do, forget most of it but the seeds of comprehension remain. The structure of French society is very different to England. "Paysan" translates into English as "peasant" but that doe

Quand j'ai rejoint ce groupe, je me suis promis que tout ce que j'écrirais serait en anglais. Seulement été ici environ une semaine et tout est parti par la fenêtre. I must do everything from now on in English. Part of the reason for joining was so that I didn't lose touch with my native tongue

Pour les grande coquilles St. Jacques peut etre? Non je ne pense pas. Les palourdes sont effectivement comestibles à moins d'être bouillies pendant des heures et des heures. Les pétoncles cuisent en quelques secondes - ou même les mangent crus

On the subject of odd plates, some friends of mine own a fish restaurant on La Croisette in Cannes. They had the odd idea of using giant clam shells instead of plates in their service. These clams are fished locally and the shells are about 25 cm diameter. What my friends hadn't accounted for was that tourists found these shells irresistible as souvenirs and after a week or less, all the stock of clamshell plates had been stolen. Not to be outdone, my friends decided to open a seashell souvenir shop in an annexe where they now successfully sell all sorts of rubbish and tat retrieve

Just remembered that "Pinhead" was really called Corbishley and one of the unnamed sports teachers (I think the Mr ??? on my list, above) was Mr Philips. I have no memory whatsoever of the sports mistresses. Possibly because we had no association with them at all but, then, a vague memory of Mrs Pratt teaching girls sports is coming to mind. How could I have missed out Mr Nixon, the teacher of the remedials (or thickos)? He was a really nice fellow. A big bear of a man who could put the fear of God into you but he was always very kind. He took the class with most of the school to l

A list of teachers at Beardall Street 1955 - 60. Can you help complete it? Mrs Wilson, Headmistress. She was replaced by Mr Simpson Mrs Piggott, Music. She was replaced by: Mr ?? Music Mrs Nicholson, Needlework. She left to go to Annie Holgate Mrs Pratt, Science and General Studies. She left to have a child Mr Mantle, Science Mr White, Woodwork Mr Holdsworth, Metalwork Mr Smith, Religious Instruction. I think he left to move to AH Mr Derbyshire, Art Miss Pierrepoint, Art Miss Lingard, Cookery & Domestic Science Mr Swindells,

The problem with men hanging around in children's playgrounds, whether or not they have a beer and a fag, is that it is assumed by an ever increasingly suspicious public that they are there for nefarious reasons. Better for you? My use of the quote button was purely to direct any readers to the post I was referring to.

Thanks woody for filling in those gaps in my memory. Am I right in thinking that Fords shop was in two halves with a staircase between the two leading to a dance school (Vince Dickens?) and a tiny watch repair shop - or was that Cawleys and my memory is awry? I remember Teed's opticians very well. The Teed family lived next door to my auntie on Wood Lane. Were there really only two opticians in the town then (Teed's and Wakefield's). I can't recall any others. Whilst on medical related matters but a bit off-topic, I think the chemist's shops have been comprehensive

Some of those are later than me! Pork Farms (Watnall Road/High Street) was previously Proctors, a jewellers and clock shop. Lakes Chemist was previously Birketts Chemist. Tailored's is that Taylders opposite the Market Place? I remember the toy shop. Wasn't Bullocks also the name of an upmarket photographer near there?

I have lots of memories of Beardall Street, some of them only just coming back to me after years of neglect. Anyone remember the headmistress, Mrs Wilson? Mrs NP Wilson? Mrs Nancy Parry Wilson as we found out when her case came up. Mrs Wilson a very buxom woman who took great pride in folding her arms underneath her much more than ample bosoms and then looking as though she was about to throw them over her shoulder. I never liked her but she was generally very popular amongst staff and pupils. Her popularity was due, at least in part, was her enthusiasm in arrangi

Could have been worse. One of my teachers at Beardall Street was Mrs Pratt. It seemed that I was the only pupil in the school that got on with and appreciated her

Now the pics are restored, the SoF that I remember is on the first one from Mick. It looks pretty much like it's closed there. I remember the Three Horse Shoes now, as well. It had completely left my memory - as had the Albert Hotel.

Digging up the past again: As I remember it, the plaque is on the house at the corner of Duke Street and Beardall Street. I think that technically the address is Duke Street but that's not relevant to the subject of this thread. A possibly interesting point is that the same house was used for the practice of Dr OLJ Wallen, one of the early West Indian (black) doctors to qualify and work in England. He told me once that he was in several films that starred Paul Robeson (singer and early black activist) as an understudy and double.

I remember Burdall's Gravy salt in a tin. Both the tin and its lid had very sharp edges. Painful and bloody memories. - Salt in a cut - Yeeeeooow.