Life in the Slow Lane

It was funny listening to it because, with all the rain, the commentators were discussing the size of the horses feet to work out which ones would do better in the soft ground.

I wonder how they vary in weight? they weigh jockeys,why not them?

I think they do weigh them in America? The horses that is. What I mean is they tell the public the weight whereas over here they are weighed but unles a comment remarks that so and so had lost or gained weight we don't know.

I did wonder whether to put this on here, but fortunately no-one on here knows me I used to belong (briefly in the 80s) to the

Loose Women's Clog Dancing group. It is a women's morris dancing team. It is now based on the border morris style of dancing and has changed name - and of course line-up! I used to live in the next village, and was very happy not to live in the village of Loose itself as any female living there came in for much ribaldry. I felt particularly sorry for the Loose Women's Institute.

http://www.loosewomen.org.uk/site/index.php

I loved it, but it was very time-consuming.

Apparently the Ugley Women's Institute in Essex has changed its name to the Women's Institute of Ugley . I wonder why ???

Because they are Essex Girls and not allowed to be Ugley?

Tegan

Thanks for cathartic, I feel better already.

Blimey, I was only joking about the Morris Dancing suit but I do like the music and the Madness ( Our house ) although I don't think I'm ready yet for a bustier and I know that fishnets leave unsightly marks.

My Dear Wife was a good dancer, light on her feet. She did her best with me but I was more Palais Glide and link arms for the Gay ( is that still PC ) Gordons where you join the stampede and go in the same direction.

We did a lot of our courting in dance-halls to a real band with a real singer and you knew what they were singing about.

You know what The Fonz would say don't you

Loved the gay Happy Gordons sadly the replacement hip wouldn't allow it now I should land in a heap on the floor. Come to think of it that used to happen in days gone by

The Fonz? You are a secret Rocker aren't you?

Exactamundo!

FliketyB and Notso

I have just been looking back to your kind comments at my first contact.

I was going to write another little story about our history together and try to be all witty and clever but today got very emotional when I met a complete stranger, a lovely man over 80 years old.

After we had talked for a while I told him that I had lost my wife last year.
He said that he lost his Wonderful wife nearly 20 years ago.

We both had children and family who do what they can but all have busy lives and cannot be around us all the time, they go home, we become alone.

I told him more about myself than I have told anyone else because I felt we were in almost a mirror situation, we had both dearly loved and lost our wife.

I told him that I hated not having her with me, the shock of loss, the empty house and losing someone who had always been there to talk to and rely on. He said that he still suffers all of that nearly 20 years on.

I said that I had been offered and had counselling but no-one could tell me what I wanted to hear. ' Is she safe ' . ' We don't really know '
I know, I know, I asked an impossible question.

He said that only people who had gone through it understood.

I stood there crying and he understood and was consoling me.

He said that sometimes she appears right in front of him but he has to stay at armslength. If he tries to put his arms around her she fades.

I asked him " How do you see her "

He said " As a beautiful young woman "

People never leave you completely.

Cortina such a painful post. There is no answer is there? Just an arm around the shoulders. What a wonderful woman she must have been.

A brave post Cortina. Another arm from me. I'm glad you met someone who completely understood what you're experiencing.
Another day now

Group hug

Thank you for your good wishes.

I thought that by focussing on good times it would help. It doesn't.

I'll maybe come back when it gets easier.

I hope you stick around cortina. Good times or bad, it's a safe place to be.

Are you a fellow steam fan?
I would love to own a traction engine!
Just wonder, could I use one instead of my mobility scooter?

Galen, off to annual Steam Fair tomorrow in next town. Love steam engines.

flower In July there will be all six surviving Mallard engines at York. No Golden Plover though - she was broken up in 1964. Vandalism.

Our local steam fair seems to herald the start of the monsoon season and has been cancelled a couple of times recently. Before the A50 was built the A6 was full of traction engines for days leading up to the fair; I used to love the toot toot and the smell of smoke [but wasn't quite so chuffed to be stuck behind one when I was in a hurry ]...I might try to get up to York to see Mallard. Have a friend with a house there with an open invitation. If it coincided with the Ebor meeting even better ...

Thunder as we speak! maybe right about monsoon season Tegan

The Day Trip to Skeggie

Before I hang up the quill pens and roll up the parchment I promised to tell the story of the expedition to Skegness so here it is and it's all true.
We were courting at the time, do young couples do courting now?

The coach came into the village early in the morning, we all got on board and set off. Everyone in good spirits, some had brought emergency rations in case of a breakdown plus there were no motorways or Little Chefs then. Hint of Brylcreme in the air, some had a hanky with a knot at each corner to protect the head from the sun and the occasional string vest. No problems were encountered on the journey, it only took half a day.

Sandy beach and Anyway the wind blows is typical for the East coast which meant it was usually cold so we spent most of the rest of the day along The Front or in the Amusement arcades and round the shops then fish and chips out of a newspaper. That wouldn't be allowed now because someone had touched that newspaper and you could catch a dreadful disease. Everyone back on the coach in good time and we set off for home

Halfway home the coach pulled into a pub carpark. We all went in, got our drinks and settled down. We sat with Billy the Pig, he kept a pig, and his girlfriend. Closeby was a piano and a set of drums. Billy the Pig said 'I can play a bit'. Someone that I worked with played the drums and he had been showing me how to do paradiddles, 4 beats, DaDa, MaMA .
Should we have a go? Why not, we're on holiday.

So we played a couple of tunes, nobody objected, played a couple more and the bus trippers joined in. Get another pint in, Babycham for the girls and off we go again, getting claps now.
At that time I smoked, everyone did, so I had a John Player smouldering on the low notes, Billy the Pig never went near the low notes. He shouted to me 'I've never played this well before' I thought 'Could it be because of the Drummer' His girlfriend was up on a table dancing in high heels.

Then they threw us out.

So back on the coach, someone starts a singsong 'Show me the way to go home, I'm tired and I want to go to bed'
Somebody else takes the hat round for the -- 'Driver. would you please stop at the first convenient hedgerow'

The Fonze would have loved it.

That brings back lots of memories *cortina"!

Hint of Brylcreme rang particularly fond bells

I bought my Uncle Ben a jar of Brylcreem for Christmas one year, but my mum pointed out that he didn't have any hair .