Just feel like having a moan

[harry hayes]

Just gazing out of the bedroom window of my tiny part of the United kingdom, pretty much all I could see were cars; vans; and dust-bins of various colours'

 

I suppose everything has its price.

 

And as I have posted before, wind farms depress me. Sadly gone to far to get rid of these almost useless and costly monstrosities.

 

Happy days

 

Our memories are the only paradise from which we cannot be expelled.

[Wingnut]

It's a strange thing Harry, I never had you down as a window licker.

Wheelie bins are the pits, what a useless lump of plastic they are. You couldn't beat the owld metal bins that made lots of noise. And they never did catch the phantom dustbin lid crasher of Alder Lane.

 

Think back to the good owld days around the Alder Lane area. Curtain twitchers I think is what they were called in them days. Allways on the lookout for the rent man or window cleaner. I think it was a favourite past time to dodge these people, can you come back next week was the usual reply to the window cleaner when he came around collecting his money, if he caught you off guard and you opened the door to him.

 

If you were lucky, a twupenny bus ride into town could see you coming back with more money than you went out with. A quick figgle down the Used Ticket Box when you first stepped on the bus could often prove quite rewarding with the odd frippeny bit that had been dropped in there by mistake.

 

There was no such thing as free bus passes for pensioners. In these modern times, The Warrington Twirlys have taken over. That is when a pensioner trys to get on the bus before the allocated time for their free ride (9.30pm). But you can always see one or two owldies getting onto the bus at 9.pm and asking the driver, am I Twirly?

[harry hayes]

And pressing Button B could also prove rewarding. Don,t curtain twitch too often - nothing to see.

 

No children playing; neighbours change too often so you don't know who lives 3 doors away. The few neighbours that do pass, whizz past in their cars.

 

Well I said I wanted a moan. ( and I didn't add that nearly everybody I know is dead). As mrs Mopp used to say "it's being so cheerful what keeps me going".

 

Happy days

[Evil Sid]

So you know a few zombies then

[Wingnut]

Me Mam is curtain twitching all the time. And she puts a glass tumbler against the party wall to try and hear what the neighbours are talking about. I've seen her do it loads of times, she's always earwigging.

 

And if some poor wench had a baby, even though she was married, there would always be a court of enquiry on the street corner, to determine who the true father of the child was.

 

Oooh look, there's her Bert going off to do his night shift. It wont be long now before the insurance man with his bike clips on from the Pru turns up, you just see if he doesn't.

[harry hayes]

Happy days Wingie. Pre TV etc. The neighbours were one of the main topics of converstion.

 

Still think it's sad what has happened to our streets (communities)

 

Hppy days

[Wingnut]

Just heard on the wireless that we could be losing May Day. Most areas in the Borough had children rushing home from school to dress up in their home made garb, and go dancing around the Maypole. Usualy a clothes prop with lengths of string coming from the top of it, and coloured ribbons tyed down the string. But that is a tradition which has long gone. I was the Maypole carrier. And we never got tangled up as we danced in and out of each other, holding onto our lengths of string.

 

Making daisy chains to hang around the neck of the May Queen and wristlets for the other dancers kept us busy for a day or two. Throwing sticky bobs at each other or rival dancers was accepted. And if we got thirsty while making daisy chains, there was always milky bobs to suck on. Holding a buttercup close to your neck, and looking for its reflection on your skin was proof that you liked butter.

 

Talking about these things, makes it sound like it all happened a hundred years ago. But it wasn't that long ago when you think about it.

 

The cry from a few miserable people in them days was, go and play in your own streets. Don't you know there's a man on nights in this house.

[silverlady54]

Don,t curtain twitch too often - nothing to see.

 

No children playing; neighbours change too often so you don't know who lives 3 doors away. The few neighbours that do pass, whizz past in their cars.

 

 

You should come and live where we do! Only been here 12 months and I can honestly say it's the best place I have lived. The neighbours are great and everyone here speaks to each other. Can't beat it!!

[harry hayes]

That's nice to hear Silver Lady. We see some neighbours when they are cleaning the car. In fairness I should say that we live in the back of the house (living room; garden and garage all at the rear)

 

Wingie - what we used to do to get a coin or two. The thing I

remember about May Day was that it was always sunny. Now......

Wouldn't do all that these days, but it was good fun

and it would be lovely to see children doing it. Thanks for the memory.

 

Happy days

[Wingnut]

It was a penny at each house that we asked for the Maypole. I can't ever remember being in on the share out when we were finished. The wench's usually looked after the money, the thieving beggars. But you're right, it was good fun.

 

How's this for a comparrison Harry?

Back then we put the effort in and danced for a penny. Today it's give us a quid, and I'll tell you where your stolen mountain bike is.

[harry hayes]

Ee, but we were happy then. Suppose your wenches topped up their supplyof dolly mixtures.

 

Happy days

[Horace]

Wingnut

We are not "losing" May Day - there is just talk of moving the May Day Bank Holiday (which is quite a recent invention) to the back end of the year to try and extend the tourist season. Can't see it working myself, but that is the idea.

The "real" May Day, as celebrated at places like Knutsford and Lymm, is a very old tradition. But it was never a Bank Holiday.

[Wingnut]

Hi Horrace.

 

Knutsford the REAL May Day? How dare you speak such blasphemy. Get Thee Behind Me Satan!

 

The Knutsford May Queen arrives on the Heath by motorised float supplied by the council. I have never seen them doing any Maypole Dancing either. Everything they do, they have it laid on for them. We did it all by ourselves. Our May Queens were lucky and would think we were going soft if they got pushed around in a rusty old Silver Cross pram from the Yanky tip.

 

Which reminds me, the rusty old silver cross prams were in much demand, as an old lawn mower engine bolted onto the parcel shelf underneath, converted them into a self driven silver Cross pramberella. We we very inventive in them days.

[Horace]

Wingnut

 

I quote:

 

"Knutsford Royal May Day is one if not perhaps the most famous of all the May Day events still celebrated in the United Kingdom. Celebrated on the first Saturday in May the small market town of Knutsford in Cheshire becomes one large street pageant as the procession takes winds its way through the town to the Heath where the May Queen and her Court preside. Historically the May Day festivities are not linked to any historic fair or charter but can be traced back to 1864 when Knutsford itself has three historic fairs listed in Owen's Book of Fairs in 1802. However, with the growth in prominence of the May Day festivities from 1864 onwards, by the 1880s the main fair associated with the town occurred at the beginning of May. The celebrations were originally held on the first Monday in May or May-Day but by the 1920s it had become associated with the first Saturday in May."

 

Now its true that I have not been to Knutsford on May Day for some years, but I remember the occasion well some 40 odd years ago and I can assure you that there were many, many local people who worked very hard to put the show on at that time. I would be surprised if they don't still. And they certainly had plenty of Morris Dancing!

 

Not that I am in any way detracting from whichever May Day YOU are talking about.

[Wingnut]

I can assure you that there were many, many local people who worked very hard to put the show on at that time.

 

Very good me owld cock sparrer. But could the Natsford May Queen make her own daisy chain necklace?

 

And this is what the Dallam (posh half of Bewsey) May Queen sang as she danced around the best clothes prop Maypole in the world.

 

I'm a little fairy

Come from fairy land

with my wings so dainty

hand in hand, in hand

Oh I am never weary

And I am never sad

For over theeere.....(pointing towards Greenpit woods)

Is fairy land.

 

Chorus

 

Everybody joining in with the same verse. Dancing and weaving in and out of each other. The proceeds of the evenings entertainment were spent at Charlies chippy in Harrison Square later in the evening.