I smell a rat there - a vicious rumor with no substance - he was in fact supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to the point of taking your breath away!!
Among the quiet hills and meadows in the middle of Devon, this small train of three spruce coaches was the only moving object,……………………….Exeter to Barnstaple, much of it along a stream called the River Taw which the train crossed and recrossed. It was the last rural branch line in the shire…………….favored by railway buffs……………their joy riding a mild form of necrophilia……….photographing the fluting and floriation, the pediments and barge-boards and pilasters…………………………….They knew that when the line was closed ………………every beautiful station would be sold to anyone who could raise a mortgage to turn it into a bungalow for a boasting family.
P.Theroux; The kingdom by the sea 1984
Nb: the railway systems of the United Kingdom were IMO works of art as well as providing a useful service to locals and tourists. Dismantling it as they did was barbarous and now one of the Ministers involved has a TV program in which he ponces about showing the ‘new’ railway systems of the Kingdom – wot a ponce!!
It is strange, that a generation has created it’s own nostalgia, on a grand scale.
been 'appenin for centuries - come out of ya sunhouse occasionally!
I do sometimes, but mostly don’t like what I see.
Ya See, one is very nostalgic, but it really hurts.
Watching the Olympic curling yesterday which has come on in leaps and bounds from it’s origins, where it was played on frozen Scottish ponds and lochs.
It is no longer called ‘The roaring game’ for the sound the stone made travelling over the ice, which is a shame, but I suppose roaring has violent connotations and can’t be encouraged and we have to think PC these days.
Anyway the game has been brought up to date and is now very technical. Is is quite a joy to watch those chaps fast broom sweeping whilst slipping and sliding on their Teflon sliding soled shoes.
However yesterdays match had to be halted because the handle on one of our chaps curling stone fell off. I jest you not on what I am about to type now. They had to call for the official Olympic Allen Key Holder. Isn’t that wonderful. Who would have thought that the humble Allen Key would ever reach such lofty status.
Mind you I remember as a nipper when I was hurtling around the streets on my trusty tin skates when the same thing happened to me. Lucky for me I always kept an allen key on a tatty bit of string tucked in my knicker pocket
All praise for the allen key saver of dire situations
I’m with allen keys on this one - wouldn’t be without them; couldn’t be without them - and I always impress the ladies with them! - BUT I came on tonight to find that we had lost the HOT spot on the general page - so let’s lift our commitment to being a leader!!
Y’know WHY it hurts,spitty?
It’s because nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be…
[cue “eeh,when I wert’ kid,it were all fields roun-dear”…]
I think it hurts BECAUSE the ages of nostalgia WERE better - who says this age is FANTASTIC??
Nostalgia all went to pot when that Elf and Spoilsport lot stopped the age old practice of sticking your thumb in the top of a hot steak and kidney pud at the Chippies so they could pour more rich gravy into it and you dip chips to your hearts content.
We had been doing that for years with no injuries so not our fault. That lot all had wussy thumbs when testing out that tried and true method.
Trouble is they never came up with a better method of getting gravy inside our puds. Interfering pillocks the lot of em. 
nostalgia was before we had personal pc’s and Ipads etc etc. I remember an old friend of mine in UK who I had pressured and pressured to buy himself a pc as a great way to use emails and keep in touch with me and others without having to send his audiotapes and letters!!
he finally made the effort and got himself one and really struggled for the first year learning how to deal with it but he finally mastered it and sent me a few intro emails and then they mysteriously stopped. He still has his pc and writes long tomes on his unusual holidays [oh forgot to tell you he a bachelor with plenty of money - NO you can’t have his phone number] but regular emails never ensued - WE [his other friends] always thought he loved communicating but NO - the connection was never made. YES nostalgia was better!!
Leisurely scribbles is my favourite place to be
I don’t think I’ll bother posting anywhere else.
can you stay a bit longer then?? we love you too and nurse viven!!
by way of diversion:
Quiz for the over 50’s
Great mental exercise for people over 50.
Which of the following names are you familiar with?
- Monica Lewinsky
- Hillary Clinton
- Benito Mussolini
- Adolf Hitler
- Jorge Bergoglio
- Al Capone
- Vladimir Putin
- Linda Lovelace
- Saddam Hussein
- Tiger Woods
You had trouble with Number 5, didn’t you?
So, you know all the liars, criminals, adulterers, murderers, thieves, cheaters, but you don’t know the Pope?
Lovely, just lovely… sometimes I worry about you.
That is still one of my flavourites as well.
“The next train’s gone!”
Well I got all hot under the collar when I started reading that, thinking of my Lovely Cousin’s view from the rear, but then I lost interest a bit. Not that she hasn’t got an interesting mind you understand. Far from it. She’s always thinking of interesting things for me to do and keep me busy.
I am partial to many of the old filums. After you’ve been watching a black and white one for a while, you tend to forget it’s black and white.
Some of the early colour talkies were good as well. I’ve yet to find a modern remake of one that is as good though. Why people bother to make them I don’t know. Just show the original. The Four Feathers is a case I point. I saw the remake first and it was just lain mediocre. Then one lazy Sundegg arternoon I saw the original. What a corker. Heroics and derring do and massive battle scenes galore. All good stuff.
As for this Elfin Safety malarkey. Some of it is of course very necessary and important, but not when it comes to things like hot pies and gravy, or kids swings on concrete. The latter was much safer than the modern soft landings. You knew if you fell off it was going to hurt, and would be your fault, so you made sure you didn’t fall orf. Nowadays kids think they won’t get hurt if they fall so don’t hang on for grim death like we did in our yoof, and the parents decide it was somebody else’s fault if their kids do fall off and want someone to pay.
Well it must be somebody else’s fault muss-nit?
Now for a bit of culture
Last year I enjoyed a evening at the opera, and here is my review
Lakmé by Léo Delibes
Theatre Royal
Performed by City Opera.
Nothing lacking in this performance in my humble opinion. All credit to the Theatre Royal & City Opera for staging this rather neglected work. Lakmé by Léo Delibes has suffered in the same way as all the other misunderstood gems branded a one tune Opera. The flower song in this case. Cruelly when you think of Cav & Pag forever staged jointly & known mainly for the Intermezzo in Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, and Vesti la giubba from I Pagliacci by Ruggierio Leoncavallo.
A magnificent cast & difficult to pick out anyone for their performance because they were all outstanding. I must highlight though the pure tones and power of Madalina Barbu in the role of Lakmé her voice soared transcendently achieving unbelievable peaks effortlessly
Hakan Vramsmo, as Nilakantha the Brahmin priest has my vote for being the tallest and loudest performer and Daniel Joy for his range, stamina & likeability
The unusual setting for this work based in the period of partition in India & the clashes of culture added to which the various factions don’t get in the way of the glorious music as could easily have happened.
I must mention an incident I witnessed. In a seat 2 rows down the aisle sat an innocent lady theatre goer when the poor dear’s seat suddenly collapsed throwing her unceremoniously into the aisle. This was before the performance had even started. Thinking she was protesting over some important matter I was relieved when a little man with a box of screws came scuttling along & discreetly fixed the chair back. All in the dark too. She was re seated I guess, for she didn’t return to her seat. I checked mine.
But I digress.
A wonderful evening, a wonderful theatre & discreet ,attentive staff ^& volunteers.
Jack James aka Robert Jnr.(not qualified for this task)
Fancy… i think it was more likely priapism.
Omg!!!
Too much to read.
I need more time!
I do wonder about some of the clothing of the past.
How could people ever be comfortable?
All those girdles and tight breeches.
At least a Fart took some time to hit the Stratosphere.