Things to note.....
1 you have to wonder why they use an illustration instead of a photo for this contraption in watery mode of use
2 that pipe clenched purposefully between manly lips
3 the immaculate suit and homburg
4 the fact that those wellies wouldn't do a whole lot of good given the noticeable lack of a front wheel splashguard
Only the French, huh?
I've added a link to Nicks new venture into the "Drink" section of the Links at the right hand side of the blog. Not a lot of content as yet but that'll no doubt be remedied soon?
....hmmmm, not exactly readable is it? If it wasn't for that slight white drop shadow round the lettering it would just be a muddy mess and definitely not the sort of corporate image I'd want at the top of MY website. By the way, 1 in 10 men suffer from partial to complete colour blindness.....that's a sizeable proportion of the wine buying public!
Funny how the rest of the family managed to miss the splinters! Click on the image to enbiggify to readable proportions.
So it's kinda convenient we've bumped the end-of-term party forwards to the 21st July!! Anne, John and I did the Saturday concert at Tynemouth Castle last year...(and despite the fact that John was sporting a plaster cast and didn't do a whole lot of dancing in the aisles) it was well worth the entry fee. Anyone up for a repeat visit this year (packing a picnic and possibly umbrellas of course!) should check out the following......
Hours and hours in the making, the whole procedure detailed hereRound about the time when Ma was doing the annual Sunday School Trip from Haltwhistle?
This was the first online 'point and click' game I ever played.....it still hasn't lost it's charm
....that's if they still make wooden coathangers of course! (But doesn't that happy, smiling, curly-haired moppet look a bit like Lizzi?)
I found this recent write-up of 'The Childhood Memories Toy Museum' today....and there's lots more 'nothing happening much' visitors attractions here including the Keswick Pencil Museum if you're that way inclined. Now I think the last time I was there was when Daizy would have been about 3....and it looks like they might have upgraded the floor surface from basic concrete (with puddles) since then, and maybe better lighting too!
"Childhood doesn’t belong in a museum - it’s noisy and fun, not quiet and organised. When you walk into the barn-like space that is Childhood Memories Toy Museum the overall effect is of a chaotic bedroom that’s had a last minute tidy up for visitors. The name really fits, as soon as you come in the door it’s like being a kid again, looking at a whole heap of exciting things and wondering what to play with first.
There’s obviously been an attempt to organise the huge number of toys on show. There are neat displays showing an impressive array of toy guns, robots, doll’s house furniture, Sooty & Sweep, ventriloquist’s dummies, Sindy dolls, Mr (and Mrs) Potato Heads, it goes on and on. But outside these collections toys spill everywhere. Bizarre board games such as On The Buses and I only arsked: The Bernard Breslaw Game balance on the display cases, and anything that can hang dangles from the ceiling.
In the middle of the floor large dolls and cuddly toys of all ages are corralled inside miniature vehicles. Some of the old ones would give you nightmares, their glass eyes staring at you in the dark. A teddy sits in a Sinclair C5, not actually a toy car even though it looks like one. And everything is equal here. Although many of the exhibits are highly collectable there’s no indication that that makes them more important. Classic toys are on show alongside tiny disposable things and famous names jostle with others that have been long forgotten. That makes sense – kids don’t discriminate either.
As you peruse the collection a soundtrack of wartime hits give it a jolly air. Above the music there are cries of “Oooh. I used to have this!” or “I always wanted one of these”. As most of the toys are from the 1970s and earlier they will appeal to big kids of 30+ but so many familiar faces have endured or come back round little kids can also find favourites like Barbie, Batman, Action Man and Thunderbirds. Despite the Playstation generation childhood hasn’t really changed that much.
Childhood Memories Toy Museum can be found at Palace Building, Grand Parade, Tynemouth, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE30 4JH. It has been there for 16 years, starting in smaller premises in Whitley Bay. When not scouting for toys the owners also run a dolls' hospital. There is a small admission charge but it is a small price to pay for the joy of Childhood Memories."
So call me a softie, but I actually shed a little tear when I watched this....fond memories of Saturday night dances in the mid to late 60's might have had something to do with it, either that or the half bottle of chewy bank holiday red I've downed!
This is for Daizy, possibly even Sarah...but definitely me...so a sad girlies evening is officially on the cards! But I know you want to join in on the dance moves on Saturday night....c'mon, get real, of course you do!
Subliminal messages for the young from the late 50's/early 60's. Apparently you were supposed to play it to your kids as they went to sleep.....I'm not convinced! I'm adding the audio file to the box files (just click on the file to listen, BUT NOT WITH THE LIGHTS OUT!) But in case anyone wants to download it and try it out as a loop on their progeny (and, let's face it, you know who you are!) click here to link to the original post at the 365 day project ....it's the posting for 6th May
I'm getting in early and giving you hints on tricks NOT to try on me.....I'm streetwise to all your combined strategies for getting me to give up the evil weed. They might work on Nick though....he never reads this! Click on the image for a readable version.
Bex has asked how she can post a video on the blog (apparently there's lots of swear words.....I'm looking forward to it!) I've done a help sheet and put it in the Box Files, just click on it to download, it should open in acrobat reader
...High Voltage Cable Inspector. See the nail-biting video here
Step back in time tomorrow as a host of 70s heartthrobs come to Newcastle. David Essex, David Cassidy, Showaddywaddy and The Osmonds. Thirty years ago you would have been hard-pushed to find these star names in the same place at the same time.Tomorrow, though, at the Metro Radio Arena that will be just what is happening as the Once In A Lifetime Rewind tour arrives in Newcastle.
And I think I'll start off by sending away for one of these and a pair of jodphurs.....it's time I got myself a new hobby!
I visited the dentist this week, now they're maybe not using stuff like this these days (my genial, black clad goth dentist Paul kept his instruments of torture tastefully hidden) but it graphically illustrates how I felt!!
I got an email yesterday about the upcoming Food Festival, this is the webpage for full details if you're interested in lashing out on a (probably) overpriced dinner. Though the Food Heroes Tasting Market at the Haymarket on Friday 13th, 10 till 5, sounds like it might be worth a visit. I still think Chris' idea for an alternative "Big Mouths of the Tyne Festival" was better!
It's true.....a Northumbria University student will be representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Eat your heart out Oxford and Cambridge!
No it is more pictures of merriment at our annual jaunt to the Centre of Britain Hotel. Here we see Richard in the early stages of acting out Mary Queen of Scots after one too many glasses of wine...do not even ask about my failed attempt at humming Stairway to Heaven...and we all now know what Janet does in her spare time given the impressive modelling with Play doh!!!
Nick, in a moment of madness, kindly offered Argyle St as the venue for the next family feeding frenzy....date to be agreed depending on respective social calendars. The original idea for "Tapas" as the theme has been shelved for practical reasons (tendency to oiliness when reheated) but we need to come up with an alternative. A few suggestions "on the table" for discussion
When we start getting serious about this family history lark again this website could be worth a visit....it's mainly about lead miners/mining but an exploratory search turned up plenty of Clementsons in the right areas.
Ringtons tea advert from late 60's.....watch out for the shot of the van making it's way out to Whitley Bay lighthouse, blink and you might miss it! Personally, I think their standards have sadly slipped....my Ringtons man wears jeans and has ditched the homburg (they're still using the standard issue basket though!)
What is the world coming to....is there no-one we can trust?
Whitley Bay Playhouse
Whitley Bay Theatre Company presents: 
An alternative to the traditional early afternoon stroll round Haltwhistle when even the Coop could be closed....maybe we could take in a bit of Roman history? I think the last time I visited Vindolanda they were just sinking the first exploratory trenches, though I suspect they've got a bit further by now! Given that the weather is less than torrential, how about we check out the progress?
This one's probably for John (the new job requiring extra-marital driving) and posssibly Chris and Nick (blocking the highways and byeways with a bloody caravan, we'll avoid the issue of Richard and a great big fire engine and just hope he gets enough kip on night shift!)....all they lack are dapper hats, chiselled jaws and groomed moustaches.
It must be spring.....suddenly I feel like delving into our collective past! John suggested ages ago that we should maybe use the blog to post things of historical family interest...personally I think it's a great idea and it doesn't even have to be just the Armstrongs either (I'm sure the 'outlaws' have just as many interesting tales to tell!) I've done a bit of frenzied downloading and some research into sources available locally...and there's a whole lot more than there was a couple of years ago. For example, the Northumberland Record Office has moved in the last few months....they now have a 'state of the art' (their words!) new centre at Woodhorn....have to admit it looks pretty good and well worth a visit....see pic above....they apparently have 4 miles worth of shelved archives covering the whole of the county. Anyone fancy a daytrip to check out the facilities? I'm going to be checking out the the local studies centre at North Shields library tomorrow....the last time I went I was looking for stuff on the coast generally, not family history info. Will find out what they have while I'm there.
Prepare for a weekly onslaught of the weird and wonderful....I've happened upon another goldmine!
Click on the image for full instructions for making your very own "Magic Hat". Look, you know you want to, I won't tell, honest!.....Now where did I put that piece of felt?.........
A last experiment in sound.....the original "War of the Worlds" starring Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air. Tremendous stuff!
So there you have it.....good accommodation for travellers, it's official!
This is an extract from a National Gazetteer dated 1862, found it (and loads of other stuff) at Archive.org. Click on the image for a more readable version. Strange fact, all of the northern related stuff is held and been digitised by the University of Toronto of all places. Anyway it's a gold mine for local history stuff, I'll be going back!
Now me, I'm a sucker for vintage radio (currently listening to "Omar, the Wizard of Persia", that's him up above. Verdict.....bloody brilliant example of high-camp american acting circa mid 30's last century. Favourite quote, "Quiet Jerry, it's the bells....the mystic bells of Omar") Thought you guys might be interested in some of my sources for 'stuff to snooze on the metro to' (all free AND legal)....and not just vintage radio shows!There's lots of old-time-radio (OTR) downloads available here (including "Omar" should you feel like setting up a discussion group talk about its literary merits in depth!)
Science fiction your bag? Try "The Seeing Ear Theatre"....even though they're American they've made an effort to spell theatre right and they do a damned good drama! Then of course there's that old classic "The War of the Worlds" with Orson Welles
Moving swiftly along to the weird and wonderful (usually vintage jumble sale type material)...and you can't do better than the "365 days project". As suggested by the name a new gem is posted each day this year. The parent site is worth a look too.
Look, there's loads more and not just audio......but I'll wait to see whether anyone is interested before I post the links
The 'Jerry', as Ma calls it (reasons for which she either never knew or, more likely, has long since forgotten!) is more forthcoming in the menu department, short sample of which reads Homemade Soup; served with crusty bread £2.50, Deep Fried Breaded Garlic Mushrooms; with garlic mayonnaise £3.95 Game Pate; served with wholemeal toast £3.95 Prawn Cocktail; served with wholemeal bread & butter £4.25 Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings; with a sweet chilli dip £3.95
Full menu here if you're interested. They're open for lunch 12.00 - 3.00
Eating on the way to Ma's birthday bash....had a look at the Twice Brewed website and have to say they're decidedly coy when it comes to the lunchtime sandwich menu department! Still....they advertise they do food even if their website leaves a lot to be desired...ANY OTHER HOT SUGGESTIONS?
Re previous posting....I had to look, didn't I....just couldn't resist! Now, is that cool or what? (though I believe the blonde in the first row behind is still waiting for settlement on her small claims court action for 'intentional blinding with a microphone stand'!)
Just checked the comments on the puddytat video. So Syrah and Merlot can't be arsed to master a simple wind instrument?.....Maybe this is what they need instead. Check out the full range of catty goodies at http://www.catsplay.com/ .....hey, it's not expensive, the contraption above only costs $444.95 (+ US postage $79.99....the UK might be marginally more I guess) and it's a positive design statement for any modern home. I've ordered two!
I vote Anne and John should buy Merlot and Syrah a tuba and a saxaphone (I'm side-stepping the possibility of 'strings'...the catgut choice maybe not a a good one!)....for info, Moocah just got his grade 3 French Horn!
I promised Chris I'd post this...it's a science teacher thing, apparently, to mock ones peers. Personally I think it's all down to him wearing that outrageous rainbow coloured smock!Instructions/explanation for the gizmo on the right in the post below.
