|
Holiday Times Past
|
03-Oct-2002, 08:30 PM
As part of our training at Leylands, all apprentices were "invited" to go to the open-air baths at St.Annes. I remember one Friday evening we were all in the water when it started to rain. Everyone got out of the water and sheltered round the outside to avoid getting wet.I never did understand why, because when it stopped raining we were ordered back into the water and of course got wet. It still puzzles me. Cheers Bill.
06-Oct-2002, 04:53 PM
linda, your Dad would've liked to have been stranded by the tide at the Globe Hotel on the way to Sunderland point, perhaps! according to my ' Twenty Miles Around Morecambe Bay' , price 15 New Pence- I knew it would come in useful sometime- 'Sambo was left at Sunderland while his master went on to Lancaster in the year 1736, and the poor fellow, thinking that he had been deserted, refused to touch any food and died of a broken heart before his master returned' Well, he must've been gone a long time, and couldn't anyone going that way have taken a message?
I heard Morecambe was having a bit of a Renaissance due to Eric Morecambe's statue. It's usually windy there, but Blackpool doesn't have the grandeur of the Lakes rising in the distance. We used to go with mum and Dad to St. Anne's open air pool, I remember seeing a beauty contest when we were there once. As schoolgirls we sometimes cycled from Leyland to Southport Baths, a nice flat ride down Southport road which had a cycle lane, past all the stalls selling produce from the market gardens.The last time I looked at the Baths they were deserted and in bad repair, grass growing everywhere, but a lovely thirties building still . I expect 'they' have knocked them down now........and now someone will tell me that they were always an eyesore, which sometimes happens when I defend old buildings on this site!
06-Oct-2002, 08:39 PM
I used to camp at Heysham nearby with my then girl-friend now my wife of 32 years. Used to pretend we were married then, even bought her a pretend gold ring from Woolies for £1 . When it came to going home after a week realised my suit trousers had gone missing. In those days you wore a suit at least I did when you went out. I remember a cafe on the front that always had a huge tray containg meat and potato pie. Usually quarter of it was missing. It always looked so good and I could never afford any. Vowed one day I would go back and treat my wife to a portion. Then I thought well why can't she buy her own. When I suggested this to her , well won't go into that.
07-Oct-2002, 03:22 AM
Reply to Caroline
"My parents had a motorbike and sidecar in the fifties so we were able to get out a bit , places for a day like the Trough, Dales, and Tarn Hows." My first mode of transport was a motor bike and sidecar. It was an ancient monster sidecar hauled by a Panther 600 of suspect vintage. I paid a fiver for it including jacket, helmet and gauntlets, this sound ridiculously cheap but as an apprentice at the time, it was a weeks pay. We also went everywhere on it, as did a lot of other people on theirs. The 'mini' finished all of that. Geoff Duke, by the way, was the best in the world at the time, he's now on the Isle Of Man running a video company. We visited Morecambe last time back home, a good friend lives next door in Overton and he took us round. It really is nice and we spent a most pleasant day. John
07-Oct-2002, 07:30 PM
quote:
Originally posted by William R I remember going to Morecambe Lights, isn`t it Happy Mount Park where you walk round the lights following a footpath. Everything was at ground level, all little tableaux, nursery rhymes etc. Cheers Bill. Yes, you are right, Bill - it is Happy Mount Park - your memory's better than mine! I remember enjoying it - probably because we got to stay up late to see it after dark! [  ]Thanks for the info about Sambo, Caroline - you were right to keep that booklet! [ ]
07-Oct-2002, 11:18 PM
Some great stories here and so sad about Sambo. Thanks all for the memories everyone.So often we throw out old books and pamphlets to be regretted much later.
Have just re- read Dame Thora Hird's autobiographies containing many recollections of her early days in Morecambe.Such a wonderful lady. All I can remember about Morecambe is the endless walk across the sands to Heysham Head?.I must have been about 5 years old. My Dad had a motor bike and sidecar too and he and mum with us kids even ventured into Yorkshire as well.All I can remember about that is seeing the circles of boulders set up to train the ponies. Cheerio Linda
09-Oct-2002, 05:01 PM
John, Linda, nice memories, Dad's bike was a Gold Flash , first one was a Rudge . He made the sidecar from small flat bits of metal which seemed to appear from his raincoat on his return from work! Still has photos of its construction in our garage, bits of holly stuck on at Christmas etc. If we ever broke down, other folk used to stop and help.
We were on the tops above Hawes one time, I was pillion and Mum and my little sister were in the sidecar, when the tyre burst . Hobbled into Hawes, the garage was shut. Dad only had ten bob on him, and was about to book us into the local inn and hitch back to Leyland to get more cash, when some local farmers overheard and one reckoned he had a tyre that might fit up at the farm.... it did! Heysham's still quite pretty, despite the power station. Has anyone seen the ancient rock-cut graves on the headland? There's also a Viking 'hog-back' tombstone in the church, nicely carved with deer etc. We went out also to Glasson Dock, still a popular place. I nearly let the water out of the dock one time by swinging on a horizontal pole, which suddenly took off of its own accord, spinning round and opening the lock gates, till my Dad and his friend stopped it . A story that he's embarrassed me with for around 45 years.......
09-Oct-2002, 11:13 PM
Hi Folks-am having an absolutely wonderful time here in the Antipodes reading all your stories-not getting much work done but what the heck!Who was it said 'there's no point in work unless it absorbs you' All very well but-----
Too young to take much notice at the time of names of bikes etc but Sunbeam Talbot springs to mind.My Dad in his early years did a lot of motor bike scrambling and, Noel, at his funeral service it came to light that he had a shed? old building, right across from St James' Council School and Church in Lostock Hall at the end of Moss Lane where he and his brother built up motor bikes from bits.Long before the war. Keep up the memories. Linda
11-Oct-2002, 05:18 PM
All this talk about motorbikes reminds me that in 1951 I bought a Cyclemaster "back wheel engine" for my push bike. It was 36cc capacity and would get up to 30mph (downhill). It got me to work alright but when you came to a hill you had to pedal like ........ to get up. Where are you now R.T.J.419? Regards Bill.
11-Oct-2002, 09:36 PM
quote:
Originally posted by William R All this talk about motorbikes reminds me that in 1951 I bought a Cyclemaster "back wheel engine" for my push bike. It was 36cc capacity and would get up to 30mph (downhill). It got me to work alright but when you came to a hill you had to pedal like ........ to get up. Where are you now R.T.J.419? Regards Bill. So that's what they were called. I remember them well, one lad in School St. bought one , he looked so posh at the time scooting along. I guess the french pop pop bikes are the closest to them now. They peddle like fury on them going up hill. |
|
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
|
