General Chat

Night Marilyn x

Hi Pat .

Yes its the TEN TORS......


I'm off to bed now.......sad I know ,but wont be going to sleep , I'm watching telly with my electric blankly until I fall asleep...

Nighty Nite All. xxxxxxxx

Hello everyone

Finaly caught up with the news

My pooter decided to have a tantrum and had to go be sorted out, got it back yesterday and spent today getting everything back how I like it, the repair man said it had a windows failure so every thing was put back to factory settings so I've had to reload software, taken ages cos pooter wouldn't recognize the mouse or keyboard. I had backed up everything onto an external harddrive before it went to pc hospital.

For 2 weeks I've had to sit and talk to OH and watch the tv lol

Rita pleased to see that your son got through his op and is recovering

Happy birthday for tomorrow Cath

x

My Gran never turned away a Gypsy when they called with Pegs and Lucky Heather she said it was bad luck to do..so.
My Dad said they cut the heather from the field at the back of our house. lol
Gran never turned away any man that kocked selling shoe laces saying he had served in the Army during the war.( this is the ist world war..)

My Dad told me that they use to have a family of of irish Gypsy arrive ever year in the springtime./ three Caravans . they repaired and made Violins they were allowed to settle in the field at the back of our house.they stayed till about September they had four boys among them of school age and they use to go to My Dads school while they were living in Willesden but they always wore cloggs to school made by the fathers.
Dad said they use to make a noise when they came into the school as all the floors were wood and often they boys were asked to remove there clogs at certain times.. They never caused any trouble.. They stopped coming when the field was sold for stables.

Rita

Maddie,

What you need is a large helping of Neil Oliver !!!!!!!

I know he's out at a Ceilidh in Stirling tonight if you want to get on your Broomstick....it's in the Albert Halls, Dumbarton Road.

Maddie have a hot drink. That's one of the best ways to warm up!

Cheer up Chicken. You young man you.

Marilyn you must be very proud of your lad. My son did the Duke of Edinburgh award in Scouts. All outward bound stuff.

Rita pleased your son is progressing well. Every day nearer to full fitness.

Hope everyone else is warm and well.

The walking wounded are making a good recovery.

Happy Birthday Cath.
47 eh. Tell us what it is like will you?

Maybe back later, if I can.

I'm am SO cold. Even with the heating on.

So looking forward to Summer.

Maddie
x

Marilyn,is that for the Ten Tors?
Well done to him.
The Monte Carlo rally Stephen. That's adventurous!
I fell asleep watching the footie. I googled BBC sports to find out the result.
Must have been the glass of creme licquer I had with my tea!

Marilyn,

Good on the lad. Lot's of young folk are out and about doing great things.

Sadly we never hear about them very often.

True Brit ! Tellhim to keep it up.

I have had my well waited telephone call from my lovely grandson he's only 13yrs and walked 15miles on the moors and slept in a tent all night ......Oh how I wish I was there to bring him home in the warmth of my fire !!

Now in three weeks time doing it all over again and walking 25miles !! and two nights.

He took loads of Mars bars......and ate out out packets ....aww bless him.

Might give him a treat when I see him.but he did love it.

He's in a hot bath now ......for probably 1 hour ..LOL

Oh Stephen your back to normal,,,,,,,,,,,,lovely.

.

Pauline.....I've been fine.....honest.

Trying to find out how my friend is doing in the Monte Carlo Rally. They set off from Glasgow yesterday.

Not sure if he is driving his Classic MG or one of his other cars.

He was my Best Man and we still keep up with each other. Like me, he's as daft as a brush also

His name is Tom Dromgoole......just in case anyone may have an interest in the Race.

I did the reverse journey about 20 years ago. The drive through the Alps was fantastic. My 'Golden Oldie' did me proud though.

The Casino was never the same again after my visit...........I must have spent about 50p. ROFL.

Good grief you lot, I have had three pages to trawl through, to get to this point, you can all talk for England.

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A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TOMORROW CATH. xxxxxxxxx
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I have had to give my wishes this evening, as I wont be around till later tomorrow evening, and didn't want Cath to think I had forgotten her.

A party tomorrow night sounds good to me Marilyn. We have got to try and cheer Stephen up somehow, we can't have him down in the dumps.

Rita, it's good to hear that Mike is up and sitting in the chair for a while.
As each day passes, he will get stronger and stronger. He probably feels like a washed out dish cloth at the moment bless him, but his body has gone through such a trauma,and it is to be expected.
It will be nice when he is strong enough to phone you, and you can speak to him yourself. Stay strong love.

Dermot, a lovely and true tale of the travellers.
My daughter in laws family are all Showmen and Travellers.
Her grandparents, used to travel around in their van, for many years. But
decided to become house dwellers, when their children came along.
Grandad used to travel to different sites to ply his trade. D.I.L'S Grandparents still have their own tea cup ride,parked in their vast garden.
A lot of the funfair rides, at a resort near us, are owned by members of her
family.
And her sisters family, still travel around the country, running all the fairground rides.
Wonderful, friendly people, not how they are sometimes perceived to be.

Pleased to see you're in a better mood now Stephen.

They do have caravans now Pat, very large expensive ones, and large expensive cars pulling them.

It just shows how much I know I thought gypsies travelled around in those gypsy caravan things. Very good Dermot.
They did belly dance classes at a nearby church hall where I live. I didn't sign up for it!
I'm up for a party tomorrow! I thought it was Catherine's birthday today but it's tomorrow. I told you I didn't read things properly!
Half time in tthe Southampton Man .U match. Saouthampton are leading one nil.

I haven't been watching it Marilyn. When they came round our doors selling pegs, my mam wouldn't answer the door to them, she made us hide and pretend we weren't in.

We lived on the edge of the town, there were houses in front of us and farm fields behind us. The Travellers always camped on the grass between us and the farms.

I live on the edge of a village now and the council has just dug big ditches along the grass verges to stop them from camping there.

I liked the story though Dermot, you have a way with words.

I think Stephen is with his granddaughters today.

Dermot.

Great story.......I'm beginning to think I'm from Tinker stock I am fascinated by them why I don't know .

My mother always said they are ( good rouges) but I would never have them do any tarmacking for me when they knocked on our doors.

But I met one a few years ago that was delivering a car to my neighbour and was absolutely fascinated by his stories of his travellers life.

Have any of you been watching them on the TV ? Over the top I know but these are a new generation of travellers not like the old ones before them.

Anyone seen our Stephen ?

Getting worried about him now........not seen him so down, think we need a PARTY !!

Catherine perhaps tomorrow we can celebrate your birthday and then booze Stephen up a bit .cant have him on a downer he'll get greyer by the minute.

Pat ..... I think Stephen needs a bit of Turkish belly dancing to delight him , forget the Chocs.....LOL

The Travelling Tinkers.

The Travellers, as they are known in Ireland & are sometimes called by the derogatory term - ‘Tinkers‘, are a minority community who have existed on the margins of Irish society for many generations. Legend has it that their ancestors were thrown off their land by merciless landlords.

As the name implies, they created a living for themselves on the highways & byways of the country. They used to come to our area probably twice a year, usually under the cover of darkness. In the morning, you would find them firmly encamped on the roadside. Their canvas tents would be erected & their motley group of animals would be busily feeding on the grass verges. That was known as ‘grazing the long acre’.

Children of all ages could be seen & heard running to & fro, dogs barking & babies crying. Some of the women would be busy with their chores, cooking on open fires outside their tents with upturned boxes serving as chairs. They were wise enough to camp near a stream or river which provided adequate water for washing purposes.

The hedgerows acted as clothes lines with an array of garments drying under the open sunny skies. Other women would visit each house in the area begging for food stuffs. In general, the generosity of the local people meant that the Travellers would have enough to eat for a week or so before they upped sticks & moved on.

The men were usually tin-smiths & were masters of their craft. In the pre-disposable age, many items were fixed by these chaps such as holes in buckets. They could renovate pots, pans & the like for a small fee.

My mum was always generous to them & she would explain to us youngsters that the Travellers had no roof over their heads other than their fragile tents while they slept by the wayside & no place to call home. There were no state benefits at the time which we take for granted now.
_______________________________________

The Irish Travellers’ Anthem:

Oh yes, we are the travellers of this land,
those who stride out to an older chant,
obeying our ancient spirit's command,
"mishlee the thoaber, thaari the can’t."

Not for us were the country man's ways,
nor for any other to be deemed our master,
we'd go where we wish, at our own pace,
fast as we wished and surely no faster.

Scant welcome had we on the byroads of Erin,
and of late even America forsakes our hand;
the lies now pursue us beyond toleration
and freedom for nomads is sought to be banned.

The life can never be fettered and numbered,
nor lines and borders ever enslave our band;
our people will never by chains be encumbered.
Oh yes, we are the travellers of this land.

Happy birthday Cath!
Rita I'm glad things are looking good for Mike.
I'm going to look at the footie results now.