Thread drifting

[Oldddudders]

I had to look that address up, as I had never heard of it; which is not surprising because that was just a green scrubby hill when I lived in West Wycombe Road. In fact they seem to have even built a short row of houses over what was the lengthy back gardens of the West Wycombe Road semis (including the one I lived in). 

 

At least the Downley Donkey seems to be still there. 

 

You must be quite old, because I visited that address in 1968! And Don had then recently built an extension to his house (no 35), which must have been a bit older, obviously. 

 

The donkey who lodged with me between March and August was looking in good form in his new home yesterday, among a handful of others of his kind. 

[Phil Bullock]

Wasn't Mrs Kindly a resident of Sodor?

Phil
 

[jonny777]

You must be quite old, because I visited that address in 1968! And Don had then recently built an extension to his house (no 35), which must have been a bit older, obviously. 

 

 

 

 

 

No, sorry. Just a poor memory. 

 

In my perpetual semi comatose/drunken state of those years I was lucky to remember where I lived, let alone anything else. 

 

As an example; until recently, if anyone asked me where I was when I saw Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, I would reply 'in the old science lab at school where the headmaster had allowed us senior pupils to have an ageing tv for the day to watch the recording of what had happened overnight, our time'.

 

I was convinced of this. I had the precise image in my head, or so I had though for 45 years. Only when I discovered an old 1969 diary in the loft did I find out that on the day I was not at school but hoeing young sugar beet plants on a farm; and I could have never have been at school on that particular day because it had broken up for the summer holidays three days before the moon landing. 

Edited November 24, 2017 by jonny777

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

....Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon...

 I was very surprised when some years later a very Scots colleague happily described to me the terrible doings of the Armstrongs, who were apparently one of the most notorious of the border reiver families in the middle ages, and appear to have robbed, raped and murdered anyone they encountered, irrespective of nationality. I suppose a bold and resolute character who would stick at nothing, might be said to have come through in mission as dangerous as riding the biggest firework ever seen?

[Oldddudders]

 I was very surprised when some years later a very Scots colleague happily described to me the terrible doings of the Armstrongs, who were apparently one of the most notorious of the border reiver families in the middle ages, and appear to have robbed, raped and murdered anyone they encountered, irrespective of nationality. I suppose a bold and resolute character who would stick at nothing, might be said to have come through in mission as dangerous as riding the biggest firework ever seen?

 

The Armstrongs continued to have a presence there into the C20th, as evidenced by Cragside!

[allan downes]

I had to look that address up, as I had never heard of it; which is not surprising because that was just a green scrubby hill when I lived in West Wycombe Road. In fact they seem to have even built a short row of houses over what was the lengthy back gardens of the West Wycombe Road semis (including the one I lived in). 

 

At least the Downley Donkey seems to be still there.

I also lived in High Wycomb during the war years in a boys home in Eastern Street where the old crone that ran it tanned my bare backside raw for pushing some kid in the river on the Rye. Marlow hill then was little more than a lane and the A40 ran straight through the town center and it was at the Odeon where I saw Snow White and other such crap.. The school I wnt to, Spring Gardens, was run by another lunatic, Mr Mitchel, who only recognised me by my backside, in fact, that's how he recognised most boys !

Edited November 24, 2017 by allan downes

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...run by another lunatic...

 This was a core British value not so very long ago. While walking the newly opened Pennine Way in my late teens in a small party, we mostly used YHA hostels. At one of these the warden was patently a lunatic. He threw hot food at some of those taking meals (fortunately we were self catering so missed the baked bean splattering) asked the most unbelieveable questions about our intentions, and spent much of the ngiht running up and down the main stairs, shouting and screaming.

 

Even though we had come from schools where the cane was wielded as often as possible, and there regular bellowings of SOME BOY!!! , our party saw this behaviour as verging on the unacceptable, and accordingly wrote to YHA HQ making known that in our opinion all was not well. I wish the reply was still in my possession, as it might be summarised as follows.

 

The post of Youth Hostel Warden is one of great responsibility, and accordingly much care is taken to recruit to these posts persons of the highest integrity. How utterly dare you suggest that our judgement was ill-founded in the engagement of Mr Loon-Wailer. Any repetition of such a baseless calumny against a member of our organisation will lead to your membership being immediately and permanently withdrawn.

[96701]

 This was a core British value not so very long ago. While walking the newly opened Pennine Way in my late teens in a small party, we mostly used YHA hostels. At one of these the warden was patently a lunatic. He threw hot food at some of those taking meals (fortunately we were self catering so missed the baked bean splattering) asked the most unbelieveable questions about our intentions, and spent much of the ngiht running up and down the main stairs, shouting and screaming.

 

Even though we had come from schools where the cane was wielded as often as possible, and there regular bellowings of SOME BOY!!! , our party saw this behaviour as verging on the unacceptable, and accordingly wrote to YHA HQ making known that in our opinion all was not well. I wish the reply was still in my possession, as it might be summarised as follows.

 

The post of Youth Hostel Warden is one of great responsibility, and accordingly much care is taken to recruit to these posts persons of the highest integrity. How utterly dare you suggest that our judgement was ill-founded in the engagement of Mr Loon-Wailer. Any repetition of such a baseless calumny against a member of our organisation will lead to your membership being immediately and permanently withdrawn.

Ahhhh, withdrawn members.........

[Co-tr-Paul]

Downley Donkey? We have " The Gue " in Porthleven !

 

Edit: appear to have missed a page..???

Edited November 24, 2017 by Co-tr-Paul