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  1. I know its a few years since the last post on this thread, but I'm doing some family history stuff and searched 2 gate house... it would appear my ancestors lived there between yours! Mine were there in the 1921 census, and moved on by 1939! Thanks so much for that map canny lass!
    3 points
  2. Hope everybody has a better 2024 than this year!! Aal thi best Folks!!
    3 points
  3. My pleasure this morning to give the lasses who are the Friends of West Lea Cemetery their newest award, off our friends at Bedlington.co.uk. This is the 2023 Piper award and given a lot of members on that site are ex-pats it’s nice to know they still keep up with current going-ons in Bedlington. Given in recognition of someone or a group who have made outstanding efforts in the Town over the last year, a well-deserved award. Well done girls.........
    3 points
  4. It’s that time of year again when thoughts of old friends emerge again and fond memories stir the soul. I hope everybody here is well. Wishing you all good time over the holidays and a safe happy New Year. Sym
    3 points
  5. .... and the same from me! Merry Christmas to everybody. Take really, really, REALLY good care of yourselves and we'll meet again in the new year.
    3 points
  6. Thank you Alan, Merry Christmas to you and yours, Merry Christmas to all members.
    3 points
  7. Had a bit play and I have come up with this template for this year and future years And for 2023 I added the info + our group logo Still need to look at the dimensions of the certificate to match the dimesions of popular frame sizes.
    3 points
  8. @Andy Millne @John Fox (foxy) @Malcolm Robinson @Vic Patterson @HIGH PIT WILMA @Bedlingtonian @Pete @Jammy @Maggie/915 @_pauls @James @Symptoms @Mal @Tonyp @Beano @7RIrF @carly @Bill Straughan @oldtimer @Dave Twist @6233jane @threegee @Darren Smith @jfk @B Davison @DJA 24 @anniemarr @Katherine Hyde @Jr6468 @Sheila Prouten @Joe McNally @Patricia Wadsworth @SouthernGeordie @rosco @Linray @lynnewatson @sallywoo1971 I have posted the message and the images onto the Facebook page of https://www.facebook.com/Thefriendsofwestleacemetery @Mal had a think, and clart, on what you proposed re certificate and anything is possible but naturally on something that is normally a pure online award there will be some issues to overcome. These are the tnings I am thinking about :- design and produce a certificate using my Winows Vista + Microsoft Digital Image pro 10 (as that is the only software I have print off the certificate - and as I am no professional that would be to an A4 sheet of paper. What dimensions would the certificate be = what are the standard picture frame sizes, between A5 & A4, that TFOWBC could by to fit certificate into Posting a certificate to TFOWC - looking at their FB page they don't have an address for where to post anything to and if they did it would have to have a letter box wide enough to accept an A4 sheet,8.27 x 11.69 inches or 21 x 29.7 centermeters, wth cardboard support to stop it getting bent/damaged in the post. ------------------------------------------------------ I will let you know if I come up with anything
    3 points
  9. I have made the 2023 award and as long as all are happy with this years award going to The friends of Westlea Cemetery (TFOWC) I will post the following text and images on TFOWC Facebook page. To the volunteers at The Friends Of Westlea Cemetery. In 2020 on the Bedlington community group (bedlington.uk) it was suggested that a yearly award (purely online) be award to anyone that had helped the group or anything to do with Bedlington. It was decided to name it The Piper Award after Ainsley Piper who bred the Bedlington terrier in 1825 in St Cuthbert’s Vicarage. This December the members of the group have voted for the online award to go to your volunteer organisation that has helped so many people in Bedlington, and beyond. So the members of bedlingto.uk would like to say thank you to the work your volunteers have done.
    3 points
  10. Aye he takes a canny snap!
    3 points
  11. Following a long absence on this site I have just become aware of Derek's passing today, sad news indeed. A true gentleman respected by all who were fortunate enough to have the pleasure of his company.
    3 points
  12. Coach Road is shown in blue on the attached 1897 map of Bedlington East End. The road is still there leading to Spring view and the last houses were demolished in the early 1950’s. The East End Church of England school was only about 250 yards from Coach Road so is fair to assume that this is the school in the photo. The school (shown in yellow on the map) was closed in the early 1900’s and the site is now part of Hollymount Square.
    3 points
  13. "There will be a shuttle bus to get people from one side of the crossing to the other..." Well, I can dream! This one was supposed to be flying by 2018, and it seems there are quite a number of such designs. Maybe it's going to take Elon to bring one to reality!
    3 points
  14. Kings Coronation 2023
    3 points
  15. 2 points
  16. Sorry you've had to wait. It's been a hectic week! Here are the answers to the Christmas quiz: 1. 1. 1920s 2. 7 swans a swimming 3. 221 feet 4. No number is mentioned. The book of Matthew, the only gospel to mention the Kings, doesn’t say how many there were only that they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We just assume that they were three because of the three gifts. 5. Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s so popular you have to order several months in advance or join queues that have started to build on Christmas Eve. 6. Iceland. They’re a canny bunch of lads but if you’ve been badly behaved you’ll just get a rotten potato. They ‘ve got some great names too: Sausage -swiper, Door-sniffer and Window-peeper, to name just a few. 7. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 8. Donald Duck 9. Light Emitting Diode 10. Newcastle-upon-Tyne 11. A 50-pence piece. 12. Isaac Newton 13. Capricorn 14. The Indian Ocean 15. December 26 16. Jolly careful 17. c) making a noise. (It’s no wonder that baby was awake!) 18. Paris 19. Donner 20. False. The average gain is 1 lb. I'll take the opportunity of wishing each and everyone of you a happy, prosperous year in 2024. May it be filled with health, wealth and happiness. I'm off tomorrow morning to celebrate an 80th birthday in Scotland. New Year's Eve and a birthday rolled into one. It's bound to be a good one! I remember (just about) the 70th birthday party and if it's half as good it'll be great. Take good care of yourselves and we'll meet again next year.
    2 points
  17. A well-deserved award indeed! Like Vic I also greatly appreciate the hard work that these girls do. It's a great comfort to ex-pats like myself who can't visit often and have no relatives left in the area who are willing or able to do so. I know that my parents and my brothers are well looked after. Thank you.
    2 points
  18. Canny Lass,ONLY those who were pitfolks knew the hardships the families of the Miners faced in times of tragedy and distress,AND ,in normal day to day living..When an employer takes Six year old bairns carried on their Father's backs asleep,to work underground from midnight to midday..they HAVE TO BE EVIL..they even employed women,some pregnant,to work underground,and on the Screens on the surface...in the real old days..but even when I was 15 yrs old,in 1959,the NCB Training scheme,had us learning underground,how to attach pit tubs to a moving haulage rope,by lashing a heavy chain round the rope three times..[rope moving at two miles per hour..some 4 mph!!],and then clipping the end of the chain to the middle "Cock-hole" on the tub with a Sheckle and pin..all the time this was happening,we stopped the chain from pulling the tub away till required,by holding our pit boot OVER THE ROPE ON THE GROUND.letting the rope pass under the sole of our boot which was held against the chain to stop it from clicking away prematurely..talk about insane?...no health and safety then..many a kid and adults also,were run over by a loose wire strand on the rope snatching the chain away and tripping the haulage lad onto the ground,the pit tub running over their legs or arms..hard to describe..wish I could find a training film showing how this was done..I had many a near miss ,same as everybody else who had to do it!!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!!
    2 points
  19. @Mal there is a fault on the one above - I have corrected it in this one.
    2 points
  20. 10-12-2023..UPDATE!..LOST KEYS RETRIEVED AT LIDL THIS MORNING.MANY THANKS TO THE KIND AND HONEST PERSON FOR HANDING THEM IN!
    2 points
  21. 2 points
  22. Sounds like a great suggestion fully behind it
    2 points
  23. Excellent suggestion Eggy.............In effect just two lasses spending all their free time helping to make the cemetery somewhere everyone can be proud of. They are currently making Xmas wreaths and all money raised is spent in the cemetery. BTW, Look out for a huge revamp at the Garden of Remembrance and the path behind!
    2 points
  24. Hope everybody's keeping well,apologies for absences,Hope 2024 is a better year than the last four years!![we keep saying that..!!] Cheers Bill!
    2 points
  25. Found this little bit of information today, dated 8th November 1920:
    2 points
  26. hello @Canny lass from Wilf
    2 points
  27. November 2023 - with a 'Merry Christmas' wish (but same hat and scarf @Canny lass ) - photo from Simon Williams.
    2 points
  28. Thanks Eggy! I'm sure I'll manage the Thursdays and Sundays but I think I'll give Tuesdays a miss!
    2 points
  29. It's a man thing. Trust me, I'm a woman!
    2 points
  30. Thanks for that little gem, @James! I thought that I'd researched my old school (Nedderton village) well but I never knew that it was once a church school.
    2 points
  31. Don't you forget to make time for yourself! Caring for a loved one can be hard work at times and you need time for rest and relaxation if you're going to cope and keep your health intact.
    2 points
  32. Hi Canny Lass!Long time since we chatted![Health issues with my Wife] Aye,bonny lass,sadly,not many of us are left noo,apart from the last influx of younger lads before the pits were aal shut doon.[They worked the super pits like Ellington,Westoe,etc..and they had machines ripping coal out at the rate of 1 million tons a year..they didn't realise they were cutting their own throats as well as cutting so much coal] Us old timers worked in the little tettie pits like the High Pit at Choppington,where we really did risk wor life every day..often we would be travelling through Scotland Gate,upstairs on the Double Decker United No 47 bus,and we could see owa the fields,ti the High Pit's Headgear,and when we saw the cage wheels standing...we knew we would likely be getting a "Bevan"...[meaning a sharp lowse..early finish..] Sometimes a pit tub full of coal would accidentally override the "Monkey"..[a device on the cage floor which allowed the tubs to roll into the cage,but prevented them from rolling back out..until the Banksmen,or Onsetter at the shaft bottom,pressed a foot operated lever to disengage the Monkey from the tub axles...so allowing the tubs to be rammed out of the cage by pushing two empty ["Chummings"] tubs into the cage.When the tubs came out of the cage halfway up the shaft,travelling at 50 per second ,being wound on coalwork,by the powerful steam winder,the buffers on the tubs used to rip the Buntings and Skeets..[Cage guides running all the way down the shaft,front and back of the cage]...out and render the pit shaft unusable. Because that only left the "Backshaft" [Men only rode in this shaft.]..and one means of egress from the pit..it contravened the Coal Mines Act regulations,and so any men IN the pit had to be got out quickly,as the pit used to "Stythe" out totally if there was a sudden Barometric Pressure drop. On such occasions,we had to get dressed in our pit clothes and clock in as normal,then hang around for a while,and if the Engineer made a statement that the shaft would take more than two hours to repair and test for safety,then we were allowed to clock back out,get bathed and go home with a full day's pay. Well,as a young miner,with other things rather than pitwork on my mind...it was a relief to go back home..one less day to be risking our lives..I tell you,no other mine was ever like the High Pit!!
    2 points
  33. "and Lord help anyone who taketh the tree I've had my eye on since early October" Book of CL (CL 1:1)
    2 points
  34. I think the focus there is on the females are able to multitask and males aren't - myth. But... if it gets food put on the table at all the right times (etc. etc.), then we really shouldn't knock it.
    2 points
  35. Now if we had said that Canny lass!!!!!😂😂😂
    2 points
  36. ..... only female drivers then?
    2 points
  37. Well, you're probably getting Sweden's share of the 'heatwave'! Coldest July I've ever experienced with temps between 9 and 17, and this is usually our hottest month! I've had to get the winter duvets out of storage.
    2 points
  38. "It is strange what Ryanair are doing compared with the other airlines. Could it be that they don't have any spare aircraft to send out and bring holiday makers home - or is it just all about money?" The latter, for sure! It's a completely unprincipled outfit run by a moron! Other ex-pats here say they have no choice, but I've managed not to give him a bean over more than a decade. I hate it when Mrs 3G flies with them, particularly when I have to drive her to the airport at some ungodly hour to meet their scheduling. But she's quite canny and knows exactly how their rip-off charging system works, knows what days to fly, how long to book ahead, so plays the system for the cheapest possible seat. Ryanair: I'd rather cycle it! Steer clear of EU countries in any case, they have only ever been after our money, and will rip you off in an instant. If you want that, and want to be treated like cattle, then good luck to you, but don't moan about it afterwards!
    2 points
  39. when it gets to 22C I'ts too hot for me. Fortunately the jet Stream has been looking after me for the past few days
    2 points
  40. Cheers Vic - I haven't seen the kids planned journey but I know they have picked out places to visit and I will see their full itinerary eventually. At the moment all I know is after they picked out sights to see they then went to the Travel Agents and arranged the 'Pit Stops' through the agents and i believe there is a flight arranged for one place to visit. I would love to have been mobile enough to join them on this holiday but will just have to listen, with envy, when they return.
    2 points
  41. Hi Bill ,I've just read your post about the high pit,I knew mining was a dangerous job ,but I didn't realise how bad it really was.Dad never talked about it.Your story of the pony being trapped in a moving conveyor belt was really sad.What I know about the explosion that burnt Dad;my sister was a baby so it must it have been 1945/6 Mam and the other wives gathered at the pit head when Dad was brought out Mam didn't recognise him he was so badly burnt.He was given a cigarette to make him feel better.There was 7 of them and they were taken to a hospital along the tyne valley.they had to have name tags on their beds as they were all covered in bandages.Dad always thought someone on his shift had lit a cigarette
    2 points
  42. In June 2012 we were in Caen. Visiting a church we saw a couple sitting, the lady speaking in French. Leaving the church I spotted a badge on his jacket “Normandy Veterans”. As we walked on I said “I should have thanked him for what he did”, I’d never been able to say thank you to a veteran. “Go back” said Karen, and I did, speaking to the French lady. Karen said something to me in English and the lady said, “but he too is English”. I shook his hand and thanked him on behalf of my family and friends. Tears in his eyes he humbly said “But I was only doing my job” in a strong North East accent. He carried on telling me that he went back every D-Day anniversary to pay his respects to his mates who unlike him didn’t survive that day or the war. “What part of the North East?” I asked. “I live in Bedlington” he said, “but I was born in Bar'nton, which is now gone”. I know I said, I lived there until I was 4. Small world, I was very humble as they walked away. One of my simple desires realised to say thank you, and to a fellow Geordie. At the time we lived in the East Midlands and here we are now in Bedlington not too far from his birthplace.
    2 points
  43. @Keiren Scott Frank has messaged the site in error instead of replying to this topic. I have messaged you directly with his response as it contains some private info. Hopefully he’ll be able to get logged in if there is anything you wish to share publicly.
    2 points
  44. 1/ I enjoy researching anything I buy, but I don’t think many others can or do, using manufactures information is a good starting point, using several manufacturers can give you a clue to the others good/ bad points. But don’t expect any of them to give the bad points. 2/ Very true about front end loaded, and consider the lack of future maintenance, oil changes, air filters, exhaust etc, THEN there is the eventual EV battery life, replacement and disposal cost. 3/ Hybrids, without a hybrid I couldn’t make a round trip to the airport to pick up family! Especially in the winter, no present vehicle has the range and the lack of charging stations to make it possible. 4/ Good point. 5/ Range is the most important consideration in my location, (see #3) at present lack of charging stations, cold weather reduces range considerably and is further reduced by the need for winter heat, windows and body. With the eventual addition of charging station this will add to the range but a lot of time to journey. 6 and 7/ 100 % of charging will be at home. The cost of electricity has skyrocketed recently (ours has) while petrol prices have also risen, the price of electricity is sure to go much higher as the demand grows. (And the Greener we get)I expect the electrical distribution infrastructure system will have to be improved to meet the new demand, especially in the older housing areas, (most houses don’t have garages, how do you safely plug in? And multi vehicles) we don’t have off peak electrical rates. 8/ 300 mile minimum WINTER (-20c) driving would be my minimum. Newer, lighter and recyclable batteries must come first. Threegee, What improvements have you seen in the four years? What is it and what are its good points? Range? MPG $ equivalent ? Typical trip milage? Any negatives?
    2 points
  45. I think it might have something to do with the steelworks because before Millbank place Knox road it would have been direct access to the woods & iron works hence the word mill bank but that’s just an outrageous guess
    2 points
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