Cool! Welcome again Carruthers.
I worked for years in the Bricklayers across the road, and for two years at Equitable Life just behind (the "Elephant House" which was pulled down a few months ago).

Lovely to have another Brit on board.
And one with such a connection to my place of birth! We're interlopers in this family, came down from London in the 60s.

Great pics! I love to see photos of today/yesteryear juxtaposed.

Hallo SG,

Thanks for the welcome.

My dad worked at Equitable Life and retired in 1985 so I think that would probably be well before you were there. He worked in the 'Elephant House' and then moved down the road to the 'Blue Leanie' when that was opened. I remember when the 'Elephant House' was built and now it has been demolished as you say. A waste of a good building. If I'm not mistaken, an extension to the court next door is being, or will be, built there.

As you also worked at the Bricklayer's Arms you might have known Tony May from the shop next door who compiled 'Aylesbury in Old Picture Postcards Vol 2'. His father, Ralph, compiled Vol 1.

All the best,

Carruthers

For those interested in more old photos of Aylesbury, visit Bucks County Council then select 'Aylesbury' from the drop down menu.
If you wish to explore further, then Wendover (where I live) should be your next port of call.

Carruthers

I was in Bucks County last weekend... er Pennsylvania.

I've always wanted to visit there.

I'm ashamed to say that, although I only live about twelve miles from Penn, I have never set foot in the village. I'm fascinated by all the British, but mostly English, place names in the US. Having been to the US on a number of occasions, Pennsylvania would have been my next port of call but, for a number of reasons, unfortunately I didn't manage to get there.

In 1999 I decided to visit Wendover, Wyoming. As it is on the Oregon Trail, I assume that it was named after 'my' Wendover.
There wasn't much there apart from a railway junction and an old dilapidated school building but it satisfied my curiosity. I went on to visit Mt. Rushmore and, on other trips, Yellowstone Nat Park.

Carruthers

But there's only 3300 photographs. :haha: Buckinghamshire County? I didn't realize you had counties, although I'm from New England and that was patterned after Olde England. :smack:

Oh yes, we have a more than adequate supply! They form the top tier of local government and the origins of most are lost in the mists of time. There was a reorganisation of local government back in 1974 and some only date from then. For instance, Westmorland and Cumberland were amalgamated to form Cumbria.
I imagine that as those counties were fairly sparsely populated by UK standards, there were economies of scale to be had from their amalgamation.

In the case of Buckinghamshire, (Bucks), the southern boundaries of the county were changed and the town of Slough (as grim as it sounds) found itself in Berkshire. No doubt the impoverished Royal County* needed the income that Slough generated.

Incidentally, we usually only refer to Buckinghamshire, Essex, Norfolk, Herefordshire etc. We don't use the word 'County' in their titles.

I was looking at Bucks County, PA, on Google Earth last night and was struck by how similar the field patterns are to ours here. Google Street View reveals the roads to be the width that we are also used to.

Carruthers.:)


*Windsor Castle, one of HM Queen's residences, is in Berkshire, hence the title.

Wikipedia: English Counties.

I think 'counties' replaced 'shires' as top tier of local government at some point. We also have buroughs and burghs. Again though, there's a difference between old-style buroughs (some sort of permission given by the monarch to a particular area) and new boroughs (convenient label given to amalgamations of parishes and towns).

Further to the above.
 

Slough

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn't fit for humans now,
There isn't grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!

Come, bombs and blow to smithereens
Those air -conditioned, bright canteens,
Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans,
Tinned minds, tinned breath.

Mess up the mess they call a town-
A house for ninety-seven down
And once a week a half a crown
For twenty years.

And get that man with double chin
Who'll always cheat and always win,
Who washes his repulsive skin
In women's tears:

And smash his desk of polished oak
And smash his hands so used to stroke
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell.

But spare the bald young clerks who add
The profits of the stinking cad;
It's not their fault that they are mad,
They've tasted Hell.

It's not their fault they do not know
The birdsong from the radio,
It's not their fault they often go
To Maidenhead

And talk of sport and makes of cars
In various bogus-Tudor bars
And daren't look up and see the stars
But belch instead.

In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails.

Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.

John Betjeman (1906 - 1984)

http://www-cdr.stanford.edu/intuition/Slough.html

Love that poem!

Thanks for sharing the pics, SG! Honestly I've never been outside of my home state except to visit Florida a few times. One day I plan on seeing something besides my own backyard!

Sounds like New Jersey. :lol:

and a lot of other places, to be fair.

As featured on an episode of The Office (original version), set in Slough.

Hey Monkey! Long time no write.
Yes - The Office was set in Slough as a perfect example of a grey, non-industrial town.

Also, Ricky Gervias was born just down the road in Reading. Reading, hmmmm. When I went there they were having a festival of litter and 16 yo mothers. At least that was my assumption as I saw pretty much nothing else.

I lie - I've just remembered I bought a lovely bra and knicker set in an independent shop there. Then again, the woman treated me like I was Princess Diana (still alive at that point) so I figure she had few customers for her luxury lingerie.

I figure if Gervais set The Office in Slough it must be worse there.

Reading, ah the memories saw some great bands at various Reading Festivals in the 80's when i was young and stupid such a long time ago Sob...........:D

Take heart, be-bop... we aren't young anymore but we're still stupid. :lol:

I'll drink to that...:drunk:

A couple of days ago, the postman defeated the weather and delivered a copy of "Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania". I managed to track it down via Abebooks and bought it from a bookseller in North Carolina. I headed straight for entries concerning Wycombe, Chalfont, Solebury (Soulbury) and Buckingham. I know that English place names on the Eastern Seaboard are not exactly uncommon, but I find the stories behind the original settlements absolutely fascinating.

Carruthers.

I know people in Buckingham, Bucks County, nice(but expensive) place. Also, I grew up in Hampden (see Sundae's post #5).

Whereabouts is Hampden, Bruce? I can't find any reference to it in the above book.

FWIW, Hampden House is about 3.5 miles to the south west of your humble correspondent.

Carruthers

At the John Hampden link, in Sundae's post:
It fails to note the town of Hampden, in the County of Hampden, Massachusetts. Not in Bucks County, PA, but you mentioned, "English place names on the Eastern Seaboard", and Hampden has a connection to Aylesbury. Sorry for the confusion.

Ah! OK Bruce, thanks for that, I'm obliged to you.
One is investigating further:thumb:

Carruthers

♪♫
I've seen a tinker up a tailor
and a soldier up a sailor,
but I've never seen a salmon
up a dead sardine. ♪♫

I've just been looking at some photos from Spring last year and came up with this one:

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/1862/p5300007.jpg

It is a view from the opposite side of the valley to that shown in Sundae's posting here: #195

I keep an eye on a couple of farms on a nearby estate for the manager and his wife, when they take the opportunity to get off the place once in a while. As you can see, I was giving the farm dogs a run. (30th May 2009)

Hey SG, sorry, I really wanted to personal message you but I'm not allowed to until I've proved that I'm not odd by responding to several threads in a way that is not deemed weird! (Akin to being asked to prove you're not mad)Anyway, my email is the same as it ever was (there's a song there somewhere), we both hated Cockroach Joan and you introduced me to Jasper Fforde (or certainly his books) and I was wondering how you were? Sorry to barge in, I'm still in the same hot/dusty country as I was before!

OMG! Is that my warthog?!
I was thinking about you just the other day.

If it's not you (and it would be so weird if it's not. God, you weirdo if it's not!) then you'll get a mail from me in the next 24 hours.

It is.

ok - I'm a little freaked out by that.

Why the new face?

It's not Sarge, Shawnee. It's an ex work colleague and very good friend of mine.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. :blush:

Sorry. I'm a bit dense. Just that you WERE just asking about sarge, and I jumped to the Island of Conclusions.

As you were. :)

I guess it might have sounded a bit kissy-kissy at that :)
But she obv wanted to stay anonymous, so I couldn't resist a bit of code in return.

Still haven't heard from Sarge re coming home or his health though :(

Am starting this post to say I STILL haven't heard from Sarge re his health or coming home.
But I HAVE received a returned card from the US Forces address I send them to.
If he posts I'd be really grateful for a heads-up PM. As far as my correspondance is concerned he's dropped off the face of the earth.

Anyway, this is all about me (as usual) and my birthday.
So expect lots of pictures of me. Just be grateful I'm not starting a new thread!
Dinner photos are in the What's For Dinner Tonight thread.

Okay. Last night (Thursday) we went to the Bugle Horn, just outside Aylesbury.
"We" were Mum, Dad, Steven, Erika [my brother and his wife] and family friend Maureen.
First pic 1 is the pub itself.
This is a link to the menu.

Pic 2 is Stevo dreaming. Just to prove I don't have to be in every photo.
Hey, my camera, my birthday! I originally wrote "looking dreamy" but balked at the double meaning - see below.

I creeped myself out when we were leaving. Ste came straight from work, so was in work clothes except I'd forgotten that. I was walking behind what I thought was a businessman and thinking, "Nice butt! I wonder if he looks as good from the front!" I wanted to bleach my brain when I realised I'd been eyeing up my brother. I had to have a rum & coke when I got home to get over it.

Me with the 'rents.

There is another one of me and Dad, but he looked really tiny next to me, by some trick of the camera.
I looked like some big bloated spider who had sucked all his spirit out - so I took another one. We're in better proportion in this one (which shows you how bad the other one was!)
My hair is currently blonde, I just had coloured spray in the front. All washed out now.

And here is our lovely waiter. He was a bit young for me, sadly - I was afraid I'd break him, so I left it at good natured banter :)

And this is the photo he took of our table, we're all stuffed with food.
Dad appears to have a diamond tooth, something that struck me as hilariously funny last night. It still makes me smile today, but I rather think it suits him.

I also got a free bottle of champagne because it was my birthday and there were more than 4 of us.
So for anyone in the Aylesbury area, or who is close to the chain of Vintage Inns, it's worth signing up for emails if you fancy going there on your birthday (or up to two weeks after). They advise you to bring ID, but I wasn't asked for any. I guess they thought woman with pink hair, tiara, cards and presents on the table - probably not just trying to pull a fast one.

No-one wanted dessert except me. I will admit that I didn't really want it either, I just didn't want the meal to be over (boo hoo!) I offered to share with anyone, anyone? No-one? Not even a spoonful? Nope. I didn't sulk though, just ordered a liquer coffee. Lovely waiter made it at the table, which I thought was a great way to do it. It was his first time as well - nothing like being someone's first time to make a birthday go with a zing!

A good time was had by all I believe. It was clean, friendly, the service was good, the food was simple and tasty.
And of course I didn't pay :)

Looks like a nice family time. You look a lot like yer mum.

Just a link to The Bugle Horn's Burns Night menu (that's the pub as shown above).
Except that as we're not Scottish you don't have to go on Burn's Night, they're running it from Monday 24th to Saturday 29th. All the better to fleece you with my dear. Actually, it looks pretty good.

I'd love to go on your behalf and report back, but I'd be too ashamed to go without having a drink (Talisker single malt £1!!!) so this year I will decline.

that Burns Night menu has waaaaaaaay too much haggis IMHO.

thanks, as always, for the pics!! :) I love seeing them!

A walk to the shop, to show you where I live.
From what I gatjer, a Council Estate equals The Projects.
I'm not sure that's true, so I thought a quick vid might be helpful.


The poor mike makes it sound mucho windy, but wouldn't you know, as soon as I got home I tried to fly Tiger's new kite (to replace the parachute that got strung up in a tree) and couldn't get the damn thing beyong arm's length!

thanks for the walking tour of your 'hood.

I don't think Council Estates=Projects.

1) Where's the gun violence?

2) where are the drug dealers?

3) Where are the women with 6 babies on the porch?

4) Where are the pitt bulls?

5) Why are there cars and garages? People in the projects use the bus.

6) Why is there a shop you can walk to that doesn't have coolies hanging out front harassing potential customers?

7) Where is the sound of sirens and wailing?

8) where is the television crew?

9) where is the vomit?

10) Where is the ambulance?
:)

Depends on the council estate.

I have known a few like you describe Bri. The distinction between estates and the projects is probably more to do with the different history behind them. Ours weren't developed to house the poorest, so much as provide affordable housing to all, including the poorest. So, the estates have been working-class homes for a long time. They vary greatly from area to area. Places with a large underclass tend to have more roudy and troublesome estates.

I lived on the edge of one in Salford in the 90s. Used to have to walk through to the little precint in the centre to use the cashpoint (ATM). I recall walking past the wreck of a burned out car, still smoking, and with a small gang of kids clambering about and smashing what was left of the glass. There was the obligatory collection of unleashed fighting and guard dogs wandering about.

The main estate in the ward I represent as a councillor is like the land that time forgot. It is perched on the top of a hill, the back of the estate literally overlooking a cliff. It feels like a forgotten place. And it sounds like a war zone at night. The police more or less leave it alone unless they're actually called out. They've given up patrolling it entirely. When the fire brigade have to go up there they face gangs of youngsters throwing rocks at the fire truck windows as they approach. Nobody goes to the shops after dark if they can help it. The kids have fuck all to do and basically wander the streets looking for trouble. Every other house is dealing with addiction problems. The entire place simmers with tension.

Dana, your description made me think of the TrainsPotting song, Miles End:

We didn't have no where to live, / we didn't have nowhere to go
'til someone said / "I know this place off Burditt Road."
It was on the fifteenth floor, / it had a board across the door.
It took an hour / to pry it off and get inside. / It smelt as if someone had died;
the living-room was full of flies, / the kitchen sink was blocked,
the bathroom sink not there at all. / Ooh, / it's a mess alright, / yes it's
Mile End. / And now we're living in the sky! / I'd never thought I'd live so
high, / just like Heaven / (if it didn't look like Hell.)
The lift is always full of piss, / the fifth floor landing smells of fish
(not just on Friday, / every single other day.)
Below the kids come out tonight, / they kick a ball and have a fight
and maybe shoot somebody if they lose at pool.
Ooh, / it's a mess alright, / yes it's / Mile End.
[mumbled mutterings... you love it...]
Oo-ooh / Nobody wants to be your friend
'cause you're not from round here, / ooh / as if that was
something to be proud about. / The pearly king of the Isle of Dogs
feels up children in the bogs. / Down by the playing fields,
someone sets a car on fire I guess you have to go right down
before you understand just how, / how low,
how low a human being can go. / Ooh, / it's a mess alright, / yes it's
Mile End. / (don't do that! Leave it out!) / Bababa...
Lalala...

Merkins would prolly call that an apartment complex. It looks like you're at least a generation from becoming "The Projects". Most of our Projects start as apartment complexes...

"Harry Brown". Love this flick.

Thanks for the vid, Sundae. I enjoy getting a taste of England.

If it wouldn't get you into trouble, I'd love to see a vid of the inside of the shop. Is it more of a convenience store or would people expect to do most of their weekly shopping there?

I hadn't watched it back - I might not have posted it if I had. What hideous sound quality! I pretty much remember what I said (rambling as it was) and even I can't work out some of it.

I'll make another one when it's not blowing a gale force wind.

Pete - it's definitely a convenience store.
Some of the old people on the estate might do quite a bit of their shopping there, and you could live from it as it has a decent selection. But most people use it for newspapers, mil, booze, fags, lottery tickets. With the added benefit that if you've run out of something (from baking powder to toilet paper to garlic) they'll probably have it in stock as well.

When I make my next film, I'll iclude a bit of the shop, but I assume they're the same anyway.

Bri - if I didn't think it would have repercussions I'd take a few shots of the garden belonging to our neighbours-across-the-close. It's still a council property (most of the older houses you saw in my vid are now owner-occupied) and is a classic "council tenant" garden. Where all that's growing is the rust on the abandoned toys and kitchen appliances...

Pete, as it turns out something quite hideous happened in that shop just the other week. I'd be wary of trying to film in there now that they are all on high alert for anything odd going on. I'll try it later this year.

From the Bucks Herald:
Horror as Man Stabs Himself With Bottle in Aylesbury Shop

So, yesterday was Fathers Day.
But before that, Ste came over to drop off a card and pressie.
I had the camera on the wrong setting, (oop!) so it's blurry.
But I did nothing to enhance the colour and I just thought the blue of his eyes came out really well.

Ste + Diz.

So. Off to the Dairy Maid for lunch.
We've been there a couple of times recently, so I bought a book of vouchers from eBay with various deals in it. Of course they were given o9ut/ sent out free, but we didn't get one and anyway it cost me 49p.
So we got a free round of drinks (about £9 worth) and everyone was very pleased with me.

Also, Dad got a free pint glass (Number 1 Dad) which he is also pleased with.

No starters. The meals were HUUGE!.
Dad had the rump steak. Ordered it well done. Fool. It was like a piece of shoe leather. But that is how he likes it and he ate every bit.
Mum was the piggiest of us all and had Surf and Turf and Cluck. Steak, scampi and chicken. She couldn't finish it. I had meant to bring a tupperware box for leftovers, but forgot. The only thing she left in the end was her steak - same as Dad, she ordered it well done. I declined it on behalf of Diz.

I had steak and ribs. So yeah, I was a pig too.
But I didn't have any tea afterwards, because I ate the lot (apart from the grilled tomato) and was stuffed as a tick.

I asked for my steak rare, in the hope it would be medium rare. It was, and in fact was the nicest steak I have had in a long, long time.
Absolutely gorgeous.

We only go to this place because it is the nearest pub to the house, but we've been very lucky with our meals. Oh except the last time, when Mum moaned about everything. But the portions are large, the staff attentive and the prices prettty good.

Yumyum

Someone got the dessert order wrong.
I won't say who, but it is someone who posts on here.

There are two different Raspberry Ripple desserts.
I know - stupid, right?
One of them is tiny and costs 79p.
The other is a full sized dessert.

The nameless person ordered her own dessert, only to find that they'd run out. She then changed her order, and ordered for both her parents. Only in the confusion (not) she ordered the really ickle dessrt for Dad.

Look, I did offer to go back up and change the order. I would have been happy to do that. But Dad doesn't really like "fuss". He realised he was getting the tiny dessert because of the price, and accepted it.

I just felt awful when my Knickerbocker Glory turned up, alongside his teeny weeny Raspberry Ripple :mecry:

Still, back home and as you can see, all was forgiven.
Happy Farters Day for yesterday Dads.

Not too far away from the unfortunate incident outlined by Sundae (above)

Camera feels the heat after second attack

One of my colleagues, at my last place of work, was heading home when he was caught by the above camera.
Not sure how fast he was going, but the limit is 30mph so the camera was probably set at 35mph.

Now, if you have read the article, you will see that the camera is positioned on the central reservation (median).
Overnight, the powers that be turned the camera to face in the opposite direction. My erstwhile colleague, in a rush to return to his place of work the following morning, triggered the camera again!

I'm not sure what the penalties were, but I believe that a fine of £60 plus three penalty points on the licence is usual.

I can categorically state that the gentleman concerned was not guilty of arson as he died about three years ago. Although perhaps he intervened from the great beyond.:rolleyes:

The Elmhurst Road is awful for speeding cars, vans and motorbikes.
It's an estate road, going through an area with two schools and the houses are generally occupied by old people and young families. Add pets into the mix and it is so obvious why the speed limit is 30.

I've seen a couple of near misses with kids on bikes. Yes the kids were technically to blame - appalling road safety - but it would be the speeding drivers that would bear the burden if they connected. And both my dog and my brother ran out into the road on this stretch. This is years and years ago (I learned to keep them both attached to me after the two incidents) but the same rule applies. If you are driving through a housing estate, the speed limit is there for a reason.

Bad luck on your ex-colleague to get done twice in 24 hours. But if was speeding twice in 24 hours he did get his just desserts. Not to speak ill of the dead of course.

You're quite right, Sundae. He said that he 'didn't know that it (the camera) was there.' A somewhat bizarre explanation/excuse as he should have been observing the posted speed limit!

Did I mention that he was employed as a driver?:o

Went to see the Grandad today.
This is not an unusual occurrence, except that my bro doesn't come, and that I haven't brought my camera before.
I had the camera this time to take photos for the family in Aus. As Mum says, if I hadn't seen my Dad for over ten years his current appearance would come as a shock. So it's only fair to let Jimmy see how things are.

Mum is silly in that she thinks I should have taken the photos on the sly. No. I take photos so often I really don't see the need for subterfuge. Still, she's his daughter, so I took some when he wasn't looking to make her happy. It's probably best to have a selection.

You'll be able to tell the difference between Mum and Steven and Grandad. Although he's not bad for 88.

And then out onto the terrace...

Off with the hat.

Mum was out drinking til 00.15 last night (girlie get-together a a friends')
She says she hasn't had a hangover for over 10 years and felt really rough. Snigger.

Ha! Your mom is still partying and we don't anymore. Tsk...tsk....You and I need to get together, Sundae. :D Btw, thanks for all the pictures! :D

Those were perfect!

Went into town on the orange bus today.
The stop is about 7 minutes walk, but I needed to go to the cashpoint beforehand, and that's next to the stop.

This route runs on time, and not only that, it has a handy touch screen to let you know when the bus is coming. Nothing like that on the green line that runs closest to my house! They probably don't dare, as the timetable is essentially a work of fiction for that bus.

Check out my nails in the reflection! I used a sparkly grey nailvarnish that one of Mum's friends gave her, but it wasn't very sparkly, so I rolled my nails in very fine glitter. Gives almost a chrome effect. Love it.

Got off at the bus station, at the bottom of the Market Square.
Only a partial market today, so I took a couple of photos of the stalls for you.

Fruit & veg at the bottom of the Square, with the Court buildings behind.