mick58ward

At some point before 1968, because I suffered from bad asthma, I attended what was referred to as an 'Open-Air School', I think at Millhouses, though I can't be sure. As the name suggests, we took a lot of the lessons outdoors and even had a mid-day kip, on camp beds, in a field. The school itself, was little more than a large shed. Does anyone have any recollections about the school?

My dad (Gordon Ward) was a Painter and Decorator for Cockaynes and was always full of stories about his work-place. He seemed to have been happy there and made lots of friends. I never heard him complain about his job, or the store.

How do you know I'm not Jack Slipper of the 'Yard'?

For Now Hillsbro.... remember Ronnie Biggs?

It's a fair cop. Go easy with the cuffs, I've got arthritis

Damn... you caught me at last!

I think it was called Number6 or Number10 in the late 60's

I remember The Hoovers... they sucked! lol

It wasn't just records that she sold. You could also buy badges and patches. I've still got a handful of badges and a couple of patches. The only L.P that I have, that I know came from Violet Mays, is now worth lots of money!

I lived on Bute street, Crookes and as a toddler in the 1960's, I was introduced to the library at Broomhill. I was a voracious reader and the librarian let me take out extra books each week. I think the maximum was something like 3 or 4, but I was allowed to take double that amount! One year, the library held a painting competition for kids, the subject being 'books that I've read', or something like that. I had just read a book about the Spanish Armada, so I painted Francis Drake playing bowls, with the Spanish ships in the background. To my immense pride, I won first prize and the picture was hung in the library!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

You can get all of those things ASAW, but as for chestnuts, as a family,we used to go to Whitely Woods and pick them off the floor.. for free! I also remember there being a lady who stood outside Pond Street bus station, with her brazier roasting fresh chestnuts, which she sold in little cone-shaped bags. I even have a photo of her somewhere, 'cos I was a keen photographer and she let me snap her.

What a thought-provoking post, thank you so much. My gran made the best Yorkshire pud I've ever tasted. It was made in the same roasting tray that the roast had been cooked in and had all the bits of meat attached to the bottom of the tray-sized pud, making it dense at the bottom and raised at the sides. Like you said, we had the Yorkshire before the roast itself. My ex-wife tried to re-reate the pud al-la grandma, but could never do it. Jimmy Clitheroe was magic and all -round family entertainment. You can still listen to the programs on Youtube... well worth the effort even now.

thanks for that, I've always wondered if it might hve been someone that I knew, now I know that it wasn't.

After I posted the thread, I got talking to a friend in Sheffield and he said that aa national radio broadcast in the morning, had a spot where people could admit to things (usually romantic stuff) and 'surprise surprise' somebody admitted to being the culprit! But I'm still non the wiser about who it actually was. I'd not heard about the headmaster's box being nicked though. Mr Sharrock must have gone ballistic when he found it missing... too much