Sunday, May 10, 2026

Deryck Guyler - The Great Gnome Robbery


I was after this 1971 record for some time I had it on my eBay watch list, I finally got a notification that a copy had been listed been listed with a buy it now option within 3 minutes I had signed in to eBay the record had already sold, sometime later a second copy was listed, this time I brought the copy. 


Mondays Boot Sale was larger than the previous Bank Holiday one and twice the size of the one held the day before, again I came home with nothing, there were some records but nothing stood out, In the picture the hedge is the original boundry of St Ebba's Hospital.


On the right hand side is the course of the old railway that served the Hospital cluster, for some reason the siding to St Ebba's boiler house was never built and the coal was unloaded at the passing loop and taken by cart to the boiler house there was a plentiful supply of labour (the patents), recently houses have been built on the old trackbed, when the railway was removed in 1950 the home owners whose houses backed onto the track were given the opportunity to buy the plot at the end of the garden for £25. 



I managed to get out fishing on Wednesday from Brighton, it was the first long journey for my car since it was repaired last August, it got up the hills without slowing down and going into limp mode, I had thought it was water in the fuel tank it turned out to be a blocked fuel filter, the diagnostic computer came up with the same fault low fuel pressure from fuel filter and low fuel pressure at injectors. I got to Brighton with plenty of time to spare and had a breakfast at McDonalds, then back to the car get the fishing gear out and walk down to the boat, the journey to the Kingsmere Rocks was uneventful once the boat was anchored up the fish started coming in at a steady rate, one person had a Tope take his Bream bait and managed to get it to the boat, it's not uncommon for Tope to take the Bream baits they usually bite through the light nylon trace, I had a double hook up of a smoothound and a bream and after that had a steady flow of Bream. The area we were fishing has a bag limit of 4 fish per angler, everyone on board was told this at the start of the trip and a tally was being kept, however one angler was putting his fish into his personal box and was asked how many fish he had, he later admitted to having 9 these were moved to the communal fish box, their were 11 anglers so the max was 44 fish when that number was reached we moved to a different area where there were no bag limits, getting back to Brighton it was noticed that none of the other boats had gone out that day.

Walking along the pontoon I remembered back to a number of years ago when I had got back from a trip and walking along the same pontoon fighting for breath and thinking I'm going to have to give up sea fishing, a few weeks later I collapsed on the way home from work and was taken to Hospital, it was there that they discovered I had a Pulmonary Embolism, I spent almost a week in Hospital while they treated it.

Deryck Guyler - The Great Gnome Robbery - YouTube

 

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Deryck Guyler - (You Can't Kill An Old) Desert Rat

 

Deryck Guyler in the guise of Potter the caretaker the character he played in the TV series Please Sir, the series and the spin off series The Fenn Street Gang produced 2 more records one by the Fenn Street Gang the other by Carol Hawkins which for some reason has always eluded me.

Deryck Guyler - (You Can't Kill An Old) Desert Rat / Ruby (1971) - YouTube

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Jackie Pallo - One Little Packet Of Cigarettes


When I was young almost everybody smoked you were the social outcast if you did not smoke, smoking was allowed almost everywhere many tobacconists had cigarette machines outside, by the late 1960's early 70's people were becoming aware of the health problems linked to smoking and were giving up smoking, today I only know a few people who smoke. When I was buying some Lottery Tickets at Christmas people were buying packets of cigarettes I was taken back when the cashier said the price £19.70 substantially more than the last packet I brought 2/11 (15p).

 Jackie Pallo - One Little Packet Of Cigarettes - YouTube 

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Jackie Pallo - Everyone Should Get What I Got

 


Jackie Pallo real name Jack Ernest Gutteridge 12/01/1926 - 11/02/2006. A professional Wrestler, when ITV started broadcasting on 22/09/1955 the BBC had managed to get all the major sports under contract leaving very little for the new broadcaster, I recall motorbike scrambling, then the wrestling followed by the football results, Bonanza (thought this may be later) the Adventures Of  Robin Hood staring Richard Green, then over to BBC for Dr Who.

The Wrestling was narrated by Kent Walton other wrestlers that came to mind are Mick McManus & Les Kellett, the front rows were full of old ladies and if a wrestler got thrown out of the ring they would start hitting him with their handbags. As other sports came out of their BBC contract ITV managed to get rights to them the motorbike scrambling disappeared and wresting was moved to a late evening weekday slot.

Wednesday's fishing was cancelled due to wind, I got the message as I was leaving Wing Yips having just brought a number of boxes of squid for bait, they are now in the freezer for future trips, I have rebooked the trip for 6th May, I also got a phone call did I want to go fishing on Saturday from Gosport, unfortunately Saturday is the most difficult day, would have to take Biscuit for her walk at 03.00 I have done it before, my son does a Park Run and does not tend to get back till about 13.00, it was a good thing I declined as on Friday I developed a high temperature and it was still there Saturday.


Jackie Pallo - Everyone Should Get What I Got

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Les Dawson - Send Her Roses

 

 

Les Dawson 2/2/1931 - 10/06/1993 came to fame after appearing on the TV show Opportunity Knocks, This is the first of 3 singes from Les Dawson, with a 4th in 1982 telling the story of Aladdin, I also came across singles by the Les Dawson Trio these are from a different a Les Dawson. From memory Les Dawson died of a heart attack that  came several days after he was pushing his vintage car.

Send Her Roses - YouTube


On Friday I got back from walking Biscuit at about 11.30, there was nothing amiss with the cars parked outside, about 10 minutes later I looked out of the window and one of the parked cars had been clamped for no Road Tax, the owner quickly removed the stickers the car is still clamped, a few years ago a number of cars in the road were clamped for similar reasons, the road I live in is fairly close to the station and a number of people park their cars in it rather than pay for parking at the station, two of the cars were there unclaimed for a couple of weeks and later were towed away, sometimes it is cheaper to buy an old car and not tax or insure it, and if it gets clamped abandon it and get a replacement, I have my road tax on a Direct Debit and is paid at the beginning of April.


Monday, April 6, 2026

Easter Bank Holiday Monday Boot Sale





A box of  transformers/chargers

 

Today's Hook Road Arena Boot Sale, The sale took up about three quarters of the end field, there were a number of records I did not buy any, there was one I nearly brought but it was 2 for £5 I was not willing to pay that much, I did notice that there were a lot more people selling household items and cloths, perhaps a sign of the times, I did not buy anything an unusual occurrence. 



Sunday, April 5, 2026

Simon Dee - Julie

 


Simon Dee real name Cyril Nicolas Henty-Dodd started as a DJ on Radio Caroline, in 1965 he joined BBC Radio, 1967 he progressed to his own chat show on BBC TV Dee Time, 1969 he left the BBC and transferred to ITV in 1970 The Simon Dee Show started after a short time he fell out with the ITV management and the show was cancelled.

The full story is on Wikipedia.

Simon Dee - Wikipedia

SIMON DEE - 'Julie' - 1969

It's the first Bank Holiday boot sale on Monday.