So I headed into town, to find a Woolies. Every town - no exceptions - had a Woolies.

At this point, things started to go a little wrong.

First up, I had forgotten - or never knew, more like -  it was a Bank Holiday Monday. Shops never opened on Bank Holidays in those days, good grief no. They never opened on Sundays, & had an early closing day, too, but I digress.

To compound this minor oversight, & as I never possessed a watch - it turned out to be 5.15am in the morning. That's 5.15am on a Bank Holiday Monday, in Ruislip High Street. And I'm a dishevelled 7 or 8 year old, wandering along Ruislip High St. 

And at that very moment, who should be walking towards me but a uniformed policeman.

More soon for those hardy souls who have managed this far.....

Evening came, darkness dropped, so I slipped into a toilet cubicle & hid there until the park closed.

Eventually, with no alternative available - I was not the brightest of sorts - I decided to make that toilet cubicle my bed for the night. Slept like a top, too, curled up on the floor, happy as Larry.

I awoke early the next morning, absolutely starving to bits. It was over 24 hours since I had last eaten - those 2 pesky biscuits.

No problem, I knew the answer immediately - head to Woolworths. Woolworths used to have biscuit counters, where loose biscuits were displayed in open topped compartments, with glass dividers. I knew this, as I had nicked biscuits from them many a time. We all did, it was standard.   

I'm not excusing myself, but how could a kid ever resist this? You'd need to be a Saint not to fancy nicking a few of them.

Click to see full-size image.

More follows.....

I had no idea where I planned to go, but I must have found myself on the Western Avenue (the A40, in Acton, which was nearby), & 10 miles later I saw the sign for Ruislip. I knew Ruislip had a Lido, & Lidos sounded great - I'd never been to one - so I headed there.

Think there was an entrance charge, but I slipped under a hole in the fence.

Soon, to my utter delight, I discovered it had a miniature railway. (It still does, I am pleased to discover -  https://www.ruisliplidorailway.org/ )

So I headed to that, & soon I was on nodding terms with the driver, a friendly avuncular type. Actually, with hindsight, he was maybe too friendly, & was probably some sort of perv, but as a somewhat backward 7 or 8 year old, such thoughts never entered my mind.

Soon, I was his "assistant" for the day, & I rode up & down that little railway scores of times. I'd never been happier than I was that day. Course, it never entered my tiny mind that I had problems ahead, like where to sleep, & what my Dad, who loved me to bits, was going through at home.

For those not asleep yet, more follows.....
 

Sharon mentioned Ruislip Lido, which, as it happens, has a special place in my childhood memories.

One Sunday morning I did something wrong at home - "stole" 2 biscuits from the biscuit tin. In those days kids were not allowed to help themselves, they had to ask. My Sister & I had to ask, but my step-brother, who was The Special One, was allowed to help himself, which grated with me terribly.

Anyway, having nicked 2 bikkies, my Sister discovered the theft & threatened to grass me up to my Step Mother. By doing so, it would get her off the hook for some perceived misdemeanour she had committed. Such was life at home.

Anyway, rather than incur a thwack from the Step Mum, I decided I could not face the music, & decided to run away from home. Life as a child is not complete unless you have run away from home at least once, is it? I'm sure most of you must have done so. Think I would have been around 7, maybe 8 years old at the time. 

So off I went, there & then, with no idea where I was headed, but I had no plans to ever come home again. Free at last, yay.

Episode 2 of this thrilling tale follows.....

Talking of Mars Bars, did you know that Jacqueline Mars, the heiress to the Mars Chocolate Co fortune, is the 3rd richest woman in America?

A Mars a day makes you very rich indeed, it seems.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Mars

Good to see mention of other Lidos - Ruislip (Sharon) & Papplewick (Tom).

Don't think they build Lidos these days, but they were a major part of our childhood for those of a certain age. A day at a Lido was the next best thing to a day at the seaside, & nothing on earth was as good as a day at the seaside.

I used to be in awe of people who lived at the seaside, the very thought they could be on the beach every day of their life made me in awe of them.

Only one thing impressed me more in those days, when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old.

Imagine - if you can - being rich enough to buy a Mars Bar every day. That was my ambition, to be that rich. 

Click to see full-size image.

It seems that Gill now plans to do a 5k (5k, ffs) Swim at Cheltenham Lido in October, again for Macmillan Cancer Research.



 https://www.macmillan.org.uk/in-your-area/local-dashboard/detail/Fundraising%20events/1493/All-Out-Swim-Cheltenham?proximity=74.69%20miles%20from%20you


She has a real addictive streak in her, once she gets into something, its all or nothing.

Here's a fascinating photo that was sent to me by K4Suited, as he had some difficulty uploading it. 

He will be along later to comment.

Click to see full-size image.

Aha! Thanks Iktay.

Being aware of our leader's fascination with most things engineering, I thought there'd be some interest in the black & yellow robot at the front of this aircraft. Up until recently, all aircraft at LHR were pushed back from the stand by a tow and driver, and a walking guide who held a 'stop-cable' in case of a need for an emergency stop, since the tow driver's visibility is severely restricted from the cab of the tow. With advanced technology, BA have begun to adopt these robots which are remote controlled from a better vantage point. Fewer people on the ground, fewer accidents... Oh, and smaller manpower costs.

I hasten to add that I've not done a ton of research on this, since I was just trying to get this pic up whilst it was fresh on my phone. So I'll start investigations in preparedness of any questions coming in.

Nice looking piece of kit that.

By "robot" I assume you mean that it is "remote-controlled" by a bloke in the Office upstairs?

Tugs usually have large wheels, to aid traction when pushing such heavy kit, but that robot must have miniature wheels. How that work?

I have always been rather fond of those "tugs" (is that the correct term?) that push the aircraft back off the stand. Perfectly functional with no nod to fashion or aesthetics. Beautiful in their ugliness, you might say.

Click to see full-size image.

The official PR release:

http://www.adsadvance.co.uk/ba-pushes-high-tech-first-at-heathrow-t5.html

Very good, thanks for the update.

They seem so small. With such small wheels, I'm surprised they have sufficient traction to push back an Airbus A319/20/21.

Very impressive.

Keep the aircraft stuff coming, please.

I should maybe add that today I am exceedingly & unusually grumpy.

[in the EPL]

I think congrats are in order for Gareth Barry, who makes a record 633rd appearance in the EPL tonight. That's quite something in this day & age - well done him.

I guess nobody else agrees with me then, 5 or 6 different respondents, not one of whom thought Mr Barry has earned a pat on the back or a word of congrats.

I don't necessarily agree, or disagree, with the comments incidentally, though I do think top flight football in England changed enormously after the EPL got up & running. It's almost like BC & AD, it seems a good point in time to start again with stats, but I don't really feel that strongly. It's a different issue really.

In modern times, it's highly unusual for a player to play 600+ games in the top flight. He's gone about his work quietly & consistently, too, & I don't recall too many instances of him doing a flounce, throwing a wobbly, or fornicating with elderly spinsters.

He's also played for England at U16, U18, U21, England B (whatever that is or was) & 53 caps for the England Team proper.

Tough audience, you guys.

Anyway, here's the man when he was a boy. Which was before some of you here had started school, or were even born.

 

 Haha, fair point tikay, and yes I do agree with you that it is an impressive number of games at the top level in any day and age, just not a record number

I agree with what you say, but I never said it was.

who makes a record 633rd appearance in the EPL


Amazing, even the only person prepared to acknowledge the chaps longevity does so grudgingly.


Let me ask another question. Is there ANY professional footballer plying his trade in England who we think is deserving of the occasional kind comment or word of appreciation?

I think congrats are in order for Gareth Barry, who makes a record 633rd appearance in the EPL tonight. That's quite something in this day & age - well done him.

I guess nobody else agrees with me then, 5 or 6 different respondents, not one of whom thought Mr Barry has earned a pat on the back or a word of congrats.

I don't necessarily agree, or disagree, with the comments incidentally, though I do think top flight football in England changed enormously after the EPL got up & running. It's almost like BC & AD, it seems a good point in time to start again with stats, but I don't really feel that strongly. It's a different issue really.

In modern times, it's highly unusual for a player to play 600+ games in the top flight. He's gone about his work quietly & consistently, too, & I don't recall too many instances of him doing a flounce, throwing a wobbly, or fornicating with elderly spinsters.

He's also played for England at U16, U18, U21, England B (whatever that is or was) & 53 caps for the England Team proper.

Tough audience, you guys.

Anyway, here's the man when he was a boy. Which was before some of you here had started school, or were even born.

Click to see full-size image.

 

Click to see full-size image.

[surely the learning curve for flips in a wheelchair are much more brutal?]

This is a more uplifting story, though.



How proud would you be if this were your daughter?


 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/disability-41368134/girl-13-does-backflip-in-her-wheelchair

Very cool, and surely the learning curve for flips in a wheelchair are much more brutal? I can only imagine more head lands, with more weight on them because of the chair. Having said that I can't gracefully pull off stepping into a boat, so I'm far from knowing the physics of it.

That was exactly my thinking, Barry - when you get it wrong in a wheelchair, you are gonna get it seriously wrong.

I can't begin to comprehend her bravery.

PS - Were you at Hillsborough yesterday?

The Bears are gonna get a Touchdown out of this.

You think?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/41386209

I can't remember the last time I used a bar of soap.

Nor me - it's all liquid soap these days for normal people, think you have to be way out of touch to use bars of soap.