Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

BTW- How did you find it. Did you know about it or did you search for it?

Whilst I haven't actually seen the thing live, I'm aware it's there and remember when it opened. So when I saw the photo I thought it looked a bit Hindu and Google gave the links.

Clever clogs.

[RED-DOG]

So I'm still wrestling with online cash.

I don't get it. People say "wait until you can beat one Level before you move up to the next"

I have to admit, I can't beat any level. Well, not to the extent that I could say "That's it, I can beat that level, day in day out"

To tell the truth, I can't see a marked difference in the ability of $1/2 players and $5/10 players. The only difference I can see is in my own ability to play properly (i.e. boldly and confidently) without worrying about bankroll restrictions.

Bankroll considerations apart, as far as I'm concerned, players are no better or worse at $1/2 than they are at $5/10. In fact I often have 3 or 4 tables open, each one at a different level. I play them all the same, and I can be doing my bollocks at $1/2 and winning at $5/10.

It seems to me that when it comes to moving up levels, your main consideration should be having deep enough pockets to be able to absorb the now more expensive bad runs and dry spells, and to be able to play with the same confidence that you had at the lower levels.

[RED-DOG]

Here come the girls....



We're babysitting these two reprobates today.

[boldie]

Here come the girls....



We're babysitting these two reprobates today.

Good luck with that Mr Red..they look a handful. Especially if you let them play with propane

[RED-DOG]

It's OK. They usually only blow themselves up once.

[Laxie]

They're adorable!  Have fun today.   

[RichEO]

The gas bottles are pretty safe, its the petrol I'd be worried about

[RED-DOG]

The gas bottles are pretty safe, its the petrol I'd be worried about

They need that for the chainsaw.

[Karabiner]

The gas bottles are pretty safe, its the petrol I'd be worried about

They need that for the chainsaw.

Surely you're not having another tooth removed.

[RED-DOG]

The gas bottles are pretty safe, its the petrol I'd be worried about

They need that for the chainsaw.

Surely you're not having another tooth removed.

No. I'm saving one.

[RED-DOG]

So as a boy, I would go out billing for scrap metal and rags with my dad, my man and my granddad.

Terraced houses were our favourite for several reasons. Firstly, they were easy billing. The front door (with letterbox) was right on the pavement. In these kind of houses four people could drop a thousand bills in about 2 ½ hours.

Secondly, they had cellars. Cellars were often full of treasures for a scrap man. Old cast iron fireplaces, window sash weights, gas coppers, treadle sewing machines, boxes of assorted tools, the list was endless. All you had to do was talk the householder into taking you down there.

And thirdly, terraced houses were often occupied by working class people, and working class people were much easier to talk to, and far less suspicious when you knocked on their door.

We would split up into groups of two. Billing in twos in by far the most efficient method. (One person on each side of the street) Dad would usually drop mam and I off in one “Patch” and then drive a few miles before he and granddad dropped their bills. That way, if one batch were unproductive, at least we didn’t have all our eggs in one basket.

Dropping bills quickly and efficiently is an art. You develop a sort of fast, even paced walk that really eats up the miles. As you walk, you fold a bill, and when as you pass a door you press the letterbox open with one finger, keeping it near the hinge and not allowing it poke through to the other side of the door where surprisingly often, there is a dog waiting to bite it off.

If you do put your finger right inside and a dog just barks, you tend to snatch it back so fast that the letterbox lid catches it and removes the knuckle anyway.

The trick is to deposit the bill through the letterbox without getting hurt, and without breaking stride. Not as easy as it sounds.

Every so often a door would open about 50 or 100 yards behind you and someone would call you back. Sometimes they wanted to tell you that they had some scrap or rags that they wanted to get rid of, and sometimes they wanted to throw the bill in your face and abuse you. The second scenario was a bit nerve wracking for a small boy, but I soon came to realise that it was only words and idle threats and didn’t amount to anything.

I do remember one time when I absent mindedly plucked a leaf from a privet hedge as I passed. A woman ran out of the house scarlet with rage and slapped my face screaming, “Blast you!”

Unfortunately for her, my mother happened to see her do it from across the road and walked calmly towards her. When she got within striking distance, she hit the woman upside the head with a pack of bills. The blow was so hard that it almost knocked her unconscious. I swear to this day that I heard her jaw break.

We had to abandon the bills we had already dropped and do a runner, but before we left, my mam leaned close to the terrified woman and said quietly “ Blast you too missus”.

[RED-DOG]

Scuse me a mo. Just experimenting


A window sash weight.

[RED-DOG]

tikay told me that google had images of almost everything, and it appears to be true.


A cast iron fireplace surround. (we smashed up thousands of these, they would be worth a fortune now).

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

A gas boiler. These had a copper tub inside and were highly prized. We used to pay (up to) 7/6d for them at one time.

PS- 7/6d is about 35p in new money.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

A treadle sewing machine. Like the fireplace surrounds, we smashed these up every day.