Adu yamorrite,

Just thought about summat, I used to ride my boyk to skooill and now and then after assembly all boys who came with there boyks thatday had to go and collect his boyk at the shelter and have it inspected by the local bobby. You guest it even then we had the cops on our back for road safety. Brakes were mostly the problem you received a ticket, and then of cause you had to get dad to buy new brake blocks put em on and give me a note for teacher.Then and only then could I ride back to skooill again. These days the older kids who stay at skooill drive cars, Look out guys some cop may read this and get an idea.

Like my red baby pushboyk,maybe that came from Santa one year before skooill days.

skooill ( School )


I wonder what it would be like to return to school again, as a student to learn, but not use the stuff we have to day for use , computers, biro's calculators,
I started with a slate and chork and one duster block between 4 kids Later it became paper and pencil, pencils were used all the way down to just an inch long.As one grew older pencils gave way to the "Inkpen" no biro's them days it was pen and knib with watered down ink in the inkwell. Blotting paper was green and teacher gave us a 6.x 4. peice cut from his large old plotter from his desk. Remember the times those dare devel in class who would roll up some blotter in a small ball like a pee, and use a peeshooter to blow it at who was not liked in class. ha ha teach got hit a few times. Shall I admit I was a bit of a devil but was well likes in class.
Oh yes it was a mixed school up to age ten then into what we called the "Seniors" an all boys school. My school I beleave, was and still is one the largest schools in the country how true that is I may find out some day. The boys had classrooms on the grownd floor and the girls above us, two large playgrownds either side the building that was layed out like an capital "I "
The boys did have a special top playgrownd well away from the classrooms. We used this as the footy pitch in winter and cricket in sumer,mostly used befor and after school each day. I broke two windows kicking a football over the years , owned up to it at assembly the first time and got one stroke the cane accross my fingers on each hand , never did own up for the last one, that cane bloody hurts,can still feel my fingers tingling over 50 years later.Played plenty interclass football with my class team on the ovel next to the school. and was in the school team for cricket playing interschool games mostly at the Halford playing fields behind the bus depot.Perry Barr.

THE BEECHES

Bounded by Aldridge Road on the right,Thornbridge Ave,Sterndale Road, Cross Street Roads,Beeches Road and lastly Sandy Lane.

Adu,
Today thought it about time for a small map where the " Beeches " is, so within those black lines the area is known as ' The Beeches" or as wrote befor "Where ya wum' " On the Beeches' notice the three dots! one is the skooill that I went to, the inside dot is the local 'comunity hall ' and the second but larger dot outside the ares ' The Blood Tub".

Bonfires have burned on Nov. 5th to mark the failed Gunpowder Plot

The tradition of Guy Fawkes bonfires nights actually began the very same year as the coup. The Plot was foiled in the night of the 4th of November 1605. But on the 5th, Londoners who knew little more than their King James 1st had been saved, lit bonfires as thanks. As years progressed, however, the ritual became more elaborate. Soon, people began placing effigies onto bonfires, and fireworks were added to the celebrations. This was/is done in all the towns , cities and villages throughout Britain to this day. Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". When I was a kid we in our street made several dummies then paraded up and down the streets begging for " a penny for the Guy ' from, passers by. We used our hard earned pennies on more fireworks for bonfire night Where did we find all the wood for the fire ?What ever we could get our hands on that burnt.Some days we would go up the lanes breaking limbs from trees even nicking the ax to chop down small saplings to drag home The local "Bobby' rode around on his bike but never did he ever catch any of us. We kids were realy smart in them days .Maybe he never did want to...catch us . he was a kid himself once
On the night itself, Guy is placed on top of the bonfire, which is then set alight; and fireworks displays fill the sky after dark.
Bonfire Night is not only celebrated in Britain. The tradition crossed the oceans and established itself in the British colonies .Today, November 5th bonfires still light up in far out places like New Zealand, Australia and Newfoundland in Canada. Alas, its dying out as the sale of foreworks are now illegal.

I went to school just as the war was about to end and when it was finally all over it was party time Out came the kitchen tables from every ones home lined up in the middle the road. Where the food came from was a big mystery as we used to eat " Bread and Lard" that's all I seem to remember eating. But we did have a small garden and a chuck pen up the top. Id collect the eggs for mum and some days just two or three other times enough to give away.Well you know what I meant TRADE for what we needed. Across the garden path from the chuck pen was the Anderson shelter that was buried in the ground, earth from the hand dug hole was thrown on top and over. We lived in that hole through summer and freezing winter nights throughout the war, till the tied had turned our way.

On a lighter scale Who remembers Guy Fawkes and bonfire night.

As one gets older you tend to want to remember your childhood days, the good times when you played in the street with your mates.
I can recall the long summer school holidays 7 weeks was long for mum but not for us kids.
I wonder how many people still remember there first day at school, I can I thought it was all over at lunch time for good. I went home only to be I think dragged back by mum crying. I was dragged back many a time if I was not fast enough to get away from mum and shinned up the lamp post outside in the street. Monday mornings were my worst days. I hated going to school on a Monday, why ! we had 100 words to learn over the weekend and the test was 20 from 100 to bloody hard for me.I was lucky if I got just two correct.

Now, What's this "On The Beeches" famous words were said back in the 1940's Quote; We will fight them on the Beaches we will never surrender.
Well my Beeches is spelt different and not so famous but is a well know spot/place in Birmingham England.If you talking to anyone who is a True Brummie like myself from the Great Barr area or around Kingstanding If you are asked "Where ya from , We always just say 'On The Beeches'
Its the housing estate I was born and brought up on.