Thje Young Ones, an old Rover, and more memories

My friend Paul in Melbourne sent me this picture of his 1948 , Rover P3 75, which is in pristine condition and used regularly. Next big event will be when he takes his friend's son to the church for the lads wedding.

This reminded me of my 1st car, a 1960 Ford Popular 103, which I bought in 1967 for about £50, BUT I only had it for four days !!!! It used as much oil as petrol to get to Dalkeith and back from Loanhead, the drivers seat was not bolted to the floor and when you turned a corner the seat toppled making driving a bit difficult to concentrate on- I think it had a four way gear box, three forward and reverse. Took it back to the seller who gave me my money back (only because I was the local Bobby), however the Insurance company took £20 for the four days. Bearing in mind I only earned £11 a week it was a lot of money and to think that in 1974 I paid £40 for a Triumph Herald which I sold a year later for £44.

BUT tonight, being sad individuals, we are watching an old Cliff Richard movie, The Young Ones, made in 1961, when I was only fourteen and the first for Sir Cliff Richard who has just celebrated his 70 th Birthday. It was a great musical when it came out, and on this viewing, still is - and with an Edinburgh Crystal glass, of Bailey's and whiskey all the more acceptable. However having said that, I should be on Drambuie , as the season of Drambuie is upon us once more, last year it was a cocktail with ice and lime cordial, this year "The Jamaican", Drambuie with ice and Ginger Beer, now available at The Mercat Bar (might even be on the drinks list for Graham's Birthday bash on the 17th).

From the reminiscence angle, there was a shop called Gilpin's in the background in the movie, which reminded me George Gilpin who used to manage the Bilston Inn, at Bilston, by Loanhead - a good pub in its time and bought over a few years ago by the neighbour who shut it down because he was fed up with the noise, etc - big disgrace as it now sits there empty and boarded up. When I used to go there at closing time to chuck out the locals, there were always the privileged few who were allowed to remain behind and have a pint with me (and George). With no pub in the village the locals have all had to take out membership of the only watering hole left, The Miners Welfare Club.

Also in the movie was a shot of Post Office telegram boy, on his bicycle, just thought of Dan The man and his early day in Edinburgh, but he did progress to the super speeds of a rider on the dreaded BSA Bantam motorcycles - in those days the maniacal messengers used to race each other round the City - and having said that !!!!!!!!!

Reminds me again of my early years in the "Polis" at Loanhead, we started off with a Landrover which we had to double de-clutch when changing gears - non of your sapsy syncromesh gearboxes, then on the night shift when we had a limit of thirty miles to do our doors in Loanhead, Bilston and Roslin, we ended up having to reverse for miles to make sure the speedo did not register our mileage. BUT, the racing - when we got our new Morris Minor "Panda cars" we we meet up with the Bonnyrigg night shift and then race through Roslin Glen, not the fastest of cars but they had great road holding, two wheels on the tight bends, drifting into the bends ( Formula One eat your heart out) . Having said that, the wee Morris was brilliant in the snow and in the bad winters that followed in Penicuik, it was honestly not unusual for people to come knocking at the door of the police Station during the night and ask if we could take them home in the wee Panda - again - on this line of thought - when the original "Casino" being the biggest Miners Welfare Club in Scotland was operating at Nivensknowe, Loanhead, ( where I met Mrs B ) we ) the polis, on the night shift would go up, have a pint before after the club closed and then run the staff home - and my wee pal, George Edwards was popped in the back and we took him at full tilt up the dirt track between Roslin and Bilston with him bouncing up and down in the back shouting for help !!! Poor George is no longer in the best of health.

Bouncing about - memories of racing across fields in the Loanhead Landrover with the DSS Investigators chasing the folks who were at the "Tattie Howking" while claiming benefits.

In the bar today, must get a photo of the new poster across the road, one tram to replace all these buses at a cost, final estimate being £520 Million !!!!!!!!!!!! and I can even remember when trams ran all around and across the city, my old mate, Bill Baxter, was even knocked down by a tram at Musselburgh after he had a row with a tram driver who got his revenge when Bill tried to stop the tram one day jiggered his back for years.

Back to the present - now watching Gordon Ramsay judging restaurants in his programme, big decisions to make , and made, unlike that overrated female on x-Factor, Cheryl Cole, whom his losing credibility every day - cannot sing, cannot judge.