THE FLATLEY DRYER

[Tizer]

We buy only one copy a week, The Times on Saturday, and that's primarily to read the `Money' section which covers the latest news on financial scams, pensions etc.

[Stanley]

The only paper I buy is the BET on Friday, mainly to read my own column and clip it for the archive I keep of my articles. Roy Prenton, then the editor, said that my archiving was better than theirs.....

[Stanley]

The earliest workers in the town are still the people delivering the morning paper though there are not as many of them now. I walked down the road this morning with the lady who delivers for Singh's on Gisburn Road parade and we both agreed we were intrigued as we walked round looking at lit windows in houses and wondering who was up early and who was still finishing Friday off!
many years ago there was much more activity early in the morning because we had the numerous milk chaps (and lasses!) delivering the morning milk. As far as I know there is only one left.....

[Tizer]

Lots of people on the move when the shifts changed in the mills and factories...

[plaques]

Walking round Barlick centre last tuesday morning about 10am all I saw was lots of zimmer frames, walking sticks and dog leads. It would not be polite to mention how old the people were.

[Stanley]

That's because the youngsters were either in bed or at work....

[Stanley]

Funny how when I was a lad policemen and old folks looked much older.....

[Stanley]

With hindsight anyone older than 40 qualified as 'old folk'.

[Stanley]

My head teacher in 1940, Miss Hogg, looked old to me but she had a wonderful head of golden brunette hair, I doubt if she was north of 40....

[Stanley]

Which leads me to wonder how people see me now that I am nearing being to the North of 80...... Who'd have thought it!

[plaques]

she had a wonderful head of golden brunette hair,

One of the advantages women have over men is that nowadays there is an abundance of hair rinses that they can chose from. For men the options are 'grey' or 'bold'.
Whatever happened to the leg die that ladies used to use during the war when nylons only came via a American GI.

[Tizer]

May I be so bold as to point out your incorrect spelling of bald?
Wasn't the leg dye an infusion of tea? I'll bet the men could tell an Earl Grey lady from a Brooke Bond girl!

[plaques]

Bald, yes I saw that myself. Never mind.

[Wendyf]

Bald, yes I saw that myself. Never mind.

What a disappointment, there I was imagining you with a touch of bold colour in your hair...cerise or lime green perhaps.
You obviously haven't been looking Plaques...there are plenty of hair colouring products for men out there.

[plaques]

I can see I should have kept my mouth shut. As you know being follicly challenged I zip straight past the hair salon section and head for the boot and shoe department. It has been suggested that I get one of those Davy Crockett hats made out of rabbit skin so from a distance it looks like hare. (the old ones are the best). On the other hand, perhaps I could get my eyebrows done green for Halloween. I'll have to have a look into that one. Actually at the walk in hairdressers the other day she said "would you like me to trim you eyebrows? it will give me something to work on". Women!!!!

[Stanley]

A regular Saturday morning ritual used to be my dad taking me to Joe Hibbert's the hairdresser on Heaton Lane just off Wellington Road. Four chairs, open coal fire, hair all over the floor and the small of singed hair. Short back and sides was the only cut.... I have a bald (bold!) patch at the back but it never bothers me, in fact I cut my own hair, straight over the top with the clippers and finish off with the electric shaver. Cheaper than hairdressers! Come to think, it could do with a cut now, I don't like it to get long....

[Stanley]

The thing that puzzles me P is why, as hair growth on the scalp slows as we get older, the hair on our face, in our nose and in the ears seems to accelerate!

[Tizer]

It doesn't have the energy left to reach the top of your head so it pops out lower down instead!

[Stanley]

I like the fact that baldness is a sign of high testosterone levels.... Castrati never went bald!

[plaques]

Castrati never went bald!

You could say they were 'Squeaky Clean'.

[Tizer]

Is that why so many young blokes these days have the hair on their head shorn, or almost shorn? They assume it works in the other direction too - lose your hair and your testosterone levels rise? (Didn't work for Samson!)

[Stanley]

It has to be natural baldness because that is simply a result of high testosterone, not the other way round. That's why the castrati kept their hair, they had very low testosterone levels for obvious reasons....
Squeaky clean..... Really P!

[Tizer]

I've been doing a bit of research for someone and it took me to a couple of web pages that I think OG members would enjoy. This picture gallery on the Cornwall Railway Society's web page has lots of great photos: LINK and this page about the National Explosives Company at Upton Towans, Hayle, Cornwall is very detailed (click on the `Related text' link): LINK

[Stanley]

Good link to the explosives factory Tiz. I enjoyed that! As you know, I have more than a passing interest in explosives, I've burned more than my share of Waltham Abbey Modified Tubular in my time!
I was watching a TV programme where the presenter was allowed to fire a 25pdr reduced charge blank. He went absolutely bonkers about the thrill of doing this and the power of the explosion. I had to smile.... If he'd had the experience of firing an APSVDS (Armour Piercing Super Velocity Discarding Sabot) round from a 17pdr I think he would have gone into terminal melt-down. That wasn't a 'bang' it was an ear-splitting crack and any loose stones around the gun jumped into the air with the concussion. (No wonder I have some minor hearing loss!)

[Tizer]

This would have been noisy: LINK