Google and Blogger

I don't know why but since Google took over the blogger site it has performed worse than before and frequently fails to work at all. I am not impressed.

This is the transcript of a letter received by my Great Grandmother in 1913 from her husband Thomas who had gone to Edinburgh from Seaham Harbour where they lived. Trains today do it in 2 Hours and 45 Minutes, his journey took 5 hours and 50 minutes.

Memoirs of Scottish tour - August 13th 1913- (transcript of letter to TH James.)

Left Seaham 5:10, Sunderland 6:20 Beautiful sunshine

Left Newcastle 7:20, station flooded with water must have been raining heavy

8:00 at Morpeth, raining like the devil, heavy fog ??

9:00 Flying like the wind since 8:00, this beautiful woodland scenery, have been about half an hour going through this glorious wood, must be many miles long. Still raining, country turning flat.

9:40 crossed into Bonnie Scotland at Tweedmouth. Splendid sight the scenery from there to Edinburgh simply magnificent. Thoroughly enjoyed ride and have just climbed about 2000 steps out of the station, arrived 11:00. Am sitting now in East Gardens Princes Street which is lovely with designed flower beds, my eyes are so strained with the constant change I cannot see what I am writing. No rain in Scotland but very dull will take it easy today just rest and find lodgings to rest eyes.

This place is beyond exciting, went to Leith and have been sitting the last two hours upon the water. Forth bridge.

My eyes are a little better than before but no good for city life, the glasses put me in the dark so that I cannot see distant things. Except Princes street the other streets are rotten for me all stone paved. Will be back about 5 and will then look for lodge.

Have not yet come across Post Office, expect to find one tonight. I am like a fool in a pig stye, if I speak to anyone they don’t seem to understand me and if they say anything I don’t understand them. But I am enjoying myself, nice day up aloft but ground rotten for me. I am going to engage someone and ride round to see the main sights tomorrow and then quit for Glasgow tomorrow, I cannot see a blooming ?? so stick in and do right until next chapter.

Thursday morning, nice morning, have just got up after a good night sleep only awoke twice from 9:30 to 6:30 Am feeling nice and fit and will take it easy today. Have good lodgings and eyes are feeling much better am also feeling more at home., will stay here until Saturday.

Today I’ve crushed in a years joy, it has been one glorious dream. I have been no less than seven hours in a brake drawn by four horses through the most beautiful places you would imagine. Those who say Princes Street is ALL in Edinburgh have never seen it. I will tell you about it when I come back.

Independent of Princes Street’s beauty, its traffic is the most marvellous thing I’ve ever seen, 20 times more than you ever see on High Street. If you had been with me today you would have been killed with joy. They tell me this traffic has no chance whatever with Glasgow.

I have a notion of going to Glasgow tomorrow then I could get on that wonderful Clyde on Saturday and make sure of seeing Glasgow on a Saturday night.

I’m simply drunk with joy over my last two days but strange to say I’ve never enjoyed a meal in Edinburgh, they cannot cook her for me and I cannot find a pork chop.

Press this piece of bonnie heather from the bonnie hills of Scotland I’ll tell you a tale about it. I hope baby is keeping well

Tom

(The piece of Heather is still in the envelope with the letter)

50 years ago.

50 years ago Winston Churchill died and this was followed by a state funeral.

We were trying to think what we were doing at the time. Glynis recalls working in Willenhall, which involved catching a bus to Wolverhampton town centre from Warstones Estate, then a trolley bus to Willenhall and then a 15 minute walk to the company she was working at. At that time, travelling to and from work on public transport could add two hours to her working day.

As an apprentice with BT, I was helping to dig a trench and lay a cable under a footpath in Wombourne, a job made more difficult by the snow we had to move before starting to dig our cables in. The temperature was about minus 3 degrees C and I was on the verge of hypothermia when a lady came out of her house and asked us (the thee engineers laying the cable) if we wanted a hot drink. The boss said yes, so we abandoned digging and went for our hot drinks. She had made coffee only (no Tea!) so I had to try it for the first time, I’d only ever drank tea before then. I was so cold I was prepared to drink anything that would stave off freezing to death so I tried her coffee and discovered that it was drinkable if you put enough sugar in it (about three teaspoons). I have continued to drink coffee (as well as tea) since that day, but I still can’t drink it without sugar.