One for the ladies.

As you may be aware especially those that follow Kevin and I on Flickr, that Kevin's blog and some of his flickr tend to be vintage advertising and ephemera.  So over the last few month's some of the make up, toys, clothes, plus the hunks, have come my way so I am hoping to do some blogs around these.  So I thought I would start with 'One for the Ladies'

Micheal Craig, was born Micheal Francis Gregson on the 27th February 1928 in Maharashtra India, to Scottish parents.  At the age of 3 his family came back to England, before going to Canada at the age of ten, where he acquired his North American Accent.  Micheal joined the British Merchant Navy at 16. 

In the late 1940's Micheal started working in the theatre as a stage hand but soon started obtaining small roles. It took a few years before he had a major role. When Peter Hall of the Oxford Playhouse cast him in Man about the House in 1954.  When he signed up with Rank he changed his name to Gregson.  He made twenty films with them, but in 1961 changed to Columbia Pictures but only made two films.

Micheal has appeared on stage many times and some of his notable films are the 1960 The Angry Silence, which he co-wrote, a 1961 adaptation of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island where he played the lead role, and 1966's Modesty Blaise. By the mid 70's Micheal lived and worked in Australia, and he played both comedic and dramatic roles. As a screen writer he has written for and created several British TV series. He has always worked and is familiar in both London and New York Theatre.

A face we all know  and love, but I bet, not many people could tell you what films he had been in.  I reckon he would be pointless, in Pointless Hee Hee. 

      

The Smallest Giant 'an actors life'

A town called hell

     Drop dead gorgeous when he was younger and is still a good looking man in his mature years. 

Micheal Craig                             

                  

Here Comes The Snow

I have my lap top back and I am back in business, thank goodness!  Just in time for the snow as well.  As I was fortunate to be off work this weekend, I was able to get out and about to take some pics.  So Kev Nic and I went up Dunstable Downs.  It is always fun up there when it snows as all the children will be out with their sledges.  As you can see by my pics all ages love the snow and enjoy being out and playing in it.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone.  A bit late but my beloved laptop has had to go into repair.  Unfortunately it is not the only one, so there is a back log and a wait, could be 4-6 weeks. Aaggghhhh!!!! Never mind eh, so I am using kev's computer, and as he uses it for work, I can have it only for a short time.

Back in September I was quite poorly, after visiting my favourite coffee shop, and it was decided that I could be lactose intolerance, and should give it a few weeks to see if it helps.  So I did, and it did, I felt so much better for it, so a new regime began.  I lost a few pounds almost straight away, although it wasn't the intention, but black coffee is a lot lighter than a Latte or a Hot Chocolate with Cream and Chocolate sprinkles. Much to my surprise I haven't even missed it.  I have always been able to drink black coffee if I have needed to, if I have milk then I like sugar, and it has to be Hot Hot Hot!!! as you know from my moans.  So, if hot or sugar is not available then I have it black.  So it has been no hardship, to revert to black coffee. 

I always as a child loved to swim, and when my children where at school, being a stay at home mum, I used to swim.  The leisure centre in Dunstable, like every where else, have to do classes to keep open, so it is difficult when you work shifts  to fit it in on a regular basis.  When you do however it is relatively busy and there are children using you to hide, from their mates, which makes  lane swimming for health difficult. So I bit the bullet and joined DW Gym as they have a swimming pool.  Everyone is so friendly, and I soon got talking to people, and gradually over the last few month's I have gone to several fitness classes, along with my swim which I can do at any time seven day's a week, so I can go after work, and on my day's off. Hurrah!!

So this morning I am off to do some Zumba Gold, and Aqua Pilates, and tomorrow is Pilates which is my favourite so far, but the classes fill up very quickly.  I have also been to a spin class but that books out very quickly to and I have only been for a few, hard work but you feel good afterwards. 

I don't make New years Resolutions, on the whole because it is the wrong time of year for me to making changes, I am better making them in April or May, so that I am in a better frame of mind for it, and as you can see from above if a change is needed then no problem, if there is no need then I have no will power what so ever. Strange isn't it?

                            

Merry Christmas

Well it's Christmas time again and I am sitting having a break from the festivities.  I do love Christmas the dark nights of winter, the snuggling down with the fire on,  while the wind is howling and the rain is pouring down, everyone doing their shopping and getting ready for Christmas, buying presents, and putting up the decorations.  I enjoy walking the streets and looking at the house decorations, seeing what goodies the shops have, then once it's all wrapped watching the the room transform itself, from a tired dull living room to a cosy bright and decorated Santa's Grotto.  People around you in Town, although you get some who moan and groan, on the whole they are happier and more likely to  talk to you, and even the 'Bah Humbugs' will stop and talk to you as well.

I work over Christmas normally, and that is always fun, but it also means that when I get home everything is ready for me.  Even though my children are older now they still like to spend Christmas at home, it also means that they have the dinner cooked, mulled wine on the hob, and all I have to do is sit down and but my feet up, eat, drink, and be merry, and open all my pressies of course.

We had a new little tea shop open up in High Street South, called Drift In, if you want proper coffee served in a cafetiere,  and tea in a tea pot, then this is the place for you.  Kev and I have been in several times and I think it will be come a popular haunt for us,  as if you visit me regularly you will know how I feel about coffee machines.  The Round Table float will be around as usual in the evenings, although it may be the last, due to lack of volunteers, this would be a shame if it is.  The big Jolly Chap, is the display in Oxfam's window this year in High Street North. 

Merry Christmas Everyone

Luton Busway

 Well after month's of Dunstable looking like a building site, and drivers having to give themselves an extra hour during peak times, for diversions, one of the area's Kingsway, Court drive and Queensway are beginning to look as if an end is in sight.  Traffic on High Street North, could turn left down Queensway into Court Drive, and into Kingsway, reaching the White Lion Retail Park or could cut of the corner and arrive in Church Street.  When they started digging up the road for the busway, it became one way because of single lane traffic, a sensible option, but one that created problems for a lot of people and of course the shops in that area, Leisure Centre, Library, Asda, Dunstable College, the new Theatre Complex, Ambulance Station and Law Courts, not forgetting the couple of hundred house's in that area, so you can see the scale of the disruption.  Well it is now finally finished, well not finally as they have not finished, but the road has re opened. Unfortunately they have not marked the turning to go left so one poor motorist tried to turn left only to find himself facing on coming traffic, they had not marked the other end either, there are no pedestrian crossings and no lights so at  night pedestrians have to treat carefully, so that they don't fall down the kerbs, which have been raised  at the bus stops for the new guided buses for the busway.   Part of it, although it has what looks like a kerb stone separating the vast sea of tarmac  it is totally flat, on the council website it tells you that this is 'shared space'.  Which simply means a car can come onto the pavement side,when they feel like it.  They also tell us that they will be no Pelican or Zebra crossings they will be 'crossing places' these are stone blocks in bedded into the tarmac   Which simply means you dice with death when you try to cross the roads, because drivers will not slow down let alone stop, as there are no road markings.  There has been several car accidents, on this area of road because of this; fortunately not involving pedestrians; Yet.  The idea is you make eye contact with the driver, Not if you are a child, Not if your blind, Not  if it is night time, Not if it is snowing, Not  if you have just staggered out of the Gary Cooper, and certainly Not  if a driver, put's his foot down and refuses to acknowledge You.   Unfortunately, The Grove House Garden's is where we have our open air concerts, The Grove Theatre, Dunstable Leisure Centre, The Gary Cooper, a large play Ground and not for getting Dunstable College, are all on one side of the Road, and Asda, and the Quadrant on the other.  It will make sending the kid's for snacks impossible, sending them to Asda to use the toilets impossible, as we have only one set of public toilets in the whole of Dunstable Town Centre and that is in Wilkinson's car park.  This my friends we are told is to improve Dunstable Town Centre.  Well I am glad they clarified that, because it looks to me and a lot of other's as if they  want us to loss our identity, as a Historic Market Town, and become a giant car park for Luton. Or should I say Bus Terminal.

                     

Smugglers

When we went to Herne Bay recently to research Kevin's family tree,  we were surprised to see the number of skull and cross bones grave stones in the cemeteries.  We were told that smugglers where given a corner of the graveyard.

During the 18th and 19th Centuries, times where hard, and due to the level's of tax being charged by the government, for goods coming from oversea's, people found a non-tax method of bringing goods into the country.  If you lived on a coast line, then smuggling was a part of life, you where either involved directly, or a little parcel was left on your door step, to keep your silence. Those that decided that they where not going to be part of it,  unfortunately, they would face an early death.  Law enforcement was patchy, if any of the gang was taken, and they knew which excise officer was involved, then it could often lead if he was lucky to his house being burned down, if not then to his death.

The Divers Arms Herne Bay  is a Smugglers Inn. It was built by a smuggler named William Wood, who was caught smuggling and spent 5 years on a naval vessel.  On his release, he became a diver, and salvaged a Spanish Ship, carrying a lot of money, with this he built the Inn, and become a landlord.  Beside the Inn a brook ran down to the sea, which was operated by a sluice. Wood's was given the job of looking after the sluice, this was too good an opportunity for a smuggler and he reportedly, had a doorway leading from his cellar to the sluice, and some goods would make their way into his cellar.  It is possible a blind eye was turned, as he died leaving a respectable fortune. 

This is the cover of a lovely little book that I have taken my exerts from. Dated 1969 and you can still buy it.

This is a Smugglers Inn, where there is a secret passage which runs from the cellar to the church opposite.  When the excise men came in to the Inn the smugglers would make they way through the passage to the church and then escape.  I was told it was still there but had been  blocked off for safety reasons.  

Wetherspoons Whitstable

This Wetherspoon Pub is in Oxford Street Whitstable.  The building was built in 1912, over 16-18 Oxford Street as a cinema.  It was called the Oxford Picture House.  It was rebuilt in 1936 in art deco style until it closed it's door in 1962.  It then became a bingo hall until 2010.  Wetherspoons decided to take it over, and the search began for a new name.  Despite some objections of it not being named the New Oxford, Wetherspoon's decided to name it The Peter Cushing, they kept the 1930's feel to it and it's deco reflects back to the golden age of cinema.   

Peter Cushing is very much a house hold name, as an actor and he and his wife moved to Whitstable in 1959, only 50 years you might say, and he wasn't born there.  I think it is very apt, and you can always trust Wetherspoons to be respectful of a building and it's history. more here

The Peter Cushing Wetherspoons Whitstable

The Oxford Picture Hall

The Oxford Picture Hall

                                                                           

                                                                             

The interior of the Oxford Picture House 1912

An interior shot.

                                                                                                                                                                           

The old Projector and reels from the Picture Hall