Old photos

My Uncle left me three old photos of me as a nipper. I've seen them before and my Mum has copies but it gave David and Karen a smile.


Here I am in 1961, still in the terrible twos. Probably taken at Turners in Newcastle.


I think I was 4 or 5 when this one was taken, in our upstairs Flat in Farndale Road.


And finally, aged 7 or so, with my NHS specs and my teeth starting to come in. I can remember this, it was in our downstairs flat (underneath the old one) and it was taken by a Photographer called Larry Dee who lived in the next street.
David laughed at this one and keeps calling me Harry Potter. Karen says this is an early manifestation of my guilty face...

More evocative music

In an entirely unrelated search for something related to Telephone Exchange Frame wiring, I stumbled on a site that recalls the Tyne Tees start-up tune, known as the Three Rivers Fantasy. Follow the link and there is a link to the MP3 underneatht he test card, as well as a link to a page about the composer, Arthur Wilkinsoon.

Fascinating stuff what you can find on t'internet!

Evocative Music

When I was at Primary School in the Infants, I used to get picked up to go down to my Grandma Grey's House on Silver Lonnen. I'd be sat down in front of the telly on a small wooden form and given a bowl of soup with some bread. The soup was invariably Tomato or Oxtail.

Back in the 60's the Telly didn'a actually start until late afternoon and if I was in sharp I'd watch the Tyne Tees Television Test Card and listen to the long theme tune (which was a bit like the Radio 4 tune with Geordie songs like The Keel Row and Bobbie Shaftoe.)

Eventually the programmes would start and Robinon Crusoe always seemed to be on. The music takes me straight back to that house. Here is a seven minute YouTube with all the main themes, followed by the opening titles and then a compilation.