Wednesday, November 19, 2003

MyStarsLive Interactive Star Chart

In WW2 you could see ALL the stars

Sunday, November 02, 2003

coat of arms from Loughborough University Calendar: "The motto 'Veritate, Scientia, Labore' was also used by the former Loughborough College. "

headed note paper

my mother (Alison Mary Watkins nee Lapham ) loved to use crested or headed note paper, it must have been left lying about after I was chucked out of the Loughborough CAT (College of Advanced Technology) in July 1956 - she wrote:-


Feb, 5th [1957] [arms] 230 [Widney Lane, Solihull Warwickshire]

My dear Hugh,

Very many thanks indeed for the handsome stove
the beautiful fridge - & the gas ! ! !
Well my dear I particularly appreciate the stove - as it was so much your
own idea to stage the surprise while
I was away & it sure was a lovely idea

I'm taking great care of it & the woman
cleans it meticulously so it will last
for the rest of my lifetime! They've gone
up in price since I bought it - isn't that
lucky I didn't delay? I enclose photo
to remind you life in the band
won't be one long idyll like this photo
suggests neither does it suggest one
long "fiddle" ! Never the less a pleasant
photo! You must possess yourself with
patience during this ante-climax
after W.O.S.B.I. - I often feel I'd like to
resign but I'm sticking & sticking to get
the headship & then perhaps

= = = = = page 2

I can give myself a year off without
salary & rest on my reputation as a
head ! But I assure you we all have
to stick at the "bull" it takes various
forms in various jobs. "Dick - - - -
and Dora play - - - - - -ball." Says
my halting readers from the bottom group
day after day. Read one word - pause
expectantly etc.-well it aint no joke to be
patient & patient & patient but one
does reap the reward from patiently
sticking - so don't feel the grind isnt
worth it. That telephone call cost me
4/11 & you 2/- so we shallhave
to stick to a 3 mins only rule, as far as
possible & write more letters shalln't
we? I went to the jewellers about
your ring, and I enclose my report !
It will be best to show the girl the ring as it
is & then if she likes it have it reset
don't you think ? This ring your father
choes without me (terified less it wouldn't
come up to my expectations) has been a very
great joy to me & I was so pleased tht it
was his choice alone. So mny people
have admired his taste in
rings since.


= = = = = page 3

to be continued

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= = = = = NOTES

the band = Royal Engineers Staff Band, Aldershot

W.O.S.B.I. = War Office Selection Board
pronounced wosby

Google Search: wosb army site:uk

4/11 four shillings and eleven pence
2/- two shillings AKA a florin
I probably ran out of money from a coin box
and the operator asked my mother "will you pay for the call?"
Yes all trunk calls were manually connected still in 1957.

Google Search: sculler

Read through some of my old letters from school looking for the next to BLOG
a detailed account of falling out of a sculler into the River Avon.

Big diagram - my third visit to the Clifton College Rowing Club

Bristol Ariel Rowing Club - Crews: "Clifton College
Clifton College has it's own rowing club and have rowed out of Ariel since the early 1900's. Clifton College has about 70 pupils rowing from the club mainly during weekdays and Saturday afternoons."

I really enjoyed the nature the boat is a double sculler

RootsWeb: Bristol_and_Somerset-L Re: Rowing Clubs: "I rowed on the Avon when I was at Clifton College
and fell in and lost a pair of specs.
used to cycle out on tow path
Clifton College Boat Club" << that was the second time - after that I tied them on with string.

Saturday, November 01, 2003

ephemera

a tiny one by two and a quarter inch copy of a RECEIPT

612 B'HAM CSLd A 4039
July, 1953 £ s. d.

in indelible pencil
154175 4 4

my mother's membership number four shillings and fourpence
Birmingham Co-operative Society Limited

National Co-operative Archive: "the Midlands Society Archive held by the Co-operative College Archive, along with additional material from the Co-operative Party "

the idea was the workers got together to cut out the middle men in retail to keep prics down.
National Co-operative Archive - Periodicals back in 1828.

So my mother had an account and recieved a dividend on themoney she spent each year.

National Co-operative Archive - Robert Owen: "Robert Owen was known as the 'Father of Co-operation' and of British socialism.

He was born in Newtown, in Wales and worked in London and Manchester before becoming the manager of the mills of the New Lanark Twist Company in 1800.
While in New Lanark he developed his theory of character formation, his ideas on the education of children and the improvement of working conditions - such as the reduction of working hours and the introduction of sick pay."

so all these little amounts had to be accounted for by hand.

In Denmark the idea lives on as BRUGSEN
Coop Danmark A/S - forsiden

And UK Index
>> Membership of the Union encompasses all the major retail consumer societies and their associated federal co-operatives, such as the the Co-operative Group (the worlds largest retail consumer co-operative), Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS), Co-operative Press, National Co-operative Chemists and Shoefayre and, following a merger in December 2001, now includes the worker co-operative sector and other democratically owned businesses. It also embraces organisations responsible for co-operatives in other sectors of the economy.

The Co-operative Union is the national federation of co-operative societies in the United Kingdom. Without the Union, it is fair to say that there would be no Co-operative Movement in this country. It is the one body which unifies 45 retail societies and a large number of other co-operative organisations in such areas as national policy representation and collective protection. Additionally, it provides members with a number of important professional services.
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Google Search: Co-operative Group