Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits.

[Elle's Garden]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for the links, the photos are very interesting!

But, it was actually the winter afterwards that I was interested in, because Johnboy said he thought this year parralled that of 1947, so I wondered if, as the pattern has continued to follow that year, what we may have in store for the coming winter.

[Johnboy]

Elle's Garden,
The Bad weather didn't start until January in most places and it went on until April if I remember correctly.
Snow clearance was done with a shovel in those days as JCB's and the like were virtually unheard of.
In this area there was and old timber haul (large gouge out of the ground by timber being constantly pulled out of the forest) with a roadway at the bottom. This filled up with snow which turned to ice blocking people into their homes and another route over the fields was used. The ice on the southern bank, which gets no direct sunshine, was still in evidence in June 1953. That is how bad it was.
We had a toboggan run down a side road which was sheer ice and the toboggan run was almost a mile long which was wonderful fun. I was waiting to go into the RAF at the time. All the schools were closed for lack of heat until about Easter. Water mains froze solid and people were forced to use clean snow and ice for drinking water.
You must remember this is only just after WW ll and rationing was very strict at that time even if you could get what you wanted. We mainly lived on Rabbit stew and the odd Horse or two. The joke of the year was when a cafe advertised Horse and Rabbit Stew. The proprietor was asked what were the proportions of Rabbit to Horse was and the reply was one Rabbit to one Horse! Not so funny now but then it was hilarious.
I could go on for days with stories but by now most of you are yawning!
JB.

[Arnie]

Hi Johnboy

You do yourself such a disservice what you talk about is social History and it should kept either written or orally As for yawning never I do so wish that you would go on for days better still write it all down, write a book it would make a good read


Regards


Kevin