A trip down memory lane

[George 1978]

Re: A trip down memory lane

If writing keeps you occupied then surely that makes it an occupation?

There are differences between occupations and hobbies - I would hardly say that Jimmy Tarbuck or the late Sir Bruce Forsyth were just as much golfers as Nick Faldo is for example - there are those who do it for a living, and those who do it as a hobby. I wouldn't even say that Tommy Cooper was a magician as much as Paul Daniels was, and so on.

Point taken though.

[zabadak]

Re: A trip down memory lane

I had a new topic come to mind while lying in bed trying to get some sleep. I have suffered from Insomnia for much of my life. It can be a curse.

Where did you learn to swim. This was where I took my first strokes under the tutilage of my father. This beautiful place was almost in the country when I was a kid. Today I live no more than 5km from it.


This is how the area looks today after the weir was decommissioned in 1982 and a dam built.

Nothing so exotic for me - local baths, with school or my brother unable to resist the urge to scare me witless by dragging me under when I wasn't ready!

[tex]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Here...Regent road swimming pool, Salford, probably aged about 10. victorian built complete with wall to wall cockroaches high on the whiff of carbolic

[tex]

Re: A trip down memory lane

I actually became quite an accomplished swimmer at school and was regularly chosen as part of the school team, i favoured freestyle or "the crawl" as it was known.
Swimming was compulsory and part of the curriculum and i really enjoyed it, there were four levels of achievement third class, second class, first class and advanced, you would get a certificate for passing each level

[staffslad]

Re: A trip down memory lane

We got swimming lessons at junior school at our local baths and I learned to swim there. I say local but it wasn't that near, but the closest at the time.

[Donald the Great]

Re: A trip down memory lane

I actually became quite an accomplished swimmer at school and was regularly chosen as part of the school team, i favoured freestyle or "the crawl" as it was known.
Swimming was compulsory and part of the curriculum and i really enjoyed it, there were four levels of achievement third class, second class, first class and advanced, you would get a certificate for passing each level

Wou are aware the "crawl" is short for the Australia Crawl swimming style first used professionally by the Australian champion swimmer, Richmond "Dick" Cavill and later perfected and popularised by another Aussie swim champ /film siren Annette Kellerman. (below)

[tex]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Wou are aware the "crawl" is short for the Australia Crawl swimming style first used professionally by the Australian champion swimmer, Richmond "Dick" Cavill and later perfected and popularised by another Aussie swim champ /film siren Annette Kellerman. (below)

The Cavil family sure liked to swim, 6 members of the family in the swimmers hall of fame!....have to say i diden't know such a thing existed

[zabadak]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Wou are aware the "crawl" is short for the Australia Crawl swimming style first used professionally by the Australian champion swimmer, Richmond "Dick" Cavill and later perfected and popularised by another Aussie swim champ /film siren Annette Kellerman. (below)

Anything to do with these herberts?

[George 1978]

Re: A trip down memory lane

As I mentioned about writing as a hobby or occupation a few days ago and being published - today I received an email saying that they are interested in publishing some material that I sent to them last week. I don't know whether they are straight up or not as I have not had any luck at all in this sort of thing - it is a bona fide publishing company based in London.

For some reason I feel that I need to be cautious about this as I know what it feels like to be set up only to be knocked back down again - I have assumed that nothing like this would happen to someone like myself.

[Donald the Great]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Anything to do with these herberts?

Obviously where the name came from. They had a one or two hits in their day.

[Donald the Great]

Re: A trip down memory lane

As I mentioned about writing as a hobby or occupation a few days ago and being published - today I received an email saying that they are interested in publishing some material that I sent to them last week. I don't know whether they are straight up or not as I have not had any luck at all in this sort of thing - it is a bona fide publishing company based in London.

For some reason I feel that I need to be cautious about this as I know what it feels like to be set up only to be knocked back down again - I have assumed that nothing like this would happen to someone like myself.

Good for you George. You must be thrilled. Fill us in on the plot?

[George 1978]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Well, it's about archive television, choosing patterns of dates throughout the different decades - I am certain that members on here would be interested in it, but as I say, from a publishing perspective it is in its very embryonic stages. If there is any development, I might keep members posted on here.

It's a bit of an anorak thing to do - I have just have access to the Times and UK Press Online websites and to the old TV guide pages. I study them and write about them using a pattern of dates in the past if any of that makes any sense.

[tex]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Well, it's about archive television, choosing patterns of dates throughout the different decades - I am certain that members on here would be interested in it, but as I say, from a publishing perspective it is in its very embryonic stages. If there is any development, I might keep members posted on here.

It's a bit of an anorak thing to do - I have just have access to the Times and UK Press Online websites and to the old TV guide pages. I study them and write about them using a pattern of dates in the past if any of that makes any sense.

Sounds interesting, good luck with that George...but dont send them any money!

[George 1978]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Sounds interesting, good luck with that George...but dont send them any money!

Thanks for the advice, Tex. I know from the past that so-called "companies" seem to make money disappear, and the police often say that it is not theft.

[staffslad]

Re: A trip down memory lane

Anyone remember these microcomputers from the late 70s through 80s?

Sinclair zx80
Sinclair zx81
Sinclair Spectrum
Commodore Vic20
Commodore C64
Atari 400/800 and successors
Acorn Electron
BBC Micro
Oric
Jupiter Ace
Texas Instruments TI99/4a
TRS80
Dragon 32
Amstrad CPC464 and successors
Atari ST
Commodore Amiga

The Atari ST and Commodore Amiga had built in disc drives, as did some later Spectrums and possibly Amstrads. Most loaded and saved programs from cassette tape. Remember that wait while the tape loaded your game into the micro's memory? Although it was not so convenient as a floppy disc or a game on a cartridge, tape based games were far cheaper so very large quantities were sold. I remember tape games costing £9.99 when brand new in the 80s, but after a year or so that would drop dramatically. Also, companies like Code Masters sold games for £1.99 and I had dozens of them. £9.99 games would also be re-released after a while in a smaller box at £1.99 or £2.99. Computer magazines almost always had a tape stuck to their covers--often a demo of a game or sometimes a complete game. I remember being so excited when I read in a Commodore mag that there would be a demo tape of Operation Wolf on next month's cover, and I made sure I got my copy the day the mag was published. Of course, these games from the 8-bit era--16-bit for Amiga and ST--can't live with modern games graphics and sound quality, but it is ultimately gameplay that makes someone keep wanting to play a game, not graphics and sound, and those old micros had some really great games that made you want to play and play.

Just for the record, I had at one time or another the following...

Sinclair ZX81
Atari 400 and 130XE
Commodore 128 and Amiga
Acorn Electron