hiya,
Dave i was well and truly established in 1947 i was 11 and i personally have’nt seen anything as bad as that one there was still snow in the backs of the walls in May that was the longest and hardest one i’ve ever seen, and they talk of global warming, i’d be quite willing to have some of that and b*****s to the polar bears.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi Harry,
I was born at the end of 47,so only heard about it from my parents and others. I don’t believe in all this global warming lark,as for the polar bears,they will survive,they will just change their coats back to brown,as according to a program I watched,thats what they were in the first place. Thats enough of bloody nature from me. It makes me laugh to see these reporters stood covered in snow just for the camera’s,as soon as they have shot their scene,I bet they are back in the warm. 
Cheers Dave.
Dave you are three years yoner than my young brother, 1947, 1962/3, 1981 was the last real winter, some of these young chaps have never driven in snow, unless. they drove in Scotland, or in Europe, but certainly not in England after 1981
Hi Norm,
In 1963 the A44 over Radnor Forest was closed for six weeks,as fast as the snow blower was clearing it,the snow blew back in,it was over top of the telephone poles in places,but nobody made a fuss about it like nowadays. They never had reporters standing with camera’s and portable satalite dishes sending pics back to the news studio then.
My Dad drove for an animal feed merchant,half the farms he couldn’t get to,just left sacks of feed in pre-arranged places for the Farmers to collect.They have all the modern plant to shift snow now,and no money to hire it,bloody mad.
Rant over. 
Cheers Dave.
How I remember !962 That was the year My son arrived early on Nov 27th, it was bitter cold, he was kept in a incubator for a month, for he was not due until feb, I had to put a electric tube fire above his cot, to keep the tempature up, the snow and ice was on the roads & paths for over twelve weeks, well into march. I took my wife to Hospital on my G9 matchless 500cc motor bike, he reckonc that is why he is mad on bikes!. But I know he was the one who ended my motor -bike days. 
hiya,
Norm i’m a bit disappointed in you, poor as i am i would have given you the price of a taxi, taking a lady in such an advanced degree of pregnancy on the back of motorbike to the maternity unit, and especially on a Matchless had you used a Norton i could have accepted that.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi Harry,
Perhaps they ain’t got taxis in that part of the world,only rickshaw’s,wonder why they call the football team the cobblers,perhaps its because they talk a load of !!!
Cheers Dave.
hiya,
Dave Is that the soccer team or the natives talking cobblers,sorry Northamptonians not getting at all of you only Norm.
thanks harry long retired.
Dave & Harry ,my couple of fruitcake mates, they are called the “Cobblers” because it was a boot & shoe town, I am glad I am still around to educate you two wallies. 
Hi,Norm,
I think they need their wellies on at the moment,was you ever into a spot of cobbling Norm.
Cheers Dave.
hiya,
Norm i’m totally aware why they are called the cobblers having delivered verily tons of shoe makers nails to your fair city as a young trainee lorry driver you can’t teach me nowt mate, i also lived in a footwear manufacturing area for some years as a boy namely the Rossendale Valley and thats where the nails came from that held the Northampton footwear together now you know.
thanks harry long retired.
Yes Dave in my younger days, I have soled & heeled a few pairs of boots & shoes, I still have a cast iron shoe lathe in my garage, it is easier if you have a good pair of leather shoes, to stick a rubber sole, and nail a rubber heel, then when they wear down, just replace them, I did that to a pair in my thirties, and only a couple of years ago, I put them in a charity bag, and they was still a good pair of shoes, the leather soles never touched the ground, they was so comfortable, but alas my feet started to spread, so I now use a wide 9, instead of a medium 8. Not true about the size of your feet to your manhood, what is true, is it shrivelles, and your feet swell! 
harry_gill:
hiya,
Norm i’m totally aware why they are called the cobblers having delivered verily tons of shoe makers nails to your fair city as a young trainee lorry driver you can’t teach me nowt mate, i also lived in a footwear manufacturing area for some years as a boy namely the Rossendale Valley and thats where the nails came from that held the Northampton footwear together now you know.
thanks harry long retired.
You didn’t deliver cobblers nails to Hobsons in Salford did you (Hobson’s Choice?) - only kidding .I only ever delivered in Northampton once and that was to Mettoy which was Swan Valley IIRC.
I was clearing me grandads attic out a few years back and found a shoe repair ticket dated 1937.Well,the shop was still going in 2005 so I took this ticket to the shop and t’cobbler said, “Aye,they’ll be ready wednesday”.
Shall I get me coat? 
Hi Norm,
Have got a cast iron cobbler’s last here,used to nail my own boots years ago when I worked on the building,but for driving nailed boots are no good ( someone will say otherwise ) so used rubber soled boots. Like Harry I did know that Northampton is famouus for shoemaking,just having a wind up.Its a shame that most of these places have lost the trades and industry that they were famous for,all made abroad now,more’s the pity.
Cheers Dave.
Chris Webb:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Norm i’m totally aware why they are called the cobblers having delivered verily tons of shoe makers nails to your fair city as a young trainee lorry driver you can’t teach me nowt mate, i also lived in a footwear manufacturing area for some years as a boy namely the Rossendale Valley and thats where the nails came from that held the Northampton footwear together now you know.
thanks harry long retired.You didn’t deliver cobblers nails to Hobsons in Salford did you (Hobson’s Choice?) - only kidding
I was clearing me grandads attic out a few years back and found a shoe repair ticket dated 1937.Well,the shop was still going in 2005 so I took this ticket to the shop and t’cobbler said, “Aye,they’ll be ready wednesday”.Shall I get me coat?
Hi Chris,
Was that you on Countryfile earlier this evening. 
Cheers Dave.
Dave the Renegade:
Chris Webb:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Norm i’m totally aware why they are called the cobblers having delivered verily tons of shoe makers nails to your fair city as a young trainee lorry driver you can’t teach me nowt mate, i also lived in a footwear manufacturing area for some years as a boy namely the Rossendale Valley and thats where the nails came from that held the Northampton footwear together now you know.
thanks harry long retired.You didn’t deliver cobblers nails to Hobsons in Salford did you (Hobson’s Choice?) - only kidding
I was clearing me grandads attic out a few years back and found a shoe repair ticket dated 1937.Well,the shop was still going in 2005 so I took this ticket to the shop and t’cobbler said, “Aye,they’ll be ready wednesday”.Shall I get me coat?
Hi Chris,
Was that you on Countryfile earlier this evening.
Cheers Dave.
Hi Dave.I was out of shot pal but I’ve been and seen all those places.The best place is Cregneish where the old farming practices are still kept going and I saw that tractor a few weeks back that was driving the old thresher.You can walk all round the perimeter of that farm with really good views of the mountains and the sea.
Chris Webb:
Dave the Renegade:
Chris Webb:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Norm i’m totally aware why they are called the cobblers having delivered verily tons of shoe makers nails to your fair city as a young trainee lorry driver you can’t teach me nowt mate, i also lived in a footwear manufacturing area for some years as a boy namely the Rossendale Valley and thats where the nails came from that held the Northampton footwear together now you know.
thanks harry long retired.You didn’t deliver cobblers nails to Hobsons in Salford did you (Hobson’s Choice?) - only kidding
I was clearing me grandads attic out a few years back and found a shoe repair ticket dated 1937.Well,the shop was still going in 2005 so I took this ticket to the shop and t’cobbler said, “Aye,they’ll be ready wednesday”.Shall I get me coat?
Hi Chris,
Was that you on Countryfile earlier this evening.
Cheers Dave.
Hi Dave.I was out of shot pal but I’ve been and seen all those places.The best place is Cregneish where the old farming practices are still kept going and I saw that tractor a few weeks back that was driving the old thresher.You can walk all round the perimeter of that farm with really good views of the mountains and the sea.
Fair play Chris,it all looked very nice,its a pity they didn’t concentrate the whole program from the I O M,instead of going off to show the things they had done throughout the year in other places. We had a few of those old two cylinder Field Marshall tractors just down the road 18 months ago,when they held the all Wales and European ploughing championships here,its good to see those old moters.
Cheers Dave.
hiya,
Never got near Hobson’s Chris, but have been given Hobson’s Choice a few times in my life, but have also delivered to Mettoy special paint from Crown Paints of Darwen can’t remember the name of the firm in those days back in the 60s but it was a BRS job usually a ton stuck on the back end “just drop that bit off on your way past” type of thing.
thanks harry long retired.
Chris, Mettoy, my wife worked there in the 60,s, my brother -in -law was a painter there, my neice worked there, another neice husband was a foreman there, my youngest sister worked there. Swan Valley took over, and evenually closed it down, and moved to Wales, I still have a few toys made by them, one is “Chitty chitty Bang bang”. Once Harry, we had more shoe factories in Northants, than you had pound notes stuffed in your Mattress.
hiya,
Yes i know Norm i’ve delivered nails to most of them, and dreading getting empty and being sent over to Nottingham either to Raleigh bikes or Boots “those who died waiting” The Chemist horrible jobs the Boots was usually multi drop Scottish and the Raleigh job was usually Liverpool docks, and Norm can’t afford a mattress to stuff with money so i’ll never have nowt.
thanks harry long retired.