Lawrence Dunbar:
Anyway Im off to bed now, Ive had a great day, Ive had a few Dallwhinie Malts, And had a look at what is going on in the Polictal World To-day, So Sod the lot of them Im just going to get on with my life life & my close ones of course, & Have a night cap & HOPE FOR THE [zb] BLESSED, Regards Larry.
Hiya,
Night night Larry.
thanks harry, long retired.
Right continent, wrong country Larry
ICI sold it’s Acrylics division to Ineos, they put the business under the name Lucite International, and later acquired another Acrylics business from Du Pont merging them within Lucite. Then in 2009 they sold the lot to Mitsubishi, although still trading under the Lucite International name.
The product from the Darwen plant now is all run up the road to a warehouse on Walker Park, where Bibby store and distribute.
harry_gill:
mushroomman:
Hello Harry, wasn’t Crown Paints (or was it Crown Wallpaper) in Darwin from what I can still rememberI used to deliver stuff there from I.C.I.
In fact I.C.I. also had a place in Darwin where they made Perspex and the area that I delivered to had a sign saying “eye protection must be worn” so I used to go to their stores and say that I hadn’t got any. They would give me a brand new pair wrapped in plastic which I always forgot to take back.I must be down to my last two pairs now which are still in the shed.
Hiya,
Yea’ Mushroomman it’s Darwen with an E, both were there the Wallpaper factory
was in the town centre at the start of Bolton Rd long gone houses now Crown
Paints are still going a bit nearer Blackburn on the B/burn Rd, I don’t know if ICI
are still going I used to do a lot of perspex sheets for London out of there, I did
live quite near the wallpaper factory at one time but left the area 45 years ago.
thanks harry, long retired.
Did you move away on health grounds Harry in case yer misses started getting any funny ideas. 
Just in case Larry and Harry haven’t seen this great little photo before I think that it’s worth at least two coats of looking at. 
harry doesn’t advertise it but he was something of a babe magnet in his day , he’d have to keep on the move , but the present mrs gill quietened him down . dave
Hiya,
Yes Mushroomman have seen the picture previously I once asked Bubbleman
if he had a picture if he had a pic of a 1939 Maudslay Mikado an eight legger
he didn’t have one but did come up with this pic not the eight but from my
memory a very similar cab which was one of my very early drives and was a
hard old thing to drive and being an eight pulling a trailer was a bit heavy
on the steering I didn’t reign long nobody did, it had had more drivers than
Stobarts. PS and no M/man was a divorcee just fancied pastures anew I had
no ties I was just renting, I paid my rent to the end of the month loaded my
million year old Zodiac and just moved on no broken hearts and owed nowt
to nobody and went to stay with my sister in Leeds for a while who at that
time was quite unwell so I helped her mind the kids, she was separated at
the time got myself a job to start on the Monday night driving a tanker for
Bayfords Fuels on permanent nights this worked well being able to get the
kids off to school in the morning and collect them after school getting my
sleep inbetween, When sis was well enough I got the urge to return to a
life as a tramper and though the tanker job was the best I’d ever had for
wages and conditions Oh’ and a brand new 680 engined Scammell, I left to
try pastures new once more and moved to the North East and have been
here for about 44 years. Yep eventually married with one daughter.
thanks harry, long retired.
I should of known how to spell Darwen and not Darwin 
The drivers of today might feel a right Wally if they made the same mistake with their Sat Navs.
Does your sister still live in Byron Bay Harry ?
mushroomman:
I should of known how to spell Darwen and not DarwinDoes your sister still live in Byron Bay Harry ?
Hiya,
I don’t contact my sister very often M/man The one I stayed in Leeds with died a
good few years ago I still have a living sister in Truro Cornwall, and a sister who
lives in Bangalow if that’s anywhere near or part Byron Bay my Aussie geography
knowledge is rubbish but she normally lets her home out in Oz over the Summer
and spends her Summers in Truro with her sister but hasn’t contacted me so far
as to her whereabouts.
thanks harry, long retired.
Hi Harry, I thought that it could just be a coincidence that there is a company near Byron Bay called North East Crane Hire.
It needs a bit of work but this old Albion turned up on a Byron web page.
I said upthread that I have no desire to go back, but when I look at some of these pictures of old motors (Albions, Thornys, Atkis, Fodens, ERFs etc etc) I admit…I do get the urge, just to prove to myself I can still do it (No not that 
I mean driving a grand old lorry)
Memories. One of the first tankers I ever drove was a Thorny 8 wheeler, single drive axle and Thornys own overdrive box. I’d pay good money to have another go in one of those. Wonderful motor.
My LGV renewal forms arrived in the post today. 
Pete.
daft old sod ! like gom says you’ve done your share , what time you have left is yours to enjoy . you have enough on your plate caring for mrs windrush . dave
Yes frame it Pete, or stick it in the blue bin. 
Mike.
rigsby:
daft old sod ! like gom says you’ve done your share , what time you have left is yours to enjoy . you have enough on your plate caring for mrs windrush . dave
But I haven’t “done my share” Dave, that’s the problem. Only 19 years worth of full time driving and I feel ‘cheated’ really as I enjoyed it that much, however I’m unlikely to be employed by anyone again at my age (no CPC for starters) but someone might need something moving one day, and if I can ever afford a decent sized motorcaravan the licence will come in handy for driving that as a few of my friends had to sell theirs when they reached 70 as their car licence didn’t cover them. Still, I might not pass the medical and then the decision will be made for me!
Pete.
windrush:
rigsby:
daft old sod ! like gom says you’ve done your share , what time you have left is yours to enjoy . you have enough on your plate caring for mrs windrush . daveBut I haven’t “done my share” Dave, that’s the problem. Only 19 years worth of full time driving and I feel ‘cheated’ really as I enjoyed it that much, however I’m unlikely to be employed by anyone again at my age (no CPC for starters) but someone might need something moving one day, and if I can ever afford a decent sized motorcaravan the licence will come in handy for driving that as a few of my friends had to sell theirs when they reached 70 as their car licence didn’t cover them. Still, I might not pass the medical and then the decision will be made for me!
Pete.
What the bloody 'ell are you thinking of.Not worth the money as you won’t be able to talk about Ballidon and all the 7mil.others youve worked for.
Get a cap a sack and chair and you’d be better off doing that instead of how much weight I’ve got on.Write a book or something and keep your laptop charged up.You must be bloody mad or have got a lot of brass
Tony
Hiya,
In my last days as a driver my renewal form, a blank cheque, for the doctor,
expenses form and everything I was needing to renew my licence where put
in my in-tray it would have mean’t a new licence to take me past retiring
age and all for free, I scooped the lot up went down to the stationery room
and put the lot through the shredder, my existing licence expired shortly
after and I haven’t missed it one bit Oh’ even my medical was pre-booked.
thanks harry, long retired.
harry_gill:
Hiya,
In my last days as a driver my renewal form, a blank cheque, for the doctor,
expenses form and everything I was needing to renew my licence where put
in my in-tray it would have mean’t a new licence to take me past retiring
age and all for free, I scooped the lot up went down to the stationery room
and put the lot through the shredder, my existing licence expired shortly
after and I haven’t missed it one bit Oh’ even my medical was pre-booked.
thanks harry, long retired.
So what you are telling me “H” is I’ll have to take this motor to London me’sel ! Thanks mate 
Right, un-couple that 81 and pop that 111 under it ! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
harry_gill:
Hiya,
In my last days as a driver my renewal form, a blank cheque, for the doctor,
expenses form and everything I was needing to renew my licence where put
in my in-tray it would have mean’t a new licence to take me past retiring
age and all for free, I scooped the lot up went down to the stationery room
and put the lot through the shredder, my existing licence expired shortly
after and I haven’t missed it one bit Oh’ even my medical was pre-booked.
thanks harry, long retired.
So what you are telling me “H” is I’ll have to take this motor to London me’sel ! Thanks mate
Hiya,
A 111 Eh’ Dennis now where did I put the glue.
thanks harry, long retired.
harry_gill:
Bewick:
harry_gill:
Hiya,
In my last days as a driver my renewal form, a blank cheque, for the doctor,
expenses form and everything I was needing to renew my licence where put
in my in-tray it would have mean’t a new licence to take me past retiring
age and all for free, I scooped the lot up went down to the stationery room
and put the lot through the shredder, my existing licence expired shortly
after and I haven’t missed it one bit Oh’ even my medical was pre-booked.
thanks harry, long retired.
Hiya,
A 111 Eh’ Dennis now where did I put the glue.
thanks harry, long retired.
rastone:
What the bloody 'ell are you thinking of.Not worth the money as you won’t be able to talk about Ballidon and all the 7mil.others youve worked for.
Get a cap a sack and chair and you’d be better off doing that instead of how much weight I’ve got on.Write a book or something and keep your laptop charged up.You must be bloody mad or have got a lot of brassTony
Eh, 7 million? Only drove for two employers Tony, you get a good 'un then you stay with them. The ‘brass’ is not a problem now that I’m officially an OAP, easy money for sitting around doing nowt and all day to do it in I’m afraid. 
Pete.
windrush:
rastone:
What the bloody 'ell are you thinking of.Not worth the money as you won’t be able to talk about Ballidon and all the 7mil.others youve worked for.
Get a cap a sack and chair and you’d be better off doing that instead of how much weight I’ve got on.Write a book or something and keep your laptop charged up.You must be bloody mad or have got a lot of brassTony
Eh, 7 million?
Pete.
The trouble with retirement is we don’t get any holidays now but even so it’s not a bad job.
Tony