I wrote this article for Vintage life magazine over 2 years ago while my Dad was ill in hospital. However sadly it was never published as the magazine folded. I’ve finally got around to posting it, unfortunately we have not only lost my lovely Dad, but 2 of our poodles, Coco and Charlie, since the…
Zazous
This month we travel deep into the heart of wartime Paris, where the zoot suit from America made another appearance. During the 1930’s several jazz and swing artists played across Europe. They were taken into the hearts of the French people, and without the segregation that was forced upon them in the USA. Popular nightspots…
Narcissus
Narcissus I’m quite inquisitive and love learning new things, the stories behind things I see when out and about. So when…… “I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering…
Pachuco
Pachuco style You may not have heard of Pachuco style but you have probably heard of zoot suits. They were initially worn by African American performers with the jazz, swing and big band music that took the world by storm in the 1930’s & 1940’s. These exaggerated suits with broad shoulders, fingertip length jackets, wide…
Dad’s story.
KEITH THOMPSON Keith was born in Cutlers Hall road Shotley Bridge in 1939, the third child of Delia and Bob, a miner at the Morrison Busty pit Medomsley Edge. He had two elder Sisters, Joan and Anne, and his Brother Bob came along a couple of years later after the family moved to Derwent…
Tweed and Talons
Tweed and Talons Those of you like me, who have multiple Sisters, know that they vary, there’s the pretty one who is always trying out new make up and hairstyles, then there’s the other one, who keeps eagles, hawks and owls at the bottom of her garden…………what do you mean no? ….oh! That’s just my…
A Fishy End!
So, last month we visited the brilliant Hay farm and the picturesque villages of Ford and Etal in Northumberland, well, we then headed East towards the coast to round the day off at the beach, so that the poodles could let off steam! Lindisfarne or Holy Island, as it is also known, sits at…
Looking Back
Well last month we met the lovely Helen Moran who showed me the amazing corn dollies she makes. We were discussing how heavy horses used to have little corn dollies down their manes and tails for show days, when she said “you must come to Hay farm! for their “looking back” event! Some of…
Cabbages & Corn
When I was 10 years old ,we were lucky enough to move to the countryside, which was the most wonderful experience in my life! As it meant we could have our very own goats hens and a pony! – a long awaited dream for me and my Sisters! On Sunday afternoons we were sent along…
Take the Plunge!
If you have never sampled the good old fashioned delights of Morecambe my friends, it’s time to take the plunge! We venture over every Year for “vintage by the sea festival” or sometimes just call by en-route, to visit Eric and take a snap! The famous sculpture of Eric Morecambe You can’t ignore the beautiful…
Facing the elements!
Well, we are bang in the middle of the summer vintage festival season, and after I’ve been to a few in the past, I discovered how much it can absolutely tank down in the UK at this time of the Year, and being stuck outdoors with no protection from the elements, I decided this was…
Treasures from the deep!
It’s lovely to find a new place to visit, somewhere local, beautiful and free! We found that place a matter of months ago! It may seem odd, but as children, we were always taken to the usual seaside towns on the North East coast (Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and South Sheilds). Other beaches were spoiled by…
retropoodles 