Discussion
When I was a kid, a Geezer was a travelling tinker or tramp, not some wockney canker wideboy. Born in the sixties, a kid through the seventies, in my neighbourhood at that time we had a scissor grinder who'd occasionally show up on an antiquated, balloon tyred bicycle with an integrated pedal powered grinding wheel. He looked like a cut-rate Catweasel who'd fallen on harder times and us urchins wouldn't get nearer than about twelve feet while he plied his trade in the street. Dirt streaks ran down his face which was partly hidden with straggly matted hair, old clothes seemingly from the late victorian era hung baggily from his wide but scrawny shoulders.
Was this fellow one of the last of his kind? In my Grandparents' village there was a village idiot known 'bouncer' due to his constant habit of bouncing a tennis ball on his journeys about the village, with the mind of a six year old who was friendly and childlike but disconcertingly ancient looking.
So where are these odd people now? I'm just not seeing them anymore, but perhaps I just don't get out enough. They certainly made life seem richer and more mysterious to the infant me back in those days.
Was this fellow one of the last of his kind? In my Grandparents' village there was a village idiot known 'bouncer' due to his constant habit of bouncing a tennis ball on his journeys about the village, with the mind of a six year old who was friendly and childlike but disconcertingly ancient looking.
So where are these odd people now? I'm just not seeing them anymore, but perhaps I just don't get out enough. They certainly made life seem richer and more mysterious to the infant me back in those days.
Year 2000!ish my mate lived in the bishops waltham / Waltham chase area of Southampton (nice countryside location)
This seemed to have its share of nutters (looking back probably mental health issues
)
There was the whistling lady, always dressed like the queen with a nice handbag. Would always be roaming the country lanes and the village. Her party piece was accusing everyone of whistling, and then chasing us. Of course being a silly teenager you’d whistle at her. Her line was “whoooos whistlinnggg”
Then in the same village there was nutty Norman. Lived at a main cross roads with lights. Would always come running out if he heard music or an exhaust. Was probably mid 40s, dressed like a giant toddler in dungarees. They sold bags of potatoes from their drive. His party piece was to hump the bags of potatoes if girls were about. Again probably mental health issues at play
I’m sure the above two someone else here might recognise and correct my memory!
This seemed to have its share of nutters (looking back probably mental health issues
)There was the whistling lady, always dressed like the queen with a nice handbag. Would always be roaming the country lanes and the village. Her party piece was accusing everyone of whistling, and then chasing us. Of course being a silly teenager you’d whistle at her. Her line was “whoooos whistlinnggg”
Then in the same village there was nutty Norman. Lived at a main cross roads with lights. Would always come running out if he heard music or an exhaust. Was probably mid 40s, dressed like a giant toddler in dungarees. They sold bags of potatoes from their drive. His party piece was to hump the bags of potatoes if girls were about. Again probably mental health issues at play
I’m sure the above two someone else here might recognise and correct my memory!
Spare tyre said:
Year 2000!ish my mate lived in the bishops waltham / Waltham chase area of Southampton (nice countryside location)
This seemed to have its share of nutters (looking back probably mental health issues )
There was the whistling lady, always dressed like the queen with a nice handbag. Would always be roaming the country lanes and the village. Her party piece was accusing everyone of whistling, and then chasing us. Of course being a silly teenager you’d whistle at her. Her line was “whoooos whistlinnggg”
Then in the same village there was nutty Norman. Lived at a main cross roads with lights. Would always come running out if he heard music or an exhaust. Was probably mid 40s, dressed like a giant toddler in dungarees. They sold bags of potatoes from their drive. His party piece was to hump the bags of potatoes if girls were about. Again probably mental health issues at play
I’m sure the above two someone else here might recognise and correct my memory!
Good stuff, all this anecdotal stuff is out there in peoples' minds, volumes of it, all set to turn the way of all things; dust. This seemed to have its share of nutters (looking back probably mental health issues
)There was the whistling lady, always dressed like the queen with a nice handbag. Would always be roaming the country lanes and the village. Her party piece was accusing everyone of whistling, and then chasing us. Of course being a silly teenager you’d whistle at her. Her line was “whoooos whistlinnggg”
Then in the same village there was nutty Norman. Lived at a main cross roads with lights. Would always come running out if he heard music or an exhaust. Was probably mid 40s, dressed like a giant toddler in dungarees. They sold bags of potatoes from their drive. His party piece was to hump the bags of potatoes if girls were about. Again probably mental health issues at play
I’m sure the above two someone else here might recognise and correct my memory!
I'll nominate Guildford's Bearded Lady:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pxYtWCZ1o8
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/perez-...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pxYtWCZ1o8
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/perez-...
fausTVR said:
Jake the poacher
https://youtu.be/NqMNC_RzOsI
https://youtu.be/NqMNC_RzOsI
One of my favourite scenes from British cinema, it's genius level writing and scripting.
My favourite line and often used is 'fed from a
hole to beak', and 'I've been watching you, especially you prancing like a tit'.Just brilliant, that's my afternoon sorted.
Jesus
Often seen in London borough of Sutton. He died in 2007. Eccentric but no harm.
https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/1733765.l...
Often seen in London borough of Sutton. He died in 2007. Eccentric but no harm.
https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/1733765.l...
JustALooseScrew said:
fausTVR said:
Jake the poacher
https://youtu.be/NqMNC_RzOsI
https://youtu.be/NqMNC_RzOsI
One of my favourite scenes from British cinema, it's genius level writing and scripting.
My favourite line and often used is 'fed from a
hole to beak', and 'I've been watching you, especially you prancing like a tit'.Just brilliant, that's my afternoon sorted.
You want working on boy. Probably my favourite film of all time, every line is gold.Camberley Kate and her 30+ dogs made it onto BBC Nationwide (1970s equivalent of the One Show).
Camberley Kate
Camberley Kate
fausTVR said:
JustALooseScrew said:
fausTVR said:
Jake the poacher
https://youtu.be/NqMNC_RzOsI
https://youtu.be/NqMNC_RzOsI
One of my favourite scenes from British cinema, it's genius level writing and scripting.
My favourite line and often used is 'fed from a
hole to beak', and 'I've been watching you, especially you prancing like a tit'.Just brilliant, that's my afternoon sorted.
You want working on boy. Probably my favourite film of all time, every line is gold."I mean to have you even if it must be burglary!!"
GliderRider said:
Camberley Kate and her 30+ dogs made it onto BBC Nationwide (1970s equivalent of the One Show).
Camberley Kate
Where i grew up in the early 90s we had a problem one summer with all the chavs letting their dogs out to roam for the day, they would get into a pack and start going a bit wild. I vividly remember being in the park in my dads car and seeing a load of police cars and vans driving across the grass picking up kids as the dogs were in the area. I always wondered what happened, were they shot, rounded up and kept until collected, destroyedCamberley Kate
Anyway where I’m going with this is they all looked like random council estate mongrels that you don’t really see today, like in that video. It’s all designer stuff on the estates now
GliderRider said:
Camberley Kate and her 30+ dogs made it onto BBC Nationwide (1970s equivalent of the One Show).
Camberley Kate
Yup, I remember Camberley Kate. I grew up in nearby Sandhurst. We had Walking Peter. His name was Peter. He walked everywhere. And there was Spangle who was a farm hand on Rackstraw Farm. He'd been to Camberley once but didn't like it. One trip out of the village was enough for anyone. When the farm was sold for development he became a groundsman at the school. Still didn't travel far. There was also a scrupulously polite and well spoken tramp who had been a GP but gave it all up to be a tramp.Camberley Kate
Spare tyre said:
Where i grew up in the early 90s we had a problem one summer with all the chavs letting their dogs out to roam for the day, they would get into a pack and start going a bit wild. I vividly remember being in the park in my dads car and seeing a load of police cars and vans driving across the grass picking up kids as the dogs were in the area. I always wondered what happened, were they shot, rounded up and kept until collected, destroyed.
I doubt if the police shot the kids, even in the 90s.GliderRider said:
Spare tyre said:
...they all looked like random council estate mongrels that you don’t really see today, like in that video. It’s all designer stuff on the estates now
That's probably the reason they generally lived to 16+, with barely a visit to the vet's.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff