You saw it here first, Traction Man

 Back in September 2009 I used this picture on the blog in a post about a good friend who had been in hospital much too long and started a blog NOTES FROM A HOSPITAL BED.
He'd taken to photographing his meals so I thought it would make a good bingo game for him.
Since then things snowballed and Mark's Blog has gone from strength to strength and has had 283158 visitors and numerous mentions on radio and TV plus a page in the Sun and half a page in the Telegraph.
Well, it all comes to a climax when the anonymous blogger comes out from the nom de plume of Traction Man and presents a Channel Four Dispatches program on hospital food at 8pm on the 7th of February.
Marks show has been moved to the 21th of February to allow an extra interview to be added.

Click  here for more details

Frome Market

Hard work shopping in Frome Market.

The late Dennis Thomas in his shop in Walcot Street, Bath in the 60's

 Joke

A motorcycle mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the engine when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop. 

The cardiologist was there waiting for the service manager to come and take a look at his bike when the mechanic shouted across the garage, 'Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?' The cardiologist, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the motorcycle. 

The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, 'So Doc, look at this engine. I opened its heart, took the valves out, repaired any damage, and then put them back in, and when I finish it works just like new. So how come I make £40,000 a year and you make £120,000 when you and I are doing basically the same work?' 

The cardiologist paused, leaned over, and then whispered to the mechanic.....
'Try doing it with the engine running'.

Shopping in the 70s, Downs Supermarket Bath

Wendy Shopping in Downs Supermarket in the 70s, Downs was in Cheap Street and was last used as the Early Learning Centre.

Around the same time someone wanted 24 hour shopping and went in through the glass door, blowups from my pictures reveal some interesting prices for goods and wages.

They set fire to the Christmas Crib.

We tend to think that antisocial behavior is a product of today's soft society.
But this picture from the 60s show the Christmas crib in Bath after someone set fire to it.

Wet Girl on Pulteney Weir

As this candid snap is over 40 years old, 

she may be a grandmother by now.

Another old picture of Bath

 Walcot Street multistory car park under construction.

Walcot Street car park in the sixties.

An unusual panorama of two 35m negs from the sixties, Walcot Street car park before the building of the multi story car park, Hilton Hotel and Podium.
You can see Challoner and West tree surgeons starting to remove the trees in the background.

The Odeon in Southgate Street Bath

I'm scanning old forgotten negatives at the moment and came across this picture of the Odeon Cinema in Southgate Street.
The film Monkeys go home with Maurice Chevalier was released in 1967 and Bambi 1942 so that makes just before 1970 the most likely date, back in the days when you got two feature films for you money.

R.I.P Onyx

Sad day today, we lost Onyx, I hope he's walking through that big field on buttercups in the sky now.

Brides on the way to a Hen weekend.

Brides on the way to a Hen weekend June 2001.

Bog Island / Terrace Walk Bath in 1967

Terrace Walk in March 1967, though it looks very much the same as today, close inspection reveals a number of changes.
The underground toilets that gave it the local slang name were closed in the 70s due to damp problems.
The fountain that was moved from Stall street is missing and the shops include Wilson Lees Sports Shop is now On the Video Front and M J Vincents Fruit Shop is now Giuseppe's Hairdressers.   
And in particular Maynards stands out in my mind as I have wonderful memories of my first visit to a sweetshop alone in 1953 age 9 because that's when sweet rationing ended and I didn't have to take Mum and the ration book.

Pantomime broke Geneva Convention, oh yes it did

Looks like Nelly the Nit Nurse was only breaking half of the Geneva Convention in 2002 at Bath Theatre Royal. Click HERE

Sad goodbye to Cadbury in Keynsham

The Cadbury factory in Keynsham, England, has produced its last chocolate bar after the takeover by Kraft, meaning all production at the factory that was opened in 1919 can now be shifted to the company's Skarbimierz plant in southwestern Poland.
400 workers at the Keynsham factory have lost their jobs and I'm afraid that leaves a very nasty taste to your chocolate Mr Kraft and I shan't be buying any of your other products including Kenco, Philadelphia, Dairylea, Terry's Chocolate Orange, Ritz crackers, Maxwell House and Carte Noire coffee.

Farr Family New Years Walk

The extended  Farr family  had a walk on New Years Day, we went around the old Somerset Coal Canal and came back via the S and D railway line.

About one and a half miles.