Issue 12 July 2021

2
A Warm & Toasty Welcome
Welcome to the July issue of the With live singers and fun features such as
Warm and Toasty Newsletter! the Memory of the Week, the Retro Raffle
quiz, Crisps of The Week, Jeanette’s Poem
We hope you are enjoying the lovely of The Week and general silliness and
weather we have been having and have laughter
been able to venture out a little here and
there. "Warm and toasty Fridays are brilliant,
cheers people up, just what the doctor
This issue contains the usual smorgasbord ordered - everyone here for each other
of features - memories, jokes, quizzes, pho- Thank you xxxx"
tos and interviews.
www.facebook.com/thewarmandtoastyclub
We hope to be gently returning with our in-
person Memory Afternoons in the coming Do join us if you can!
months, once it is safe to do so at our
venues. We continue to follow Government Special thanks for the contributors to this
guidance and await new developments be- newsletter:
fore setting out the dates for our return, and
we will let you know once we do.  Editor – Johnno
 Main Contributor - Deborah
If you require further info please  Contributors – Mary, Don, Gill and
contact Johnno via email at Paddy, Geoff and Penny
thewarmandtoastyclub@gmail.com  Typesetting/graphic design –
or on the blower on 07594154709 Steve Brady
 Photos – Tom Hardy, Andre Kimche,
If any of our members are feeling lonely and Jeanette and Alan Wareham
isolated or could just do with talking to
someone, Johnno will remain available on Your Warm and Toasty Club team -
the phone most weekdays after Midday on
07594154709, you could also let us know
Johnno, Jeanette, Tom, and Dave!
your number and we can call you if you’d
prefer.

Our Online Memory Afternoon chat show

that goes out live on the internet, on our
Facebook page every Friday at 1pm will
continue for the rest of the year, ending on
17th December.

It’s a joyful show to keep you

entertained and connected!

The Warm and Toasty Club are proud to be funded by

The National Lottery Community Fund
and Colchester Borough Council
Thank You
 3
Transport Memories
by Deborah

G ill’s first tricycle had a fixed wheel where

you had to keep pedalling or you would
stop. She used to look at friends with their more
up to date tricycles where you could stop pedal-
ling and keep going and think why can’t I?
When her dad told her that she could go back-
wards but they wouldn’t be able to then she
thought that hers was rather special. She then
had a Fairy cycle which her friends wanted to
have a go on until, that is, they got more up to
date ones! Mary wasn’t allowed to have a bicy-
cle when she was young as her dad thought
they were too dangerous. So her first bike she
bought herself when she got married; she en- number. Geoff remembers his dad having a
joyed the speed and freedom. Some of my first Ford 8 during the war, and Geoff’s first car was
memories are of sitting on the seat on the back a Morris 8 convertible. Very smart!
of her bike, being careful to hold my legs out so
that my feet didn’t touch the spokes.
G eoff was destined to have a love of boats
and sailing. His dad was a mechanic for the

J ohnno remembers how getting a Raleigh

Chopper bike for Christmas, changed his
young world... his brother got a Raleigh Chipper,
and all of a sudden they were looked upon as
kings of their Hackney council estate. “A chop-
per bike! With central gears! You can go where
you want with that bike!! And we did! A new kind
of freedom was ours, we could drive to parks,
fields and open spaces, plus we had a new level
of prestige on our estate when we played a
game called Planet Of The Apes based on the
popular TV show of the time. It was like hide and
seek or run outs, kids without bikes were the hu-
mans and had to hide and the other special
ones (kids on bikes) were the apes and had to
search and catch them. On a large estate with
open spaces near-by there were so many
places to hide. Before I was given the bike I
played the game as a ‘human’ and hid under a
car in a disused underground garage for a whole
afternoon and was never ‘found’. Before the
chopper bike arrived it was one of my proudest
moments haha!”
Gorleston lifeboat station, and when looking into
his family history, Geoff found that he had rela-
tives who were wherrymen on the Broads. When
he was about 11 he told his dad that he wanted
to learn to sail and his dad sent him to Bob
Applegate’s boatyard in Potter Heigham. Geoff
remembers that Bob was a real old Norfolk boy,
who used to smoke Black Boy shag-tobacco in a
clay pipe, which he used to smoke upside down
so he didn’t burn his nose! He gave Geoff a job
of rubbing down and varnishing the oars for the
rowing boats, in exchange for rowing and sailing
lessons. Geoff and Penny still enjoy going sail-
ing on their Seadrift sailing boat, Geoff says that
if he doesn’t see the sea for a few days, he be-
comes agitated. He has passed on his love of
boats through the family, as his granddaughter
is now working as a boat-restorer in Norfolk.
D on has always been keen to fly, since his
wartime childhood of seeing planes flying
over regularly. He has flown in several types of
aircraft over the years, the highlight though was
when he was invited to be a passenger on an

P addy got his Matchless G9 500cc motorbike

as a teenager before he met Gill. When
they got their first car, a Ford Escort, the bike
RAF Hercules flight, navigated by his son John,
all the way down to the Falkland Islands and
back.
was put aside and it wasn’t until the 1990s that
he did it up like new and they used it for several What are your early
summers. Don and Mary got their first car when
they were newly married, a little black Ford Pre- transport memories?
fect, they can still remember the registration
 4 Playground Equipment of the Month
Swing -Vs- Slide
Re-live memories of your
youth with these two.

Which one was your favourite?

 Swing fitness can condition the joints, mus-
cles, tendons and ligaments — basically, most
of the body. It can be adjusted to fit your fit-
ness level or lack thereof. Swinging can blur
the line between workouts and recreation. You
can complete an entire body workout in a short
amount of time.
 The earliest known representations of swings
come from artifacts found in Greece. A terra-
cotta sculpture of a woman sitting on a swing
was found at Hagia Triada dated to the Late
New Palace period (1450-1300 BC).
 In the 1700s, French artists depicted scenes of
nobility swinging recreationally.
 Charles Wicksteed is thought to be the inven-
tor of the modern-day swing. In 2013, a proto-
type of his was unearthed near Wicksteed Park
in the United Kingdom dating back to the early
1920s
 A slide is a play facility which is perfect to
stimulate the children's balance, psychomo-
tricity, coordination and reflexes. The children
learn to understand their body, as playing with
a slide helps them to get rid of the fear of fal-
ling and to know where are their limits
 The earliest known playground slide was
erected in the playground of Washington DC's
"Neighbourhood House" sometime between
the establishment of the "Neighbourhood
House" sometime between 1902 and 1903
 The manufacturer, Wicksteed, claim that the
playground slide was invented by their foun-
der, Charles Wicksteed, and installed in Wick-
steed Park in 1922. The discovery of Wick-
steed's oldest slide was announced by the
company in 2013.
 However, this has been countered by a US Pat-
ent that refers to a roof-top slide in NYC
around 1900, the nursery slide of the young
Tsar Alexei, at Alexander Palace built around
1910

They don’t write songs like that anymore…

This article was inspired by the memory of listening to Family Favourites on the radio
over Sunday lunchtime. I expect you to get singing.
WARNING- these songs get stuck in your head and never leave!
 “Camp Granada” ( Hello Muddah, Hello  “A Windmill In Old Amsterdam” (I saw a
Faddah,) Allan Sherman mouse, where?) Ronnie Hilton
 “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour  “The Runaway Train” (came down the track
On The Bedpost Overnight?” Lonnie Donne- and she blew) Vernon Dalhart
gan  “Goodness Gracious Me” (Oh doctor I’m in
 “When I’m Cleaning Windows” (Now I go trouble…) Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren
cleaning windows, to earn an honest bob)
George Formby
 5
Do You Remember?
? ?

?
Essex Picture Quiz
Can you guess where in Essex you will find these places?
 6 A Warm & Toasty Interview - Park And Ride
How did you first get into music?

Nelson - After at least 2 years of nagging my

folks I was given my first guitar on my 12th
Birthday. A nylon strung classical style guitar.
My Dad was convinced I would try to play it for
a week or 2 and then it would end up forgotten
in the back of the cupboard.

My school music teacher gave me a few lessons to get me started. I remember

watching Top Of The Pops hoping rock bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Pur-
ple etc. would be on.

I wanted to have long hair and freak out!!!

Cara – My aunty plays and teaches piano, so I always enjoyed listening to her
play when I was little and wanted to be like her. I persuaded my parents to buy me
a keyboard for my 13th birthday and I began by teaching myself pop songs and
then taking up proper lessons.

What’s your favourite song to sing and why?

Nelson - Je T’aime – I get to do a duet with myself.

Cara – Wheels On Fire – because it reminds me of Absolutely Fabulous.

Do you have a favourite childhood memory?

Nelson - Getting my first electric guitar and amplifier with a 25-watt loudspeaker
(which didn’t have a cabinet) laid on it’s back on the floor. I thought it sounded
great but my parents didn’t agree :-)

Cara – When I was in school, we went on a trip to the Royal Festival Hall to see
the London Symphony Orchestra, that was very moving even though I can’t re-
member what they played! I think I enjoyed the bunking off school part too.

What/who makes you laugh?

Nelson - Spike Milligan is always the one that

comes to mind for favourite comedian.

I also like a lot of the late-night TV animation

shows such as Family Guy, American Dad, Para-
dise PD etc.
 A Warm & Toasty Interview - Park And Ride 7
Cara – at the moment I am watching Parks and Recreation, or as Nel calls it,
Parks and Procreation! When I was younger I used to love Victoria Wood and
Julie Walters and also Absolutely Fabulous. Laurel and Hardy always make me
chuckle too.

Park and Ride are our favourite duo at

the Warm and Toasty Club, who are
your favourite duos?

Flight Of The Concords, Flaunders and Swann,

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Lee Hazel-
wood and Nancy Sinatra, The White Stripes,
Sonny and Cher, French and Saunders, Victoria
Wood and Julie Walters, Cath and Kim, George
and Jerry our 2 guinea pigs.

What’s the best part of being musicians/singers?

Nelson - Over the years I’ve found that when it comes to me playing improvised
solos while performing live it’s like a game of chance. Out of every 10 solos I think
I usually play one really bad out of tune solo ; eight ok but nothing special solos ;
and one amazing solo, and when that one good solo happens it’s such a great
feeling!

What’s your funniest onstage moment(s)?

While we were playing the tune ‘Flight Of The Bumblebee’ at a local festival Cara
actually got attacked by a bee. Another time we were about to start our first set at
a local pub (The Olde New Inn) but there was a large cat sat on Cara’s piano stool
– he was having fun trying to play the piano and wouldn’t budge. The landlady
had to help us shift him. Then at the end of the night the Cat climbed into our van
as we were packing away our equipment and refused to get out.

What are your favourite

toast toppings?

Nelson – Marmite and melted

cheddar cheese on granary toast.

Cara – Peanut butter, sometimes

with honey drizzled over depend-
ing on how naughty I feel :-)
 8 So What Do You Do?
Do you know what these “old” professions actually were?

1. Milliner
2. Chandler
3. Cooper
4. Keeler
5. Hostler
6. Scrivener
7. Tanner
8. Wainwright
9. Chiffonier
10. Thatcher

Mary's Joke Corner

A man went into an Indian restaurant and was handed
the menu. There was so much choice he couldn’t de-
cide so he asked the waiter whether he could recom-
mend a dish.

“Many of my regular customers choose the Chicken

Tarka, “ the waiter suggested.

“Chicken Tarka..” queried the man, “don’t you mean Chicken Tikka?”

“No, Chicken Tarka…it’s like Chicken tikka, but a little ‘otter!”

 Member of The Month - Sylvia 9

Where did you grow up and what brought you to

Colchester?

I grew up in London - Euston and Dalston - and moved to Clac-

ton in 1987 and to Colchester in 1990 as houses were too ex-
pensive in London. It was our first time buying a house.

When my children were small we used to go to Valley Farm on

holiday for years when we lived in London and my husband got
to love Clacton, I liked it there but thought it was a place to go
on holiday to. My husband persuaded me to move there, as
house were too expensive in London. I really liked it there and
we moved to Colchester for an easier commute into London.

The best jobs you have ever had?
My best job was secretary to social workers
at the German hospital, Hackney. I started
there is 1983 until 1986 when I moved out of
London. It was lots of typing letters, keeping
files on all the patients and it was quite en-
joyable really. You had to lock your door be-
cause it was a psychiatric hospital and used
to forget, and the patients used to come in
for a chat. One elderly lady used to deliber-
ately break a window around Christmas time
just to be admitted, it was so sad. She’d say
“I want to see the lady with the big earrings”
– that was me, and she’d come in and have
a good old chat.
certificate for it. I got rode into it as I didn’t
really want to go to start with, they were
short of people and I quite enjoyed it. We
had a laugh and used to go for a drink after-
wards.
I enjoyed myself more when I didn’t have to
worry about work. I went to a social club at
Greenstead Social Club, it was bingo and a
get together with us all on Tuesday and
Thursday afternoons. On Wednesday’s I’d
go out with a friend for shopping mostly. I’d
worked for years at the hospital and it was
quite a hectic job so it was a relief to retire.
Your favourite places?

Favourite Singers? My favourite places are live theatres and

My favourite singer was Freddie Mercury
(queen) and Connie Francis but more mod-
ern Elton John.
What hobbies have you enjoyed?
busy parts of London. I also would often go
to the theatre in Ipswich and at the Mercury
in Colchester.
What were the best years of your
Life?

My hobbies are reading, used to be knitting The best years was when my children were
and bingo when lockdown ends. I used to do born and apart from that, when I retired.
amateur dramatics down at Billericay, I got a
10
Film Star Quiz
Can you name these stars of the silver screen?

Hopefully I have included one of your favourites.

For extra points, can you name a film they were in?

Warm & Toasty Links & Friends

Website: www.thewarmandtoastyclub.weebly.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewarmandtoastyclub
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WarmToastyClub
Friends and Supporters
National Lottery Community Fund; Colchester Arts Centre;
Colchester Borough Homes; Shrub End Social Centre;
Colchester Recalled Oral History Group; Fresh On The Net Music Blog;
Essex Sound and Video Archive; FaNs; Age Concern Colchester;
Colchester Borough Council and Community 360
 11
So you think you know Essex?

1. What did the Romans call Colchester?

2. In medieval times, what was caught in the River Colne?
3. Which island became the fastest growing seaside resort in Britain from
1911 to 1951?
4. What was discovered in Colchester in 2004?
5. Which of these famous people were born in Essex? Dermot O’Leary, Ja-
mie Oliver, Grayson Perry, Maggie Smith, Richard Osman, Olly Murs

Have you had your haircut yet?

In hindsight we should have all taken photos of our lockdown hair before
haircut then after! I took to wearing my woolly hat most of the time, indoors
and out!
Nowadays we tend to wash and style our hair our-
selves with the help of gels, hairdryers, straighten-
ers or electric curling tools. The 1950s hairstyles
were quite structured and bouffant - not an easy
look to achieve at home with the equipment avail-
able at the time, so it was usual for ladies to go to
the salon for a “shampoo and set” once a week,
where hair was washed, setting lotion and rollers
applied, and you sat under those space-age hood
driers. During the week, hair had to be kept in shape
with curlers, either put in at night and slept in, or left
all day under a net or headscarf, ready to be perfect
for the husband’s return from work or for a night
out. Can anyone remember metal Dinky rollers?
They sound painful!
 12

After the year we have all had, try

When you are in the queue at the
to savour every good moment you
shop, let out a massive laugh for
have.
no apparent reason, it will tickle
you and may suddenly make the
queue a lot shorter.

If you pop out to the garden centre for a spot of lunch, why not live danger-
ously and order an extra serving of coleslaw with your meal, and not even
care when you can’t eat it all - that's life on the edge - you rebel you!

Film Stars Quiz

1. Dirk Bogarde (especially for
Mary)
So what do you do? 2. Gregory Peck (especially for
1. Hat maker Penny)
So you think you know 3. Cyd Charisse (especially for
2. Candle maker Essex?
3. Barrel maker Geoff)
4. Bargeman 1. Camulodunum. It was re- 4. Audrey Hepburn
named by the Saxons to
5. Horse groom Colne Ceaster. 5. James Stewart
6. Writer 2. Oysters 6. Cary Grant
7. Curer of animal hides 3. Canvey Island 7. Celia Johnson
8. Wagon maker 4. A Roman circus (the only 8. Katherine Hepburn
chariot race track found in
9. Wig maker this country) 9. June Thorburn (especially
10. Roofer 5. All of them! for Don)
10. John Gregson

Keep In Touch With Friends 11. Deborah Kerr

12. Doris Day (also for Don!)

Please send us your telephone number or Essex Picture Quiz

email address if you are trying to 1. Colchester zoo, sea-lion tun-
reach a friend from the club and we will nel
do our best to link you up. 2. Bateman’s Tower, Bright-
lingsea
Contact us
3. The Strood, Mersea Island
Telephone - 07594154709
4. Redoubt Fort, Harwich
Email - thewarmandtoastyclub@gmail.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thewarmandtoastyclub