Here we are again. Another Christmas and East Anglia grinds to a halt with adverse weather conditions; SNOW ! The good old British public transport system fails to make the grade yet again. I haven't seen one gritter since the snow started last Thursday.
Still I've got my oil tank with plenty in it, a good load of logs and both log-burners going.
This christmas it's feet up, a good cognac, mince pie and watch the snow through the windows. I don't suppose I'll be allowed to help the kids build their Lego Death Star for a minute.
It's good to see a revival of interest in the traditional board games, Airfix kits, Meccano and Lego. I shall be throwing out the Backgammon challenges and no doubt be roped in to bakruptcy at Monopoly once more.
Oh Oh Oh
Merry Christmas

A very short notice of termination of this Websites's Free Hosting arrived in the mailbox from LYCOS, so I've been running around to get all code and images transferred to another FREE provider.

Since BRAVENET already provide the Guest Book, Forum, Stats Counter and Blog, I thought that they were the ideal service provider.

The old LYCOS URL (Website address) will vanish on the 15th February 2009 !

Can you all please update your FAVOURITES and/or BOOKMARKS to reflect the  new URL of:-

http://holtegrammarcommercialschool.bravehost.com/

 

The old Email address will also vanish so please use :-

dennis.moody@hotmail.com

 

I will try to salvage the old Email account's Address Book if I can. If not, I'm sorry not much I can do about it given the short notice I received.

Anyway, Happy New Year to one and all.

 

I look foward to administering the Website on BRAVENET's hosting platform.

Monday 22nd December. Sainsbury's is jam packed with people clogging the aisles. A great place to  stand and have a chat it seems and cause irritation and annoyance amongst others. Cars are starting to queue for diesel and petrol. The car parks down town are all full. All roads into the city are at a stand-still. I don't see too many smiling faces nor hear any polite festive exchanges, just 'Enter your PIN number and press OK please'.

Where's the Christmas spirit, the community ? The shops are closed on Christmas day; one day only and everyone goes mad. They're open again on the 26th December for the 1st day of the Sale. They're open again the following day, Saturday. What's the big deal ?

Here in the office it's very quiet. Very few decorations. Belt tightening is the order of the day at these large corporations; so no contributions to Christmas parties this year ! (Again)

Have I lost the magic that I once had ? Or is it all because that damn pig we had took two of my fingers in October ? So please excuse any typos ! Still, she lies sectioned neatly  in the freezer as a reward for her deed. The sausages taste great and we now cure our own Gammons.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Here we are, almost the end of September and a miserable wet and grey summer behind us. What is an Indian Summer ? I hear this phrase frequently and particularly at this time of every year. Granted, last weekend, (in East Anglia) was very warm and dry for the time of year, with the same outlook for this coming weekend and next few days. I'd hardly describe it as an Indian summer though. I've spent many happy weeks in Goa, Delhi, Bombay and Rahjistan, but the heat there cannot be compared to the luke warm temperatures we get in England.

My wife's family have an appartment and villa in Goa and I've been "volunteered" to go and redecorate after the monsoon rains. (Can't wait!).

Last weekend I drove my eldest to the University of Warwick, for the Open Day.  Out along the A14 and onto the M6 ; journey time: 3 hours. It was good to hear accents like mine again. I did however, get lost. I took a wrong turn when I left the M6 at junction 2 and ended up in Coventry city centre ! 

I saw signs for Stoneleigh, which took me right back to the school visit to The Royal Agricultural Show back in the mid 60's. The University of Warwick was very new at that time, work having been begun on it in 1961.

I was very impressed with the campus and I hope my lad is accepted there. He wants to do Chemistry. Chemistry ! That was never for me, no way. Mr Stephens electrocuted the entire form by making us hold hands and connecting 2 unsuspecting recruits to a device, which sent a small electrical surge right through us all ! I could never get motivated by chemical symbols, bunsen burners, how citric acid smells of pear drops and watching yellow phosphorous glow and flame when exposed to oxygen! Talking of glowing and flames..................

I still want to know the origins of Indian Summer please.

Delete what I said in my last post about good weather. The street lamps came on at 11:30 am yesterday; the rain clouds were so black ! The rain was as bad as a monsoon storm.

The Guest Book has been signed this week for the first time in ages and there's a new post in Mordecai's Office, but that's all really.

I suppose most of you are still on holiday. Judging by the HIT Counter the site still gets regular visits, so can't complain.

Since the fox has devasted my flock oif hens, down to eight now, I've ordered another 50 and will be securing their area this weekend. I may even volunteer the dog to sleep up there. He won't be happy.

My eldest got his A Level results today. An "A" and two "B"s. In Maths, Physics and Chemistry respectively. Is that good ? I've no idea how the marking and pass rates work these days. He's got another year before heading, hopefully, for university. Happy days !

 

I'm just back from 2 weeks big game fishing in the Gulf of Oman. It was 45 degrees during the day dropping down to 38 degrees in the evening. I'd spent more than 20 years working and living in the Arab Gulf  so I'm used to such climates. The fishing was great sport and I took my eldest boy with me for the experience.Then we went into Oman's interior to do some Wadi bashing and desert camping.

British Airways did us proud with a problem free return flight via Abu Dhabi. The flight operated out of Terminal 4 at Heathrow, which was a relief after the bad press about Terminal 5. The Oman flights switch to Terminal 5 next month. So my next planned trip, this coming winter, will be something to look forward to.

On the Website, Reg Vernon has sent in a couple of those scroll school photographs from 1958 and 1959, which are now uploaded. I've also tried to do a reorganise on the Index page to get them into chronological order.

I came back to good weather in Blighty too, so have been out on the land tending to the crops. The potatoes, tomatoes, beans and aubergines are all coming on just fine This weekend I'll be tackling the nettles and other weeds surrounding the orchard. I'm quite enjoying this back-to-the-land venture, but the cost of animal feeds is crippling so I'm winding down on the livestock and concentrating on growing veggies.

Anybody got a cheap tractor and topper for sale ?

OK, I have now finished uploading all the outstanding material that I have received, onto the Website. You'll see entries under Memories and Legends, Photo Album and Girls Names 1961.

What's more I can now put my feet up and relax. The weather forecast is warmer with warmer to come. I might even tempt getting the Barbecue out this weekend. Stick some sausages, burgers, chicken and steak on; and down a few glasses of wine. Then I can lie back, close my eyes and think of those distant sunny summer days of the 1960's at Holford Drive Playing Fields, the trip to the Royal Agricultural Show at Stoneleigh and Geography Field Trips to Ironbridge.

They were sunny days weren't they ? They must have been; they were filled with fun, flirting and laughter.

How did we ever survive back then without PC's, Playstations, Mobile phones and 24 hours TV ?

My kids often ask me. They can't imagine a life without such trappings.

However, I can ! Very much so.

I'm making it a point of getting up to date with all the outstanding "Uploads" I have to perform to get email contents and photographs onto the site. I'm afraid I've had resources sitting in the email box and on my C: drive for a couple of months.

However, you will see that the 1966 photo is now there along with some fresh email contents on the Memories and Legends Page.

Please keep material flowing in; I will get round to sorting it all out. I'll be uploading a few more photos this week.

Spring, and Hope springs eternal ! I left the old school 42 years ago this year !!!!!

That 1966 photgraph must have been taken some time between the September and December, as I had gone by the July of that year. The girls and boys faces that I knew and see on the photo are still as I remember them now in my mind's eye. How do they look today ? I wonder. Moreover, how many of the staff are still around ? I'm getting old aren't I ?

 

Keith (Bill) Boden sent me the 1966 Photograph, which I have now uploaded in 6 glorious parts for you all to peruse ! I know several of you have been waiting for this for some time now.

I promise I'll do my best to get the other outstanding uploads underway.

 

Be patient.

 

Dennis

I am happy to use our website as a Missing Persons repository for former ACS and Holte pupils.

Please check the Forum Page where I have just posted a request to help find Dorothy Holden.