Web Page No 2638

30^th November 2019

1st Picture. Traditional Wall Mounted Machines

 2nd Picture. Machine attached to a Post Box

 3rd Picture. A 1960’s machine

4th Picture. 1970’s the last design

GPO Stamp Vending Machines

Do you remember these?

The first stamp vending machines were introduced under Edward VII in 1907 following experiments with a 1906 patented design by Robert J Dickie of New Zealand. The sales rights outside the British Empire were licenced to Kermode & Co. The A type vending machine was completely mechanical, deriving power to drive the vending mechanism from the insertion of a suitable coin. Initially the machines were set to dispense only half-penny and 1d stamps. These proved to be quite successful and were in continuous production until 1924, when the improved Type B machine was introduced. Type A machines feature elaborate cast brass fronts with the coin value raised against a chequer-plate design in the casting . Type B could accept half-penny, 1d or (later) 3d coins and would in exchange, vend a single stamp from a coil with stamps joined vertically.

Heyday of the Stamp Vending Machine.

By 1970, there were 50,000 stamp selling machines in use in the UK and many more had been exported worldwide. The basic design remained unchanged from 1905 until 1970, when the Type G series was introduced they incorporated many novel features including a Perspex cover sealed from moisture over the stamp coil to prevent the stamps sticking together. In addition the mechanism was driven by the user lifting a large flap over the vend slot. This action primed the machine. It could be set to dispense any number of stamps from one to five against the insertion of a single coin, although in practice this was never done and all Type G machines vended a strip of five values. Initially these added up to 1 shilling, then after 1971, 5 new pence and by 1980, 10p. Changes in postal rates introduced in 1980 meant that all surviving 10p machines were withdrawn from service.

The types A-E shared all the same common features that contributed to their success; they all have a stamp feed wheel with pins which accurately interlock with the stamp perforations and they all derived the energy needed to operate the mechanism from the raising of a weight through the insertion of a coin.

From 1988 all machines in use in the UK were of the electro-mechanical type. This used a standard mechanical coin-weigher unit and mechanical stacking for booklets, but had an electronic arm on a rotating cam for dispensing the booklets. Two versions were built with either long or short coin boxes, easily recognised from the length of the case. Initially set to dispense 4 x 25p stamps in a folded booklet in exchange for a £1 coin, different combinations were later employed as postage rates in the UK continued to rise.

These electro-mechanical machines were powered by large internal battery packs which made them expensive to service and more unreliable than the mechanical designs. All of these were removed during 2001 and today there are very few automated stamp vending machines left in use in the UK. As stamp booklets can now be widely purchased from supermarkets, garages, kiosks and newsagents, demand for automatic vending facilities has declined to the point where their continued operation becomes un-economic.

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On this day 30^th November 1960-1965

On 30/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 30/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25. The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 30/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 30/11/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was 119 killed in Montreal jet crash.

On 30/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 30/11/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news of the week Mrs Mary Whitehouse formed the National Viewers Association

Web Page No 2636

23rd November 2019

1st Picture. Greyhound Trophy

2nd Picture. View of Stadium

3rd Picture. Where the Stadium was

4th Picture. Demolition

Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium

The stadium was a place I never visited although I did know the owners nephew, Donald Childs.

The Stadium constructed in 1930 east of Tipner Lane on the site of the Stamshaw Chemical Works and was be accessed from the new Target Road and effectively replaced the track at Portsmouth Greyhound Track (Copnor) which raced from 1928-1930.

The new larger stadium was opened on 25^th  May 1931 with trainer Fred Tolfree claiming all the first four places in a five dog opening race. The first winner was Tommy’s Pup the 2-1 favourite.

In 1932 the stadium was bought by Joe Childs a famous jockey at the time because he was jockey to the King George V. Also included in the new management team were Jack Parker captain of the Harringay speedway team and Bradbury Pratt.

In 1937 a 14 year old boy called George Curtis secured a job with track trainer Bill Peters and one year later Hugo Spencer joined the track as a trainer. The management of the stadium at that time was run by Sporting Promotions (Portsmouth) Ltd and the totalisator turnover peaked in 1946 at £1,108,662.

In 1956 Quick Surprise won the Scottish Greyhound Derby and reached the final of the English Greyhound Derby for trainer Pat Mullins. Two years later Joe Childs died and the ownership of the stadium went into the hands of F A Childs who also became Racing Manager. F A Childs was replaced by E F G Wilkins after Childs drowned in an accident. F.A. Childs was remembered in the following years with the running of the F.A.Childs Memorial Trophy.

The Nationwide Leisure Company took over the stadium in 1963 with Bill Francis becoming Racing Manager and the Golden Muzzle would be introduced as the tracks premier event.

George Curtis claimed his first win as a trainer when Bad Trick won the 1964 Puppy Derby. In 1968 Curtis left Portsmouth for Brighton replaced by his brother Charlie and leaving Hugo Spencer and Greg Doyle as the other resident trainers. Sadly Charlie Curtis was killed in a car crash just one year later.

Spencer continued his success by winning the 1971 Welsh Greyhound Derby with Spectres Dream and he would also win three National Sprints in 1961 with Hi There Merry and two in 1975 and 1976. The race itself would be transferred to Portsmouth for three years after the closure of Clapton Stadium.

In 1972 the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) bought the track from the Nationwide Leisure Company for the sole purpose of selling it as a lucrative commercial property. However, the property bubble burst in 1973 leaving the stadium with a lifeline. 

In 1992 Wembley plc announced significant losses leading to cost cutting exercises and Portsmouth suffered as a result despite the fact that the GRA had pledged a new state of the art Portsmouth stadium previously.

In 2008 it was announced that Portsmouth City Council's long term lease was nearing its end and they were considering selling the site for redevelopment. Lease holders GRA offloaded the track to a new company, registered in March 2008, called PGS Ltd .

It was agreed that PGS Ltd could pay the council a peppercorn rent of £1,000 per year because there was no value in redeveloping the land at that time. Attempts were made to renew the lease two years later in 2010 but it was rejected by the Tipner Regeneration Company and South East England Development Agency. Within weeks the company was wound up with immediate effect and liquidators were appointed with staff and trainers left unpaid. Racing Manager Paul Clark was suspended by Graham for comments made over the GRA's and Grahams role in the closure.

The last meeting took place on 27th March 2010 and the stadium was demolished in 2012 with the site awaiting redevelopment.

There we go, a place I never visited but for a time it was a vital part of the entertainment world of Portsmouth.

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On this day 23rd November 1960-1965

On 23/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 23/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 23/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 23/11/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was 119 killed in Montreal jet crash.

On 23/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 23/11/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news of the day Mrs Mary Whitehouse formed the National Viewers Association

Web Page No 2634

16^th November 2019

Eggs, Walnuts and Onions.

1st Picture. Pickled Eggs

 2nd Picture. Pickled Walnuts

3rd Picture. Decorated Pickled Eggs

4^th Picture. Landlord with Pickled Onions

I have never been a fan of pickled produce even though, just after the war and into my teenage years they seemed to be in every home and on every public house bar.

Pickled eggs are cured in vinegar or brine was and is a particular hate of mine. As with many foods, this was originally a way to preserve the food so that it could be eaten months later. Pickled eggs have become a favourite among many as a snack in pubs, bars and taverns, chip shops and around the world in places where beer is served.

After the eggs are hard boiled and shelled, they are submerged in a solution of vinegar, salt, spices, and other seasonings. Recipes vary from the traditional brine solution for pickles, to other solutions, which can impart a sweet or spicy taste. The final taste is largely determined by the pickling solution. The eggs are left in this solution from one day to several months. Prolonged exposure to the pickling solution may result in a rubbery texture. A common practice is to puncture the egg with a toothpick to allow the pickling solution to penetrate to the egg's interior, but this is dangerous as it can introduce clostridium into the finished product. Eggs prepared with this method have sometimes had high enough levels of botulinum toxin to cause illness.

A variant is the pickled beet egg where whole beets, onions, vinegar, sugar, salt, cloves, and (optionally) a cinnamon stick are used as the brine. The eggs take on a pink or even purple colour from the beets and have a sweet and sour taste.

In 1759 pickled eggs were mentioned in "An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time"

No wonder I did not like them!

For me even worse than picked eggs are pickled walnuts even though they have been a delicacy in England since at least the early 18th-century. They were mentioned in several literary works.

The botanist Richard Bradley describes pickled walnuts in his 1728 book The Country Housewife and Lady's Director, stating ‘the beginning of this month (he does not say which) is the time to pickle Walnuts, for then the Walnuts have not begun to shell, and are not so bitter nor hollow as they will be afterwards; they will now be full fleshed, and you will have no loss. The following Method I learnt from Mr. Foord, a curious Gentleman of Buckingham, and has been experienced to be the best way. There is one thing indeed which must be regarded in this Pickle, which is, that everyone does not love the Taste of Onion or Garlick; but that may be omitted as we please, only supplying the place with Ginger.

Charles Dickens in his book The Pickwick Papers, published in 1836. In chapter 49 he writes, ‘ However, there he lay, and I have heard my uncle say, many a time, that the man said who picked him up that he was smiling as merrily as if he had tumbled out for a treat, and that after they had bled him, the first faint glimmerings of returning animation, were his jumping up in bed, bursting out into a loud laugh, kissing the young woman who held the basin, and demanding a mutton chop and a pickled walnut. He was very fond of pickled walnuts, gentlemen. He said he always found that, taken without vinegar, they relished the beer.’

Pickled walnuts are also mentioned in Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

Pickled walnuts are still commonly eaten in England, particularly at Christmas served with an English blue cheese such as Stilton. I STILL DO NOT LIKE THEM!

Finally, my pet hate Pickled Onions even though they have an international reputation.

Pickled onions consist of small onions pickled in a solution of vinegar and salt, often with other preservatives and flavourings. There is a variety of small white pickled onions known as 'silverskin' onions. They are frequently used as an essential component of the Martini cocktail variant known as a Gibson. Pickled onions are usually pickled in malt vinegar and the onions are about an inch in diameter. Silverskin onions are pickled in white vinegar, and are much smaller. Full sized onions, e.g. Spanish Onions, can be pickled if sliced first.

In the Southern United States, pickled Vidalia onions can be served as a side dish. In Hong Kong, pickled onions are served in many   Cantonese restaurants, especially around dinner time, as a small dish before the main course is served. In Switzerland, they are served to accompany raclette, along with pickled gherkins. In Italy, it is known as 'maggiolina'. In Mexican cuisine, one preparation, cebollas encurtidas, has sliced red onions pickled in a mixture of citrus juices and vinegar, which is served as a garnish or condiment. Sometimes cooked beets are added, producing a more strongly pink coloured dish. Pickled red onions in bitter orange juice are especially emblematic of Yucatan cuisine, where they are used as a garnish or condiment, especially for seafood.

AND I STILL DO NOT LIKE THEM

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On this day 16th November 1960-1965

On 16/11/1960 the number one single was Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was US places embargo on goods to Cuba.

On 16/11/1961 the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/11/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/11/1963 the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/11/1964 the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/11/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.