Web Page No 2760 20th February 2021 1st Picture: ‘X’ ariel

2nd Picture: ‘H’ ariel

3rd Picture: Rod ariel

4th Picture: Indoor aeriel

‘H’ or ‘X’ Do you remember back in the early days of television, before the advent of satellite and cable TV we were all reliant on various forms and shapes of television ariels? Looking up at the rooves of the houses around us in the 1960’s there was always a selection of ariels attached to chimney stacks by various companies. During 1952, the first homes in the UK were offered television aerials in the shape of an ‘H’ that remained positioned on the top of roofs and set up as high up as possible. These odd aerials would be connected to very big and heavy television sets that were the first in wireless signalling transmission. As I remember the two commonest ariels were those in the shape of an ‘H’ and those in the shape of an ‘X’. I have no idea which one was the best and I do not think that many people did. Then along came the long straight ones with a baffle at the end, it also had little perches along the length of them something which always seemed to delight the birds no end. Then along came the indoor ariels many of which were installed in the loft or roof space of the house. The installation involved father setting it up in the loft, running the cable downstairs and into the tv set. The fun part was when father was in the loft moving the ariel about to get the best reception whilst mother watched the set in the living room and reported back on the quality of the picture. Not good, better, worse, try moving it the other way, no the other, other way, this could go on for hours!!! In our house my father originally trained as a radio engineer first starting his apprenticeship in Martins the electrical shop next to Cosham station and then he went to work for HMV in Reading before finally joining the civil service. So, when our first TV arrived, we were told that there was a three week wait until the installer could fix an ariel on the roof so we would have to wait. This is where my fathers’ radio knowledge came in useful. He rigged up a temporary ariel using a length of wire and eight foot of brass curtain rail. It looked very odd but it gave us a good enough picture to watch. Then there were the indoor ariels, some rod shaped, some circular, in fact they came in all shapes and sizes. The one common thing with all of them was that they only worked really well when someone stood and held it usually in the most awkward position, in the doorway, over the set or by the window. Again, it took hours to get the ariel set in the right position only to find that later in the day granny came along with her duster and moved it to clean under it. Luckily most of us have progressed beyond these primitive methods and rely on Cable, Dish or satellite. How things have changed during our lifetime! Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com You Write: News and Views: On this day 27th February 1960 – 1965 On 27/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was BBC asks for second TV channel On 27/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada). On 27/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. 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 Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 27/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 27/02/1964 the number one single was Anyone Who Had a Heart -Cilla Black and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 27/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page No 2760 20th February 2021 1st Picture: Peter and Gordon

2nd Picture: Peter

3rd Picture: Gordon

4th Picture: 57 Wimpole Street

Peter and Gordon On Feb. 28th, 1964, British folk duo Peter and Gordon released their debut single, “A World Without Love.” It didn’t matter that the song was extremely melodramatic and about doomed teenage romance. It didn’t matter that neither Peter Asher nor his performing partner, Gordon Waller, 20 and 19 at the time, were natural heartthrobs; in fact Peter’s glasses, haircut, and teeth would later give Mike Myers the visual inspiration for Austin Powers. All that mattered at that “A World Without Love” was written for Peter and Gordon by Paul McCartney and therefore had the magic Beatles connection. At that time there was a demand for Beatles substitutes. So at that time a new Paul McCartney song was amazing and “ ‘A World Without Love’ went to No. 1 in the U.K., and then Europe, and then the U.S.”. In Britain, the song bumped the Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” out of the top position. How did two ordinary lads wind up in possession of an original, unrecorded Paul McCartney song in the first place? It helped that Paul had been dating Peter’s younger sister Jane and it also helped that, in December 1963, Paul moved out of the flat he shared with John, George, and Ringo and into the Asher family’s West London town house at 57 Wimpole St., taking the top-floor guest bedroom down the hall from Peter’s. By this point, Paul, then 21, was already famous but the Ashers were not to ne ignored. Peter, Jane, and their younger sister Claire had all been child actors and starred in movies and TV shows. Peter’s father, Richard, was a prominent psychiatrist who discovered Munchausen syndrome. Peter’s mother, Margaret, was a professor of music and had coincidentally given oboe lessons to Beatles producer George Martin. Paul lived with the Ashers rent-free, but he probably boosted the value of their house by writing “And I Love Her,” “Every Little Thing,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “You Won’t See Me,” and “I’m Looking Through You” on Paul McCartney wrote “A World Without Love,” or at least most of it, when he was 16. John didn’t think much of the song, so Paul hadn’t even finished it apart from the two verses finally, he did it took his guitar into his room for seven or eight minutes, and then came out with a song that was perfect.” The song’s success immediately turned Peter Asher’s life upside down he had been studying philosophy at King’s College. Peter and Gordon became only the second British Invasion act after the Beatles to have a No. 1 hit in the U.S When they got back to London, Paul McCartney already had their follow-up single waiting ‘Nobody I Know’ Later, he wrote “I Don’t Want to See You Again” and “Woman” for Peter and Gordon, and they also had hits with Del Shannon’s “I Go to Pieces,” Buddy Holly’s “True Love Ways,” and “Lady Godiva,” by Mike Leander and Charlie and Gordon Mills. In 1966, both Paul McCartney and Peter Asher moved out of the house on Wimpole Street, Two years later Peter and Gordon split up. Peter and Gordon had their last hit in the UK in late 1966 with "Lady Godiva", which reached #16 (and #6 in the US), whilst their success lasted into 1967 in the US, with "Knight in Rusty Armour" and "Sunday for Tea" both registering in the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 that year. Peter Asher subsequently became head of A&R for Apple Records. He continued his career as a recording executive in California, where he managed and produced Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also produced recordings for Cher and Diana Ross. His daughter, Victoria Asher, is a member of the alternative group Cobra Starship. In August 2005, Peter and Gordon reunited onstage for the first time in more than 30 years, as part of two tribute concerts for Mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five. In the spring of 2007 and 2008, Peter and Gordon were featured performers in the EPCOT Flower Power concert series at Walt Disney World. Also in 2007, they performed as part of Love-In: A Musical Celebration, a tribute to the music of the 1960s, which was filmed in San Diegoand released on DVD in March 2009. On 21 August 2008, they performed a free concert on the pier in Santa Monica, California. The pair played numerous times at the 50 Winters Later celebration, in February 2009, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. This was held in Clear Lake, Iowa, at the Surf Ballroom. They subsequently performed in Chicago, New Jersey and at the Festival for Beatles Fans convention in Las Vegask in July 2009. Gordon Waller died of a heart attack on 17 July 2009 at the age of 64. Peter Asher currently resides in Venice, California. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com Barry Writes: Hi Pete, Bought these at Asda (5 for £1.00) after your blog last week, I can remember buying it loose, and lemonade crystals, in paper bags, at Gregory's corner shop at the junction of Station Rd & Central Road. It was usually all gone by the time I got home.....I've only got 2 of these left now......I LOVE SHERBET !!! Best Wishes to all.

News and Views: On this day 20th February 1960 – 1965 On 20/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was USSR wins Winter Olympics On 20/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada). On 28/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. 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 Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the weekwas John Glenn is 1st US astronaut to orbit earth. On 20/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 20/02/1964 the number one single was Diane - Bachelors and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 20/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Goldie the Eagle escapes London Zoo.

Web Page No 2758 13th February 2021 1st Picture: Sherbet Lemons

2nd Picture: Sherbet Fountain

3rd Picture: Sherbet Dip

4th Picture: Flying Saucers

Sherbet Some of the most popular sweets when we were growing up contained sherbet. I loved it, did you? But where did it come from? Historically it was a cool effervescent or iced fruit soft drink. The meaning, spelling and pronunciation have fractured between different countries. It is usually spelled "sherbet", but a common south of England pronunciation changes this to "sherbert". It is not to be confused with the North American "sherbet", which is a type of iced dessert. In the beginning we find that in the 19th century sherbet powder became popular. "Put a spoonful of the powder in a cup of water, mix it and drink it as soon as possible, during the time of sparkling. These were the instructions on the early packets. Sherbet could also be used by stirred it into various drinks to make them fizzy Today Sherbet in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries is a fizzy powder, containing sugar and flavouring, and an edible acid and base. The acid may be tartaric, citric or malic acid, and the base may be sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, or a mixture of these. To mask the unappetising flavour of some of the ingredients, a large amount of sugar is added, as well as icing sugar and fruit or cream flavouring. Sherbet lemon The sherbet lemon is still a very popular sweet and is included in many modern-day sweet shops shelf stocks. It is the main flavour of these boiled sweets with powdered sherbet centres – such as sherbet fruits, where sherbet limes, strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and orange are popular flavours. The sherbet lemon has a citrus taste and is sour and tangy. The sherbet in the middle explodes, making the sweet suddenly sourer. In the Harry Potter series, the character, Albus Dumbledore has a particular fondness for sherbet lemons, and the name was used as a passphrase to access his office. Sherbet Fountain Barratt's "Sherbet Fountain" consists of sherbet and a stick made from liquorice, and has been sold since 1925. The original concept of the Sherbert Fountain was sold to Barratt's by Henry Edward Brunt and was rebranded under their name. In the traditional paper packaging, the top of the stick was intended to be bitten off to form a straw and the sherbet sucked through it, where it fizzes and dissolves on the tongue. The "new" format only includes a solid liquorice stick, so the sherbet must be licked off or eaten separately. This method was also considered acceptable with the original packaging. This is advertised on the packet as "Sherbet with a liquorice dip". Fruit flavoured with lollipop Sherbet dips or Sherbet Dabs are also popular, such as the Dip Dab by Barratt. They consist of a small packet of sherbet, with a lollipop sealed into the bag. Once the lollipop has been licked, it can be dipped into the sherbet and then sucked clean, alternatively it can be used to shovel the sherbet into the mouth. Flying saucers Invented by the Antwerp-based company Belgica, Flying saucers are small dimpled discs of edible coloured rice paper filled with white unflavoured sherbet The first flying saucers were produced in the 1950s. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com You Write: News and Views: On this day 13th February 1960 – 1965 On 13/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 13/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was 18 US figure skaters killed in air crash. On 13/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. 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 Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 13/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra. On 13/02/1964 the number one single was Needles & Pins - Searchers and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 13/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Canada's Maple Leaf flag raised for first time

Web Page No 2756 6th February 2021 1st Picture: Sweet tobacco

2nd Picture: Chocolate cigars

3rd Picture: Chocolate Smokers Kit

4th Picture: Chocolate Matches

5th Picture: Liquorice Pipes

Sweet Smokes How things and attitudes have changed since when we were kids. Then the smoking related items below were commonplace on the tuck shop counter. Sweet Tobacco (or Spanish Gold sweet baccy as some people used to call it) was packaged just like real tobacco; it came in little foil pouches with labels on them. Because of the way it looked it's easy to see why how this sweet got its name, although despite its tobacco-like appearance the makers really did not recommend you tried smoking it. It was wonderfully moist thick pieces of shredded coconut generously coated with sugar and cocoa powder and today it is still made much the same way as it always was and some folks say it still tastes as good. For the uninitiated it's a combination of coconut strands dipped in chocolate powder so producing a sweet chewing tobacco. Me, I dislike coconut so I always hated the stuff. Now sweet cigarettes the paper clad chocolate sticks with the red tip on the end, I loved them! However, there was another type on sale at the time and I distinctly remember, on more than one occasion, buying a packet of cigarette shaped white candy sicks in a pretend cigarette packet as a child. There were also the white candy sticks with red tips that also came in pretend cigarette packets. I also remember these as being very, very sweet, not good for the teeth. Chocolate Cigars. Classic Cuban style chocolate cigars were made from high quality milk chocolate. These handmade hollow cigars were foil wrapped with an imitation cigar band round them to look like a real cigar and made of nothing but milk chocolate. Of course, once you had the cigars or cigarettes you had to add a box of chocolate matches to go with them! Milk Chocolate Matches were match shaped sticks made from milk chocolate complete with white chocolate tips. However, I do not remember these! Liquorice Pipes not for the politically correct crowd due to their highly addictive liquorice flavour. These came with red hundreds and thousands stick onto the top of the bowl to represent glowing tobacco. These were very tasty, the only drawback was that after you had eaten several your tongue, lips and gums all went black so you could never deny eating them!! For Christmas many of us received a pre-packaged chocolate smokers kit this consisted of a chocolate packet of cigars, a chocolate cigarette lighter, a chocolate box of matches, a chocolate pipe and a chocolate cigar. Believe it or not there were available cigarette holders especially designed to hold chocolate cigarettes. All very non pc today. It is amazing just how many of our childhood treats are still available, especially on line. I gave up smoking over 45 years ago so I do not think that I will be tempted into buying chocolate smoking accessories any time in the future. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com You Write: News and Views: On this day 6th February 1960 – 1965 On 06/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Margaret Thatcher gives her first Commons Speech. On 06/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 06/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. 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 Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was US bans imports from Cuba. On 06/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra On 06/02/1964 the number one single was Needles & Pins - Searchers and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 06/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.