Carl just sent me this great new picture taken outsid Wellington Terrace next to the Newn Inn Drayton

CarlRandall, John Halford, Steve Long and Peter Bugg

WEB PAGE NO. 2870 31st December 2021

First Picture: Corona Lorry

Second Picture Corona Advert

Third Picture: Corona Fizzical

Forth Picture: Advertising sign What do you know of the history of Corona? Corona was a brand of carbonated soft drink produced by Thomas & Evans Ltd in South Wales, and distributed across the United Kingdom. The firm was created by grocers William Thomas and William Evans when they saw a market for soft drinks caused by the growing influence of the temperance movement. The company's first factory was based in Porth, Rhondda, eventually expanding to 87 depots and factories throughout Britain. Corona was sold to the Beecham Group in 1958 and subsequently to Britvic, but stopped trading as a brand in the late 1990s. William Thomas was born in 1851 in Mathry, Pembrokeshire in West Wales. He came from a family of farmers, and at the age of fourteen he left home to take up an apprenticeship as a butcher in Newport. In 1874 he married Rowena Rowlands and they moved to the village of Aberbeeg where he set up a butcher's shop, living above the shop. The business was a success and soon a warehouse was added and the shop enlarged. In 1882 William Evans (born 1864), who himself came from Pembrokeshire, came to work at the shop and lived with the family for three years. The two men became business partners setting up a chain of grocery stores and a few years later they branched into the soft drinks market. Initially, Evans had not considered producing non-alcoholic beverages, but a chance meeting with an American business man and the growing temperance movement in the South Wales valleys led him to the production of carbonated drinks. Although partners, Thomas provided the money to set up the business and the money he loaned to Evans was at an interest rate of 50%. Their first major plant was in Porth in the Rhondda Valley, the heartland of the industrial coalfield in South Wales. Named the Welsh Hills Mineral Water Factory, the building opened during the 1890s and boasted state-of-the-art bottling machinery and a process to clean the glass bottles safely, allowing for the bottles to be reused after being returned by the customer for a small deposit. The bottles originally used Hiram Codd's globe-stopper with a wire-hinged top to keep in the pressure of drinks. Initially the firm produced mineral water and ginger beer, under the brand Thomas & Evans' Welsh Hills Soft Drinks, in the hope they could gain a foothold in public houses as a non-alcoholic alternative. This was an unsuccessful venture, however, and Evans was forced to find an alternative market. He struck upon the idea of selling door-to-door using horse and wagon, and soon his venture became a success, with the company branching into other more child-friendly flavours, such as orangeade, dandelion and burdock, raspberryade and lemonade. By the turn of the century the company had over 200 salesman delivering Corona drinks by horse-drawn delivery wagon across Wales, and two massive steam-driven vehicles. In the early 1920s Evans decided to re-brand his soft drinks and chose the name Corona. A logo was devised consisting of seven wire topped bottles fanned to represent a crown over the new name (corona is Latin for crown). The brand was extremely successful and expanded across South Wales, and at its peak the company had 82 distribution depots and five factories, at Porth, Tredegar, Pengam, Maesteg and Bridgend. Although a common and popular sight throughout Wales, the horse-drawn wagons were phased out during the early 1930s and replaced by a fleet of motor vehicles. These vehicles, recognizable by their red and gold livery and Corona logo, were serviced and repaired by the company's own engineering shop attached to the Porth factory. By 1934 the Porth depot had 74 vehicles and three years later that number had risen to 200. In 1934 William Evans died and the role of chairman and managing director was taken over by his brother Frank, a role he would maintain until 1940. Under Frank Evans' management the company continued to grow and by the end of the decade the factories of Wales were producing 170 million bottles a year. With the outbreak of war in 1939, many of Thomas and Evans motor vehicles were commandeered by the government for war service. This, along with petrol rationing, saw a brief reintroduction of the horse and wagon delivery service. With the end of the war in 1945, the company went back into full production and reintroduced a motorized fleet. In 1950 the firm launched Tango, an enduring brand that is still in production. In 1958 the company was bought by the Beecham Group, who kept the Corona brand. Although production continued to be centralised in South Wales, depots began to appear all over the United Kingdom. Under new management Corona reached a new audience and during the 1960s was promoted by a series of television advertisements starring British singer and comedian Dave King. With the rise of supermarkets in the late 1960s and 1970s the public's shopping habits changed and the door-to-door sales reduced. During the 1970s one of Corona's most memorable advertising campaigns used the slogan Every bubble's passed its FIZZical! In 1987 the company again changed hands, coming under the ownership of Britvic. Britvic closed the Welsh Hills plant in Porth in 1987, with production being transferred to Bolton in Lancashire. In 2000 the old Corona factory in Porth was converted into a music recording studio named The Pop Factory. In May 2020 the factory was the venue for BBC's Life Drawing Live! JONATHON WRITES This week's blog really resonated with Carol and I. First because Peter Sextan was her English Language and Literature teacher and she remembers he was a GOOD teacher......she got her O level.....some weren't back then. Secondly we remember having pillow cases at the bottom of the bed filled with lots of little INEXPENSIVE presents. A box of toy plastic soldiers' a dinky toy, a ladybird book, the Eagle Annual and of course not really presents...... clothes (hmmmmm). We always had bread and butter and jelly it was cheap and filled us up. I hated trifle didn't like the soggy cake at the bottom.As you say the sheer commercialism of Christmas present giving is out of control. I watched my grandchildten opening their presents......most of which they had chosen and bought in advance.......we spent probably R 10 000 which was my annual salary when we first left Southampton on the Windsor Castle to take up a new life in South Africa.

WEB PAGE NO. 2868

24th December 2021 First Picture: Roast Turkey

Second Picture Christmas Pudding

Third Picture: Chocolate coins

Forth Picture: Christmas Trifle

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS IN THE 1950s

I know people often say we look back through rose-coloured spectacles, but there was definitely something wonderful about Christmas in the 1950’s. Maybe it was because the preparations didn’t start months and months ahead or it wasn’t one big sales pitch but, whatever the reason, it just seemed a magical time. We didn’t have a lot of money then. My dad worked in the Dockyard and my mom a housewife like most women in the 1950’s, but they always made Christmas extra-special. I remember we never decorated the tree until Christmas week and the room trimmings were paper chains which came in kit form which we loved making. We never had an artificial tree , I have no idea where the real one came from but it was decorated with coloured baubles and tinsel and coloured lights. On Christmas Eve we always left a glass of sherry and a mince pie for Father Christmas plus a carrot for Rudolf and, of course, the next morning, the contents of the glass and the mince pie had disappeared and there was a big bite out of the carrot. I didn’t have a proper Christmas sack then and so a white pillow case or bolster case was left at the foot of the bed. I remember waking up on Christmas morning and seeing the misshapen case and knowing that Father Christmas had been. It would be filled with all sorts of goodies… Annuals An Enid Blyton Famous Five book A magic colouring book and brush A model car usually Dinky A net of chocolate coins Games like Snakes and Ladders and Tiddly Winks A Cadbury’s Selection box A tangerine And other small things It’s strange to think that parents today think nothing of spending hundreds of pounds on presents for their children. I often wonder if their children get as much pleasure from these expensive presents as we did from our simpler ones. Christmas lunch was always turkey with all the trimmings…roast potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, carrots and homemade parsley and thyme stuffing followed by Christmas pudding and custard. The Queen’s first Christmas message was broadcast in 1957 and, for many years afterwards, like so many other families, we would gather round the television at 3:00pm to listen to her annual message. We were always so full after Christmas lunch that we never wanted much at teatime, maybe some sherry trifle and a slice of Christmas cake, both made by mum. This was also the only time of year that we had dates and walnuts in the house. I have no idea why dates and the walnuts always sent my mother on a desperate hunt for the nut crackers. Tangerines also made an appearance as did boxes of Turkish Delight, Peppermint Creams and chocolate selection boxes. I have so many happy memories of those magical 1950’s Christmases. Do you have any special memories of Christmas past? And don’t forget on the big day we all had to wear our smart brand-new Christmas clothes at the dinner table!!! Finally a group of 1950s kids were asked what they wanted for Christmas - their answers will amaze you. Unlike today's youngsters, children certainly didn't ask Father Christmas for smartphones or 3D printers back in 1959. Whether they'd been naughty or nice, children in the 1950s dreamed of finding very different things in their Christmas stockings to the kids of today. And they weren't looking for a Barbie, Buzz Lightyear, or Scalextric. Dressed in shirts, pinnies, winter coats, centre-partings and bobs, the cute primary schoolchildren only wanted for simple things - especially the girls. Two little boys tell Father Christmas they want 'a bike', with two wheels and a bell, a clockwork mouse and a penny whistle. But the girls had even humble requests. one seven year old girl, asked for an ironing board - no doubt so she can help her mum around the house. Whilst an eight-year-old just wanted to dress smartly and asked Santa for 'an underskirt'. The two other girls asked for 'a bible' and 'oh, anything'.

Carl Writes: Pete Sexton Funeral I attended the funeral service for Pete Sexton on Monday at The Elms which was extremely well attended. While it was said that there were those present who were former pupils of Manor Court and Springfield schools an attendance they must have been after my time as I didn’t recognise a single face, mind you we were all masked of course however I was probably among the few of our age there. I did have a nice chat with Peters wife Linda ( nee Anson ) who I hadn’t seen since school days. She was shocked and delighted I think that a former pupil of her time was actually there. It was a really nice service, glowing tributes from the lady who led the service and some lovely memories mentioned by their two daughters Michelle and Marie. I was speaking on the phone with Chris Farmer on the Sunday evening and he said that his sister Jenny had let him know of Pete’s passing. Pete was their Sunday school teacher when they were much younger and long before Manor Court days. We were reflecting on the fact that when Pete Sexton together with Chris Cudlip joined the teaching staff at the school that they only seemed to be a few years older than us 5th and 6th formers at the time. Clearly not the case as Pete was nine years older than me. I hadn’t realised how close he and Ray Dopson had become. They were both very kind towards me along with George Pledger when I was having, shall we say, problems with Reg Davies. All a long time ago now but what happy days, almost a shame in some respects that we had to grow up and become responsible for ourselves. It was a brilliant school which I took full advantage of. All the very best, Carl. Ps., please feel free to impart any of the above in your next missive to the faithful. It seems that he continued there in his retirement and unknown to me a life long supporter of Pompey and would you believe there is a picture of him in the player’s tunnel. Thank you for attending Carl, I was determined to attend despite my treatment but dislocating my should three days beforeput paid to that. Thanks again and ay lest Linda knew what our generation thought of Pete. Stay in touch Peter

WEB PAGE NO. 2864

10th December 2021 First Picture: Collecting the Yule Log

Second Picture: Burning the log

Second Picture: Log Table decoration

Third Picture: The Chocolate version

The Yule Log

The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to, and before, medieval times. It was originally a Nordic tradition. Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, including Germany. The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! The log would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log which had been carefully stored away and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was considered important that the re-lighting process was carried out by someone with clean hands. Nowadays, of course, most people have central heating so it is very difficult to burn a tree! In Provence it is traditional that the whole family helps to cut the log down and that a little bit is burnt each night. If any of the log is left after Twelfth Night, it is kept safe in the house until the next Christmas to protect against lightning! In some parts of The Netherlands, this was also done, but the log had to be stored under a bed! In some eastern European countries, the log was cut down on Christmas Eve morning and lit that evening. In Cornwall, the log is called 'The Mock'. The log is dried out and then the bark is taken off before it comes into the house to be burnt. Also in the UK, barrel makers gave their customers old logs that they could not use for making barrels for Yule logs. The custom of the Yule Log spread all over Europe and different kinds of wood are used in different countries. In England, Oak is traditional; in Scotland, it is Birch; while in France, it's Cherry. Also, in France, the log is sprinkled with wine, before it is burnt, so that it smells nice when it is lit. In Devon and Somerset some people have a very large bunch of Ash twigs instead of the log. This comes from a local legend that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were very cold when the shepherds found them on Christmas Night so the shepherds got some bunches of twigs to burn to keep them warm. In some parts of Ireland, people have a large candle instead of a log and this is only lit on New Year's Eve and Twelfth Night. Different chemicals can be sprinkled on the log to make it burn with different coloured flames! Potassium Nitrate = Violet Barium Nitrate = Apple Green Borax = Vivid Green Copper Sulphate = Blue Table Salt = Bright Yellow This all sounds very dangerous to me! The ashes of Yule logs were meant to be very good for plants. This is true, because the ash from burnt wood contains a lot of 'potash', which helps plant flowers. But if you throw the ashes out on Christmas day it was supposedly very unlucky! A Chocolate Yule Log or 'Bûche de Noël' is now a popular Christmas dessert or pudding. It's traditionally eaten in France and Belgium, where they are known as 'Kerststronk' in Flemish. They are made of a chocolate sponge roll layered with cream. The outside is covered with chocolate or chocolate icing and decorated to look like a bark-covered log. Some people like to add extra decorations such as marzipan mushrooms! I think I like these better than the wooden version. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

WEB PAGE NO. 2862 3rd December 2021 First Picture: The Perishers family

Second Picture: Boot

Third Picture: Wellington and Boot

Forth Picture: The Eyeballs in the Sky

The Perishers

Author Maurice Dodd Launch date 19th October 1959 End date 10th June 2006 The Perishers was a long-running British comic strip about a group of neighbourhood children and a dog. It was printed in the Daily Mirror as a daily strip and first appeared on 19th October 1959. For most of its life it was written by Maurice Dodd (25th October 1922 – 31st December 2005), and was drawn by Dennis Collins until his retirement in 1983, after which it was drawn by Dodd and later by Bill Mevin. When Dodd died, the strip continued with several weeks' backlog of unpublished strips and some reprints until 10th June 2006. The strip then returned to the Daily Mirror, again as reprints, on 22nd February 2010. The story is set in the fairly drab fictional town of Croynge (sometimes spelled Crunge), which is apparently a South London borough. The location as depicted often resembles an industrial Northern town and may have its roots in how Croydon appeared in the 1950s. The strip draws upon nostalgia for childhood experiences and often has a static atmosphere, similar to Andy Capp. Adults are only rarely seen; for example, every year the Perishers go on holiday but always get thrown off the train home, forcing them to walk and arrive home several weeks late yet with seemingly no repercussions. Main characters Wellington An orphan boy who lives alone with his large dog, Boot. In the early days they lived in a 10-foot diameter concrete pipe section in an abandoned builder's yard. In 1966 he and Boot moved into a small railway station that had been closed by the Beeching Axe, and they have lived there ever since. Wellington takes his nickname from his trademark wellington boots – he cannot afford proper shoes. He named his dog Boot to go with Wellington. Wellington is quite solemn and given to deep trains of thought. He can also be quite resourceful – he appears to support himself by selling handmade wooden buggies and pilfering food from sympathetic local shops. He can also be something of a worrier, always concerned that the world is going to rack an' rooney. Over the years he has worried that the world is becoming clogged up with dirt, that people might get crushed by the weight of air above their heads, and that each new year might be the same old year recycled to save money. On those rare occasions when he cheers up, a small raincloud usually appears to dampen his spirits. Boot An Old English Sheepdog who lives with Wellington. Boot is a generally affable given to flights of fancy and daydreaming. Boot is also convinced that he is in fact an 18th-century English lord enchanted into a dog by a gypsy wench (as he puts it, I knew I should have bought those damn clothespegs!) – the strip gives occasional hints that this is actually true as opposed to another fantasy. As a lord, he demands to be treated with respect, and often tells Wellington so to his face. Unfortunately, Wellington only hears barking. Wellington thinks Boot is lazy and should help out with the household chores, but Boot usually manages to find some way to "accidentally" mess things up in the hope that he won't be asked again. He hates taking baths, and his bathtime struggles with Wellington usually turn into epic battles. Boot's favourite food appears to be links of sausages, and his attempts to consume these in advance of Wellington provide the basis of many episodes. Boot was originally drawn with a short tail but Maurice Dodd later discovered that real Old English Sheepdogs' tails are docked, and so over the course of several years his tail shorter and shorter until it vanished altogether. Marlon Marlon is amiable but he is not very bright he is enthusiastic and often tries his hand at inventing. The fact that most of his inventions had already been invented did not deter him, because he felt he was slowly catching up. One of his culinary inventions was the inch-thick ketchup sandwich which splashed whenever he bit into one. Marlon also dreams of becoming either a brain surgeon or "a bloke wot goes down sewers in big rubber boots. He spends his pocket money on Wellington's buggies, which usually results in a battle between Wellington's sales skills and Maisie's desire for him to spend the money on her. Maisie An adorable little girl – at least, according to her. In fact she is domineering and a bully, with a tendency to become violent if she doesn't get her own way, and a scream that can stun woodworm. She is scared of insects and spiders. She has convinced herself she is in love with Marlon and continues to pursue him despite his continual resistance. Another character trait of hers is a fondness for paper bags (and the contents thereof). It is usually Wellington who has just managed to scrape together enough money for sweets or fish and chips, which he has then to hide lest a rustle attract Maisie, who will appear, as if from nowhere, to inquire: "Need any help with that paper bag?" Baby Grumpling A toddler who in the early days of the strip he did not speak, because he knew that once he started he would be expected to keep talking all the time. When he finally began to speak he did so in entirely in lower-case letters. In the early days of the strip he was not related to the other characters, but was later revealed to be Maisie's little brother. He used to think that school was a prison from which the older Perishers were temporarily released each evening. He digs a lot of holes, which he always blames on worms or moles. He enjoys creating mischief and has a teddy bear Gladly (short for "Gladly, my cross-eyed bear"). Recurring characters The Crabs: The inhabitants of a seaside rock pool, visited by Boot every year during the Perishers' summer holiday. Some of the crabs believe that Boot's eyes peering down at them annually are a mystical visitation – "The Eyeballs in the Sky" – and this belief is exploited by a preacher crab who uses their appearance as an excuse to extort money from his congregation. His efforts are always opposed by a scientist crab who continually attempts to invent a device to break through the surface of the pool and investigate what the "Eyeballs" really are, despite the preacher's protests that he will "rend the fabric of the pooliverse". Plain Jane: a friend of Maisie's, often seen selling potions and tonics from a home-made stall. Fred Beetle and the Caterpillar: a pair of insects often encountered by Boot. Fred is a socialist who seems to be modelled on Fred Kite from I'm All Right Jack. The Caterpillar's chain-smoking habit has stunted his growth and prevented his metamorphosis into a butterfly. This is just as well since he doesn't like heights. B. H. (Calcutta) Failed: a kindly Indian bloodhound who lost his sense of smell in an unfortunate incident involving an elephant filled with curry which exploded in the noonday sun. B. H. literally bumped into Boot one day, and they have been good friends ever since. A final, specially drawn strip appeared on the Daily Mirror's comic page on Saturday 10 June 2006. The strip depicts the silhouetted figures of Maisie, Baby Grumpling, Wellington, Boot and Marlon walking down a street into the sunset. Wellington says, "Well, dear readers, it's taken almost fifty years for you to see the back of us. In sayin' goodbye we hope that you remember us with the affecshun we feel for you." The tone of the strip is reminiscent of Charles M. Schulz's final Peanuts strip, from which the Perishers strip took its inspiration. The strip was initially replaced by the short-lived Ronaldinho, during the then-ongoing World Cup. After the tournament, the American Pooch Cafe appeared as a more permanent replacement. Annuals Regular collections of the strip were published in book form. The first was issued in the UK in 1963, often referred to as 'Meet the Perishers' but was in fact just titled 'The Perishers'. The second issue, 'The Perishers Strike Again', was published two years later. Further issues were then mostly published at the rate of two per year, commencing in 1968 (exceptions being three issued in 1972, and one in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977). A total of 27 annuals were released, the last being published in 1981. In 1974, in addition to the regular book, an omnibus collection of previously published strips was issued, followed by two further omnibus collections in 1975 and 1976. Reprints After a gap of nearly four years, the original cartoon strip returned to the Daily Mirror as reprints, on 22nd February 2010 due to popular demand. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com