Things you don’t see outside any more

[najaB]

On a similar theme, concrete lamp posts? All metal here these days.

Also mentioned a couple of times up-thread.

 

[yorksrob]

I can’t remember seeing any squirrels in my northern childhood in the 60s and 70s. I went with mum to see a cousin in Wokingham in 1970 and was delighted by their grey squirrels in the park. Presumably they have spread everywhere since. I do remember seeing red squirrels on a Geography field trip to Formby Point in about 1978, and I hope they are still there. (Not the same ones, obviously).

EDIT: And I saw a black squirrel in Switzerland in 1979, which impressed me as I didn’t know they existed.

The red's are still there around Formby. Spotted one up a tree near there last year.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

The only one that I've seen jumped onto the track immediately after our train had passed on the line from Jenbach up to Achensee in Austria.

It must be something about them, the one I saw in Switzerland did exactly the same thing..

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2022 ==

The only one I have seen was crossing the road at Randolph's Leap in Scotland. Looking at distribution maps, that area is a stronghold. Locally, we have the black variety.

Are the black ones, grey squirrels that have caught a virus which makes them black?

 

[Trainbike46]

I can’t remember seeing any squirrels in my northern childhood in the 60s and 70s. I went with mum to see a cousin in Wokingham in 1970 and was delighted by their grey squirrels in the park. Presumably they have spread everywhere since. I do remember seeing red squirrels on a Geography field trip to Formby Point in about 1978, and I hope they are still there. (Not the same ones, obviously).

EDIT: And I saw a black squirrel in Switzerland in 1979, which impressed me as I didn’t know they existed.

Black squirrels are usually grey squirrels with a mutation that changes their fur colour. There's some populations around the UK, including one in Girton near Cambridge, for example

 

[AM9]

Black squirrels are usually grey squirrels with a mutation that changes their fur colour. There's some populations around the UK, including one in Girton near Cambridge, for example

In some other countries there are also grey sqirrels that have a greenish tinge to their fur.

 

[Busaholic]

Things we probably will never see outside again after today (please!!!) are a departing Prime Minister pretending to be intellectual by quoting a Roman philosopher whom she'd obviously never heard of and didn't know how to pronounce his name (Senn, glances down at crib, Eckker.)

 

[birchesgreen]

We''ll possibly never see that lectern used again, all the departing PMs going back to Brown at least have used a different one when giving their farewell speech. I wonder if the lectern is ceremonially burnt as part of the changeover ceremony.

 

[E27007]

On a similar theme, concrete lamp posts? All metal here these days.

There is a Lamp Post Appreciation Society.
They have a valid point. Modern street lighting is so utilitarian.
To the Edwardians, the adoption and introduction of electric street lighting was a statement of the prosperity of a town. The humble lamp post received much thought as to design and appearance in selection of lighting schemes
The society look out for locations where old lamposts have been overlooked and escaped replacement by modern lamposts.
I'm not a member!

 

[Lloyds siding]

Red squirrels are just tree rats with good PR.

Do you grow conifers?

I've not seen a red one for about 5 years, but a grey one ran into our garage this week (then out again).

 

[david1212]

At least from my regular 30 minute walk around part of the estate this morning casings from fireworks on 6th November. I didn't see a single item e.g. card tube and stick from a rocket.

 

[AY1975]

The red's are still there around Formby. Spotted one up a tree near there last year.

There are colonies of them in various places across the country, including the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, the Isle of Wight and Caldey Island, a famous monastic island off the Pembrokeshire coast in South Wales. I went to Caldey last year and saw a red squirrel there. I think it was the first time in my life that I'd seen one in the flesh.

 

[S&CLER]

Those advertising signs for paint which used to be numerous in fields alongside railway lines: they were cutout figures of two men in painter's dustcoats carrying a ladder, with the name of the paint (what was it?) on the ladder. You can catch a glimpse of one alongside the Midland line in the BT film Blue Pullman. I recall how frequent they were alongside the Calder valley line on my first trip from Liverpool Exchange to York via Wakefield Kirkgate in 1967.

 

[Gloster]

Those advertising signs for paint which used to be numerous in fields alongside railway lines: they were cutout figures of two men in painter's dustcoats carrying a ladder, with the name of the paint (what was it?) on the ladder. You can catch a glimpse of one alongside the Midland line in the BT film Blue Pullman. I recall how frequent they were alongside the Calder valley line on my first trip from Liverpool Exchange to York via Wakefield Kirkgate in 1967.

All those big advertising hoardings that you used to see in the middle of fields near to main roads and railways as they passed through the countryside. ‘You’re in the strong country’ from Hampshire and Dorset is the one I remember.

 

[D6130]

All those big advertising hoardings that you used to see in the middle of fields near to main roads and railways as they passed through the countryside. ‘You’re in the strong country’ from Hampshire and Dorset is the one I remember.

Yes, I remember those too....advertising the late, lamented Strong's Brewery in Romsey - one of many small, once family-owned breweries around the country which fell victim the "Whitbread Tour of Destuction" in the late '70s/early '80s. One of those signs has been preserved at Ropley on the Mid-Hants Railway.

 

[Lloyds siding]

I suppose it depends where you live, orange sodium vapour street lighting?

Yes, there's one outside my house, though all the others own my road are now LED. Not many around now to be sure.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Around Whimple and visible from passing trains were lots of orchards with large signs proclaiming Whiteways Cider Orchard.

"Whitbread Tour of Destuction

I had a CAMRA tee-shirt with that phrase on and a list of breweries it had closed in the back.

 

[AM9]

"Whitbread Tour of Destuction"

Really, "Destuction"?

 

[D6130]

Really, "Destuction"?

Whoops! What happened to the missing 'r'? My usual proof-reading standards must have missed a beat!

 

[AY1975]

Another thing I don't think has been mentioned is manually operated stop/go signs at roadworks: you still see them occasionally (I saw one recently), but I'd say that temporary traffic lights are very much the norm these days. I suppose it depends on whether there is a readily available power supply in the area, so maybe manual stop/go signs are often still used at roadworks in remote rural locations. Also, I would guess that if there aren't enough sets of temporary traffic lights to go round in that area they use a manual sign instead.

My dad has a funny story about a labourer whose main job was to turn one of those manual stop/go signs round and who had to go into hospital, and he had to fill in a form with his personal details including his occupation, for which he put "stop/go man"!

And what about crossing patrols (a.k.a. "lollipop ladies")? I don't think they have been mentioned either. Not sure if they still exist anywhere: it's a few years since I last saw one.

 

[SargeNpton]

Another thing I don't think has been mentioned is manually operated stop/go signs at roadworks: you still see them occasionally (I saw one recently), but I'd say that temporary traffic lights are very much the norm these days. I suppose it depends on whether there is a readily available power supply in the area, so maybe manual stop/go signs are often still used at roadworks in remote rural locations. Also, I would guess that if there aren't enough sets of temporary traffic lights to go round in that area they use a manual sign instead.

They all run off a portable generator.

 

[Gloster]

Another thing I don't think has been mentioned is manually operated stop/go signs at roadworks: you still see them occasionally (I saw one recently), but I'd say that temporary traffic lights are very much the norm these days. I suppose it depends on whether there is a readily available power supply in the area, so maybe manual stop/go signs are often still used at roadworks in remote rural locations. Also, I would guess that if there aren't enough sets of temporary traffic lights to go round in that area they use a manual sign instead.

My dad has a funny story about a labourer whose main job was to turn one of those manual stop/go signs round and who had to go into hospital, and he had to fill in a form with his personal details including his occupation, for which he put "stop/go man"!

I don’t think that it is a question of power supplies, as they usually seem to use a portable generator. It is more likely that the main decider is whether it is worth the general inconvenience of bringing along a generator and setting up the lights if the works are only of short duration.

 

[najaB]

They all run off a portable generator.

I've never seen them using a generator, it's usually batteries AFAIAA.

 

[Ediswan]

I've never seen them using a generator, it's usually batteries AFAIAA.

I have seen both, and solar panels.

 

[najaB]

I have seen both, and solar panels.

I've seen solar panels too, but expect the problem with the generator is what will happen if it dies while nobody is on site to restart it.

 

[Butts]

Another thing I don't think has been mentioned is manually operated stop/go signs at roadworks: you still see them occasionally (I saw one recently), but I'd say that temporary traffic lights are very much the norm these days. I suppose it depends on whether there is a readily available power supply in the area, so maybe manual stop/go signs are often still used at roadworks in remote rural locations. Also, I would guess that if there aren't enough sets of temporary traffic lights to go round in that area they use a manual sign instead.

My dad has a funny story about a labourer whose main job was to turn one of those manual stop/go signs round and who had to go into hospital, and he had to fill in a form with his personal details including his occupation, for which he put "stop/go man"!

And what about crossing patrols (a.k.a. "lollipop ladies")? I don't think they have been mentioned either. Not sure if they still exist anywhere: it's a few years since I last saw one.

Still got them in Falkirk - it's even a man.

 

[Busaholic]

And what about crossing patrols (a.k.a. "lollipop ladies")? I don't think they have been mentioned either. Not sure if they still exist anywhere: it's a few years since I last saw one.

Still exist in West Cornwall: older men too.

 

[DelW]

As well as very short-term works, manual stop/go boards are also still used for mobile works like hedge cutting or ditch clearing, as the board operator(s) can move along the road at the same speed as the work gang. They were in use for some works on the A40 west of Oxford a couple of weeks ago.

 

[32475]

School children in slings and plaster after breaking an arm.
When I was at school it was a real badge of honour and the very best excuse for being off games.
The recipient would have all their mates cover the plaster surface with their names, favourite football teams and derogatory comments.

 

[Busaholic]

School children in slings and plaster after breaking an arm.
When I was at school it was a real badge of honour and the very best excuse for being off games.
The recipient would have all their mates cover the plaster surface with their names, favourite football teams and derogatory comments.

I got a bit caught out with the sling thing. I took it off at the weekend and quite forgot to reinstate it on the Monday morning. On being questioned, I just brazened it out with 'it mended all by itself over the weekend.' Nobody challenged that , but I recognised I'd had a 'near miss' and toed the line thereafter.

 

[birchesgreen]

Still exist in West Cornwall: older men too.

In Birmingham too, they don't have a lollipop anymore though