Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Pie 'n' Mash & Prefabs


norbold

Recommended Posts

Call yourself an Eastender? Bah!

Give me Rock and Chips any day...I can't get them in Yorkshire :nono:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, TWK. I am so glad you liked it and that it brought back so many happy memories.

 

Now to keep my side of the bargain.......

 

It all began innocuously enough when our Internet at home went down and I could only get on to the Speedway Forum (and every other site of course) by using my work computer. This was some time early in 2002. I reported the fault to BT who sent someone round to investigate. The engineer at first couldn't find out where the fault lay other than it obviously wasn't working. After several days, BT finally discovered that Tendring Hundred Waterworks Company (my then water supplier) had cut through a cable in front of a house five doors away from mine when doing some work there and it was this that was causing the problem, so they said it should be easy to fix.

 

BT then dug a hole in the road to get at the cable. This was the famous norbold's hole. However, before they could start work, the local Council came round to investigate a hole in their road and demanded that BT put up safety notices round the hole and fence it off. So another day passed while they did this. We were then told by BT that as it was the Water Company's fault they had asked them for a compensation payment before they would start the work. More time while the Water Company arranged a visit. When they did, they denied it was their fault and wouldn't pay.

 

I can't remember the exact sequence of events after that but, apart from the hole being there, nothing was getting done in spite of further numerous visits from BT, The Water Company and the Council, who all peered into norbold's hole, tutted and went away. During the course of all this, I gave a daily update on the Speedway Forum from work, which, as you can imagine, brought forth many comments, serious, humorous, lewd and any type you care to mention. It was this and the length of time it went on for that made it easily the longest thread seen on the Forum at that time and, I guess, ever since, until the Darcy Ward thread and became quite a cause celebre. Sadly, the thread got lost when the Forum was revamped some years later. I did screen shot and keep some of it, but I've lost that now as well.

 

The outcome of all this was that it eventually got done something like a month after the hole was first dug. At the time - I don't know if it is still the case - BT paid huge compensation for every day over three days that a customer couldn't receive their Internet services. It was so much that it paid for a four week family holiday to Australia and New Zealand, where, incidentally, I had a great day out with Bob Andrews, who showed me the sites of Auckland, including the speedway track and speedway museum, finishing with dinner with him and Tommy Sweetman.

 

That, as far as I can remember, is the story of norbold's hole. I don't know if any Forum old timers would care to add anything to the story or their memories of it. Oh, I do still have a photo of the hole.

 

Incidentally, TWK, as you bought the book on Amazon, is there any chance you could review it on there, pretty please? It does help and would be most appreciated.

Thank you Norbold.............at least I now know what it was about............

 

Still reading the book (had another to finish first) and enjoying it............

 

RP

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remember the old Abbey National adverts...Get the Abbey habit?

 

Well, I've got the Norbold habit. having recently purchased "Pie" and Speedway in East Anglia I bought "Tom Farndon" yesterday, and Speedway in London today.

 

That should get me on to Norbold's Christmas card list :rofl: .

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, chr. I might send you a bowl of jellied eels for Christmas. :)

They will come right back unopened :party:I wish Farmfoods did rock and chips...you could email me a voucher :rofl: .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't like jellied eels and neither do I like whelks.On my brief trip to London last week I did go past Manzies on Tower Bridge Rd twice.It was closed at that hour,but was given a mention in my girlfriends german tourist guide to London.We don't have a pie n mash shop in Hamburg,but we do have a Cornish pastie shop that also now sells clotted cream.Like London,we don't have a speedway team either.What we do have is our very own regional speciality that doesn't travel well........

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labskaus

 

Might be the start of a book......

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't like jellied eels and neither do I like whelks.On my brief trip to London last week I did go past Manzies on Tower Bridge Rd twice.It was closed at that hour,but was given a mention in my girlfriends german tourist guide to London.We don't have a pie n mash shop in Hamburg,but we do have a Cornish pastie shop that also now sells clotted cream.Like London,we don't have a speedway team either.What we do have is our very own regional speciality that doesn't travel well........

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labskaus

 

Might be the start of a book......

That looks bloody awful iris123.

 

Have you ever tried it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The big question now is, what about stewed eels? Pick out your eel from the writhing plate of live eels in the shop window, watch the chef drop it into a pot of boiling water and be ready in time to have with your pie 'n' mash. Luvverly!

Wrong on so many levels.............the eels...........pie and mash rocks...........

 

RP

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Bumping this one up - the Kindle edition is amongst 250 books in the Kindle spring sale, so will be 99p for a few weeks. Even though speedway only features briefly, it's a great book for those who like a bit of post war social history :)

 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pie-Mash-Prefabs-1950s-Childhood-ebook/dp/B00U58TZD0?ie=UTF8&keywords=pie%20n%20mash%20n%20prefabs&qid=1458816633&ref_=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2&sr=8-1

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
  • 1 month later...

I've just received my latest Pie 'n' Mash & Prefabs book sales totals. Between 1 Jan and 30 June this year, it sold 976 paperbacks and 3737 ebooks, making a grand total since publication on 5 March 2015 of 11,215 paperbacks and 6449 ebooks - 17,664 copies altogether.

 

I have to say I think I'm quite pleased with that! :cheers:

 

Thank you to everyone who bought a copy. I hope you enjoyed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy