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Thank you all for your congratulations folks, it was nothing really (For me at least).

My eldest son became an instant step grandfather when he married in 1998. Thinking about that, does that mean that I became a step great grandfather at the same time?

Renes,

Whilst in Blackpool if you fancy eating Italian go to Mamma's Ristorante. Excellent food in a lovely atmosphere coupled with reasonable prices particularly at lunchtime.

Yes it does Jonesey! Is Lexi the new short form of Alexandra?


I thought one was supposed to have fish and chips in Blackpool???

Blackpool Illuminations are on from 2nd September - 6th November - your grandson will love them I think.... :-D

Congratulations Jonesey and all concerned <3

I have only been to Blackpool once and was not impressed. We went the day before they switched on the lights, it was windy so they shut the tower and half of the attractions (not that I would have gone on them).but daughter did

Got back to the car to find we had a parking ticket when there was one on display on the dashboard but not on the screen, the jobsworth warden got us for that. We could'nt really do much about it as it was a hired car.

I still think Southend has a lot to offer, aswell as it being local to me

jax

Just remembered when jax mentioned the Tower. It's just been refurbished and is quite something apparently. May be worth a visit Renes!!

yep, Jonesy


you are now actually a step great great grandfather :-D


I shouldn't tell Mrs Jonesy though ............... that sounds even older than being a gt grandmother!





s
xx

re Blackpool

Give us a bit more info on Mamma Jonesey ---- address etc


Cyns -- saw a review where it said that there are only few light now ---- because of renovations ¿¿

Hope not true as it is the one thing I wanted to see -----

xxx

Just looked at the website


Blackpool Illuminations began in 1879!!

Didn't realise they began that long ago!



They were then known as Artificial Sunshine :-D



I more often saw them in the 1950s/60s in liquid sunshine :-D:-D





don't think you have to worry Renes!


I think there will be plenty of them!




s
xx

I always think BP is fab for kids but a complete sh#t hole for adults

Very expensive for what it is but our Renes will be more than happy to spoil the little un....and why not

BP is for kids

Must admit the best place to relax in the UK is Scarborough...although have to say I do not do UK hols any longer......or any other at the mo :(

...but for a day out...ace

Not much fun for the kids if it is shut during the summer holidays

At least she got to see Anfield

ja...x

Why was it closed Ja..x?

we used to go on a "day" trip to Blackpool in the early 1950s, usually in October, arranged by the place where Dad worked.


a so-called family outing


Leave Oldham mid afternoon, stop somewhere for liquid refreshment aka "tea", arrive Blackpool, a couple of hours "free time", then back to the "chara" for a tour of the Illuminations. At least one more stop for liquid refreshment on the way home ........ while the kids sat on the doorstep of the pub or in the "garden" if they had one! There was a favourite stop at The Green Man ............... but heaven alone knows exactly where that was. It's just the name that has stuck with me!



Only went once in the day time, and that was with my brither's wife, whose brother lived in Blackpool for a time.


I remember sunbathing in the sand dunes on that trip ............. in my itty bitty blue bikini :-D



Our favourite place for summer holdiays was Scarborough .................. my parents went there every eyar from 1928 to 1939, and then from about 1946 until the 1960s. Dad went by himself or with one of my brother's daughters after Mum died in 1959, right up until he died in 1971.


:-D :-D :-D



s
xx

Snap about Scarborough, Gins!


OH and I went there when we were back in 1995 .................. 4 weeks after the last op!!

We stayed for 3 nights at a private hotel in the North Bay ...... my parents always went to South Bay.


We just looked in a book, picked the name of a hotel, drove up to the door, and had our choice of 2 rooms.

Does help going in early July!!!



It was during the Fish Wars ........... and one of the trawlers in the harbour was flying a Canadian flag, because Canadians had supported the UK during that time



It was amazing how little Scarborough had changed over the years .................. the businesses were often different, but the buildings were the same, so the street scapes and views were all as remembered!



Our previous visit was in 1973, our first trip back after emigrating. My brother booked us into the Grand on that trip ................ 4 meals a day! waddle waddle!!



s
xx

Scarborough..it's not changed at all Sylv....thats why I like it

Commericial to some extent but still very very quaint and friendly

I have photos of my grandparents taken in Scarborough in the mid-1920s




but have no idea why they took such a fancy to Scarborough


it was one heck of a trip in the 1920s and 30s!


Even in the 1950s, it would take 5 or 6 hours to get there by coach



s
xx

The sea front of South Bay always had blocks of low buildings .................... where one could spend every tiny bit of money playing games of chance!

In the 1950s, it was Bingo.



open-fronted bingo parlours one after the other!



I forget what was in those same buildings in 1995



but yes, take the money!!




But then there were some excellent, high-priced, stores away from the seafront, including a branch of at least one London store.



and there was a wonderful chocolatier.


I can taste their rum balls even now :-)




s
xxx

I love Scarborough too

Paul and I went there onetime for a long weekend and he had bought stink bombs

He kept standing behind couples on the sea front and dropping the bombs and wandering off

Most women immediately turned to their husbands and blamed them

Paul was like a kid -- he loved it ----

The stink bombs for forbidden after that

Naughty Paul!

Scarborough...has not changed much, I was there a couple of years ago and went to an Italian which was ace.....cant remember the name, but it was north on a side street

I thought for one moment that Sylvs was going to say she was there when the Lights began!!! :-D


If you google Blackpool Illuminations Renes, it gives you the info for this year.


With that....I am orf.........night all.....~~~~

Renes,

Mamma's is in Topping Street, not far from the Winter Gardens. Just Googled and they have a website:

http://www.mammasblackpool.co.uk.

I and a group of friends used to go to Blackpool fairly regularly for "Male Bonding" weekends. We would arrive on a Friday afternoon, have a meal (Usually fish and chips) then spend the evening getting progressively the worse for drink. On Saturday mornings we always went clay target shooting then back to our hotel for a change of clothes and an aperitif or 2 or 3 then off to Mamma's for dinner. After visiting Mamma's some of the group would pop into the lap dancing club just up the street from Mamma's whilst the rest would inevitably end up in one of the towns many pubs. I only once went to the lap dance but nobody asked me to dance so I left early. ;-)

On Sunday mornings it was more shooting, lunch and then set off home.

As weekends went they were good entertainment but quite expensive. On the last weekend we were there the hotel bar bill alone came to over £750 but there were 8 of us.

Blackpool is gaudy, tacky and a great place to see mobs of Elvis look-a-likes and herds of scantily clad young hen party participants roaming the streets. Sophisticated it is not but who needs sophistication when your principal object is to escape reality for a brief period. As Sidney Friedman (Mash) said, "To maintain your sanity you need to pull down your pants and slide on the ice occasionally".