Al,
Never knew he was still alive, bugger me he must be 96 he seemed a bloody old man when I was a hairy arsed kid in the 60's. Give him my regards and I hope you get him a good price for all his stuff he deserves it. Has he still got that SWB frame like a Waller? Can't remember the maker but it came from Hackney, weird looking thing!
Smashing geezer. Him and his missus were marvellous to all us kids in the Six Hills and he organized some smashing Easter Tours. Tell him I still remember getting pissed up at Barnard Castle with him. Could only have been fourteen and it was him who got me started on the beer. Brown and mild we all satarted on that way back in those days fell off my bleeding Hetchins as a result. AR still has this bike with the top tube dent a sa result of my drunken fall.
So you got to see the bi-lam welding fiasco on the CR list then. Silly old bugger talk about nit picking must have more time on his hands than he knows what to bleeding do with. Don't really think he has added anything earth shattering to the debate and the Americans must being getting really bored by it all. Be their turn next when he has a go at them and has another cross to bear. When you see Tom next show him, he enjoys a good laugh and he must really miss this and the shop, menthol fags and the brazing torch.
Darren still phones he is working for LT now. Shame he was a good young builder. Buggered if I know what the London cycle messengers are doing for their frame repairs now that he has packed, or us for ours? Keep on meaning to call in on Tom's son he only lives a couple of miles from here. He used to ride with Brookie they did some good times together in the 2 ups.
Brookie has packed up his, bottle finally went. Can't blame him I had to go into work by bus the other night first time I hadn't used the bike for work in over two years.
Came around by St.Pauls where there was a small roadside shrine set up. Usual thing candles, flowers, tubs, innertubes etc. getting far to common place in London of late especially Blackfriars Bridge. Turned out that there was this Polish kid who fled post commmunist Krakow to get a better life in London as a bicycle messenger and got smacked and killed by a lorry driver. The irony of it all was he was taken out by a £60 Estonian cowboy lorry driver. Poor bastard.
I called the kid Polpot as he loved the whacky baccy and Moroccan Woodbines such a nice kid always chatted and waved, just like us old uns, a real cyclist. What a bloody waste and shame to come all this way and get slaughterd by someone else from the Baltic states trying to eke out a living.
You take care now and be lucky. Mickey B.
Mick Butler Huntingdon Great Britain