Nonne quisquis hic Latine decenter loquitur?

Lynette enquired this week;

"What do you think of the above suggestion for our 1zaac motto?"

Here at 1zaac we are awaiting Miss Austin's reply. What do you think, readers?

Fauna hazards

Here at 1zaac we received a note from Carol in South Carolina today;

"Ah jes leurve that cute lil'ol automobile in the cerise story. What is that thang?"

Well, Carol, it's called a 2CV. It has four doors and two cylinders. And you'll be seeing more of them in Episode 4, Lyon, France, Easter 1971.

While you're waiting, we think that a smart Southern Belle lady like yourself can probably guess which country the above photo was taken in?

Look out, too, for a new 1zaac "triple C" initiative: The Clever Crapcar Commission.

Do you own a Crapcar, or have you ever owned one? Do you have any motoring adventure stories to relate from the sixties, up to the modern day, illustrating the good times to be had in Crapcars?

The Commission will consider any non-libellous content for publication.

Macroglossum Stellatarum

...or Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

1zaac affiliates Daniel and Sarah visited Sainte Cécile last week, and spotted this summer visitor doing the nectar rounds in the lavender.

photo courtesy flickr

Le Temps des Cerises...

South Australian Anzac 1zaacs John and Kathy Clarke visited Sainte Cécile this week. The Crows narrowly beat the blackbirds to the cherry crop.

Click on the cherries to go to the Sainte Cécile website, where you will find some pictures of the commune, and all you never needed to know about local authority administrative procedures...
Kathy & John painstakingly de-stoned the fruit, before preparing a coulis for the ice-cream.We went for a picnic at the romanesque church at Mesnard.The 13th-century wall-paintings were re-discovered in 1950, after the de-consecrated church had been used as a barn for almost 100 years... John did a "Don't Look Now" tribute pose...(1zaac film buff committee comment; a very scary film, released during our last year in the Sixth Form...)

Salve Debbie; mea maxima culpa

1zaac eye candy; Judy, Debbie AND the post-war council houses of West Chadsmoor.

Welcome to the Magical Mystery Tour, Debbie. Yes, blame the 1zaac editorial dept for omitting the smouldering brunette from the 1971 Cannock Grammar School playing fields pic. (Scholars & Amazons story, infra)

The Council Planner was obviously having a bad hair day; he left a tree.

Salutations amicales de la part des Zeddeurs et Zeddeuses.

Spot the Zedders

Latest 1zaac library addition, for our "Nerds R Us" Australiana section;

From page 18...Spot the Zedders:

Coming Soon; 1969 - 1970...

Click on the 1970 School mag for an amazing and expanding experience...

Salve, Graham

Tixall Bridge, near Stafford, UK. Sunrise in May.

This photo is to welcome our latest 1Z 1967 Zeddeur, Graham PRICE.

For the past six months, we 1zaacs have trawled through telephone directories, electoral registers, West Chadsmoor King Lear impersonator long-term residents' memories and the internet. Amongst other places. We even contemplated an Indiana Jones Crusade "up the higher reaches of Pye Green Road" as our annual outing.

We located our long-lost "Mairte" last week, and were delighted to welcome him on board our Magical Mystery TourBuzz.

The photo: Tixall is on the edge of Cannock Chase.

Graham recalled our 1973 Sixth-Form Motor Moron Games Rejects afternoon orienteering excursions, in full school uniform, embarking from Pye Green telecommunications tower. (Even WE could not fail to find THAT starting point...) Those green blazers and the acorn emblems certainly made unorthodox but effective camouflage "Up The Chase" for the afternoon tobacco addicts.

A belated thank-you to Graham's Dad, Ron, for all of those rides to the Tower in his immaculate blue Hillman Avenger.

Great to have you on board, Graham. We've got the compass somewhere. Hope you've still got those orienteering score sheets.

(Almost) August publications in June

In 1zaac days, there were two local newspapers in Cannock: The Advertiser and The Courier.

Nowadays there is The Chase Post.

More, much more, anon.

Recent sample headlines, allegedly:

• "Huntington's Stolen Leisure Mound St George Flag Returns"
• "Grave Error Exclusive: Cheslyn Hay Woman Buried On Top Of Wrong Man"
• "Fred Puts Cannock On Map"
• "Cannock UK Chav Capital - Councillor Resigns - I Day Do It"

(supplied by embedded 1zaac proofreaders. Let us know if you have spotted others...Especially if you have any which are easier to translate for our French readership than are the above examples. Merci. On behalf of 1zaac translation committee )

French 1zaacs; Clicquez le tricolore Chase Post banner below pour latest Cheslyn Hay histoire, et un cours immersion short en 2009 local journalism central Angleterre. (Hope translation is OK. Usual translator en vacances. Bonjour et merci.)

Buzzing Around, from Malcolm Tolley

Click on the badge to buzz to Cannock Grammar School Former Pupils' Association (no buzz pass required)

Good to hear from Malcolm Tolley, from the cgsfpa committee this week:

Hi Alan

Thanks for the update of your posts on 1zaac.

I see you have an interest in buses.

I used to live in Essington when I was at the Grammar school, and travelled on the number 56 Wolverhampton to Great Wyrley bus, also known as the Wyrley Whizzer.

There was a basic core of conductors on this bus :- Dora, a buxom ginger haired lady, and two or three Polish ? men, one was called Michael, I can't remember the other names.

I was one of about five students that caught the bus at the top of Broad Lane and travelled to Deakin's corner, and then caught the number 1 or 865 to Cannock.

Most of us were pupils at Cannock, but one pupil ( Vic Whitehouse ) carried on to Rugeley Grammar.

We were such regular passengers, that the conductors knew how many there should be, and they would tell the driver to stop at the top of Broad Lane so that they could see down the lane, and would blow their whistle to tell us to hurry up if they could see anyone coming up the lane.

This wouldn't happen today !

1zaac doyen Ash Ashley, born 1914, recites "Grumble Corner"...

Here at 1zaac we present, with affection, an offering from our most senior member.

Just click on the play button.

If you do not feel better after viewing, if your heart is not warmed and your spirits not raised, you should delete this blog from your favourites.

Carpe Video

AB

Canine Caption Conundrum

Here at 1zaac we would like to apologize for any offence caused to Cannock Council Planning dept in our previous post.

We think, however, that CCP could take a lead from Walsall Council Street naming dept.

Here is a bit of signwriting from a Walsall chippy.

In Hawes Close.

Caption suggestions invited.

The Midstaffordian 1967 Dialect - A Glossary

Cannock Town Centre, circa 1961. Some things are timeless:Ty-Phoo still available at ALDI. Others are not: Beware of the forty quid overstay parking fines from the Automated Numberplate Recognition cameras (Caveat courtesy of Zeddeuse LP).

If the lady in the black dress would like to contact 1zaac, we may have a few stories about our Cardinal Griffin School contemporaries to pass on.

Photo courtesy Staffordshire Past Track Archive.

This post may be of special interest to our latest 1zaac-ette, Ann BEAUMONT.

Ann was, in her Miss Austin previous existence, our Latin teacher in 1967. Cf episode 1.

Salve, magistra. Welcome to the Mystery Tour. Here is a picture just for you.

We are working on a translation into Latin of;

"Not all Roman roads lead to Cannock"...

...and hoping for a "bene".

Here at 1zaac we have recently received three enquiries from overseas contributors:

The first one is from a gentleman signing as "Moikle", from Australia. Here is an excerpt.

"Starve the bloomin' lizards Brownie. Wot's all this Pommy dialect stuff. Jeez, mate, can't ya use the flamin' QUEEN'S ENGLISH??? And proper punctuation!!!"

The second snippet is from Carol in South Carolina:

Oh My. Ah jes leurve the sto'ries. How 'bout y'all hep us out with some those itty-bitty Staffo'd shire sayens?

And a word from Bernadette in Brittany:

What do it means "Ode on a bit. Yoe ay 'erd the best yet" ?

There appears to be a pattern here. (Nice one, 1zaac "spot the need dept" -Ed)

So here are the first entries of the Midstaffordian Glossary.

Please feel welcome to forward your own entries via the usual channels.

NOTIFICATION from 1zaac "Varieties of 1960's Regional English" sub-committee:

Midstaffordian is NOT (="AY") Brummy. It is NOT/AY Black Country. It ay North Staffs neither. An doe get/goo mixin it up wi' that MidStaffs healthcare trust. We day do it. And the past tense of AY is WA'AR. Yoe doe hear much on it now.

Mairte (n) Term of endearment used, until the start of the third millennium, between working-class males of similar age and status. It illustrates the Northern English "air" varietal of the vowel sound [a]. Specialists/smartarses will have observed the mutation to the Black Country/Brummified "ayee" in the southern fringes (Essington and beyond). It then sounds like a nasalized "may it" to non-native speakers. This occasionally leads French listeners, like Bernadette, to anticipate a subjunctive. Well, Bernadette, the bad news is that this is one of the easier mutations to grasp.

Not to be confused with the gentrified version "Mate", which is now in common use by both genders when addressing spouses/partners, siblings, offspring, contemporaries and so forth.

This is no longer confined to members of the remnant working-class. Even less to those who are still lucky enough to be in employment; at least one former British Prime Minister, initials TB, has been observed "Mate-ing" on more than one occasion. Usually with himself.

"Mate" has been for more than a generation the generic choice of Australian male politicians when addressing their peers outside Parliament in Canberra. Inside that edifice, the titles of choice include "Ratbag", "Scumbag", "Liar" and, in the case of One Nation's Pauline Hanson, "The Oxley Moron".

American speakers of English (no oxleymoron intended) rarely use the term: hence Carolinan Carol's consternation.

Are adv., An expression of agreement or assent. "Are, yoe'm right, theer". NOT a part of the verb "to be", which is conjugated thus;

I am/yoe am/ (irregularity coming up, be careful...)'e is/ 'er is/ we am/yoe am/they am

The negatives are (sorry, am) even easier: I ay/yoe ay/'e ay/ 'er ay/ we ay/ yoe ay/ they ay...

While we are on verbs; can any Midstaffordian speakers who may be reading this provide entries for "Car" and "Day"?

Hang on/Ho'de up. This is a glossary. You are not supposed to digress. No wonder you failed History 'O' Level. And Physics. Ed.

Further entry requests;

Buzz/Buzziz

Bostin'
Bost
Mardy
Sook
Snap
Wench/Wenchiz
Ess'ole








To be continued. Send in your own items at your leisure. AB




Cannock Town Centre, Monday 3pm, January 2009. Half a century of streetscape enhancement projects after the 1961 picture, above.

"Blizzard conditions" have even kept the hot-dog vendor and Sister Josephine away.

Solitary shopper has defected to Martin's now Pick n' Mix no longer available at Woolworth's.

The council ran out of salt two days later. Plenty available at Taylor's Caff.

Être et Avoir...

Unhurried schooldays memories from a different perspective...
Just added to 1zaac'archive.
We saw this film when it was released, and have just re-watched it.

Être et Avoir

DVD Nicolas PHILIBERT (2002)

(Review abridged/translated from Amazon French website by 1zaac intercultural dept)

A village primary school in deepest Auvergne; one of those mixed classrooms where children from nursery class to top juniors are taught in the same group; a teacher whose attentiveness and patience are matched only by his passion for teaching...Here are the main ingredients of this modest documentary masterpiece from Nicolas Philibert.

Gently following the rhythm of the seasons (sumptuous landscapes, changing from snow to spring flowers, illustrating the passage of time), and that of smallholder farmers working the land (a number of sequences show the hardships of small-farm life), the film-maker follows step by step, for six months the thirteen pupils taught by Monsieur Lopez on the eve of his retirement.

Philibert explores the childrens' doubts, their difficulties, their hardships and their enthusiasm in the face of traditional school subjects. (This is a very "French" context. Ed)

Most of all, he highlights the true values in life: patience, perseverence, humility, developing a taste for effort, co-operation and teamwork, respect for others, resolution of conflict...

As the scenes of the film unfold, depicting everyday classroom life, we are taken to the very heart of the little school, as if drawn into a family circle. Explosions of joy and unbridled laughter, brought about by the natural behaviour of its children, are thrown into contrast with the occasional deeply moving passage, such as one where a pupil confides to M. Lopez his concern and emotion about his father's recently diagnosed serious illness.

The viewer becomes intimately involved in this splendid, refreshing film. He or she will be reminded of the happy, unworried and carefree moments of their own primary school days.

It is as enriching as it is entertaining.

5 stars from 1zaac. Un trésor, tout simplement.

AB

"G'day Mr Brown. You used to be our Mum's old French teacher..."

Click on this photo for a photographic and inter-cultural feast.

It's always great to catch up with kids you once taught. Even thirty years on...
Caroline TELFER (née SOLLY) visited us last August with husband Roger and children Sophie, Odette, Bonnie and Hugh.

The Telfer's blog says it all. Caro is a professional photographer, so there's an 1zaac treat in store just a click away.