Photo: Cheslyn Hay Rec', January 2008It was the week before Christmas 1971, and the upstairs windows of the Number Seventeen were opaque with condensation. The snow shower had taken us all by surprise, as we'd headed through the bike sheds, down the cinder path, past the tax offices and across the concrete to the blue cement bus shelter.
"Mairte. Ah'm sweatin' like a turkey in this blairzer"
Said Kev, swinging his Thacker's army surplus rucksack onto the front seat.
"I reckon we'm in fer an 'arsh winter, Kev. An' the miners'm on about gooin' on strike an' all"...
In the two-minute hiatus, while the bus station clock jolted towards 3.45, we had a brief discussion of national sporting events of the autumn term.
"Kev. Is they summat strairnge about Princess Anne gettin' voted Sportwoman o' the Year? An' Ted Heath winnin' that Admiral's Cup?"
My companion scratched his sideburns.
The Gardiner diesel rocked to life one floor below, and at the rear.
A youth in bottletop black-rimmed safety specs and a donkey jacket marked "NCB" slid in front of the bus as the driver prepared to engage first gear.
From our vantage point, we heard "not him again; he's crackers" uttered from beneath our feet, then the reluctant, opening hydraulic sigh of the sliding door.
We knew, of course, that it was Joe...
He slung his snap-bag on the seat behind us, and six discs spilled out across the vinyl seat...
Who was Joe? What was his link with Cannock Grammar School, Noddy Holder and us, the Fifth Form 1zaacs? How did we manage to wangle his entire collection of number one singles from him that Christmas?
Stay tuned 1zaacs for a winter story of discos, discontent, pear-shaped parties, powerplays and power cuts... (Strewth. Ed)
Happy Christmas 1zaacs.
Click on any of Joe's Cracker collection for the Number Ones of our 'O'-level year first term...
0 comments:
Post a Comment