Wigan Album

Walking from aspull to skem ... Lol. My god these young un have a job walk 100 yards never mind that far.

They were bred tough in those days! And what a fine figure of a man I must say. I hope he was offered a bed for the night though.

Sorry about the last comment ....I did not realise he had died whilst walking.must get my eyes tested !!!!

Come on veebee, promise me you'll buck up.

Oh Eddies back....,,if you had a cast off iPad which belonged to a young grandson and the type was tiny you would be 'skennin' too!!!!!

' Skennin ' eh?. I'll slot that one in between ' scutch ' and ' slopstone ', just before ' slutch '. I'm quite pleased with the way this dictionary's beginning to take shape. Keep 'em coming Veebee.

I'm also trying to knit at the same time!!!!I am making a 'bob'cap it's now too small ........ I think I will let that baby in the runaway pram have it for Christmas!

It almost looks like a old railway uniform jacket that he is wearing, was he a railwayman?

Actually, Kenneth he was a Collier, worked down the mine all his life.
Some readers my be interested in the story of Robert's epic journey so I will relate it here as it was handed down to me and the reader must make what he or she will of it.
Apparently Robert got as far as Pemberton before he was overtaken by a bad snowstorm. Feeling the cold by now Robert decided to make a short detour to the nearest Hostelry in order to thaw out is bones and partake of a little "Refreshment".Three hours later and having partaken of enough "Refreshment" to deprive him of what little common sense he had, Robert decided,against all advice to proceed with his journey,after all, he reasoned, he wasn't feeling the cold now (or anything else for that matter)so with a cheery farewell to Mine Host he set off into a rapidly darkening evening determined to reach his destination before bedtime.
He was found the next morning near Upholland by two locals. He was lying on his back frozen to the ground and, strangely, his legs were frozen at a ninety degree angle to the rest of his body. the two local Good Samaritans went home and returned with crowbars and gently chipped him from his icy resting place, after which they placed him in a barrow, still with his legs at ninety degrees and conveyed him back to the scene of the previous days "Refreshment"
Family tradition as it that it took a day and a half to thaw him out sufficiently to lie him flat in his coffin.
Having got him in his box he was transported back to his home in Aspull where, as was the tradition at the time, is open coffin was placed on the kitchen table so that family and friends could view the body and say their last goodbyes.
After the lid was screwed down many of those present commented on the fact that Robert was wearing the broadest grin on his face. In fact they declared that he was the happiest looking corpse they had ever seen.
There is a happy ending to this story because, in due course, Robert was taken back to Skelmersdale where he was buried in the Parish Church Yard, and he didn't have to walk to get there.
This is the story that was handed down to me by my family.......Honest
Merry Christmas

How sad........but at least he died happy. To get as far as Pemberton in such bad weather was no mean feat. It wouldn't have been such a happy Christmas for his family. And he did get home in the end.

I'm not having any of that Dennis. Sorry mate.

I bet the pair of you have made this up! Especially Eddie the instigator! I did wonder about his legs at 90degrees. it would have only cost tuppence on the train!