Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 1st July, 2012)

That's a very Irish scene.

I see these regularly on Wigan Road and Wigan Lane through Standish and into Coppull.

I have seen these a few times in Standish. Don't they look great. I wondered who they were.

Tom, where are the Traveller`s? - are they in the Bellingham Hotel having lunch!!
I wouldn`t like to be driving one of them thro`Wigan in today`s traffic, although, being Sunday, the traffic will be much less.
Did you know that there are 5 Friday`s, 5 Saturday`s and 5 Sunday`s in this month of July? It happens every 823 years !!

Gypsies or travalers as they call them today, they make traffic jams, hold up busy people who like me have to keep meetings on time. They have no consideration for others only themselves and pay no taxes.

Maybe there on there way home from the Appleby Horse Fair.

They do up hold up the traffic and should be banned.

theres always one person who as to have a gripe . the moral to this picture is turn out before the travalers take to the road then you wont get stuck behind them.or if you are behind them take a spade with you so you can shovel up the pony muck then put it back in your mouth because thats what your talking MR DRIVER.

Driver, some people have a holiday in these and my thoughts were that these are probably on holiday. Can you enlighten us Tom?

Ernest, Is my calendar wrong ? ---for July I only have 4 Fridays, 4 Saturdays & 5 Sundays !!!!

Time means nothing to gypsies, they put nowt in the system and pay nothing, but take everything out.

Freda, you are right. I was sent the info by e-mail and showed a calendar for July which had 1st July on a Friday. I didn`t check, so it`s made me look a fool.

£60 fine for parking in the confines of a bus stop! I dont know where they go but they are on this stretch of lane going both ways(not at the same time,lol)every 3 or 4 weeks.

Ernest, I also got the e-mail but it was for June 2012, unfortunately it said that there were 31 days in June so the 5th Sunday was today, the 1st of July.It was a load of b******s

Scenes like this always remind me of my favourite poem:

Time you old gypsy man
Will you not stay
Put up your caravan
Just for one day.
All things I'll give you
Will you be my guest
Bells for you jennet
Of silver the best.
Goldsmiths shall beat you
A great golden ring.
Peacocks shall bow to you
Little boys sing.
Oh,and sweet girls will
Festoon you with may.
Time you old gypsy man
Why hasten away.(Ralph Hodgson)

I loved the poem when I was 9 years old but didn't understand it as I do 60 years on.

Thanks for the photo, Thomas.

they are seen at landgate bryn near baldwins farm at least once a week

A bloke I new ,who lived in Aspull had one of these.It was his hobby.
Most gypsies have big modern ones, park any where,and leave rubbish all over the place ,Aspull hasn't got over there last assault.

Alan H, no mention of June in the e-mail I rec`d. If so, it would have been obviously wrong.
Dave Marsh, some bits of your posted poem puzzle me !!

To 'festoon with may' means to hang with hawthorn blossom.

It puzzled me at one time Ernest but now I understand every single word.

Dave, the full poem is on :-
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/time-you-old-gypsy-man/
I`ve found what line 7 means - there`s a wrong word on your posting as "you" should be "your". Jennet is a small Spanish horse.
Ralph Hodgson lived for 91 years.

Dave, for a musical version of "Time You Old Gypsy Man" refer:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH6c0anzOHA

Ernest I also saw this in a newspaper about it not happening again for over 800 years. I told everyone in the pub last night. I feel a right fool now.

Appleby horse fair was 3 weeks ago. my daughter is at school in Kirby Lonsdale, I was driving her back to school between Sedbergh and Kirkby l. Lots of 'no caravan stopping signs'. Maybe they've just got to wigan

Oops Ernest!!!
I`m sure you will be forgiven though...

Wherefore art thou Tom?
The look of these `vans suggest
holiday hire to me.
ann21, it`s a comfort to know that I`m not the only one passing wrong information on. It was last April when I rec`d the info and have asked the sender of the e-mail to explain.
Jean, have you grown webbed feet in Mach...yet !!

Earnest,"Shall I hear no more or shall speak of this?".Seriously Earnest,I think you refer to your question regarding whether or not these
are holliday caravans..I am afraid ,I can't help,but I rather think they are,all new,and Roy say he sees them regularly on this route.
Regards,Tom.

OK Tom. If these `vans are seen regularly, all the more reason they are on holiday hire.
Did you not see those travelling in them?

Hello Ernest,
No webbed feet yet but I`m sure it won`t be long now!

anne21 and Jean, refer:-

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_often_does_July_have_5_Fridays_5_Saturdays_and_5_Sundays

for correct info on days in July.

They pass every year at this time (June)on their way to Appleby Horse Fair. Maybe two or three caravans at a time over a few days. Then after a couple of weeks or so they seem to be wending their way back. We have seen this happen over quite a number of years now. We were told this was the tradition by someone who used to visit the Horse Fair many years ago.

Two of the vans were in Tesco Central Park the other day, they were stocking up on supplies. They did not look like holiday hires, one of them was towing an old racing Sulky the men looked like travellers.

Ken R, but were the `vans you saw the same colour and type as these `vans in Tom`s photo?

Ernest Pyke, now that I think about it, I dont remember the color, sorry.