Stand and Deliver.......

Stand and Deliver .....................

 

David's going Ghost mad again.

 

As I have "mentioned" before, I do have a liking for Living TV's Most Haunted program, and over the nights of the 29th , 30th and 31st of December they are trying to follow in the the ghostly footsteps of the famous highway man Dick Turpin.

 

There are several sites on the net that go into the myth that is Turpin in greater detail, ( Dick Turpin, The Spurious Highwayman and Dick Turpin, the real History )but the basic story, for those of you who don't know is this.

 

Romantic history has him as a dashing thief, holding up the carriages of the rich in the then forests of 18th Century north London, astride his famous horse, Black Bess. After many adventures, he then makes the famous dash to York to escape the authorities, which of course eventually capture Turpin ( the actual "ride" is believed to have been taken by another highway man - John "Swift Nick" Nevison). Even at his execution , Turpin is supposed to have continued being the showman, but in the end "they got him"

 

Of course, the reality of Dick Turpin is far (or maybe not that far) from the myth.

 

John Palmer alias Dick Turpin Richard Turpin

 

There is some discussion in the history books as to where Turpin was born, but it is generally thought to be either Thackstead or Hempstead,  near London. But what is known is that he was baptised Richard Turpin on 25th September 1705. He started out life quite "ordinarily", being apprenticed to a Whitechapel Butcher.

 

But it didn't take long for the darker side of his character to come through, although not the successfully. He was caught stealing two oxen. He then turned to smuggling, again with little success. He , in time, became part of a Gang of cut throats known as the Gregory Gang (Thomas Barnfield, Mary Brazier, John Fielder, Jasper Gregory, Jeremy Gregory, Samual Gregory, Herbert Haines, John Jones, James Parkinson, Joseph Rose, Thomas Rowden, Ned Rust, William Saunders, Richard Turpin, Humphry Walker, and John Wheeler to list the main members, although it is known that there were others). They "robbed" their way around the houses and forests of the Home Counties. The King offered a reward of £50 for their capture (although by the end of his escapades there was a bounty of £200 for Turpin alone)

 

Eventually, local constables captured two of the gang, Turpin himself narrowly missing capture by bursting out a window. 

Turpin headed back into the familiar East Anglian countryside and lived rough for some time., until he began working with 'Captain' Tom King, one of the best-known highwaymen of the day and the kind of swashbuckling, devil-may-care character into which legend would later transform Turpin. From a cave in Epping Forest from which they could watch the road without being seen, they robbed virtually anyone who passed their hiding place. Even local peddlers started to carry weapons for protection. By 1737, Turpin had achieved such notoriety that another bounty of £100 was placed on his head- a reward that unwittingly transformed him from a common footpad into a murderer. On 4th May, 1737, a gamekeeper named Morris tracked Turpin to Epping Forest, but when he challenged him at gunpoint, Turpin drew his own gun and shot Morris dead.

 

However, it could be said that what happened next was really the start of his eventual capture. One night Turpin took a liking to a fine looking horse, the only problem being it already belonged to a Gentleman by the name of Major. After Turpin "persuaded" Mr Major to "swop" horses, he then rode off. The pity for Turpin was that Mr Major was made of sterner stuff. He issued handbills around the pubs of London, describing the horse and naming Turpin as the thief. Eventually Mr Majors horse was found at the Red Lion pub in Whitechapel, where Turpin had stabled it. When Tom King came to collect the horse, he was arrested. Turpin, who had been waiting nearby, rode toward the constables holding King and fired at them. Unfortunately, he was a dreadful shot, and the bullets hit King rather than his captors. 

Before he died, King provided the constables with sufficient information to force Turpin to again live rough in Epping Forest. Realising that he could not long escape capture if he remained in the London area, Turpin set off for, first Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, and then Yorkshire., where he settled under the name of John Palmer.

 

He rustled horses, and then even set himself up as a horse dealer, so , the now John Palmer lived as a Gentleman. However, the smallest error, began the biggest of tumbles. On returning home from a hunt near the Yorkshire town of Brough, he foolishly shot the local Landlords prise cock, for which he was then brought before the local magistrate.

 

Unable to explain his actions, and how he made his money, he was held in custody in the Cells at York Castle. Further investigations showed no proof of employment - where WAS the money coming from. It was then found that complaints had been made against "Mr Palmer" when he lived in Lincolnshire. Then came the rumours.

 

Whislt in the York Cells, Turpin wrote to his brother, asking for help:

 

Dear Brother,

I am sorry to acquaint you that I am now under confinement in York Castle for horse stealing. If I could procure an evidence from London to give me a character, that would go a great way towards my being acquitted. I had not been long in this country before my being apprehended, so that it would pass off the readier.

For Heaven's sake, dear brother, do not neglect me. You will know what I mean when I say

I am yours

John Palmer.

Unfortunately for Turpin, at that point in history, it was the person that received the letter that paid the postage, and his brother was to mean to put his hand in his pocket, so the letter was returned to the Post Office. In one of those twists of fate that so often occur in history, Turpin's former schoolmaster, Mr James Smith, saw the letter and recognised the handwriting. The letter was opened with permission of the local magistrate. Although it was signed John Palmer, Smith identified the handwriting as belonging to the man he knew as Richard Turpin. Mr Smith was then asked to go to York and identify Palmer as Turpin, which he duly did.

 

Turpin was then tried on two charges, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged.

 

On 19th April, 1739, Dick Turpin was hung at the Tyburn which is on the modern day Knavesmire or York Race Course.

 

Sadly , the spirit of Dick Turpin has been disturbed several times. His body was buried a number of times as people kept on digging it up. Finally he was buried in quicklime across from St. George's Church in York England.

That is the story of Dick Turpin. Tomorrow will be the complete story, if that's the right way to put, of the Smudger view on the three nights of the most haunted trail of Dick Turpin (and the first to nights have been fascinating)

Nearly New Year......

And now we wait for the new year.......

 

I always find this time of year a little "odd" , the old year is on its last legs, yet the new year is waiting, coiled and tense, ready to spring out on the world.

 

The Sunday papers are full of the "reviews of the year". Its not that hard to point at the major events to happen to the UK, and the World this year. I shall not make any more mention of the conflict in Iraq, other than to say my thoughts are with the Soldiers and their Families at this time of year. It is good that they have Sadam, but I'm sure he may well be an even bigger problems now they have him, than is was when they were looking for him.

 

This last year has also seen the "last flight" of Concord.

 

I still think that Richard Branson should have been allowed to buy one of these wonderful aeroplanes, but that is that.

 

One of the other major news stories here in the UK was the trial of Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr for the killings of Holly and Jessica in Soham.

 

Again, everything that could be said , has been said, one way and another. I still find it inconceivable that anyone could harm any child in that way, but then it is equally obvious that there are people out there who have no qualms about injuring an innocent child.

 

For the last few days, we have had my Brother in law staying. I mention this in passing as this sort of sets the scene for what is next. Jim (my brother in law) and Liam (my "small" son - ) both wanted to watch "The Scorpion King" on Sky movies, whilst Cathy and Laura (wife and daughter) wanted to watch Casualty on the BBC. So I migrated up to the bedroom (which wasn't such a bad idea anyway, as I still feel awful), turned to BBC2 to find it was showing one of my all time fav films.

 

The Great Escape, with that memorable motorbike chase across the border fencing, was playing. Being based on a real War time escape attempt, in which a number of the escaping Officers were murdered by the local Intelligence forces, this is probably one of the best known, well loved films in movie history.

 

Filled with the actors that I grew up with, many of whom are now sadly departed, it is one of those films that is part of my history, "my growing up". Information on the real people and the real attempt can be found at this site - http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gt_esc/ . Perhaps it was one of those "realisation" moments. I remember asking my Dad why had the soldiers shot all those "goodies" in the Lorry at the end of the film, expecting the "well it's just for the film" sort of answer. What I got was the real reason, if that is the correct way to put it. That , although this was a film, real men, real humans, had really tried to escape, really tired to get home and had paid the highest price that anyone could pay. And on top of that was the beginnings of the realisation of darker side of human nature.

 

See right : James Coburn

 

 

Chances are, with going back to work tomorrow, that this could well be my last posting before the New Year.

 

So, don't get too merry on Wednesday Night

 

an to all

 

A Happy New Year

 

 

 

God bless

 

Dave

 

 

Christmas Day.......

Twas the morning of Christmas.............

 

And Dad is up before the kids - (and I am too)

 

I shall not bother you for to long, but all I would like to say is,

to everyone, a quiet and peaceful holiday,

 

 and to my Family , Friends and all those I know and love:

 

A very Merry Christmas

 

and enjoy a peaceful day

 

God Bless

 

 

    Dave

Christmas is coming .........

Christmas Day is only two days away..........

 

but it doesn't feel yet like Christmas , to me at least.

 

Everyone is full with coughs and colds, some getting better, some getting worse (and guess who that is -  ).

 

I always feel a little sad at this time of year. I miss my Dad. He loved this time of year, family, trimmings, decorations - the full set. He adored Christmas, he adored his grand kids, and they are all mad about the festive season.

 

I nearly cried the other day. Laura found some of the fun Christmas badges that my Dad had given them a few years back. They lit up, and, surprisingly, even after all this time they still work. Anyway, looking all angelic and apologetic as little girls can do sometimes (how do they do that?), she asked if it would be "alright" to wear them for a family party - because they were "Grandad's".

 

I know everyone will have lost someone at sometime, and he could be a right miserable devil at times (I wonder where I got it from - LOL), but when he enjoyed something, the whole thing became infectious.

 

Never mind - my worry!!!!

 

_____________________________________

 

Been digging across the net again for a few news stories of interest to me

 

_____________________________________

 

I like space related stories, and this one is particularly poignant at this time of year. The beagle module is scheduled to land on Mars on Christmas Day.

 

Beagle launches successfully Beagle 2 has successfully separated from its "mothership" for the final leg of the journey to Mars.

[via BBC News | UK | UK Edition]

Nearby Star May Have Planetary System Like Ours "Astronomers scanning the skies for far-flung planets have found that the area surrounding a nearby star is very familiar. A report published in the current issue of the Astrophysical Journal suggests that Vega, located 25 light-years away from our sun, may have an orbiting planetary system that is more similar to our own than is any other yet discovered. Mark Wyatt of Edinburgh's Royal Observatory designed a computer model based on observations of a faint disk orbiting Vega, which is three times bigger than the sun and is part of the constellation Lyra, the Harp. Images taken in 1998 by the world's most sensitive submillimeter camera, known as SCUBA, showed extremely cold dust orbiting the star. 'The irregular shape of the disk is the clue that it is likely to contain planets,' Wyatt says. 'Although we can't directly observe the planets, they have created clumps in the disk of dust around the star.' The calculations indicate that the formation of a planet similar in size to Neptune--and orbiting the star at a distance comparable to that between Neptune and the sun--can best explain the observed structure of the disk."...

[via Lockergnome's Technology News]

Christmas Day Mars Landing "It's wintertime in the northern hemisphere of Mars, and a flying saucer is about to land. Back on Earth where it comes from, the craft is known as the Beagle 2, sent to Mars by the European Space Agency in search of life. More accurately, the Beagle 2 will be looking for chemical traces of life--telltale signs that life once existed, or perhaps, exists right now on the red planet. Touchdown is scheduled for Christmas Day 2003. The Beagle 2 will precede two NASA rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, slated to land in January. Named after the ship that carried Charles Darwin, the Beagle 2 is a self-contained laboratory shaped like a saucer, or a pocket watch, about three feet in diameter. Although it carries many powerful scientific tools, it weighs a mere 70 pounds. Being so light and compact, the Beagle 2 was able to hitch a ride to Mars onboard the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft launched last June. While Mars Express, an orbiter, surveys the planet from a few hundred miles up, the Beagle 2 will be able to stick its devices right into Mars, sampling rocks and soil on the surface and below. NASA's Everett Gibson, the interdisciplinary scientist for the Mars Express/Beagle 2 mission, explains: ?We have two [ways] to get samples: a rock abrasion tool, and a burrowing mole." Both are embedded in the Beagle's robotic arm."...

[via Lockergnome's Technology News]

 

I do wonder sometimes though. Mankind has sent numerous "vehicles" into space, and quite a few have "bombarded" Mars. If there is/were/could be (delete as appropriate - ) life and Mars, intelligent life on Mars, and you saw all this metal falling from the sky, obviously not of your world, and from somewhere else , peopled by some other intelligence, you would have to wonder WHY?

 

_____________________________________

 

Colombia hostages freed at last A Briton and four Israeli hostages are released by their Colombian rebel captors after three months.

[via BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition]

Colombia hostage tastes freedom A British hostage released by Colombian rebels after 102 days marks his freedom with a meal of cheese and cola.

[via BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition]

 

I have been watching this story, on and off, over the last few months. His parents have been on TV several times. And in all that time they have carried themselves with dignity and great self control. And in all that time they have always maintained that they knew that their Son would be released.

And yesterday they got the "Christmas Present" they really wanted - a call to say their beloved son was on his way home.

_____________________________________

Are You Addicted To Google? An opinion piece from the BBC is wondering if people are addicted to Google. The premise is that Google searches are no longer as relevant as they used to be, and are increasingly cluttered with advertising. However, we all still use it everyday. In many cases, "searching the internet" and "Google" have become synonymous, and so the writer worries that we're all stuck on Google. There's a simple solution, of course: come up with a better search engine. Others are trying, and are probably thrilled with articles like this one.

[via Techdirt]

 

I like this one, addicted to Google. Most of the people I know are "addicted" to their Computer, the Google phenomena is just a little extra on the back of that.

 

But I do know what they are getting at though. Google is becoming "swamped" in adverts, and there are definitely other "good" search engines out there, but is it an addiction or is it just being lazy. I know which mine is. I have a Google Toolbar on my browser, and have just recently tried the Desktop Toolbar (although that has now been removed).

 

Is that "addiction", or is it a case of trust, if that is the right word. I know how it works, I know that it DOES work, and even more importantly it does what I want it to do - so why should I change

 

 

Christmas is coming and.....

Christmas is coming and ................

David's fed up already.

Don't get me wrong, Christmas is still a great family time, but it's the build up that is beginning to tee me off.

It just seems that Christmas has been building up since last year. Christmas Cards for sale in July, trees from September. It just seems to me that it is just the money that counts now.

The pressure to buy your loved ones that "special gift" (as long as its the most expensive item on that shops shelf) seems to be un-avoidable and insatiable, and it goes on for months.

As you can possibly guess, I'm a great believer in what I would call the "real reason" for Christmas.

Being with your Family, having "quality" time with the Kids. I have actually got some good time off work this year, Cathy, although working some of Christmas, still has the "best"parts of Christmas. The Kids opening their presents, meeting and greeting the ones you care for on Christmas Day.

We've already been to several Christmas Parties and a Panto. This I like. Its' family, it's fun.

I don't want to be Scrooge like, and I don't think that I am per-say. It's just the commercialisation of the Season that wears me down.