Prompted by Alice Russell appearing in Edinburgh it would seem Scots think Framlingham isn't a real place (we too have our doubts sometimes) ... a  sort of Brigadoon perhaps?

Happy Birthday to Pete Mono Donegan.

John Self was a Framlingham shopkeeper and photographer at the beginning of last century.  Thanks to Fred Barnes we now know of these three JF cards showing Ashtead in Surrey.

St George's Parish Church was built in 1906, the card was posted Ashtead to Reading 10 June 1910.

Ashtead Park Boat House, the card was posted from Ashtead to an Ashtead address about five minutes walk away from this scene on 5 September 1908 at 9.00am, almost certainly it would have been delivered the same day - all for an old ha'penny!  The boathouse has gone but the pond has recently been cleaned out by a local angling society.  To my shame, I have never visited the pond despite living in Ashtead for 62 years.

Ashtead Park is an impressive house now used as the City of London Freemans School.  It has been extended and modernised but this view is still easy to recognise (I passed it only this morning) and the grass at the front is used by the school as a sports field. ~ Fred Barnes

"Seek help dad, seek help."

After a bit of a dash down the A14 last night we discovered that Adolf Hitler: My part In His Downfall is a high polished musical comedy based on Spike Milligan's war memoirs.  We particularly enjoyed the acapella Sheik of Araby, were gratified to see Watch The Birdie (from 1940s film Hellzapoppin) get a little outing and pleased with ourselves for recognising Bohemian Rhapsody in the show stopping Tommy Trinder routine until afterwards company manager Bryan Paterson said to us "Yes, of course":)  Sholto Morgan spends most of his time on stage as Spike with his shirt tail hanging out and wild hair but cleaned up nicely for a drink in the bar afterwards.  When we left the fire appliances that had been outside during the intermission had gone and bits of the A14 were closed overnight for resurfacing.  The show's on all week at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.

Very Officer and a Gentleman, Mazda/Chris Lane Gray's brother Andy was a Senior Chief in the US Naval Reserve; he's now a Master Chief (second from right).  The owner of the 1957 Chevrolet is unknown.

Is this for real?  What do you think?

Michael Jackson appears to have not Beaten It ...

Here's a clever little beast, a double A battery that recharges itself from a usb port.  Like the fact that the cap has a less likely to break floppy hinge, relevant at over five quid a pop.

Fancy some satirical punk third wave feminism?  (That's how Wikipedia describes roller derby but then we didn't have to repeat it did we?)  The Triple Sword Roller Girls are looking for more skaters to join them.  (More pix soon ... honest.)

I'm in Cardiff home of Torchwood.  Didn't realize it was a documentary.  IvanBrackenbury