A Coventry Kid's Tale

Unfortunately it didn't arrive in time for the cruise However, it was waiting for me when we arrived home Looking forward to getting started with the read Cheers

A Coventry Kid's Tale is a wonderful insight into growing up in the fifties. Children nowadays will never experience such an upbringing. You soon fall in love with 'the child' and have to keep reading to find out what adventures he gets up to. It's a brilliant legacy for your grandchildren and a beautiful interpretation of times gone by. Highly recommended to all forum members.

Whoops!!! Thank you Jaytob, never expected that. I will creep off and shut up now (with a warm glow inside)

For anyone who has not yet bought or read a copy of this book, help is at hand. I am extremely proud to be able to say that John (scrutiny) has given me the privilege of creating an "online" version of his wonderful book, which you can all read right now for free. If you wish to read it any time, please use the Read the entire book online link on the Local authors page. I've made it use a cookie to remember which page you were on, so if you take a break and return any time within a year, it should take you straight back to the last page you were on. My sincere thanks and wishes to John for allowing the inclusion of his book, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I know you all will too.

Thanks for that Rob, an early Christmas present for us all. Well I opened mine and read it from start to finish last night and thank you John for such a delightful read. What a busy childhood you had, full of life. Will there be a sequel?

A sequel??? Well, John's a fast worker, and being as you asked he got beavering away, typing as fast as he could... and there's now a sequel !!! Use this link to read The Coventry Kid Starts Work Quick work, eh? I'll betcha didn't expect that! The timing couldn't be better, could it! John's been working on his second book for a while, and for those who enjoyed his first instalment, he's now asked me to make his next book available for all to read, so once again it's my privilege to be able to present it on Historic Coventry.

Well, we couldn't ask for better than that could we. Thanks Rob and so to 'Finger Tapping John'. You know the old saying "as keen as mustard". I am looking forward to that.

Congratulations John, a most enjoyable sequel to your life story. Thank you so much for sharing a great part of your life with us.

Seems a while since this topic got an airing, so here goes..... Did anyone else undergo the attempt at cultural "correction" that I remember? I remember an otherwise excellent primary school teacher in Coventry (Ravensdale) spent a lesson each Friday afternoon teaching us to say the "ou" diphthong "correctly" - i.e. like her majesty's closest minions. It was, she said, supposed to sound like "ah-oo" just like her majesty would say it. Of course, at the end of this travesty of education - cultural theft at its strongest - we all pissed off "owt". But she was only doing her best to ensure that our "poor elocution" didn't disadvantage us in grown-up life - as it certainly would have in those days. Thank heavens the Beatles came along to make regional dialects trendy (all except mine, sadly, but you can't win them all!). My Coventry accent is usually greeted with slightly amused respect in Australia, but it turns out to be very well received if I'm reciting poetry of the Pam Ayres kind, or even singing any English-dialect songs (Jake Thackray, George Formby etc!).

Thanks JW for bringing this topic to light. I did not realise it is almost 10yrs since the book went into print. Also almost 6yrs since this topic was aired. I wonder if forum members realise there are 2 free books to read on here. I had honestly forgot about them.

Well what an eye-opener, never seen this topic before, How was I to know Scrutiny and scrutiny were one and the same. scrutiny was the first person to answer me on this forum about 8f. I will try to find out how this machine works to read those books, sounds interesting. If the fifties was as good to him as a child, as it was to me as young man then it has to be good. Well done scrutiny, here was I worried about where scrutiny had got to.

No worries Kaga, I was out of the loop for a while, took a long time to get back in it. I think a lot of members might not really know how big this site is as well as how many topics there are on this forum. To bring myself back into the loop I started at the very last topic then worked my way to the present day. THAT IS AN AWFUL LOT OF READING but very enjoyable.

You are lucky, JW. Everyone thinks I am from Brum!!!!!! Grrrrrrr. No disrespect to the Brummies of course.

Dreamtime Yes, I've always had that response except in America where they thought we were Oz. JW If caught unawares I still say the buzz, and Sat-di and sometimes blumming eck. But Coventry lost a lot of its twang and slang in the thirties. There was a pond in the meadow behind our house, there was a willow branch growing above the water, a moorhen's nest at the tip where the branch touched the water. My brother dared me to climb out and get the eggs, so I lay on the branch and it started to sink. The water came over my hands, then my arms, then my chest, then my brother stamped on the branch and in I went. Mother was furious, sat me on the garden swing, stripped me to my pants, poured warm water in the kitchen sink. I climbed on the chair then sat on the draining board with my feet in the sink while she washed my hair and shoulders of the green slime, then I stood up in the sink and stripped off my pants. Meanwhile my brother said, "He guz right under Mam, I seed him my sen, right under, thought he was a gonner Mam". "Weren't my fault, yer stamped on the branch yer did". "Yer blumming fibber". "Yer did, yer did, yer did". "Mam, he's fibbin, he's got nuttin' in 'is noggin". Then my sister walked in with two of her pals, they started giggling so mother ushered them in the front room and closed the door and went to get some clean clothes while I washed the rest. But my brother saw his opportunity, stretched the tea-towel and kept flicking it at me, so I threw soapy water in his eyes. The chairs got wet, the carpet got wet so mum sent him outside to get the wood and coal ready for next morning, and I got no cake at tea-time. But we were all laughing and fooling about a few minutes after.

Scrutiny, Still having trouble with my email. If it's a message can it be sent on here? May I ask a question, year you joined 8f? Regards, Kaga.