More memories

[John Callon]

Many thanks for that Marian. If we get over to Callander I will check that shop out. We have visited there a couple of times when we lived in Gartocharn. I don't know about you but I find it is one hell of a drag to Campbeltown so we just tend to go as far as Inveraray and buy some fresh fish on the way back at Loch Fyne.
Regards
John

[gray_marian]

#33, I don't mind the scenic drive John but then, I stay in Campbeltown whilst
researching family tree. Had a memorable jolly there in May with English kin My son reguarly
pops over to Loch Fyne for the fish alone. The hand dived scallops are delicious but you'll get them also in the fish & chip shop I told Gilly about

[Red Lead Ted]

Brian at our age EVERYTHING is allowed!
Regards
John

John, You are spot on there, My old Grandmother would have a whiskey with milk every night of her life. She lived well into her 80s and slept like a baby every night, When my poor old Mam was lets say on her last we all pleaded with her to take her favourite tipple before bed, A port and lemon, I believe she thought it would do more harm than good. When she passed 3 years ago we found 15 bottles of some of the finest port from all over the world from well wishes who visited her. Agree better than any sleeping tablet Terry.

[Charlie Hannah]

The only sad thing i can think of when drinking gin is when you reach the bottom of bottle and realize that's it.Very sad!

[Doc Vernon]

And the look on the faces as it happens and all the Bottle Shops are shut! LOL
When I used to partake in that sort of stuff (many Years ago now) I knew that sinking feeling and it really did make me sad! !
Going back even futher when in South Africa and on the Booze,at least there were places called Shabeen's in the not so nice parts of Cape Town,but at least one could get a Bottle at any time day or night,but came at a cost and it was also not the real stuff,a lot of funny doctoring went on !
They were all very dark and dreary inside,and one felt a wee bit unsafe ,but with aa already Bucket full the thought of any unsafeness soon vanished !
Oh Boy the next Morning after swallowing some of that stuff! Felt like hell!
Cant say I am sorry I gave it up.
Cheers

[Lou Barron]

My favourite gin is Bombay Sappire gin but if it is free any gin is very nice i wait for some of my family coming home to see me and they know that i always look forward to them bring in some bottles of gin
when i was younger it was mostly beer then any thing but as i got older i found that gin was better for me
I use to brew my own beer for many years but as fast as was brewing it my sons was drinking it and they do not like gin so that is a saving
A few times that i have been to Edinburgh there is a place near the Waverly bridge down in shopping place and one shop was for selling whiskey and one or two other spirits and i bought a bottle of gin but i cannot think of the name of it but it was not to bad
this is afew years ago

[j.sabourn]

Ref #34 If son is fishing at the bottom end of loch Fyne Marian, hope he doesn't get his line snagged on a bottomed world war 2 submarine which was lost there in 1981. Was the only place in the British Isles that the commercial herring boats were allowed to fish at time. Was quite a bit of perturbation with the Herring Industry I was told. Maybe the navy recovered or maybe just buoyed off. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

#40.... Richard put in a previous post some time ago. We were working on tests for a stingray torpedo at the area mentioned. An old submarine was used as the target. Its actual seaworthiness would not like to state as only did what I was told. However it was well ballasted down and had a flotation buoy on each end to help in buoyancy problems. I noted the wires supporting such were far too small for such a job and reported such to the Naval Commander in charge, who was incidentally the Commander of Britains latest Nuclear Deterrent, his words were, no problem, I just push this button he had on the Bridge and it blows the tanks on the sub and brings it back to the surface. The test went ahead the torpedo was fired from a RMAS vessel, the torpedo had a dummy war head in it. Must of had a recording of the subs propeller wash on for the missile to track, anyhow the torpedo missed, the wires on buoys parted the sub sank, the naval commander pushed his button and nothing happened. Deathly silence on the bridge and a lot of red faces, as the torpedo did not come back to the surface either. The blame went all down the naval ranks to the little artificer who had set the components up on the submarine and was the last to leave the sub. He told me he would take the blame and he did, was the usual court martial I believe. We spent a week trying to recover the torpedo with a Jim Suit, a miniature sub, and saturation divers to no avail at the time, and waited until the pinger lost its battery life before leaving the area, a Russian submarine was reported in the Clyde area shortly after. Often wonder what happened to both later on the sub and the torpedo. This was 35 years ago and in those days was just another small era in ones life style and being a bit more carefree. Cheers JS PS I read a few years ago that the Commander in charge was an expert in submarine warfare and on retirement from the Navy went on to be employed by the Americans in some theatre of experimental underwater warfare. I hope this will not be construed as a defamation against our US partners . JS