A bit bedraggled ...

Apologies for the recent lack of postings: C-H-M has been mildly poorly as well as being frantically busy at the cookery school and cooking dinners on the odd evening for clients, which has left me short on energy and inspiration though I am now on the mend. Feeling slightly bedraggled was probably what made me select this picture from Anna's collection of the assembled diggers sheltering from a bit of a downpour. I think I can spot Kathy Scott, Anna Behan, Elsa Charlot and Dr Phillpotts.

A normal evening at the Air Balloon ...

From Anna Behan's collection, an evening in garden of the 'Air Balloon' in 1978 or thereabouts: Dr Phillpotts, C-H-M beginning his entry for that night's gurning competition, Anna turning away in horror being comforted by Ollie Crick, Ranging Rod & Mike Webb looking on and Mike Taylor watching the unknown photographer. It is surprising that Flt Lt Southwood is not in the frame but perhaps the photographer was he, unless he was getting the next round in. It looks as though the lights of the bar, small as it was in those days, are in the background.

C-H-M has, somewhat unromantically for the time of year, been abed with a gastric bug (- what other kind would a student of cookery get?), which is why postings have been lacking, for which my apologies. Perhaps Bacillus cereus was the culprit or indeed Clostridium perfringens. Each can stalk a curry house ...

What on earth did John Parry just say?

On the stage in the mess hall at Ullenwood in 1979. Plainly, from the fact that everyone is falling about laughing JP must just have said something hilarious to Randal Motkin who clasps a ceremonial block of oolitic limestone (probably that season's 'Personality of the Year' award. Why John is wearing a crash helmet is lost in the mists. Back row, L to R, Dmitri, C-H-M, Bernard Dawson, Randal, Terry Courtney, JP. Front row, David Hole, Zoya Spivakowska, Ros Cleal and Anna Collinge.

Stop press: following a recent straw poll of Crickley veterans this year's reunion will be on the weekend of 16 to 18 July, holding the picnic on the hill on Saturday 17th. This at least gives Noakesy a chance to hotfoot it from his foreign tour just to make it in time ... I will email the usual suspects soon about the arrangements.

All in a good mood

High good humour all round at the award, it would appear to Randal Motkin, of the 1979 'Mr Crickley' title. Back row, L to R, Dmitri, Terry Courtney, Julian Parker, Bernard Dawson, Dave Southwood. Middle row, Training, The Skeleton, John Parry congratulating Randal, Mike Taylor. Front row, David Hole, Zoya Spivakowska, Ros Cleal, and Anna Collinge. The Skeleton is wearing C-H-M's father's demob suit from 1945.

1978 panorama

This shot from Anna Behan's collection must be, I think, 1978: is that Dave Hollos on the left? I'm sure Dr Howell stands in the middle facing away from the camera sporting a panama hat.

Ditch digging in progress

The rampart cutting, AXV, in 1979 at an early stage in the proceedings. Most of the pictures that people took were much later in the season after an enormous amount of very hard and careful excavation had taken place to reveal the walls, gangbreaks and ditch that underlay this mound of largely undifferentiated tumble. Many days of back-breaking work were needed to clear this away. One of the tools of choice, a trusty pickaxe, lies behind Bernard Dawson at the front of the picture. Further up the cutting at the top Mike Taylor can be seen. From the Behan collection.

Hut circle

From Anna Behan's 1979 collection, though she cannot have been the photographer as she is featured. L to R round the circle Ros Cleal, Jo Bacon, Terry Courtney, Bob Alvey, Phil Dixon, Richard Savage, Frank Green, Jim Gale, Anna Collinge, and Paul Noakes. C-H-M assumes this must have been taken from part way up the photographic tower as the perspective exceeds any angle that could have been achieved from the top of a spoil heap.

Feeding time

This murky photo from Anna Behan's collection (though not taken by her as she's in the picture herself) is the only one C-H-M has seen that shows the assembled multitude eating supper. Dr Ferris says it reminds him of the prisoners' meal scene in 'The Shawshank Redemption' ...

Discernible in the gloom are Julie Ann Souter, Mandy Hatherly, Anna, Training, Arwel Barrett and John Parry.

Dr Ferris has been inspired by yesterday's post to make the following observations: "It was good to see a photo of diggers drinking in the Imperial Beer Gardens in Cheltenham on the blog. I have already waxed lyrical on Crickley Hill Man's blog about days' off in Cheltenham and so won't go on too much more about the delights of this urban oasis; however, your picture brought to mind one extended lunchtime's drinking at the IBG, possibly in 1975, that was memorable for the appearance at the diggers' table of the improbably-named Sarah Goodnight, a model-tall, elegant and willowy American from one of the southern States. Spying us from the Promenade and coming over to say hello she surveyed the drinks table, groaning with empties and crowded with new pints, and the over-animated, dissolute diggers and asked 'Y'all jist sittin around here all day gittin drunk?', to which all happily replied 'yes'. Sarah then made her excuses and left. I just couldn't drink like that at lunchtimes nowadays; perhaps that's a good thing."

I don't think that Cheltenham Borough Council will thank you for calling them the Imperial Beer Gardens, Dr F ... binge drinking, broken Britain, mumble mumble, splutter ...

Sitting on the step

Nattering away together on the doorstep of the mess hall, Dr John Howell and John Parry. Looking directly at Anna Collinge taking the picture in 1977 is Ken Fussell, who, with Dave cooked for us all that year.

Thinking of cooking, I promised a vegetarian recipe to Les Capon a week or two ago and have been remiss in not getting round to it. So here's a simple delicious Moroccan tomato salad from Madhur Jaffrey's 'World Vegetarian'.

2 tbs or 30 ml lemon juice

1/2 to 1 tsp harissa (Moroccan chili/garlic paste) (The tinned Le Phare du Cap Bon brand is excellent if you don't want to make your own)

225 g 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved across the middle

2 tbs finely chopped onion

1 tbs finely chopped fresh coriander or parsley if you do not see the point of coriander

1/2 tsp ground roasted cumin

1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl stir together the harissa and the lemon juice

In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Add the lemon juice mixture and mix well. Let sit for 30 mins to let the flavours marry. Will keep in fridge for 24 hours but cover with cling film.

The addition of bean and pea sprouts works well with this, but it is delicious as it stands.

Ullenwood scene

L to R: Philip Dixon, Frank Green, Anna Collinge ? Naomi Jackson, and Jo Bacon at Ullenwood. This is from Jane Dineen's 1980 collection. It looks to C-H-M as though it may be after breakfast just before going up to site. The alternatives are pre-supper one evening or a Thursday before going into Cheltenham.

Thinking of supper, a correspondent writes:

"Dear Crickley Hill Man,

I write to you in desperation. I'm at my wits' end and need your help. Last night I made a celeriac mash which, though delicious, had a slightly sludgy colour to it as the celeriac went brown during its initial cooking in salted water. What caused the browning I don't know and seek your advice as to how to prevent this happening in future. The only alternative course of action is for me to foreswear celeriac for ever more; as you imagine, a potential middle class nightmare on a par with running out of organic couscous. Please help.

Desperate of Selly Oak"

Dear Desperate of Selly Oak,

Fear not: you need not suffer permanent social ignominy. Celeriac oxidises quite fast after it has been peeled, a little like the flesh of apples: the cure is the same: as you prepare the celeriac before cooking, pop it into acidulated water (the juice of half a lemon will do the trick) and the distressing browning that you have suffered will not happen.

Crickley Hill Man.

Later: an e-mail arrives in C-H-M's inbox headed

'Acidulated Response' :

"Dear Crickley Hill Man,

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have saved my marriage.

'Desperate of Selly Oak' (as was)."

Glad to be of service ...

What's on Bernie's mind?

Dr Ferris suggested that the caption to this 1979 Anna Behan photo should be "Bernie wakes up - who's this I'm in bed with?". On further examination, since the recumbent form in the foreground is C-H-M snatching some lunchtime zeds and given that Bernie is testing the tip of his WHS 4" forged tang trowel with a murderous look in his eye, I'm not entirely sure that Iain is right. Maybe I'd committed some atrocity or other and Mr Dawson was contemplating his revenge ...

Others snoozing include Marion Barter, Elsa Charlot and Maryam Ghaffari.

No prizes for guessing the year ...

From Corky Gregory's album: Miss Collinge and Miss Griffiths, then attending Cheltenham Ladies' College, in their salad days, when they were green in judgment, but not, I think, cold in blood. They look very cheerful and carefree ... the T-shirts, I seem to recall were printed in Cheltenham on a Thursday off.

Fixing the limo & Jane's fashion notes

Anyone who dug at Crickley will recall Terry Courtney's passion for limousines: he rarely appeared with less than 2. Jane Dineen stands by highly amused in this Anna Collinge 1980 photo of Mr Courtney trying to get one of his limos going again after some mechanical or electrical collapse. Assisting Terry are Jane Fitt and Julie-Ann Souter and C-H-M in person. What I am doing trying to help is not entirely clear to me as my knowledge of car engines is not fantastic now and was certainly non-existent then. Maybe I was getting Terry to talk me through it.

Jane writes: "Me in 1980 demonstrating an early fascination with engines. Fashion notes: I think that's a black silk t-shirt that I eventually wore to bits, and a little purse (who was that designer with the lion?) that I still have. I don't wear flip-flops now but apparently did then (I guess Dr. Scholl's weren't easy to find in the '80s). I love the other Jane's pink overall/dungarees. And the ultimate accessory (even when momentarily disabled), the Vanden Plas limo." Lucy Loveridge supplies the answer: "I think Ann Klein used the lion as her logo back then. Very high fashion." Jane: "That's it!"

When I go Elsan-cleaning ...

The late posting today was caused by C-H-M having been up & out with the lark at 6.45 and then carrying out his first duties as "plongeur" for the evening class at Leiths, after a long day over a hot stove. First cuts and burns have been sustained, but nothing remotely serious. C-H-M earned the cost of three days' bus and tube fares. Eat your heart out, Eric Blair. But at least C-H-M's endeavours were remunerated. Above is the 1977 edition of C-H-M, surprisingly cheerful as he was snapped by Anna Behan (Collinge) on the way to empty the Elsans. Without pay.

Work scene 1980

Jane Dineen must have got her magnifying glass out to manage to spot even Naomi Jackson, Philip Dixon (examining) and Anna Collinge in this atmospheric 1980 shot. C-H-M had forgotten a feature of digging when the site is dry and dusty: all diggers face away from the wind to stop the dirt blowing into their eyes: the breeze must have been from the south that day as most people are facing north.

Wheelbarrow lunch

A 1980 Sunday lunch break. L to R: a wheelbarrow recently vacated by photographer Jane Dineen, Bernie Dawson (with newspaper), Ros Cleal (applying suntan lotion?), Anna Collinge and Melanie Cook (who know Jane's there with her camera), Frank Green, Rowena Dutton, Terry Courtney and Julian Parker (who don't all know she's there.) I look as though I've been decapitated and attached to the finds hut door.

I'm quite sure Jane is correct in identifying this as a Sunday lunchtime as it was the only day of the week when, feeling deprived of news and a good read, someone would whiz into Cheltenham and acquire the Sunday newspapers. We never did that on a weekday, as far as I can recall.

Oops! C-H-M has had an 'early-middle-aged' moment: Jane Dineen points out: "Pickings must be getting slim if you're reduced to repeating photos! [She's right - March 29th - tsk, tsk.] I have dug 1981 out from behind the furniture and will dispatch the few worth scanning (one a corker) as soon as I've excavated the scanner." Ooh, yes please, Jane - use a 4" WHS forged-tang trowel to excavate your scanner - and sorry, team, for the inadvertent duplication ... I'll fire the blog administrator.

Let's hope things aren't quite what they seem ...

Dr Ferris has been honing his observational powers on the column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome: he instantly spotted the insalubrious possibilities of this shot from Anna Collinge (now Behan)'s series: "It doesn't look as though Arwel's wearing any clothes!" observed the shocked Sage of Selly Oak. Too much scrutinising of naked barbarians for his new book, if you ask me.

Anna herself cannot be the photographer of this 'Health & Efficiency' snap as she's on the left with her planning board. And is that Julie-Ann Souter in the background? From 1980. Update from Julie-Ann who writes: "Yup that's me in the background, and I don't remember Arwel not wearing clothes that day, although maybe my brain has just blocked out the memory ..."

Dormitory 3 in 1980

From Jane Dineen's collection, but not taken by her as she's in this photo of the inhabitants of Dormitory 3 at some point during the 1980 season. Jane is next to Gloria Polizotti with Anna Collinge on the other end of the front row: help needed, please, in identifying the others.

I'd rather hoped this one hadn't survived ...

Dr Anna Behan (née Collinge) produced this charming vignette of C-H-M in his youth at the reunion. Kate Cole-Dumycz remembered that I was 'the Elsan King' - how kind - but I did not realise that my late-teenage ecological activities had ever been captured on camera until I came across Dr Behan chuckling away to herself with Penny Hart examining this shot ... but we might as well get it out of the way - nothing to see, move along there, you know the sort of thing ...

Would you buy a book from this man?

Late on during the picnic, L to R, a glimpse of Anna Behan (née Collinge); Penny Hart (née Griffiths) and PWD look happy and relaxed. A copy of 'Crickley Hill: the Hillfort Defences' lies on the ground between Penny and Phil ... was that one of the sales for the day?

People have asked for more pictures of the 2009 picnic: I will post more here but am also putting together a collection of various attendees' photographs elsewhere in cyberspace to which I will provide links in a day or two.