Just feel the width ...

Going to a dance, gentlemen? Proof that Dave and Ken Fussell possessed a suit apiece as well as chef's whites. Just look at the width of those tie-knots ...

Cooks and diggers

Today's snap is a 1976 Becky Sanderson (Spencer as was) shot of cooks and diggers at Ullenwood: L to R, Arwel Barrett avec beard, Ken Fussell, Simon Mercer, Sandy and Dave who was Ken's fellow cook.

This brings C-H-M to the culinary tip of the week. Dr Ferris asked for one that might not involve eating industrial quantities of poached eggs. Mindful that Dr Mrs Dr Ferris, a.k.a Dr Lynne Bevan, is a keen fan of fish as well as being lithics and small finds specialist, there are two fish related tips this week. First, don't eat fish in a restaurant on Monday. Fishing boats tend not to go out on the weekend and fish served on Monday has probably been around for a day or two. Second, when preparing mackerel for cooking, trim off the fins but leave on the dorsal fin. When the fish is perfectly cooked the dorsal fin will easily come off when gently pulled so it's a good way of telling it's done. Oh and put enough sugar in to make the gooseberry sauce not too tart.

1979: the strain starts to show

Another collage from Dr Phillpotts's 1979 photographs: F3351 was clearly beginning to take its toll as you can tell from the look on my face as I come back down towards it with a wheelbarrow. Dr Cleal looks as though she's just been knocked out. On the right-hand side of the collage Matthew Wilkinson looks a bit cheerier, whilst at the bottom Randall Motkin chases a frisbee. At the top in the middle Marian Barter scratches her head with Matthew Garner and Dave nearby. At the bottom in the middle many people slave away in the bottom of the Iron Age ditch on cutting AXV, including Mike Taylor, Training, Gill, Pete, Zoya Spivakowska, Elsa Charlot, Mandy Hatherly and me.

The Chronicler ties up some loose ends ...

Dr Phillpotts stirs again in his garret and shares the following wisdom:

"The Giant JP originated I believe in the mysterious CH78, with a character called Bill who only dug with us that year. I don't remember much about Bill, except his wet weather gear, which comprised a bin liner tunic, a bin liner skirt, and a sample bag wrapped over his head and clamped into his beard with a large bulldog clip, making him look like a punk battleaxe granny. He did bring us the Giant Parrot joke (What noise does a giant parrot make - SQUAWK!!!). He liked to gather a group of 6 or 8 people and tell this at high volume in the porch of the Air Balloon, in order to provoke the locals. This then developed into the Giant JP, which had a variable text decided by committee.

I was present when the great man, on rising one day, uttered the immortal words: "Sod this for a lark; I've just found a piece of limestone under me foreskin". [I remember this bit. Ed] Not only was this incorporated into the Giant JP, but the piece of limestone afterwards became the trophy in the Personality of the Year contest. [I don't believe you - Ed.]

I was present for quite a lot of CH78, but had no camera. I only acquired my first puny point-and-poke in 1979, and it took very narrow film, hence the soft focus effect of my early shots. I only really learned to take proper photos in about 1984, way behind the Pentax-Brandisher [Mr Boden. Ed]. The person who never returned JB's slides was Sandra the Cook.

An American lady asked about CH78 (might she be Naomi Jackson?) [No, it was Amy Cay. Ed]. From my notes towards a social history of Crickley Hill I can report the following highlights:

JP and I prepared the kitchen at the start of the season by scraping it down with table knives and repainting ('You make very nice!' said Lofty's mother, looking through the window). Ken and Dave were the cooks.

There was a contingent of Phil's students from Nottingham Uni, and an even bigger group from Leicester Uni. There were also some Poles, who were contacts of John Howell. Wonderful section drawings resulted, but labelled in Polish and Russian.

We removed vast quantities of backfill, and took huge soil samples. Baling out the cuttings.
We made a raid on Cheltenham Ladies College summer fête (Penny may remember that one, as she was running a stall). [I'm sure it is engraved on her heart. Janet Douglas will have imperishable memories of it too. Ed.]

Visits to the Golden Heart.

Late night visit from Fachtna McEvoy and P J Pikes, with their customary crate of booze.

Several of us dressed in drag for one of the dinner times, though I recall that Arwel looked more like a French curé in a long dress and straw hat.

Coach trip to Gloucester, Kingscote and Uleybury, with Lofty at the wheel.

John Howell gave a lecture about something.

An excellent dinner at Major Birchall's house.

Attempts to cram lots of people into small spaces (phone box, Mike the Whale's tent etc).

[A passage has been redacted here on the advice of C-H-M's lawyers - it was salacious, if not scurrilous and has no proper place on a family blog of this type. The usual fiver buys the details. Ed.]

Randal Motkin's first visit, I believe. I have missed out some of the lowlights, as it was in some respects a quarrelsome year. You may wish to edit some of the above. [Alas, I had to. Ed]

On Boden's shop steward speeches, I remember one from CH82, when he was exposed to some light drizzle whilst planning (I believe I have it verbatim): 'I don't think we should work in the rain. People don't work properly in the rain, they just piss about. (pause) I take myself as the prime example'.

I think we need Richard Savage to confess to the Great Bap Mountain and the Furry Turkey."

[This last paragraph, I think needs some illumination from the Chronicler: I will interview him on Saturday, if I remember. Ed.]

The long grass at Ullenwood in black and white

From the English Heritage National Monuments Record collection, the Cold War series taken by Michael Hesketh Roberts in 1999: the long grass at Ullenwood looking particularly luxurious and doubtless appealing to the foxes of which Lofty was so fond ...

Whilst on the subject of Ullenwood, I have a vague recollection of some episode involving surveillance by the Gloucestershire Constabulary drug squad.  I have a feeling that somebody had planted a grove of marijuana, on one side or the other of Greenway Lane, and that the dope plants were discovered, presumably by Mike Cuttell, on whose land the undesirable growing was taking place.  The police were informed and this led to some doubtless long-suffering Detective Constable hiding in the hedge awaiting the return of the marijuana grower, presumably with the intention of making an arrest followed by interview, and unless a very good explanation was forthcoming, charges were sure to follow. I have half a suspicion that this may have been either in 1976 on 1977 when Ken and Dave were the cooks for the season and I think the only reason I know anything about this at all is that they mentioned that they were in the habit over a few days of slipping down Greenway Lane and handing plates of hot food into the hedge for the nourishment of the long-suffering Detective Constable.  Presumably a disembodied arm would emerge from the hedge to return the plates and cutlery.  At this distance I am beginning to wonder whether I have imagined this: does it ring any bells with anyone else?

 I cannot imagine the Gloucestershire police sparing anyone to stake out a marijuana patch these days.

Guess what was going on here ...

Can anyone help with what Dr Phillpotts is about here: rapt attention all round? I only know because of the caption that accompanied his archive when he sent it to me. This is during a 1982 party... L to R: Alex West, Mike Adams, Duncan, Gail Boyle, Dave, Ambrosio, Rhian Locke, Franklin, John Gale, Jane the Scot and the Chronicler himself presiding. Update: Steve Vaughan writes: "It's the wedding. Rhian is being joined in unholy matrimony with the hapless youth on her right by the hanging judge himself. John Gale acting as best man, I think. 1982?." Correct on all counts Steve, and amusingly different from your beloved's answer which was as follows: I think Phillpotts may have been presiding over the annual Awards - certainly Ambrosio was voted 'Personality of the Year' one season, and I think I have a hazy memory of this party. Was John Gale ever 'Mr Crickley' - I don't remember. In fact the biggest surprise of this picture is I don't ever recall Mr Gale being that darned handsome in a Village People meets Errol Flynn sort of way. On Mr Crickley - for some reason we still have one of the limestone Mr Crickley plaques in our hallway. Last time we moved - the removal man picked it up and said "Who's Mr Crickley then .... a dog?"