HONOR BLACKMAN R.I.P.

Sadly, the delightful HONOR BLACKMAN, who played CATHY GALE in The AVENGERS and PUSSY GALORE in GOLDFINGER, has died at the age of 94.  Yet another part of the nation's collective youth gone forever, alas, though she'll live on in all our minds, hearts, and DVDs.  Condolences to her family, friends, and fans.

FRIENDS REUNITED? NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE...

I was looking at the FACEBOOK group page for former pupils of my old secondary school recently (not the official school site, if it has one) and reading the comments of some of the members.  It was sad to see people mention names of their old classmates, only to be informed that some of them had died anything from ten years ago, right up to 40.  This meant that, in the minds of many, those deceased pupils had remained very much alive into the present day, making it an even greater shock for their surviving friends to learn of their demise.  Some of the deceased had moved from their home town decades ago (as had some of the yet-living), hence news of their deaths not being more widely known at the time.

Just think - some members probably joined the group in the hope of catching up with particular friends from the past, only to have their hopes dashed upon discovery that their teenage pals were beyond their reach and unable to participate in mutual reminiscing of happy days gone by.  In one instance, someone home for a visit couldn't bring himself to go and see his best pal from school who was dying of cancer and unable to speak, because he preferred to remember his friend as he'd been when young and fit.  (He later regretted his decision, though it's an understandable one.)

Anyway, reading some of those comments reminded me of a post I'd written some years ago, and I thought it a perfect time to re-present it here as it touches on the very subject.  Want to read it?  Then...

COME - TAKE A WALK WITH ME...

One of the things about my home town (as I'm sure it is with yours) is that certain aspects have changed so much over the last thirty-five years or thereabouts, that some areas are almost unrecognizable to what they once were.  To anyone who moved away in the early '80s and has never been back since, the town remains preserved as it was in the amber of their memories.  If ever they were to return on a visit, I'm sure they'd be in equal parts amazed and horrified at some of the changes which have taken place.

Truth to tell, I'm almost envious of them.  To gad about on the other side of the world somewhere, thinking, in a blissful state of ignorance, that one's home town remains as it once was seems a reassuring notion to me.  In that way, the playing fields of your childhood remain forever inviolate.  Same goes for people; if you don't know someone has expired since you last saw them, they're still alive to you and will be for as long as you are.  What does it profit you to learn that their life's race ended halfway through your own?

I remember being in a camera shop a number of years ago and running into a schoolpal who once sat beside me in technical drawing class (and probably other classes also).  ALAN PARKER was (and is) his name, a fact which won't make this tale one whit more interesting, but which I feel compelled to mention for no other reason than that it happens to be the case.  The conversation ran something like this.  Me: "Hi, Alan - what're you up to these days?"  Him: "I'm on holiday at the moment."  Me: "Not going anywhere?"  Him: "Yes - here!"  Me: "Eh?"  Him: I emigrated to Australia a couple of years back, and I'm over visiting my folks."   

To be honest, I can't actually recall whether it was Australia, New Zealand or Canada he had gone to, but Australia will suffice for the purpose of our tale.  I was actually quite surprised by the news, mainly because it didn't seem like anywhere near two years (at least, probably longer) since I'd last seen him - five or six months at the most, I would've thought.  The realization that he'd been living in another country and pursuing a new and different life for that period, while I subconsciously imagined him to be still tripping merrily around the streets of my town, ready to run into at any moment, was a sobering reminder that things aren't always as we perceive them to be.  In my life, nothing much had changed; in Alan's, a whole new horizon lay before him - and he was already several steps on in the journey which had taken him beyond the narrow (if comforting) confines of my own world.

A few years back, myself and a friend I've known since I was seven years old, took a wander around the new housing scheme which now sits upon the sizeable area of land where once resided my old secondary school.  It was a strange experience because, inside its boundaries, there were no visible 'landmarks' to indicate our location.  We could've been in any new-built housing scheme in Britain; it was as if we'd walked through a dimensional portal and found ourselves somewhere else entirely.  Beyond and out of sight, lay the familiar environs we'd known since childhood, but within these strange new streets we were in an unknown place in an unknown land.  It was with a sense of relief that we returned to our own world some minutes later, back through whence we had come.

In my more fanciful moments, I sometimes wonder if the 'dear departed' (assuming they survive death in some form) are aware of what goes on in the place they left behind; or do they imagine (like the distant wanderer) that everything remains the same as when they left it?  If granted a day's visit to their home town from whatever celestial realm or dark netherworld they may inhabit, would they be surprised and dismayed to learn of the changes which have taken place in their absence?  "What?  My old house has been demolished?  The old cinema has been gone for thirty years?  My favourite toyshop is now a newsagents?  The Cairneys don't live at number forty-three any more?"  Or would such trivial concerns be beyond them in their joy at feeling the wind blow through their hair once more, and again experience a sun-kissed walk through green fields for however brief a period?

Try and let me know if you go before I do, will you?

CAPSULE CAPTION COMPETITION...

Okay, Crivvies, it's time for a bit of fun!  Amazingly, my recently purchased GEMINI SPACE CAPSULE arrived today (HERMES must've used a space/time warp), so as promised, here's a quick shot of it alongside my great GOLDEN GATE STEVE ZODIAC and ZOONY on a JETMOBILE (excuse the dust).  I'll be taking some more pictures of the Capsule and adding them to my previous post about it as soon as I can.  (Now done!)  Meanwhile, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to think of a funny caption for the photograph.  Here, I'll start you off with a few (and add more as they occur to me)...

1) "That Zodiac looks like a bit of a bighead to me."

2) "Don't much fancy his date."

3) "Think he'll sell us some of his oxygen pills?"

4) "Keep on going - run the buggah down!"

5) "Just ignore it, Zoony.  It's not a patch on Fireball Junior."

6) "They've got a more varied colour scheme than us, Fred."

7) "Gah!  Trust Zodiac to go by when we're taking a dump!"

8) "I tell ya, this shot'll look great once the sfx guys add in a space backdrop and take out the wheels."

9) "I wonder if Venus knows those two are an item?"

10) "Zoony, I can feel you trying to lift that bar of chocolate from my back pocket."

11) "Let's pull him over for not wearing a space helmet."

12) "Look at his eyes - he seems 'spaced out' to me."

13) "I think the one in front is a dummy - he's being worked by the funny-looking one at the back."

14) "Nah, that ain't the pizza delivery guy - I don't see any boxes."

15) "That's the laziest way of taking your pet for a 'walk' that I've ever seen."

16) "You're right, Joe - these 3D 'drive-in' movies are great!  You'd think he was real!"

17) "Those speed cops will never catch anyone when they're that obvious, Zoony."

Can you think of any others?  The comments section awaits your esteemed presence.

DON STARR In An APPOINTMENT With FEAR! PART SEVEN...

Copyright relevant owner

Okay, Crivs, here's what, according to my stats, very few of you have been waiting for, so let's not waste any time and get straight into the action.  This strip (as you'll all know by now) originally appeared in a weekly comic called TERRIFIC back in the '60s, and, as far as I know, has never been reprinted.  I can see why, as no-one (apart from a few die-hard readers) seems much interested in it.  Oh well, I guess you can't please everybody. 

JUST HOW MUCH DO YOU APPRECIATE THE NHS AND OTHER KEY WORKERS?

Want to show support for the NHS and key workers during these difficult times?  I mean show real support, not just indulge in a few moments of empty (though well-intentioned), self-indulgent applause on your doorstep?  My suggestion is that some organisation or charity produces a blue 'poppy', to be sold in supermarkets or any shops that are still open on a daily basis.  No human contact required, just a tray of blue poppies with a secure container for donations (no less than £1), which can then be distributed to those who are putting their lives on the line for us at this very moment.  Or even just several collection tins (sans poppies) at the checkout tills of large supermarkets, so that the public can show real appreciation and support, as opposed to mere pointless posturing with no practical value.

Sound like a good idea to you?  Why not contact your local (or a national) newspaper and suggest them proposing it in their pages to the powers-that-be?  I've already been in touch with The DAILY RECORD, and the News Editor I spoke with will be running it up the flagpole with the relevant people to see if it can become a reality.

Go on, forget about standing on your doorstep once a week and clapping into the air - put your money where your mouth is!  Clapping is the very least we can do - don't you think they deserve more than that?

MIGHTY MARVEL COLLECTORS' EDITIONS CHECKLIST - ON SALE NOW!

DEADPOOL UNLEASHED #12

Copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Published by PANINI

A brand-new era of Deadpool madness begins!  Deadpool accepts a job offer to kill a monster on Staten Island, little realising that it will lead to him becoming... King of the Monsters!  By Kelly Thompson & Chris Bachalo!  Plus: more outer space mayhem with the Deadpool Corps!  Deadpool and Lady Deadpool take on some alien uglies and the Champion too!  By Victor Gischler & Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld!

Featuring material first published in Deadpool #1 and Deadpool Corps #1-2.

Available Now!

£4.50.

******

ESSENTIAL X-MEN #26

Nate Grey has enough power to imprison Apocalypse and transform Magneto into his servant!  Time is running out as the X-Men fight to save humanity!  Also, Psylocke must battle her former love, Angel!  By Matthew Rosenberg, Ed Brisson, Kelly Thompson & RB SIlva!

Featuring material first published in Uncanny X-Men #5-7.

Available Now!

£4.50.

******

DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #550

Copyright BBC TV.  Published by PANINI

Issue #550 celebrates Doctor Who’s mid-70s classics.  Highlights include: • Showrunner Chris Chibnall and former producer Philip Hinchcliffe – together at the Doctor Who studio • Director Michael E Briant on The Robots of Death • Sadie Miller remembers her mother, Elisabeth Sladen • Review of Series 12 • A diary and scrapbook of 1976-77 • Dr Who and the Hell Planet • The Fact of Fiction on Tooth and Claw • A look at Exploration Earth: The Time Machine • Part Two of The Piggybackers, a brand-new comic-strip adventure!

PLUS: 1977-style poster magazine • TARDIS control-room diorama • Talons of Weng-Chiang music-hall poster • Six collectors’ cards • Four-part Big Finish download.

Available Now!

£9.99.

Note: I'm unsure whether these mags are currently available in shops, though it's possible they might be on sale in some supermarkets who usually stock such titles. However, I believe they are available mail order from the Panini website.

FEELING SHEEPISH? HAND-CLAPPING EVENT IS BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

I see that the NHS hand-clapping event has been scheduled again, for tonight at 8 p.m., despite it doing nothing at all to supply nurses, carers, and key workers with protective apparel, masks, gloves, etc., as well as the necessary equipment to help safeguard both them, their patients and the public.  Yesterday, my taxi driver told me that his wife, who's a nurse, thought such gestures were total codswallop, and he wasn't 'April Fooling' me.  At least tonight I'm forewarned so am unlikely to be disturbed from sleep as I was last week, but what about those just off a shift who are in desperate need of a kip before returning to work?  That's all right though, as long as we feel good about ourselves while 'virtue-signalling' our alleged appreciation, we can conveniently ignore taking all necessary sensible precautions which would not only protect ourselves, but would alleviate the strain on overstretched resources.

I still see kids playing out in the streets together, and ask myself what on earth the parents are thinking.  Sure, let junior out in the back garden to stretch his or her legs once a day, but anything else is risking him or her catching Covid-19 and giving the NHS yet another patient to tend to and strain their already limited resources even more.  Switching lanes for a moment, there's been a lot of attention paid to the fact that some people are 'panic buying', but it appears to be an inevitable repercussion of advising the public to stay home and not go out.  Obviously they're going to think that in order to stay in, they need to increase their stock of necessities to see them through their period of 'house arrest'.  I haven't indulged in panic buying, but that means I have to go to the shops every other day in order to buy milk, bread, toilet rolls (if I can find any) - I'm condemned whatever I do.  (Just a shame the revamped Dandy is no longer available, 'cos I could've wiped my @rse with that.  H'mm, maybe not, the paper was too shiny and would simply have smeared excrement all over my nether-cheeks.  It would've been a case of sh*te spreading sh*te, which is rather ironic when you think about it.)

Anyway, getting back to the point, there can't be an NHS worker anywhere who doesn't already know how much the public appreciates them.  (It's the government - regardless of whichever one is in power - that they feel under-appreciated by.)  They're on the front line every day, dealing with death and the dying, and have relatives of the afflicted and the deceased telling them in extremely emotional and heartfelt terms just how much they're appreciated, so they really don't need any empty gestures like people hand-clapping on the doorstep.  Instead of drawing attention to yourself, why not draw attention to the NHS and key workers by making a donation to an organisation or charity that supports them.  That's far more practical and requires real action that will make a difference, as opposed to the minor inconvenience of opening your front door and effectively saying "Hey, look at me, folks - am I a good person or what?"  Well, your appreciation may be genuine or it may not, but instead, try putting your money where your mouth is!  That'll make a real difference and show nurses, doctors, and carers, etc., that your appreciation is genuine, and not mere pointless posturing.

After Eight Update: Oh, and here's another thought.  Last week, one of my local chip shops had a sign on their door saying no more than 2 customers at a time.  Yet behind the length of the counter were around 10 staff, all in close proximity to one another.  Delivery drivers were congregated at the end of the shop, and assistants had to pass inches from them to go through to the back in order to get things.  The shop has now started doing only deliveries and collections, yet is still packed full to the brim with staff.  You can bet that at least some of those people would've been out clapping tonight, but by their work-environment behaviour they're not only putting themselves and their colleagues at risk, but also NHS staff who will have to treat them if they become infected.  Way to go, peeps - that's the way to show your 'appreciation' - not! 

TOO SOON? TV TORNADO ANNUALS COVER GALLERY OMNIBUS... (Updated)

Characters copyright relevant and respective owners

Having already shown you the front covers of the four TV TORNADO Annuals almost as I received them (with the exception of the 3rd), it's now time to display them in their proper sequence along with the back covers also.  I've now completed the set 53 years after the first Annual was issued, although I didn't acquire my first (which was the one for 1970, issued in '69) 'til around 1986 or '87.  That means it took me around 33-34 years to acquire all four of them.

Interestingly, even though I never had any of these books when they first came out, owning them now feels, to me, a bit like dipping back into the '60s and '70s and experiencing something I missed out on at the time but have finally caught up with.  So it's a bit like time travel in a sense, because something that comes from the period of my youth, even though not owned by me back then (the Annuals that is - I had the odd weekly comic) is now part of my life - and feels as though it always has been.

Does that make any sense, or have I conveyed it in my usual vague, not quite on-the-mark manner?  I'm sure that most of you are smart enough to grasp what I'm getting at though, so buy yourselves a big bag of jelly babies as a reward.  (Along with a big box of Aspirin for the headache I've just given you.)    

And below are the two guys (l-r) who gave me the Annuals for 1970 and '68 - in that order and 34 years apart.  Going from the issues of NIPPER lying on the floor and the BEANO calendar on the wall, this photo was taken sometime in February '87.  Unknown to me at that moment, six months later I was to return to the previous house in which I'd lived for 11 years, just over three and a half years earlier.

BABE Of The DAY - LINDA THORSON...

Lovely LINDA THORSON

isn't doing a SHARON STONE (in

spite of what you may think you can see)

as she readies herself for our date tonight.

And although our feet will be planted with

two metres between us, we can still lean in

for a big slobbery smooch.  See?  There's

always a way around such things if

 you're determined enough.

MARVEL SUPERHEROES ANNUAL MINI-COVER GALLERY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

In 1978, MARVEL Presents The SUPERHEROES Annual (for 1979) appeared on the shelves, published by BROWN WATSON, followed a year later by the 1979 Annual (for 1980), this time published by GRANDREAMS.  This new company had been set up by two of the bosses from Brown Watson after leaving their former place of employment, and they continued to publish Marvel Annuals (as well as others, mostly TV related) for a few years.  I understand that Marvel UK and Grandreams both operated from the same building, so it wasn't very long before the publisher's name on the spines of Marvel Annuals was revised from Grandreams to Marvel/Grandreams, presumably to reflect both parties' involvement and establish that the books were still official Marvel products.

A year after the first Superheroes Annual, Marvel UK introduced a monthly mag called MARVEL SUPERHEROES (not to be confused with the 1975/'76 weekly, The SUPER-HEROES, which lasted for 50 issues), but I don't think it was a tie-in to the Annual.  At least not until 1980, when the third Annual in the series (for 1981) was retitled Marvel Superheroes and bore the same masthead as the monthly periodical.  As far as I know, there were only three 'Superhero' Annuals, though the middle one suffered from poor quality reproduction of the interior strips.  The full-colour pages looked as though they'd been scanned from printed comics, but so too did the spot-colour pages, which was surprising as they'd never been printed in that format anywhere else before.

Also, one of stories in the first Annual had two pages out of sequence, but the fault belonged Stateside as that's how the strip was published in its original appearance in The MIGHTY THOR #231.  (They should never have abolished these little corner-page numbers.)  Marvel UK revived the name for a few Annuals (I think there were some Specials too) in the late '80s, early '90s, but this time Super Hero was two words (after being hyphenated in the 1987 Omnibus Annual) so I'm not including them here as they're not connected to the original series.  Anyway, for all you nostalgists out there, I thought I'd show you the covers to this three-Annual run (the spines all say 'Superheroes Annual'), so here they are for your personal perusal.

TOYBOX TREASURES Of The PAST: GEMINI SPACE CAPSULE... (Updated)

It was at the famous Barras Market in Glasgow one Saturday in the '60s.  If I recall correctly, one stall-holder was having an auction, and this Gemini NASA Space Capsule was one of the items on offer.  Or maybe it wasn't included in the auction and had a fixed price.  Either way, my father bought it for me, and it was a dearly-loved toy until it suffered the fate of all toys, by being replaced in my affections by another, newer, dearly-loved toy.  (Fickle, eh?  I love them all equally now though.)

Anyway, just bought a replacement on eBay earlier this afternoon, and here's a couple of the seller's pics to show off my new acquisition.  I'll replace them with my own photos when the toy arrives, and maybe engineer a photo-shoot opportunity of a visit from STEVE ZODIAC (and ZOONY) on his jetmobile.  Did any of you Crivs ever have one of these super-duper friction-drive space capsules when you were a kid?  Then wax sentimental about it in the comments section, why don'tcha?!

(And grateful thanks go to WOODSY of MOONBASE CENTRAL blog for telling me about it!)

Update: Capsule now arrived (April 4th).  Considering it came all the way from the Netherlands, that was mighty quick.  I've decided to not only add my own photos, but also retain the seller's just to have a bit of variety.  That's mine below.

REBELLION'S The TRIGAN EMPIRE... (Updated)

Copyright REBELLION

Another book I received today was REBELLION's 300-plus pages collected edition of The TRIGAN EMPIRE, the first of four volumes.  I'd read somewhere that the pages were scanned from DON LAWRENCE's original art, but that appears to be only partially true, going from the difference in the clarity of reproduction on various pages.  It's also been completely relettered, in a more comic strip style computer font, as opposed to the original typeset upper and lower case speech balloons and captions.  That I can live with.

However, if you have this book, compare the first two strip pages with the ones below, scanned from a limited edition series of LOOK & LEARN, which reprinted RANGER's iconic strip as it originally appeared.  I can't open the new volume wide enough to scan without risking damage to the spine, otherwise I'd show you the difference myself, but these particular two pages aren't as good in the Rebellion book as they are here.  (Especially the second panel on the first tier of page 2.)

Don Lawrence's art is impressive, and it's really on the art that the reputation of this series rests, because the stories are nothing brilliant - they merely exist to give Don something to draw.  I'm not saying they're bad, merely serviceable, and I'm not sure that any plot could ever be described as a classic, but this is still a book worth having just to linger lovingly over the illustrations.  And when the pages are scanned from the original artwork, the quality is outstanding, but it's just a shame that all the pages couldn't be reproduced this way.

However, it's at an affordable price (£19.99), and if you're a fan of British comic strips from yesteryear, you'd be mad to let this one escape you.  Available direct from Rebellion's website and all good book and comics shops.

******

(Update: My above assessment of the stories was based on having last read some of them in a HAMLYN hardback collection nearly 40 years ago.  Having now re-read them in this new collection, I find that they display quite a bit of imagination and are a good solid read.  The only drawback with them is that the stories are told mostly through the captions rather than the dialogue, and are therefore a bit 'copy-heavy' and lacking the easy flow of, say, a '60s MARVEL comic [by way of comparison]. This doesn't make them bad of course, but because of the descriptive nature of the captions [when you can already see what's happening in the illustrations], they can sometimes come across as a tad 'dry'.  It's a wee bit like watching a movie with a dull commentary playing over it.)   

TV TORNADO ANNUAL 1971 COVER...

Characters copyright relevant and respective owners

Arrived today, the TV TORNADO Annual for 1971 (which was the fourth and final one), giving me the full set after receiving the one for '70 around 33-34 years ago as a gift (15 or 16 years after it first came out), and the '68 and '69 books within the last fortnight or so.  This is easily the worst of the four, as the British-produced strips are absolutely bloody awful; amateurishly drawn and lettered, they look as if they've been scrawled by a child.  (One character has two left hands.)  Only the American reprints save the day, though there's not enough of them.  Fictitious editor ED STORM rounds off his FLASH POINT intro by saying "I hope to be with you again in twelve months time with another issue of TV Tornado.  Cheerio till then"

'Twas not to be; Ed disappeared into the limbo of cancelled comics (and Annuals), never to be seen again in any new publication.  (Though there'd been a similar character, The SKIPPER, in SUPER DC, by the same artist - MICK ANGLO by the look of it.)  I can't help but wonder whether ED might've been able to keep his word had the quality of the artwork in this book been of a higher standard than it was.  And what are three cowboys from The HIGH CHAPPARAL doing on the cover?  They don't appear in any strip or text story inside.  I assume they were meant to be included before it was decided to produce this book as cheaply as possible by getting a 12 year old kid (by the look of it) to do the interiors.

Anyway, I've shown these Annuals out of sequence, so in an upcoming omnibus post I'll place them all in their proper order, along with their back covers.  Any memories of having these books - or the weekly comic?  Then feel entirely welcome to share your reminiscences in the comments section with your fellow Crivs.  

PONDERING POMPEY... (Updated)

Exterior of 5 Shearer Road.  My room's on the ground floor

For a few months at the beginning of 1985, I lived in a little bedsit at 5 Shearer Road in Fratton, Portsmouth, at the start of my long freelance comics career for IPC/FLEETWAY, and later (back home) MARVEL UK and REDAN, etc.  I had a small front room, and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, though I always ate out, not being given to preparing my own grub.  Earlier tonight I was looking at a couple of items I'd acquired while ensconced in number 5 and suddenly realised I kind of missed the place.  It represented a time in my life when I was less than half the age I am now, and had it ever occurred to me to project my thoughts 35 years into the future, it probably would've seemed far too distant a span to even imagine - an eternity away in fact.

However, from this side of the devide, it seems like no time at all really, and I can't help but marvel at the speed with which the years flashed past while seeming to be almost stationary during the process.  Funny that, eh?  I wish I could jump into my private helicopter (if I had one) and fly down to Portsmouth, let myself into the house I stayed in, and re-experience the sense of what it was like to live there.  I'm doing that now of course, but only in my mind - it would give it far greater clarity and closeness if I were able to do so in the place itself.  I still possess most if not all of the books, comics, and items I purchased in my few months down there, and they provide a nice reminder of a particular period in my life from long ago.  

I've also got photos of the room and area I stayed in, so if you're not busy watching paint dry, why don't I share them with you?  You'd like that?  Oh, good, 'cos I would too.  So here are some images recorded for posterity on a HANIMEX 110mm camera (bought in Southsea on a previous stay in 1981) of where I lived more than half my life away.  If you're from the area, feel free to provide an update on any significant changes since I was there.  (For example, is there a blue plaque with my name on it above the front door of number 5 yet?)  These pics form a circular tour (left-to-right) of my room (I'm sure you can work out which one it was), starting outside the house and ending there.  I'll add some other photos of Portsmouth later.

I once saw a woman walking her cat on a lead on
the street across the road from this window

You can see the little desk I worked at, lettering and resizing pages
for the pocket library mags while listening to Radio Victory

I attended a service (may've been a Gospel meeting) in the Salem Baptist
Chapel one night 'cos they were serving tea and biscuits after it ended

Can't recall ever hanging anything in the 'wardrobe'

The bed was comfier than it looks.  I very soon bought two
sleeping bags (zipped them together) and two comfy pillows

My Coca Cola Radio bottle and a can of the 'Real Thing'.  The Wind
In The Willows Calendar hangs on my wall to the left of me as I type

Kept some comics and books in the chest of drawers

H'mm, what could this be?  Ah, now I remember - it's
the door (from the inside) in to and out of my room

View from the window again

Now this looks familiar

'My' house - home sweet home (sort of)

Okay, Crivvies, next is the road to Portsmouth Town Centre from Buckland/Fratton, and the centre itself, which is very reminiscent of my town back in the 1960s and '70s.  Maybe that's why I felt so at home in Pompey.  After the shot of the fountain is the Guildhall, plus the large park just behind it.  Back on October 12th 1984, BOB HOPE arrived at the Guildhall to do a gig, only to find it cancelled due to an unexploded bomb being found the day before.  It was in the papers, and he also mentioned it at The Edinburgh Playhouse the next night (13th) - I was there.

The flats on the right (our pov) hadn't been completed
when I walked into town on a previous stay in '81

Talking of which, here's a photo I took in '81 on the same road

This shot is just before and on the right (our pov) of the previous pic.
I've got one taken in '81 of a horse grazing here when it was a field

And here's the very photo to prove it

Portsmouth Town Centre fountain outside Lloyds Bank, out of
sight on the left from our pov.  It closed many years ago

Street on the left-hand side (our pov) of The Guildhall

The Guildhall was completed in 1890 and bombed to
bits in 1941.  The Queen reopened it in 1959

Queen Victoria statue seen from Library Cafe.  You might recognise
the area from a 6-part TV show called 'Going Out', broadcast in 1981

Dunno what this edifice is, but doesn't it look grand?

Very futuristic-looking

The swans were absent the last time I took a photo
in 1981.  Must've been away getting repaired

And (from a different side) here is proof of which I speak, taken in '81

H'm, what's this?  Let me refer to my notes... ah, yes - a tree

Let's see, what's next?  Some assorted shots near the seafront, and one from a cafe overlooking the bus terminus.

Saw this archway in a TV drama sometime in the '80s 

Gosport on the horizon.  Visited twice in '81, first time at night, second during the daytime

Another shot, same view.  Don't know why I didn't visit again in '85

It was either in this newsagent's or a bookshop along to the right (our
pov) that I saw a nice hardback copy of The Wind In The Willows.
Can't recall if I bought it there, or later when I returned to Scotland

If you're a Russian agent, look away now

Below is one near the duck pond at the far end of Southsea, followed by one of me in my room in the HOMELEA HOTEL (prior to living in Shearer Road), not too far away from the pond (if memory serves).  This was taken sometime in January, I believe.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a duck.  (Swans, on the
other hand, I've got plenty of.  Or are they geese?)

Hairy-but-handsome, that's me.  Incidentally, I still have that blue
jumper and it still fits.  (Though it might be just a tad tighter)

Tell you what - to finish, let's jump up to London and take a look at the view from the 26th floor of KING'S REACH TOWER when I was there doing some lettering.  I used to visit KRT once or twice a week (from Pompey), which involved rising at around quarter to 4 in the morning so I could catch the 6 a.m. coach.  I usually arrived about 8.30 a.m. or thereabouts, and didn't get back to Shearer Road 'til sometime after 10 at night.  Are you up for it?  Okay, here we go then.

I think I've got pics of this site when new buildings
had been erected.  (Tee-hee!  I said 'erected')

Slightly wider shot...

...and a view of the skyline above it

And that's your lot.  Hope you enjoyed this small tour 'round a snippet of my life 35-odd years ago.  No?  Ach, you're an awfy hard lot to please.