Back in the Distant Past

Hi Everyone

Back in 1970, yes, all that long time ago, we had a holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes. A few years before we were there, parts of the film The Guns of Navarone were made there, starring Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn - you have to be approaching middle age to remember that lot. Anyway, in Rhodes town, there was a tailor's shop displaying photographs of the three stars who had been measured for a suit which was then ready for collection within twenty four hours not only for them but for anyone who stepped through the door. I was reminded of all this Rubbish when watching the coverage of the Pope’s funeral. It was hard to see whether it was the ceremony or Trump’s blue suit that had the most coverage in the news. I understand that the Vatican had a strict rule that those attending should wear a black suit and tie, but that white shirts were permissible. Apparently, there were a small number besides Trump that wore blue suits, but I think that they were all dark navy blue rather than the blue that he chose to wear. All this attracted interest and speculation, which almost but not quite overshadowed the Pope’s achievements. Now you will know if you read this Rubbish on a regular basis that I have my own theory about the events that day. I have it on good authority that he really wanted to wear an orange jump suit to match his face but as all of them are made in China, he could not afford the cost because of his tariffs. Surely, just for once, he could have read and followed the Vatican’s instructions, but then of course he would not have stood out from the crowd.

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that back in 1960 I worked for two brothers, one a joiner with a hobby as a funeral director and the other a bricklayer of dubious ability. Even though we employed about seventy staff with about twelve bricklayers amongst them, the bricklayer of dubious ability would occasionally go back “on the tools” as he called it. On one occasion, we had just won a contract to connect some existing properties in a country lane to the main sewage system. Part of the contract involved building nine manholes, just the sort of job the bricklayer of dubious ability would enjoy. He advised me that I would not see him for a week while he built the manholes. The following week I had a phone call from the Clerk of Works who was overseeing the contract. After the usual pleasantries, he asked me who had built the manholes, although he already knew of course who had built them. I confirmed that the bricklayer of dubious ability had built them. He then instructed me to tell him to return to rebuild them, this time putting some cement between the bricks. It was a relief to me that he went missing for another week. I can confirm, however, that sixty five years later, those nine manholes are still there as I drive over them nearly every week.  

This week we walked around a lovely lake. The background to this lake is the JCB factory, that world famous digger company. The factory is in a countryside setting and is a model for how a modern industrial factory can be integrated into the environment. Back in 1950s Joseph Cyril Bamford had his small factory in the nearby town before moving to the present site. We had four JCBs, three yellow in colour, which we hired out to other contractors and civil engineers, while the fourth one was painted in the company colour, green. We had a contract to build a fire station in the town, which Joe Bamford passed on his way from his home to his original factory. When he saw our green digger, he stopped to ask for the site foreman, telling him that all JCB’s are yellow. The next day he delivered yellow paint and brushes with instructions to send him the invoice when the repaint had been completed. Now sixty five years on, you would very lucky to find a JCB that is not yellow. That attention to detail is one of the reasons why Joe Bamford’s son now has a fortune of over £6 billion.

Just a Thought :

What does Trump call a bunch of rich white guys in orange prison jumpsuits?  Staff.

My friend once dated a bricklayers daughter. Cement the world to him.

Brian