When I was set on gardening by the father, the above side wheeled machine was the type I had to push over our 'lawn' at Beechwood Rd Oldham. The 'lawn' was made from turfs stolen off of the local catholic church's newly laid lawn, and turfs cut from Oldham Edge - a semi-derelict stretch of open land somewhere or other. Whatever, pushing that sodding thing was very hard for an eight year old. And it had no grass box so I then had the job of sweeping up the mowings with what I was taught to call a 'long handled yard brush'. Chris later suggested that in English we have had one word for this implement for about 1,000 years - a broom.
I was pleased to see that Clumber Park (NT) walled garden museum of implements displays the Ransomes Sims & Jefferies 'Ajax' Model III. Obviously, our model IV is still in service.
During his congé the father used to borrow his sister's Austin A45 for a week. He would take us out to the places he liked on day trips. There was only one: Penistone, where his aunt Alice and Emma used to live at 22 Green Rd. (Alice died in 1945 and, according to Dad, uncle Leslie, his brother (obviously) wangled two weeks compassionate leave out of the RAF and stripped her house bear). However being an inquisitive little teenager I noticed that on the map, a lot further east, was something called 'The Dukeries'. We went and he liked it enough to return despite the very long drive. It is now fully up to NT standards with lots of lavatories and sales/eating/parking places. They call it Clumber Park.
When I was set on gardening by the father, the above side wheeled machine was the type I had to push over our 'lawn' at Beechwood Rd Oldham. The 'lawn' was made from turfs stolen off of the local catholic church's newly laid lawn, and turfs cut from Oldham Edge - a semi-derelict stretch of open land somewhere or other. Whatever, pushing that sodding thing was very hard for an eight year old. And it had no grass box so I then had the job of sweeping up the mowings with what I was taught to call a 'long handled yard brush'. Chris later suggested that in English we have had one word for this implement for about 1,000 years - a broom.
I was pleased to see that Clumber Park (NT) walled garden museum of implements displays the Ransomes Sims & Jefferies 'Ajax' Model III. Obviously, our model IV is still in service.
During his congé the father used to borrow his sister's Austin A45 for a week. He would take us out to the places he liked on day trips. There was only one: Penistone, where his aunt Alice and Emma used to live at 22 Green Rd. (Alice died in 1945 and, according to Dad, uncle Leslie, his brother (obviously) wangled two weeks compassionate leave out of the RAF and stripped her house bear). However being an inquisitive little teenager I noticed that on the map, a lot further east, was something called 'The Dukeries'. We went and he liked it enough to return despite the very long drive. It is now fully up to NT standards with lots of lavatories and sales/eating/parking places. They call it Clumber Park.
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