Ar Ely
Nahthen, mi names Ely, don’t ask me wh I dunno me mam mustve givit mi. Anyroad there ah woz just standin mindin mi own biznis byte side o’t cut wen ther cum this gert racket from undert bridge yer cudnt see nowt cos at steam see, anyroad, this gert bow comes through bridge oyl, an ont backs this damn big chimley, ah thowt “wot th’ells this” then ah realized, it wer one o’ them steamboats as wot traveled cut wen me Dad wer a lad, thowt I’d betta gooan av a sken at this, so a guz over an reads it’s name, President it sez, wi another un behind cald Kildare. “Owdoo” I sez tut lad ont back, “owdoo” sez he, Werz thee goin wi this lot?” Tut national boat rally e sez, but were stopping ere for some snap. Snap, , , SNAP! Nah, wen I waz a lad, we dint stop fo no snap, we dint stop fo nowt.
Anyroad, e wer struggling gerrin t’ boat in, so I sez “chuck uz yer strap lad, an I’ll give it a snatch” Thanks mate, e sez, thez some bollards darn theer t’ tie too. Dint av bollards in my day wen I wer a lad, just rings, or a darn gert lump a steel that yer ammerd inter t’ bank. Anyroad, wi some pushin an pullin an uffin an puffin we finally got boats tied up, I wer standin admiring t’ boats, thi lookt ryte gradely tha knows, wen art a this ‘ole int side comes this face circled wi wyte ‘air all round it. “Elloo young man, ow are you?” E sez, Gradely thanks lad, I sez, Waarm job thas got theer lad, nah, wen me Dad wer a lad, these things wer up an darn t’ cut all t’ time tha knows, that wer darnt south mind, int posh arf at country, weer you come up from no dowt.
Anyroad, be now there wer arf a dozen on em ont towpath all scoffin an suppin taye like it wer gooin art a fashion, then affoor a knows owt, ad gorra mug o’ the same shuvd into me mits. Eeee, it wer good! Is thee gooin up locks afta ? I sez , al gi thee ‘and if yer like, “thanks” e sez , yer ready now I sez, cos in my day, we went up an set all t’ locks for us sens,
Aye,,, yerv got to lerram know the yoor locks tha knows…… To be continued
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(Ely’s views and opinions are not necessarily those of FOP or it’s members)
Last edited:- 06-Jun-2009