Category: Not So Grumpy Old Men

Not So Grumpy Old Men don the Hi-vis jackets

Many local residents will have watched with interest the steel construction that grew and grew in the Britons Fabricators yard at the junction of Nabbs Lane and Watnall Road. It was eventually revealed to be a new foot/cycle bridge to span the River Trent between Lady Bay and the Colwick Waterside area and by the time you read this, the bridge should be open for use.

The NSGOM were invited to visit Britons site on Watnall Road and spent considerable time with the company MD, Dean Morcom, who explained how the company was formed, how it operates and the many steel fabrications they have produced and installed in the past fifty years. These include many footbridges over motorways, railway lines, rivers, canals and the like. A huge number of motorway gantries, that provide signage and up to date information, have been fabricated in their Hucknall yard alongside more “exotic” projects such as the staging for a Beyonce performance! All the materials they use are sourced in the UK.

We were very impressed by the scale of activities on site, on how forward looking the company is, with apprenticeships etc., and by how much time they were prepared to give to us!

A most worthwhile experience.

April saw 12 Not So Grumpy Old Men return to channel their inner Botham in an indoor cricket contest.

The rules of engagement were explained (more than once!) to the players, led by Team Captains Ian Murray and Dave Kay. Dave’s team batted first, each player facing the onslaught of 2 overs of exceptional bowling where accuracy, both of length and width, seemed to be unimportant. As wickets started to fall, one player scored 4’s and 6’s and another fell into his own wicket! Ian’s team took to the crease, and one player needed a runner which led to confusion and hilarity when 2 batsmen ended up in the same place.

With the rules now at least partially understood, the teams squared up for a second game. Amongst cries of “‘ow is ‘e” and “leg before wicket” the honours ended even with both captains claiming a game.

Fortunately for the standing of international cricket there were no scouts from the England selectors to identify the raw talent on display. Thanks to John Beharall for organising.

Treize vieux grincheux jouent à la pétanque.

So we assembled with not a beret or Gauloise between us, (well Tony had a Woodbine!) in the early morning mist at Ravenshead Petanque Club ready to learn the finer points of the game we’ve probably all played on the beach.

On the specially prepared gravel terrain were marked out several pistes or lanes. We played in pairs, each player having three boules. The starting player stands in a small cercle, laid on the ground, feet close together. Indeed this is where the game gets its name from pieds tanqués, “feet planted” (on the ground), a name that eventually evolved into the game’s current name, pétanque. The jack or cochonnet is thrown between four and six metres and the thrower then throws their boule attempting to nestle close by. The opposition then have a turn and if they fail to get closer continue to throw their boules until they are nearest. Then the turn changes. When all twelve boules have been thrown the score is agreed and added to the team score. Mènes, or ends continue until one team has scored thirteen points. Time allowed for all of us to play several completed games. Indeed, the success of the visit could be judged by the fact that the last four had to be dragged from the piste, before they went into overtime.

Thanks need to be accorded to the good folks at Ravenshead Petanque Club for making us so welcome and to our organiser and coach Monsieur Christophe le Garnier.

Bob McEwen

Visit to the Sherwood Observatory and Planetarium

In late October a group of twenty-two ‘Grumpies’ were allowed out later than usual to visit the new Planetarium at Coxmoor Road, Sutton in Ashfield. In 1969 an advert in the Mansfield Chad brought together a group interested in astronomy and a few years later an observatory, with a 24” reflecting telescope was constructed on the present site. The planetarium and science centre itself is a much newer addition, opening in November 2024 after being funded by the local council and the Levelling Up Fund, to the tune of £5.3 million. The planetarium is built on top of a disused Victorian reservoir next to the original observatory. 

Our first stop was to view the moon through the main telescope – it was almost within touching distance! It’s an impressive building and piece of kit, built and maintained by volunteers. Indeed, the whole enterprise is staffed by volunteers who give freely of their time to explain their interest and enthusiasm for studying the night sky to less educated folks, like the Grumpies.

Next stop was the planetarium for a film show about the amazing sights to be seen through telescopes and from space exploration. An overhead half-dome screen 30’+ across immerses the viewer in space. Added to very comfy tilting chairs the whole experience is quite awe inspiring and calming. So much so that the Grumpies set a record for having a whole row of viewers fast asleep!

Sherwood is the first observatory to be built for ten years in this country and one of very few with public access. It is an amazing asset to have on our doorstep, and a visit is highly recommended.

Thanks go to John Berrill for organising.

Bob McEwen

In early October seventeen Not So Grumpy Old Men visited the Newark Air Museum, probably the most impressive private aviation museum in the UK.

The static display outside includes the iconic Vulcan bomber, the Hastings transport aircraft, crucial to the Berlin airlift and the maritime reconnaissance giant, the Shackleton – shown in the picture. There are two indoor exhibition halls, containing a variety of jet and piston engined airframes, with a special emphasis on RAF training types over the years, used to train fast jet and multi engined pilots, navigators, bomb aimers et al. In addition there are numerous airframes from the US, French, Polish and Swedish air forces.

By special dispensation Grumpies had the opportunity to get in the cockpits of numerous aircraft types, both large and small (I’m talking airframes not Grumpies!)

The museum is open all year and has a plethora of aviation related material, both historical and contemporary. If you haven’t visited, it’s well worth considering making the effort. I’m sure you will not be disappointed.

Bob McEwen