Gone Forever

1982 - Two Tone Book For Rude Boys, lent to Stephen Kirk for a few days. Never got it back. £60 on eBay now. Would love to see that again.

Could be worse mate, I was in a junk/antique shop in Keswick a few weeks back where a National Union Of Seamen badge caught my eye. It was in a junk box with a load of shite, fuckin old buttons and rusty hairpins etc. Never been a seaman, but I just liked the badge, nice lighthouse on it, gold and blue coloured number. I didn’t buy it, couldn’t really wear it without people calling me a weirdo, never having being a nautical chap, but it would have been nice just to keep, especially when you get to my age. Fuck me, I was trawling through e-bay the other day and what turns up ?, the self same badge, FORTY FIVE FUCKIN QUID. For anyone that is up in Keswick, it’s the antique shop just below The Square Orange bar. We’ll call it 20%.

That the little brown fronted shop that always has crates on the pavement outside it?

Yes mate, dingy place with glass cabinets in the front of the shop and tons of records to the back. If you get there before me....cash in. Unless the owner comes on the Service Crew site he won’t be bumping the price up anytime soon. i’ll Bet he’s flogging it for a couple of quid. Just had a look on e bay, the self same badge is still there for £45. I’m not gonna get overly interested and start ringing the shop, but I’ll be straight in there delving through the box quite casually the next time I’m up there. That’s if you don’t get there before me !

To be honest, it'll be gone by the time I'm there next. Me and the Mrs camp in the Lakes pretty regularly and I've been for a wheat beer or two in the Square Orange while she's been buying Kendal Mint Cake, sticks of rock, novelty keyrings or whatever the fuck she always buys for the grandkids when we're away.
Always thought that place looked like a bit of a shithole, but might have a rummage next time we're up that way.

I like the Square Orange, I also indulge in a wheat beer or two. They also do the Guinness West Indies porter in there, it’s £4 for a half litre bottle, and at 6% gravity, you don’t need many to get charged up. Have you been in The Chief Justice Of The Commom Pleas, The Wetherspoons pub? That is one quirky place. The last time we were in there we ended up sat in the dock, brought back a few memories.