Friday Night.
 

It's Friday night and I'm stuck indoors, in the heat, looking after two demanding dogs and a slightly less demanding wife. It wasn't always like that.

When I was much younger, Friday was pay day, get changed as quickly as possible and off to the pub to meet your mates, and go hunting for crumpet once the blood was roused.

In later years, it was still boys night out after a hard week's work, sometimes forgetting about family responsibility for a few happy hours.

And now? I can hear Eastenders starting next door, the dogs are getting impatient for me to play with them, and only a few glasses of wine on the hot terrace beckon.

If I had the bottle, I would put on my best gear, shorts and a vest, and wander around some local pubs to try and relive the Friday nights of the past.

Am I man or mouse? Well, I like cheese.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Oh, I can remember those long-ago Friday nights too - not the same ones as you, though, no need to worry!

When I first started work I got paid in cash each Friday and would hit the shops before going home to buy a new outfit to go clubbing in (couldn't possibly wear the same one twice!). I was always in trouble with my Mum for spending too much on clothes and my little brother would wait on the doorstep to grass me up, shouting "Mum, she's coming, and she's got some more bags" - little rat.

Then it was 2 hours to get ready (more like 5 minutes now, I know when I'm flogging a dead horse) before meeting up with my girlfriends, often the milkman had been round in the morning before I got home. Then there were the Northern Soul All Nighters where we went straight to the swimming baths on a Sunday morning after leaving Wigan Casino. It's a rare night nowadays that I see midnight. Sad, sad, sad.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Christ Lynn, I never thought that girls would feel the same way.

If I had had the bottle to go out tonight, I would have gone to the nearest Brit bar, five minutes walk away, to watch the lady singer, with a beautiful voice and an enormous bum.

The Brit bar next door is full of widows with longing looks.

The Spanish bar next door has a Russian barmaid who is also a pornstar in her spare time.

I'm going to miss out the next bar because it's a gay one and not my scene.

Another five minutes walk away would take me to a Brit bar where people get incredibly drunk and try to sing on a karaoke machine, lying down.

The jewel of the crown is the Spanish bar next door. I get on really well with the manageress, but her Spanish boyfriend is extremely jealous and has threatened me several times already.

You say sad, sad, sad. I agree.

Re: Friday Night.
 

I'd go for the widows if I were you, they'd be ever so grateful.

Re: Friday Night.
 

I hate to say this, but they're not as good looking as the barmaid of a pub in Dalston that I fell in love with many years ago. She was a Cape Coloured from Cape Town, beautiful as the day is long.

I can't even think of her name, prat as I am, I should have got a divorce and married her. If I bumped into her now. the dogs would have to get someone else to throw their balls for them.

Re: Friday Night.
 

**** that I am, her name was Pam.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Her name was Pam. If you're out there girl, and remember the Railway Inn at Dalston, I love you still.

Re: Friday Night.
 

I'm staggered that HBG is making such big confessions tonight..

I mean... Dalston! :eek:

Re: Friday Night.
 

If you wanna be happy
For the rest of your life,
Never make a pretty woman your wife,
So from my personal point of view,
Get an ugly girl to marry you.

A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall.
As soon as he marries her
Then she starts to do
The things that will break his heart.
But if you make an ugly woman your wife,
You'll be happy for the rest of your life,
An ugly woman cooks her meals on time,
She'll always give you peace of mind.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Dalston. Hackney, Haggerston (that will make you think), Custom House, Canning Town, those are real places incomers don't recognise.

I want to get back to Pam from Dalston. Please get in touch. I'm the big guy from Epping Forest.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Dalston ?
I can remember going to the pictures before it was turned into (many years later) the Four Aces, also asking the nice Jamaincan people who started the first stall Black stall in Ridley Road market what those funny looking vegetables were that they were selling (yams)

Never knew Pam mind, but friday night was Tottenham Royal night once working & before that it was normally spent roller skating at Ally Pally.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Ally Pally:) Now you're talking. Possibly not the same decade - we're talking Tom Robinson, rock against racism, the fire, etc........., but at least proper norf London............;)

Re: Friday Night.
 

The Four Aces and the Royal? It's making my heart sing, One, two, three? Dave Clarke couldn't sing, but he could play the drums.

Still having many friends there, I went back to Dalston some years ago. I found that the place had turned black, not that I have a problem with that. I went into McDonalds at the corner of Ridley Road and Kingsland High Street and watched the scene outside.

I've never been to Kingston but will one day. Anyway, on that day, I was there. I suppose I was looking for Pam, she used to live in Ridley Road, down the bottom end.

Saturday mornings inevitably follow Friday nights, I remember the suffering and guilt. I'm free of it now, bored silly in the sun. We're going to walk to our favourite coffee place later and possibly stuff ourselves in a Wok buffet. I'll still be looking out for Pam.

Re: Friday Night.
 

I remember Ally Pally, before the fire. They used to have horse racing there and I watched Lester Piggot riding a red hot favourite. As he approached the winning post he was pulling the horse's head so hard that it was facing the other way.

A crowd of us waited for him after the race, but he escaped in a helicopter.

Re: Friday Night.
 

The first Great British Beer Festival, too.... ah the delights of being a reporter paid to cover such an event;)

Re: Friday Night.
 

Did you know that Ann Robinson used to be a reporter for the North London Press? You're not her, are you?

Re: Friday Night.
 

Which North London Press? Big place! (no. You are the weakest link:rolleyes: :lol:) I was in Maggie territory.....

Re: Friday Night.
 

the days when the pubs stopped serving at 10.30 so when the first bell went at 10.20 everyone made a mad rush to get in a couple more drinks to last until 10.45 when they came round ready to push you out

then on to the chippy

look how its all changed :thumbdown:

Re: Friday Night.
 

Yep, last orders was around when I worked at The Triumph at Friern Barnet:lol:

Re: Friday Night.
 

We used to drive across from Leyton to Hackney as the pubs there didn't close until 11pm ( they opened 1/2 hr later). Much better pubs and more choice.
Plenty of live music pubs as well. Suited and booted in your tonic mohair suit on Saturdays.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Wasn't it 12 ounce mohair? Everybody had those suits, including the Twins. The Farleigh Arms in Amherst Road was the place to see them, or their club on the other side. We had a good-looking boy in our group and Ronnie used to follow him into the toilet and bung him a tenner.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Friern Barnet? I know you won't be offended because you know what I'm referring to, but we always thought it was a place full of nutters.

Re: Friday Night.
 

There was the Pegasus in Lee Street, the Farley in Stoke Newington and the one in Green Lanes at Newington Green. That's where Lennie Peters started.

We used to buy him a gin and tonic and being cruel people would move it along the bar just out of reach. He never missed and could get quite rude.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Lennie Peters used to perform at the Prince of Wales on Kingsland Road. I think I also saw him at a pub, the Unicorn? but I am not too sure.
He was quite a good turn.
The Old Blue Last in Great Eastern Street was another good venue for music.

Re: Friday Night.
 

I'd forgotten about those two. I was going to say that I was in the Prince of Wales quite recently, thought about it, it was in 1994!

A few years later I walked down Hoxton Street to try and find an old pal. He had sold his council flat and bought a mansion at Clacton. That's where the old boys have all gone to, the Essex coast. They've all got photographs of Margaret Thatcher on the walls of their detached bungalows.

Re: Friday Night.
 

:rolleyes: ;)

Re: Friday Night.
 

Someone mentioned the program Eastenders & I belive that Facet (sic) square off Graham Road was used as the template for it.

Going back to Ridley Road market I can remember us all running along the roofs of the market lockups watching the Mosely riots in progress & I think (?) that Londons first wimpy outlet was in Kingsland High St.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Looks like you'll get the telegram before me. I'm not jealous, good luck to you.

Re: Friday Night.
 

:D

Can you remember that name of that club in Kingsland High St opposite the pictures ?
If you were coming up Balls Pond & turned right at Dalston Junction it was down on the left above the shops, used to be a Mods hangout & the rockers used to use the hagerstone ?

Re: Friday Night.
 

The pictures, the Classic, was almost opposite Ridley Road, but you would have to turn left into Kingsland High Street to get there, from Balls Pond Road.

But you could well be going back before my time. I got there long after Mosely. 30 years later, in fact.

Re: Friday Night.
 

Having witnessed racism for a lifetime, and hating it, I've got a wee story to tell.

A good few years ago, there was a pub called the Robinson Crusoe at the junction of Stoke Newington Church Street and Green Lanes. It prided itself on being a white pub in a predominantly black area.

I took two black ladies into the pub and it got very tense.

I'm going to spoil the story by being realistic. After we left it was blow-back time, heaven on earth and back again,

It was a Friday night I'll never forget.