Thetownend.com

I try not to live in the past too much but, when listening to 606 on 5live recently, I do not recognise it as the show by Danny Baker. He was a brilliant presenter, while Sutton and Savage really aren't and belong on Talksport with others of their ilk.

I a similar vein, I watched an old repeat of Top Gear this morning when they went to Vietnam. Seen it before but still laughed. This doesn't happen with the new incarnation of the show. Whatever your view is on Clarkson, there was brilliant chemistry between the three of them.

And what happened to Lindisfarne?

I agree Top Gear was so enjoyable when Clarkson presented the programme and the banter with May & Hammond has never been matched and I've struggled to watch it since they all left.

I loved Top Gear despite having no interest in cars, and it was purely because of the chemistry between the three. Stopped watching as soon as they left

Clarkson's a bellend.

But he's a funny bellend.

I think we remember this way because the good bits stick with you more than the bad - as good as Clarkson/May/Hammond were as a trio for a few years, Top Gear went through a lot of other presenting line ups first that were crap (Jez something?) and C/M/H were getting pretty tired towards the end. Similarly, 606 was great under Baker but that same show also spent a period of time being presented by David fucking Mellor.

Some of the best things in life have a shelf life. That said, if they cancelled Kermode & Mayo I'd probably kick off.

I miss the good old days. Everyone is so much more serious these days.

Clarkson is a racist bully while the other 2 watched and did nothing. If the person insulted was Muslim and not Irish there would have been hell to pay.
Clarkson is just a cunt.
Lindisfarne still exist and are still touring. There are 2 different versions of the band and Billy Mitchell who replaced Alan hull is doing his own thing and well worth going to see once gigs start up again. He does a double act with Bob fox that is folk comedy gold.

I think at some point of still watching Sunday night telly pre-streaming everything days I realised that countryfile over on bbc1 was much more entertaining and switched over to that.

Clarkson and co’s post top gear amazon grand tour thing ultimately ended up being a bit of a flop didn’t it?

When football pitches were muddy and there was always something happening on the terraces. Check out the chanting right at the start :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI0N0rcwUU0

Down at the Old Bull & Bush  ??.

Top Gear is probably better now than the 'good old days'.

I can't stand Chris Sutton on 606 - bloke is a knob and talks shit.  I liked the old Top Gear but also like the new Top Gear - i didn't like the period in between with Chris Evans and Matt Leblanc etc..

Ah the good old days like when Swindon was a nice town with decent play parks for the kids and leisure facilities.

I don't really get hankering after the good old days.  Presumably it's an age thing.

There's plenty of decent play parks where I live and they've been packed today by all ages. Also Coate, Lydiard, Mouldon, Stanton are lovely places to walk around as well as smaller parks like Queens Park and the Town Gardens close to the centre of Town. I agree the leisure facilities aren't so good and that the Town centre is run down but that isn't just Swindon it's a similar story up and down the country

Most of the estate parks have gone or are disrepair. Queens park is not the place it was. It used to be pristine. Coate play park is a mess. The pool filled in for a crappy water park. The path around the rear of the lake is a disgrace. The pitch and putt is going to shit. Granted we still have some nice places as you mention but they're few now. The pandemic has fuck all to do with the leisure facilities going to pot. They've been on the slide for years.

I'm guessing local councils are skint and can't afford to maintain the things that you've mentioned

Society is a never ending cycle of every generation/age group claiming it was better back in their day.

Your day ended. Deal with it :toocool:

Yes, due to lack of funds from central government. They've wasted money though like the dosh on Ricky Hunts WiFi etc. They even created the ridiculous parishes to get more money yet we're still sliding downhill. I can't wait to move away. It's a real shame how far it's slid downhill in my eyes. It's now a big deal when somewhere gets a new litter bin. They used to be everywhere

The council tax increases are disgusting but there's nothing we can do to contest it. Where do you want to move to?

South Devon. It's happening just not yet unfortunately.

I have aspirations to move to South or North Devon myself

I love it there so don't blame you. Definitely the south for me. I don't like running Swindon down by the way. My family history goes back a long way here. It's just not the place it was for me. It's only people here that's stopping the Mrs saying yes to going now.

Born and bred here 57 years ago ans know what you mean about the demise of the Town as I still have great memories of the Railway works, a thriving Town Centre, Cheney Manor Trading Estate and big companies like Plesseys, Garrards, Listers & Vickers amongst many others ensuring there was always plenty of industry here.

Was born here in 61, spent 10 years in slave trade central. Chose to come back. Now I'm retired will probably move away but up north. Like North Yorkshire and borders or possibly ireland. Need to get my kids sorted first.
Swindon is a shit hole. It used to be my shit hole but not any more. I gave up on stfc when McCormick signed and now have no intention of returning to the club so that big tie isn't there anymore. The council have given up on the people of Swindon and it's mutual.
I used to be proud of both Swindon and stfc, no more.

Do you still look out for the Town results Chalkie and hope that you don't follow your local team!

I look for the results but it's a shrug of the shoulders now instead of my weekend being ruined if we lose. Watching supermarine now and really enjoying it. I feel quite an affinity with them. I hated football  for a while. I think it goes back to the Williams relegation year and Charlie fucking colkett. Haven't watched premiership in years. Quite like the German league.

Good luck in Middlesbrough  ;)

That's one place I won't be going to. Some nice places within a few miles though. Have been to Middlesbrough and saw town win. Rough as fuck and lucky to come out in one piece.

No surprise for you all to learn that I grew up in East Devon. 'The good old days' were when the sun shone, the grass had been cut, and the air was warm and balmy in the evenings, that memory will live with me for ever. But, it's wet, often it is wet, and very wet. Oh, and it can be windy, very windy. There are plenty of 'chocolate box' villages, cream teas, caravans stuck in country lanes, and cows. I feckin hate the accent, couldn't give a shit whether the cream went on first or not, and I hated the fact that you seemed cut off from the world, miles from anywhere, because, well it is. It is also chockfull of retirees (especially in Torquay hee hee).

The Cup away trip to Norwich was an absolute nightmare by coach, west to east see, still have them about that particular trip. Sunderland was better, south to north, but heck what a trek that was. I know Plymuff has it worse, but time has stopped still down there, no calendars or clocks, and they don't even notice long journeys.

I love Swindon, especially its location, its accent, there's a kind of westcountry burr/cockney mix thing going on, and has far fewer cows and pensioners, always a bonus. Cotwolds to the north, Downs to the south, pop to Wales, Bath or the smoke and think nothing of it. Bliss.

Went to watch Purton v Redhouse yesterday in the Cricklade Cup, cracking little village, sun shining, brilliant views of the countryside, I really felt at home, just like the good old days.

Great post and a very enjoyable read :clap:

Agree about most of the points but tbf they resurfaced the path in Dec/Jan, have you not been since? Or is it that resurfacing you're objecting to? And while the facilities have generally declined Coate Water is still a lovely country park IMO

I tell you what though, the old people moaning about how things were better back in their day did it so much better when I was a kid than old people do now. Old people now are shit at nostalgic moaning, no bite to it all, they've all gone soft.

Yes, nostalgia isn’t what it used to be...

I've not been for a while as found it too busy and a quagmire around the back. Glad to hear they've done the path. I'll gladly stand corrected on that point. I also agree it's still a lovely park as they haven't destroyed the lake and surrounding trees yet. Just everything else there ;)

I knew Mellor was famous for something😀

To be fair I'm enjoying this evenings Top Gear and the first time I've seen this new line up

606 went down the toilet when Mellor arrived. From innovative to establishment over a weekend.

I certainly don't thing that everything in the old days but some things definitely were.

Some may argue families were happier back in the day watching their black & white TV with 2/3 channels with no remote and finishing around midnight, having an outside toilet, no fridge freezer just a cold scullery, having to use a phone box to make a phone call, no big supermarket shop just a walk to the grocery store, only the man of the house employed, no central heating or double glazing, washing done in a twin tub and spun in a spin dryer on a Monday!

Now you're bringing back memories, funny how we only seem to remember the better days, perhaps they wer'nt as good as we thought they were !

Things aren't as bad as some like to make out. I am suprised we have not had a 'we could leave our front door open for hours' comment yet

My take on this is this. When (choose whatever decade you think refers to ‘your’ own good old days era) in my case I’m talking the 70’s for instance they were the good old days. My reasoning is that what we had, did and the world around us was the norm and much more straight forward. We could not afford much, we didn’t desire much, I didn’t think we needed much, life was in many ways simpler with more freedoms. Today in comparison it would appear we have everything, except we don’t. Sure we have more of everything and less of other things but back in the day we didn’t know any different and today I doubt we’re any happier. It is a tough one to measure then with now. I subscribe to the notion that the more you have or give, the more you want or have to give. A bit like comparing STFC of 1969 to our premier league team, I just don’t think you can. In fifty years time this argument if you will, will still be a conundrum to consider.

Edited for shyte gramma.

My old man is from Devon, grew up in North Tawton. I think Devon is a lovely place. I agree with what you say about Swindon, great location and some lovely places on the doorstep. The town could do with a polish, but then there's a lot of places like that.
I sometimes think what it would be like to live up north, like chalkies, and live Cumbria but just feel it's a little remote from the rest of my world.

Good post LL. My era was also in the 70's and like you we never had much but always seemed happy and content.Now we live in a materialistic era where it's all about showing off what you have no matter whether can afford it or not a s it does make you wonder how the world will look in 50 years time.

I'll be dead by then  :)

Same here😀

It's always been the same though really. Not the kids fault today that your generation had fuck all growing up  :D

I did the opposite to you, brunged up in Swindon :) move down South Somerset/Devon/Dorset border 20 years ago.

Its like chalk and cheese, I am proud to be from Swindon even if every time I go back it seems to have deteriorated in several ways all my family are still there, sons, sister, cousins, granddaughter etc.

The place seems a bit run down especially the town centre but the position of the town is wonderful for London, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham etc with all under and hour away, living down here London is 3 hours by car or 3 and a half hours on a train, Bristol is over an hours drive away but yes I am only 10 mins from the sea side which is a benefit.

The pace of life down here is far slower and public transport is mythical, there is no home delivery "fast food" for 20 miles in each direction, the nearest railway stations are 8 to 10 miles away and 25 if you want a proper service, if you have no car then you have no way of getting about if you are even slightly infirm.

We get flooded out once a year and the town/village landlocked even though it doesn't affect us it does the area hugely, if you want anything to eat then the last shops shut by 8 and thats just a small shop.

The place is constantly full of grockles and caravans, and I mean constantly all year with no rest even during lockdown, any houses that come on the market are bought by weathly out of towners who often bid well above the asking price just to get out of the rat race, there is no social housing for my daughters who both in their 20s still live at home due to there being no council houses/social housing in the area and no chance of being able to afford to buy.

I like living in the country but I do miss the city/town and all its amenities, something my wife has never been used to having grown up in Sherborne/Yeovil, but it was a huge culture shock to me when I moved down 20+ years ago.

Beautful area but bloody hell its miles from anywhere, we end up going to your former city Exeter for any form of shopping/entertainment and even that is half an hour drive away.

The good old days represent the time when you had your youth.

True but also a time when you wanted to leave school and be an adult.

Gorse hill isn't as you may remember it as it's now really run down.

None of my relatives live there now they have all moved to other parts of Swindon, I still drive through all parts of the town when I come up to visit, none of it is the same now TBH, I still miss it though.

Extremely disappointed no-one's mentioned white dog shit in this thread yet

It's still around if you look closely😀

The new houses pin Tadpole and North Swindon are nice but you pay a premium and have really small gardens

I know there is a thread to discuss old members (people that used to post on here, not granddad penises!!) but I can't find it so putting it here instead.

I was looking through some of my old DMs, and came across a couple of names that used to be pretty regular posters on here. 'Sade' who was a really nice woman who offered to text me Swindon updates from one of the games she was going to be at as I was going to be at a wedding, and 'Spencer White' who used to be quite busy on here. He DMd me once to offer me tickets to a Rangers game as I lived in Scotland at the time.

I wonder what both are up to these days.

Is that a euphemism you sly old dog....  ;) ;) :D

moi!!  :-[

Nah, boringly that was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

Disappearing members Bobster. Not by way of getting fat  ;)

Rangers vs. Inter Milan?

I couldn't find it, ironic huh!!

It was against Porto. I think it was from 2008 or 2009.

Another lost Jewell

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/14701213.amp/

Loved growing up in the 70's😀