Bumped into Jackie Marr last week and she was telling me about her mother’s nasty fall. A lot of Cockfield folk will remember Dorothy Darnell and her husband Jack from their time in the Middle House during the eighties and nineties.

Dot had been pottering around the house when Jack had shouted her for something. As Dot turned around to see what he wanted she tripped over a chair leg and fell to the floor banging her head. Jackie said she was in a right state and had badly hurt the side of her face. Jack quickly phoned for an ambulance amid some pretty torrid abuse from Dot as it was ‘HIS FAULT’ for shouting for her!

Anyway, the ambulance arrived fairly quickly and an assessment by one of the paramedics determined that she would have to go to hospital to be ‘checked out’ as she’d received a blow to the head. “When are we going there then?” asked Dot. “Right now.” says the paramedic. “I CAN’T go now,” says Dot with a worried look. “Why on earth not?” says the paramedic. “Coz I’ve got a cake in the oven!”

The woman must be hard as nails!!

So, the paramedic comes up with a plan… “I’ll put your overnight bag in the back of the ambulance and get it sorted for you and by that time your cake will be ready and you can give me a piece!” “You’re kidding!” says Dot. “It’ll be far too hot!”

I’d like to think I’d have THAT sort of humour in a case like that but something tells me I’d be screaming like a stuck pig! Anyway, Dot’s well on the mend and still giving Jack an ear bashing!

Last Friday night I was sat watching television when Steve, my son-in-law, returned from the pub. “I’ve been talking to an old mate of yours in the Middle House.” he says. “Bloke by the name of Fred.” “Fred who?” says I. “Dunno!” says Steve. “But apparently his real name is Dave, although I was introduced to him as Fred and he used to knock about with you and Duncan Sams.”

Fred? Real name Dave? I was racking my brain but nothing was coming! “Oh!” says Steve. “He used to be a boxing coach at Shildon.”

EUREKA! “You idiot!” says I to Steve. “You’ve been talking to RED and his real name is CLEVE!”

Of course he’d been talking to the one and only Cleve Sumpton.

Sometimes I wonder… I really wonder!!