SADDLEWORTH CHATTER by GH
FRED WAS a simple chap whose only weekly highlight was a pint in his local pub, which was the ‘Top House’ in Dobcross.
He rarely stayed long, leaving to resume his rather lonely and uneventful life.
This particular evening Fred left the pub and the other folk in the bar began to discuss him.
“Poor old chap,” said one. “Does’t know he has never been anywhere other than Saddleworth. He has never even seen the sea.”
“Well we can soon fix that,” said another. “We have got that coach trip to Scarborough this Sunday. Let’s have a whip round and we will take him to the seaside.”
This was all done and a rather bewildered Fred was loaded on to the coach and off he went on this great adventure.
On arrival Fred found his way down to the shore and there he got his first view of the sea – luckily the tide was in and the waves and spray were quite spectacular.
He eventually came to a fish stall selling whelk’s mussels and shrimps and the owner was just pulling up a bucket of seawater from over the wall to clean his stall.
“What et doin’?” asked a puzzled Fred. The stall holder showed him the bucket and contents and said “It’s what I sell for 10p a bucketful. Does’t want some?”
“Nay,” said Fred. “I’ve nowt to carry it in,” and with that he continued his walk of discovery.
After a while Fred noticed it was getting close to the time to return to his coach so he made his way back along the seafront, back past the whelk stall.
Fred looked at the stall holder and pointed to his bucket and then the distant sea and said “By ek lad, thas had a good day, hasn’t tha?”
