They called her the woman who did not care

[venta]

I just popped downstairs to make myself yet another hot drink, when I heard a ferocious clanging, as of a school bell signalling the end of playtime. I went to look out of the window, fearing that, in view of my recent state of health, someone might have sent the plague-cart round.

So I can now - only a few years late - answer a question that was posed on here:

There are rag-and-bone men still patrolling the streets in south-east England. Unless like their north-eastern counterparts, they don't announce themselves with a cry of Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag-bn, but ring a handbell. Out of the window. While driving. Something which, unlike the use of mobile phones, probably isn't explicitly banned under law.

The truck pulled up outside our house, and a man wearing a donkey jacket leapt out and knocked next door.

- You got any <notsure> you want rid of ? I'll take them away ?
- Yes, I have.
- Any radiators ? I can get rid of them for you.
- Yes.
CLATTERING
- What about <alsonotsure>, would you take that ?
- Yes, bring it out.

It was exactly like a really poorly scripted scene in a sitcom. (Subsequent nosiness on my part revealed that <alsonotsure> was, in fact, a cooker. )

Had the nextdoorneighbour requested a call ? Did he formerly have all his scrap radiators piled up in the garden looking obvious ? I've no idea. Rag-and-bone man didn't knock on anyone else's door, he just drove slowly off. Clanging a lot.

Comments

[zotz]

Are you a rag-and-bone man if you have a truck? Surely it requires a mangy old nag and a flat cap? Certainly when I lived in Bishopbriggs . . . 35 years ago now . . . that's what we had there.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Up to when I was about ten (twenty years ago) the rag and bone man in Darlington had a horse and cart. Not sure I remember a flat cap, and the horse looked moderately healthy. It seems to be all trucks these days, though.

And they don't want rags or bones. Something the mother had great difficult convincing me when I was little.

[zotz]

Fakes and imposters, clearly.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Horses and carts remained de rigeur in the less salubrious parts of Teesside up until... well, until I left!

Haven't seen any in this neck of the woods. Yet.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Mungo and shoddy manufacturers want rags, though.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Does anybody still make shoddy ? Does anybody still want it ?

I have to admit to having no idea what Mungo is, I'm afraid.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Pretty similar. I definitely remember a mungo and shoddy manufacturer being listed in the local Yellow Pages when I was a kid... don't know if it's still there. Somewhere up Greenside way, as I recall.

More random terminology here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_manufacturing_terminology

[venta.livejournal.com]

Interesting how many businesses match shoddy (http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?scrambleSeed=90278148&keywords=shoddy&companyName=&location=UNITED+KINGDOM&search=SEARCH&searchType=advance) in the online Yellow Pages. I'm not sure why they match it, though!