Odd how some pix posted on Morguefile 'click'. Some years back now I went up to Portishead to say goodbye to Uncle Bill Gale. He was moving over to the south-east to stay with his daughter after 'Betsy' his daughter who had been looking after him had died.

Uncle Bill was quite a character and had a store of interesting tales about early days in Portishead. He was originally born in Bedminster and had lived at one time with his parents and siblings, in one of the cottages in Mary's Garden on Cadbury Camp. He took great delight in informing nieces and nephews that he had not come downstairs until he was 8 years old. - Perfectly true tale because the boys in the family had slept in a lean-to abutting the little one-up one-down cottage. In fact he had never been upstairs until Ben Gale had moved the family over to 'The Wilderness' cottage on West Hill.

However to get back to my main item. Uncle Bill didn't care about superstitions and had a white cat. Somerset folklore frowned on keeping white animal pets. The same lore forbid taking Hawthorn blossom (White May) into the house. When I banged on his door he looked out and said "That damned cat have got up the ladder again. He climbs up and then can't get back down" I had my camera with me and took a few shots of the cat on the ladder, as well as one for memories sake of Uncle Bill. When I came across the negatives last year and scanned them I put some of the cat on the ladder, on Morguefile. Now I find that one of the cat looking puzzled about how to get down has clicked and had over 800 downloads in the 15 months on Morguefile.

Uncle Bill Gale 

And what a marvellous Blackthorn walking stick he has made for himself.