I went for years without realising there were two or three more verses than the ones I'd learned. But I can't be bothered learning the ones about "D'you want any ratcatcher's darter?". I always sing "Sper-raaa-haats!!!", in a voice which, if it can't be heard all down Parliament Street, is certainly audible half-way up Stony High Street. And (vich I pinched off John Foreman) after "...and he stabbed his donkey arter" I say "poor old Arter!" Just think, in the old days any of us could have survived on just this one song, doing the Halls!

I was looking through some back copies of the Black Country Bugle last night and found a piece on Lower Gornall -- famed for its donkeys, as they say on the cover of Woman's Weekly -- with a photo of some workmen moving sand "of the 'lilly-white' variety", said the caption, "in other words, salt". Now I know LG is also famed for its silver sand, but I never heard salt called l-w sand. Any observations? I'll dig out the article tonight and post it here if it's interesting.

Steve