"I think the song actually has more of an American feel to it than English eg. the third line

" the six-0-nine comes roaring down the creek"

Not the sort of thing you hear in rural Dorset ... "

As a former inhabitant of rural Dorset, I can confirm that Murray is correct. Vurst off, it wouldn't have been the 6.09 you, cuz market do vinish at 3.00 and there bain't no need to be travelling after 5.00. Secondly, us don't aave cricks, we do aave streams, rivers, piddles and watters.

Thirdly, if ee goes vaster than the express to Exeter on the old Somerzet and Dorzet line, we don't want it, you. That express gets up to 45mph in some places and tha's just too vast. Ee didn't get called the 'Slow & Dirty' vur nothing. Only thing that do roar round yur be the undertow off Chesil, an that'll haave ee's legs out.

Besides... if a creek is a river and the 6.09 is a train.... how is it roaring down? Is it on a boat? Has it been derailed?

When a tree was felled in the south here, (which wasn't all that often because the only pine stands are in protected woodland and private parks), the women and children not otherwise employed were allowed to pick up the branches that had been broken off. The sawyer only really wanted the trunk and major branches which would have withstood felling. The broken branches were scavenged for fuel rather than food use. In these days of electricity and gas, we forget what our forefathers had to do to keep warm. Couldn't always ring up the coal man and ask for an extra delivery round about February...

A live pine has very springy branches, so breakages would be few. However, pine cones do burn well and release that smell which is pretty good at keeping moths away from clothes. When I suggested to my granfer that we decorate pine cones for Christmas (circa 1970) he was horrified that we should waste good moth repellant! The only pines in the area were in the sub tropical gardens nearby and consequently pine cones were hard to obtain.

LTS