WELL done to my fellow columnist Mike Grundy, with his feature about Taylors of Martley last Saturday.

Michael is, of course, a proper journalist and has been writing his Memory Lane series for a long time, almost a memory itself.

The reason I was interested was that Taylors helped me to tour the UK in my youth. As a Martley boy I used to cadge lifts all over the country.

At the time - the early 60s - I'd just started work but had no money for holidays, so the cab of a Taylors lorry was a great place to be.

They had about three trucks then. My favourite driver was 'Corbo', Jim Corbett. Real character was Jim, sadly died too young, but he used to play cricket, football, darts, the fool, and the like, and Jim was my chauffeur on many an occasion.

This was in the days before most of the motorway system had been built, and a trip to Scotland took four days.

We used to take cans from the Metal Box most of the time, but sometimes bought all sorts of things back.

Collected some hay-lifters in Suffolk, and bags of fertiliser in Heysham. No fork lift trucks, so we had to lift all the bags on, and it wasn't much fun being the lorry driver's mate on those days!

Doc, the boss and founder, used to say he bought 10 tons of fish eyes back from Grimsby once. Never knew if he was winding me up or not.

Some nights we stayed in a B & B. Mrs Hart in Morecambe I remember well! If not, it was the cab hotel and, in those days, there were no proper beds in lorry cabs, so it was often a somewhat uncomfortable night and, of course, an early start the next day.

If possible, we used to try and find a football match to watch. Saw Tom Finney play for a Celebrity Eleven the night they opened Morecambe's floodlights. Even watched Kilmarnock play one night.

If not it was often the pictures. Corbo normally fell asleep during the film and would often say "that was the best film I've ever slept through".

I remember, one night, went to see a Steve McQueen film. He was a big McQueen fan, but he went to sleep in the adverts!

Was quite pleased to be at Aggborough when Jim's grandson, Andrew, made his 'Arriers debut. I'm sure he would have been very proud.

London Welsh tomorrow, weather permitting!