Up until 1974 I lived in a fairly well off area near to London. The house had a ‘boiler house’ outside that my mother used to let a tramp sleep in. She also gave him clothes I think. I can’t remember ever seeing the guy, we were told to stay away from the boiler house when he was there. Nor did I ever find any secret codes scratched on the gatepost.

What’s your question caller?

BTW, there was never a Tramp, your Mum didn’t want you playing near a dangerous Boiler.

Maybe the OP would have preferred this (thread):

https://twitter.com/grady_hendrix/status/1189335689680379904?s=20

Was it “uncle Ronnie”?

Your parents kept a gimp and didn’t want you to be emotionally scarred by discovering them playing with him.

Up until 1974 I lived in a fairly well off area near to London.

Near Causton, by any chance?

“I fear no tramp”

What’s your question caller?

Ageing and nostalgic STWer reminisces….

I do whatever I can to fight poverty. So the other day, I punched a tramp.

Weirdly enough my dad found a tramp living in the church boiler house about that time, he came and lived with us for a while, so the “boiler house tramp” definitely exists and his name was Len.

Was he called Migg?

Have tramps had their day and gone the way of the red squirrel? Have they been replaced by the homeless?

Could you ever hear the sound of prog rock coming from the boiler house? If so I suggest you had a Supertramp!

Good on your mum.

Was he called Migg?

Don’t you listen? He was called Len.

My point, dunno really. I was going to comment on the “best time to be homeless” thread but it didn’t quite fit. So I started a new thread. I lived in Bourne End at the time. When the tramp wasn’t around the boiler house wasn’t off limits.

Don’t you listen? He was called Len.

Did you just steal my sunshine?

That’s where the N+1 was hiding – I may have had an extra MTB in my garage for 18 months before the wife found it. I blame my niece who was collecting kids toys for her daughter and said ‘oh there are lots of bikes in here’. There was 9, but it was one more than my wife was ‘expecting’. Busted. She’s since had an N+1 – a rather nice BMC FS XC bike.

I was going to comment on the “best time to be homeless” thread but it didn’t quite fit.

Nothing would; a crass premise for a thread and glad to see it didn’t get any traction.

Your Mum sounds great 🙂

When the tramp wasn’t around the boiler house wasn’t off limits.

Was that when your Dad wasn’t on nights?

I’ve got a trampoline and it is bouncy.

There was a polish man named jozef who lived on a dual carriage way in Wolverhampton ring road for about 40years.
He lived I. A tent though not a boiler room.

Old school tramps just aren’t a thing any more for a variety of reasons.

You don’t see many actual ‘tramps’ anymore. IE, homeless people who move around the country living off what they can. (Tramping, but not as a truck driver)

I grew up near Peterborough. Certainly in the 70s there was an old guy living in the woods near Barnack, and into the 90s there was a well known guy in a bus shelter on the way to our office. He used to get about 4 Christmas dinners from local people.

Was it “uncle Ronnie”?

Pickering?

Who?

I thought that this thread was going to be about a new Rapha bikepacking range.

We used to go to the Lord Raglan just off the ring road evey Friday night and treated Jo to fish and chips from Chapel Ash before walking back into town for a taxi. He had some great stories to tell, fascinating man.

Have tramps had their day and gone the way of the red squirrel?

What there’s signs up all over the Isle of Wight warning you that they’re protected and so you shouldn’t squash them with your car…

I’ve got a trampoline

Isn’t that what one uses for cleaning tramps?

There was a polish man named jozef who lived on a dual carriage way in Wolverhampton ring road for about 40years.
He lived I. A tent though not a boiler room.

He had horns on his head.

Was he called Migg?

No idea but I think I know his sister, she works for the local steel fabricators.

Her name’s Miguelda

lived in Bourne End at the time

We were only 8 miles away from BE, so he could probably pick and choose between boiler houses…

Have tramps had their day and gone the way of the red squirrel?

What there’s signs up all over the Isle of Wight warning you that they’re protected and so you shouldn’t squash them with your car…

Tramps have moved to the Isle of Wight?

There is mural to a tramp in my local town. I think he used to cycle about between local towns and just socialise then move o. To the next town when board.

Years ago on the way to work at Highgate station, a proper big beardy tramp came wandering down the platform. I was trying to ignore him and hope he didn’t open his jacket to reveal it’d full of bees!

He got level with me and started talking, seemed harmless enough. In fact he was ace, talking about John Cleese in Clockwise and laughing to himself. It was great, taught me a lesson about the homeless in a way. Always got time to talk to folk who aren’t as lucky as us and don’t just cross the road like they’re going to attack you