Thank you, Peter; on reflection, I think my comment was a little too brusque! 
The Four Counties closed as a pub some years ago. Last time I passed by it had turned into a curry house.
In those golden days, Mick, Birmingham was in Warwickshire like Tamworth, and a comfortable bike-ride from Northfield, where I was born. My Mum and Dad used to bike over to see mum’s sister in Tamworth, with me aged 5 sitting on Dad"s crossbar. . Uncle was police sargeant in Tamworth and let me play being policeman poking tramps awake with his truncheon. Does anyone remember tramps🤔?
In those days local government boundaries were pretty meaningless to the common man, or even the estate agent.
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What a shame David, back in the days when I lived in the area the public house licensing laws varied from county to county, we would have a drink in a pub in Staffordshire on a Friday night which closed at 10,30 and then we would nip up to the Four counties pub which had a license till 11.00, not really sure which county the pub was in and I did not think the landlord bothered either because the Police never bothered him.
A lifetime ago… our local Bobby… used to warn us when the Sergeant was proposing to make his rounds… the pub would be in semi-darkness and all quiet at closing time… while the regulars hid in the kitchen…
The Sergeant would pop his head through the bar window, with a cheery greeting… then off he went… and the regulars trooped quietly back into the bar… 
What years are we going back to Peter and are you sure that they were tramps?
Could have been the squadies from Whittington barracks that invaded Tamworth on a weekend and got absolutely drunk and fell asleep in the doorways of the local pubs after the landlord had kicked them out and were then collected up by the local and military police and then returned back to the barracks 
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Going back to 1943, Mick.
Tramps still moved from village to village, town to town. Maybe carried a bundle, but wore all the clothes they owned, with a rope round the waist.
Stayed at the local spike if they got in on spike rules. Tolerated locally, but moved on if they didn’t observe the travellers’ code.
Most were burned-out schizoprenics, few were drunks.
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Long before my time Peter, it would be another 6 years before I was born, can remember the brummie teddy boys coming over looking for a good fight with the local teds in the Castle grounds, after a while the local police would stop their bus and send them back, but it was great fun watching the fights when you are a young boy.
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Hi Stella
What is the thread named?
I have lived in France for 30 years been in full time employment for 21 years. Tax payer, married to a Frenchman
Do I have to go through the carte de séjour thing? Lol been to our local Marie and they said I have. To go to the prefecture in draguignan as there are so many demands lol, wondering if I have to go through all of this . Hugs
Hi Anne…
The thread is only light-hearted, brought on by the forthcoming sale of Drake’s Island…which I thought might appeal to someone going back…(if they had pots of money)
anyway… did you ever have a C d Séjour in the very beginning…? It certainly must seem very strange for you now, after all these years. 
France is very definitely your Home. 
Canvey Island, a good old Spurs heartland !!
A bit like Romford, Chingford or Basildon !
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Personally I would have to choose Norwich ‘A Fine City’, as the road signs say…
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Norwich is lovely… there are so many lovely places:relaxed: in Norfolk…
Lots of Spurs fans but far more Hammers. I imagine because there is a large East London expat community 
, including me and my family. My Dad supported Leyton Orient and his second team was Arsenal (boo hiss!)
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Think you posted in the wrong topic Ann!!
Lol lol my topics are getting mixed up on here. I was on a Birmingham conversation with peter, ended up on a brexit lol lol 
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You mad gadabout… 
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That’s bad news M !!
My dad was a gooner, my big bruvver too.
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this is interesting - the originatin post bears no resemblance to what is now being discussed.
I have only just seen the original post so will answer that point.
I love my life here and my nice house and as i am not rich, the only thing which would affect my choice of location would be house prices so i could get a place which is not a little box on an estate.
So perhaps northern ireland. Or if not perhaps ‘way up north’
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Threads just wander and weave their way through…and, yes, it is sometimes difficult to remember what actually started the conversations…
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