Dig & Delve 1990s
We had some fantastic years in our second-hand shop in Falmouth especially with the local student population who relied on the shop to provide their requirements for flats and bedsits right on the doorstep of the Falmouth College. At the start of the season they would buy with plenty of money and the end of the season they would bring it back ‘skint’ and try to sell back to us. Dig & Delve (Diggies) sold everything from furniture to a complete range of household essentials, pots and pans and electrical items which had all been safety checked before they left the shop. A student young man and his partner came in to the shop he is holding a Maroon Hoover and says to me “Do you wanna buy a Hoover mate it sucks better than she does” nodding at his partner! I wasn’t sure I had heard right first time and he repeats his offer! Do you wanna buy a Hoover “yes, yes, yes I heard first time” What a lovely line and how crudely put I thought but his partner seemed chuffed at being compared to the sucking of a Hoover, what a ghastly thought, if I had been so rude about my missus she would taken away my’ luncheon box’ with the Hoover!!
Does the Hoover work”? Yes I tried it before I left home, its fine! I looked over the Hoover it was not sold by us; I plugged it in to test and turned the switch on! “BANG” the switch and plugs were blown off the wall the whole shop was in darkness apart from the counter area, an electric shock visited all parts my body and beyond I felt as though I had turned to ashes! (my gay days were back) I stood for seconds with my arm stretched in the air from the shock-shocked I was! My lovely wife says I looked a ‘proper Cornish fairy’ and that I went like Basil Fawlty raging at the young couple who were as shocked as me!! I gave them back their dreaded Hoover and as they walked out of the shop they absolutely pissed themselves laughing all down Swanpool Street! Very funny, very bloody funny, my arm could have stayed up forever, now that would be funny! But in fairness it was a bloody good laugh, the stupid PRATT!!