Pannal notes found

 Last blog I said I had lost my notes. Well they are found so I thought I would include them.

There was the very sad news that Conor Shutt grandson of Allan and June and Martin's son has died. I knew him as a little boy and he used to come on the walks round Pannal that I did with Pannal School. After a walk some of the children would recognise me even in Harrogate and tell their parents. Very kindly the parents would say their children enjoyed the walks and some children even insisted their parents go on the walk and they would tell them what they had been told. Needless to say don't think Conor ever finished a walk. Think we got as far as Mill Lane before he was sent (accompanied) back to school. He was a wild little boy. 

Leading on from this Pannal has been chosen to be in the Heritage Walks nationwide which is in September.I have been asked to lead the walk which I am happy to do to let people know about Pannal. It is strange sometimes on the walks someone will say I pass Pannal quite often going along the Leeds Road and I have often wondered what was down there. 

You will have seen the bungalow next door to me has been sold. It sold in a week and the asking price was over £500,000 and there were two lots of people after it. So |I will be having new neighbours. Shirley Holberry who was a lovely neighbour is now at Hampden House and enjoying her time there. I am the longest householder here having moved in 1966 with just Susan who was born when we lived at 2 Maltkiln Cottages, Kirkby Overblow, and Dusty our dog. Over the years came Michael, James and Richard all born in Pannal and all attended Pannal Primary School and then Harrogate Grammar School,another dog and four cats.  We have lovely neighbours and best wishes to Mary Barr who had a fall and is now in hospital. Hopefully out soon and home. 

Ok that's it until next time. 

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Summer in Pannal

 At last we have summer. How long it will last we do not know but it is lovely to have the sun and warmth. I think my arms have grown longer. Knuckles not yet trailing on the ground due to the fact that I have been watering the plants back and front. I have a lot of plants and a lot of wildlife. Bees, butterflies all be it the white cabbage ones, some blackbirds nesting. I shall soon be like Miss Haversham from Great Expectations as the plants grow over and round me. Crimple Valley looked so beautiful with all the buttercups and mayflower. It is one of my favourite places and we are so lucky to have it on our doorstep.

Now I do not know what happens in the summer but I have a lot of inquiries about relatives that used to live in Pannal in years gone by. Do I know where they lived etc. I normally have the answer as I have a lot of historical papers. I have dealt with a number of these inquiries  and only once have I had some horrible people. They were Americans and were sent to see me by a villager as they said they were related to the Bentley family at Pannal Hall. They came and as it was a lovely day we were in the garden. I made them some coffee and cake and they sat down. I looked up my records and found they were related to the other Bentley family in Pannal. They were amazingly annoyed and just got up and walked out the gate. They had taken photographs of Pannal Hall and I bet they returned to America and said that this was their ancestral home. Who was to contradict them eh!

I am getting back to normal. Notice I said normal as you my readers are nice people. When I told my "friends" my blood test was normal  they ALL said yes your blood test may be but you never have been!! I would like to say thank you for Alan's kind comments. I still have not got my sense of smell back nor my walking many miles ability as my sense of balance is not good but I am getting there. When I first got Covid my oldest son Michael came over and Susan had said to him take a photograph of mum and send it to me. He did and she came up the next day. So I must have looked really poorly. Have not seen the photo nor do I want to. 

I make notes of what I am going to write in my blog.. Well I did but I have lost it. Had to leave there and rescue my little blind cat as a magpie was going for her. A worry as I cannot be there all the time. Would Tigs go to her rescue no she would probably join the magpie.

Pannal Update

 Bit of an update. Still not right but getting there. Long Covid is not good. I am out and about but still not 100% and still not golfing. Just doing reasonable walks. One of my very favourite places is the Crimple Valley. I can spend nearly all day wandering round it. It is so pretty at the moment. The buttercups are amazing. So lovely to see them and the hawthorn in bloom. Area was all churned up years ago when the cows were on there then the sheep when it was a working farm. We came to live here in 1965 after living in Kirkby Overblow and have always loved Pannal. Our four children were all born here. Well no, Susan was born when we lived at Kirkby |Overblow. Wonder if we still hold the record at Pannal School of all four children attending Pannal School from when they started until they left and all attended Harrogate Grammar School or as we were informed by the Education Authority Otley Road Comprehensive!!!

Walking across Pannal Green I was reminded that I made an appeal when I was part of Pannal and Burn Bridge Village Society for a "Christmas" tree and wouldn't it be lovely to have lights. Both appeals were granted and we now have the lovely display at Christmas. Lights were added on the trees at the entrance to Pannal Green when the three boys from Pannal Green were tragically killed together with another innocent car driver..These lights were given when Yasmin past owner of Harrogate News contacted me as the boys delivered papers and their customers donated the money. Still thinking about Pannal as I walked I am most proud of all I have achieved for Pannal - The very first Tree Preservation Order, in the whole district, TPO 1 Pannal 1969, the saving of Spacey Houses Farm buildings (unfortunately could not save Spacey Houses Public House as the owners were "smart" and took the roof off in the early hours of the morning before I could have it listed. Saving of Dr Kellner's house The Horst on Westminster Drive. He was headmaster of Horst College now called Fieldhurst on the Leeds Road at the top of Pannal.. Writing the very first book ever written on Pannal then writing three more. Not finished yet as I would like to have a Country Park in the Crimple Valley. Do you know that before the housing came on the Dunlopillo site we had over 400 houses built starting in the mid 1960s. We were Pannal Village I like to think we still are. Also in the 1960s there were so many different types of birds Pied wagtail, thrush, starlings,many blackbirds and sparrows, goldfinch, tree creepers, woodpeckers and without fail every spring for about fifteen years we heard the cuckoo in Sandybank Quarry. Now we have predominately rooks and magpies and mentioning magpies. My poor little blind cat was lying full stretch in the sunshine in the garden when a magpie landed on her and pecked her. I was in the garden and saw this happening. She got such a fright and not only her I may add.