Pannal and Christmas

 The Trees look lovely on Pannal Green. Quite a long time ago when I was on the committee of Pannal Village Society at one of the public meetings I proposed the idea of having lights on the trees on Pannal Green. I was contacted by two wonderful people one who said I will buy two conifer trees to be planted on the Green and the other said I will pay for lights. So this was done. Then more lights were payed for by the lovely people who had the newspaper round and employed the boys who were killed in a tragic car accident. The money had been raised by customers. There was also very sad as a poor gentleman who was killed in the accident was in another car. Harrogate Borough Council has taken on the task now.

Now does anyone remember the massive Coca Cola lorry that came down Main Street. IT WAS BRILLIANT JUST LIKE ONE SEES ON TV ADVERTS. WE WERE ALL OUT CHEERING. I BELIEVE THE DRIVER HAD LOST HIS WAY BUT WHO CARES IT WAS WONDERFUL FOR |PANNAL. 

My idea of a Country Park in honour of Her Majesty our late lamented Queen has taken off. I strongly feel that we must protect the Crimple Valley from development and what better idea than the status of a Country Park for all to use. I have the backing of Andrew Jones MP, Wallace Sampson Chief Executive, Richard Cooper Head HBC, and now Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council so we are all working together to make this happen. I had a SINC put on Sandy Bank Quarry to protect it and it will be incorporated into the Country Park, I am lucky to have the help of David Wilby KC who lives across the road from me and is a legal expert on matters that could be relating to this venture. What do the residents of Pannal Village think? Use comments to let me know or any other means we must protect our green spaces for us and more importantly our children and grandchildren too be able to use. 

Also I read in the Neighbourhood Plan by Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council put forward to Harrogate Borough Council the idea for the introduction pf time limited parking restrictions on Main Street from Pannal Green north to Spring Lane covering school drop off and pick up times. Now this was news to the residents of Main Street as no one had been asked their opinion on the matter. What for instance happens if residents have family or visitors and their cars are parked on Main Street before and during drop off and pick up times?? Sorry I do not know the answer to this and I have asked. Main Street residents are watching with interest. Incidentally drop off times lasts from 8,40am to 8.55am and pick up times 2.55pm to 3.30pm.

In my last blog I mentioned how my son's brand new electric car that was parked on Main Street was "keyed" all along the side. It cost £1000 to fix.

i decided to go up into the loft and on the way back down I thought I was on the bottom rung of the ladder I was not and twisted my knee and banged it on the metal side. It was agony and I could not walk at all for a couple of days. Had an x-ray and have another appointment as I can now walk but not long distances and I cannot golf. 2My children said for God sake why did you go up to the loft?" No answer to that I just did.

My cats are in and do not want to go out. The weather is cold but it is December. All I need to do now is wish you a Very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year and lets all make the most of it with our loved ones. Who would have thought five years ago Britain would be in the state it is in now but over the festive season lets enjoy ourselves and forget.

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Pannal Warning

 Have heard of a few cases where cars in Pannal have been targeted.Mostly silly nonsense like cakes smeared on the bonnet or drinks poured over the car  One car was keyed..Now it was our cars targeted. One car sheer vandalism the other stupidity.  Unfortunately my middle sons car  was keyed rather badly and he was told it would take £1000 to repair. My car had a bread roll stuffed down the windscreen wipers. Both cars were on the road over night as the drive was being used by workmen.  Fortunately most of us here have cameras on our drives and James incident has been passed to the police. 

So all I can say is be careful. 

Not only Pannal

 Up until these last couple of days the weather has been lovely and it is November. Not all that many years ago we had heavy snow in November and Halloween was always cold. I hate the early dark nights and always look forward to Spring as we all do. 

 I went up into our loft and on the way back down I twisted my knee. Hard to walk and it is very painful. I have two lovely lads doing the double glazing  and when I carried the tray in with their tea I looked just like Julie Walters as the waitress in the Victoria Wood sketch Two Soups.

Saw what happened re Pannal Mill Dam and all the mud and chemicals from the Dunlopillo factory being left.I thought the Dam was "owned" by the Pannal Mill Dam Association.Mr Bentley of Pannal Hall owned the Mill Cottage so did he own the Dam? He sold it in the late 1950s to Mr and Mrs Wardle who sold Mill Cottage and they now live in Ripon. The house deeds perhaps says who owned the dam.

I was reading Harrogate Borough Council's News Letter and they state THAT EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT NEW HOUSES ARE NEEDED ACROSS THE HARROGATE DISTRICT. Be interesting to see that evidence. 4000 houses across and around The Squinting Cat what happens to Pannal when they all decide that they work in York, Bradford, Leeds etc and the best and quickest way to reach the A61 is via Pannal village. Most of the long standing members who live in Pannal still call it a village and it certainly was when we came to live here in the very early 1960s. We had so many shops (detailed in my book Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories). Now does it ever strike you that we had for a time two hospitals The General and The District. The General was demolished.HOW FAR SIGHTED WAS THAT? Now we have one hospital and Harrogate and  Pannal are so much bigger and will be even more so and there is only the one hospital. All these houses planned and where is the infrastructure? Harrogate District cannot cope. The schools will not be able to cope nor will the roads. In our area 4000 houses means ? well I think we can work out how many cars that will bring we cannot all be riding a bike and that cycle route being muted is farcical

Many years ago I was asked by both the Conservatives and the Liberals ( on the same day funny enough)to be a Councillor but I thought then and now that to be a Councillor one has to tow the party line and that would not suit me at all. 

David Wilby KC and I are still working on the Queen Elizabeth Country Park in the Crimple Valley and we have the backing of our MP Robert Banks and Pannal Councillor John Mann as well as some Councillors at HBC.

I do not have many books of Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories left, so if you want any they are being sold for £5 (I have made my initial cost so I have reduced them) at Pannal Post Office. These are the last - about 30 - so when they are gone they are gone. Their will be no more. All my other books are sold out but occasionally they come up on Amazon at a much higher price than they originally were so I am told.

My little cat Marble is now blind. We Sarah Gordon and I think she is about 17 years old. Sarah was Marble's original Mum and she named her. Marvle managews to get around and the vet says she knows where she lives so she will be fine. Tigs is about 16 had a Dad who could not keep her and he named her too. I am their adopted Mum but I have had them since they were kittens.They said I must tell you it is going to get colder so they have now decided to come into the house.  

 

My little cat Marble is now blind. She is we think (we being Sarah Gordon and me as Sarah was Marbvle's original Mum. 

 

Chaos in Pannal

 My neighbour last week counted 300 cars up and down Main Street (mainly down). This was between the hours of 7.45am and 9am and they were not sticking to the 20 mph speed limit. I also saw them car after car after car but she counted them. Heaven help Pannal Village when those 4000 houses are built on the fields beyond The Squinting Cat. These are not cars coming to Pannal Village they are cutting across the A61 in both directions and using us as a rat run. Another strange thing is that cars turn off the A61 Leeds Road and go down Leadhall Lane and then through Pannal and rejoin the A61 Leeds Road further up. Why? 

Then last week as I was backing out of my drive to go to the Golf Club when a cyclist overtook me on the inside just as I was straightening up and yesterday I was just about to turn into my drive after coming down Church Lane a black car overtook me on the inside. I saw something black and stopped and thank goodness I did so. These drivers are idiots I live opposite Rosedale and I am indicating left to turn in to my house where I have lived for over 56 years and a number of them say, like the one whom I got out of the car to speak to and said "cant you see I am indicating left to go down my drive I was not indicating to go right down Rosedale" and he said  "well your a woman and |I thought you were going down Rosedale". No answer to that one eh!   First time this has happened to me (and happened twice in a week) but it has happened to my neighbours. We all say we are just waiting for an accident to happen sooner rather than later. It is quite frightening the speed the cars travel at down Church Lane and then Main Street. 

We are still working on the Queen Elizabeth 11 Country Park in memory of a great Queen and I will keep you informed. 

Today was the most rain we have had for weeks. The gardens needed it but it can stop now. Tuesday was so lovely that I wore shorts to golf but they are now washed and put away. I am a summer person and I hate the dark nights. Marble and Tigs not all that chuffed either. They are about 17 years old and every year it comes as a surprise to them. Some people seem to have cats that are so clever. I am not one of them.                                                                                                       

Pannal and a Country Park for the Queen

 Having written my last two blogs about our Queen and how she has been part of our lives for most of our lives I thought it would be a lovely idea to honour this gracious lady by having a Country Park - The Queen Elizabeth 11 Country Park in Pannal. An honour for Pannal and for Harrogate. My idea was originally to honour her Platinum Jubilee but there was not enough time to do this.

There is land owned by Harrogate Borough Council which is suitable. It is The Crimple Valley a Special Landscape Area and borders the A61 Leeds Road then down to behind St Robert's Church and up to All Saint's Court encompassing Sandybank Quarry. In 1778 this land was retained by King George 111 and the Monarch Queen Elizabeth 11 retained the mineral rights. I asked the Duchy of Lancaster if this land had been enfranchised but have not heard as yet. It was sold to Mr Bentley of Pannal Hall who sold it to Harrogate Borough Council in 1963 who promised to leave it untouched as a lung between Harrogate and Pannal. Some of this land is leased to a farmer to grow wheat and I have no objection to that as it is a large area. 

I approached Andrew Jones our MP and I have his backing as well as "no objection" from Wallace Sampson OBE Chief Executive of Harrogate Borough Council, Richard Cooper Leader of the Council and John Mann our local Councillor.

The Harrogate Advertiser published my plan last week and I have had only favourable comments from people. There are obstacles to overcome but nothing major. I am also most fortunate to have as my legal advisor David Wilby KC of Pannal. So let's see what becomes of this idea and I will keep you all posted. 

Marble and Tigs are now staring at me through the window and saying it is raining so I shall have to go and let them in. 

Pannal Fell Silent

I was on my own do I watch the Queen's funeral or not. I watched some of it but it made me very sad. Not helped by the fact I had a Covid inj and I had no ill effects with any of them but this one felled me. I was so cold could not stop shivering and felt sick and that lasted for three days. 

I was thinking of our lovely Queen and I met her as Chairman of Friends of the Valley Gardens when the Sun Pavilion in the Valley Gardens was re-oped by her Majesty. Could curtsy them but probably fall over now if I had to curtsy. Also met (as he was then) Price Charles at the Pateley Bridge Show. He came over to speak to me and as he was speaking a person ran between us and grabbed his sleeve. Fortunately it was a Down's Syndrome boy who meant no harm but if it had been an assailant his security personnel were not quick enough to intervene. 

My Dad who was a Chief Petty Officer went to Buckingham Palace to receive his Distinguished Medal from King George V1. Dad joined the navy as a boy sailor and was in before and long after the Second World War. I have written a book about my Dad as he was a war hero and when he died he had a military funeral in Harrogate. He won his DSM as he was on duty on his ship the famous HMS Cossack and he noticed a mine had come loose on the deck and he ran to it and tied himself onto it and the rails of the ship. His watch was from 2am to 6am and at 6am he had to wake another sailor but because he was tied to the mine he could not and so the sailor slept on and it was not until ships company mustered at 8am that Dad was found. He had been holding the mine from 2am to 8am. I said to him much much later when he had left the navy that was a very brave thing to do and he said it was spur of the moment and when I realised I could not let go I felt sick. He said very often brave deeds are spur of the moment. He was involved in the Altmark (German ship) who had a number of British sailors held captive in the hold and denied it. HMS Cossack drew alongside and boarded her and Dad was on the searchlight and he was shot at and if it had not been for his cigarette case in his breast pocket which the bullet hit he would have been killed. My Mum who was a staunch Catholic had put a medal inside it and she said it was the medal that saved him. The sailors were saved and taken aboard HMS Cossack and taken from Norway back to Leith in Scotland.

 I was a child at school when King George V1 died and whatever I had been doing I do not remember but the teacher Miss King was shaking me. She had me by the shoulders and my head was all over the place and I was saved from it falling off by the school secretary who came bursting into the classroom shouting The King is dead God Save the Queen. 

For the Queen's funeral day Pannal was silent no people and no cars. Except when she was taken to Windsor I went out to stretch my legs and met a few people doing as I was doing or walking their dogs. 

What a day. We will all miss her. Charles will be a good King and Camilla will be a tremendous help and support to him but it will be difficult to sing God Save our Gracious King instead of Queen as we have been singing the latter for as long as we can remember. 

Our beloved Queen

 I felt so terribly sad yesterday and could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I expect we all did. A tragic surprise as we did not expect it. I only hope Harry (who was not going to see his Grandmother on this visit) thinks long and hard over his behaviour. Him, Prince Andrew and Liz Truss who wanted the monarchy abolished I feel they all hastened her end. 

All I have to say. God Save the King. Wonder when we sing the National Anthem we will remember to say King as it has been Queen in all our memories. All our children have known only a Queen a wonderful gracious lady who gave her whole life to serving the people.