Pannal Jubilee Olympic torch

It has been a very hot and sunny day today. Now where did that come from as it has been rubbish for days. Been told it will not last so that is great. Cats never came in last night so they were enjoying a mild night. They are in now looking shattered after their night on the tiles. There seems to be more excitement over the Olympic torch coming to Harrogate than the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Has been said that Harrogate Council has republican tendencies. Wonder if that is true. Surely not. Anyway the torch arrives here. Sorry to have to say I will not be going to see it I am playing golf - weather permitting. A young man Jonathan Sherwood age 19 has carved a beautiful Jubilee chair from an oak tree donated by friends of ours. It was his own idea and it is in the Valley Gardens for all to see. 

Is it winter in Pannal

It is perishing here and there is a lot of rain.  Central heating on. Can't get doing summer things. No long warm evenings in the garden come to that no long warm days either. We have a little stream at the bottom of the garden which is now not a little stream. Even the cats Marble and Tigs think it is winter and come in to lie in their beds. When I open the door for them to go out I get a you are joking look. From what people have told me I do not think the Jubilee event at St Robert's church was a success. Not many people turned up. There was a lot of memorabilia for the last sixty years. As well as my books, photograph albums and cuttings of the village I had kept my Coronation mug presented to all children in 1953, Silver Jubilee mug and a mug I had given from Dunlopillo now no longer there. Unfortunately the ghastly office block still dominates the village but the company and all the workers gone. It its place is a business park and horror of horrors a concrete batching plant. Down my end of the village it is quiet but at the top there are concrete lorries coming in and out. A loop hole in planning allowed them to be there. Spent a day running in and out trying to put some bedding plants in the flowerbeds. Everything is gigantic because of all the rain and very green. Our roses on the bungalow walls are out and very beautiful they are. They have been there 45 years now and have featured in many magazines. Wonder how long they will go on. Hoping for summer soon.

Pannal and beyond

Weather here rubbish went to Scotland for 10 days and it was hot and sunny. We have 4 children Susan, Michael, James, Richard and when they were young I would not fly anywhere so we spent all our holidays  in Britain and as a result we have been all round the coast and a great number of places inland. Then we started visiting the islands Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, all the Scilly Isles and smaller ones like Bardsey and Shell Island, Angelsey. Scottish islands are marvellous Arran,Skye, Mull, Ulva, Great Cumbrae, Bute, Jura, Islay, Easdale, Luing, Orkney, Shetland, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Eriskay, Harris and Lewis, Barra, Vatersey, Mingulay (where I, who is afraid of heights had to clamber from a small swaying boat up the side of a steep cliff no steps or handrail to the top. Walk a narrow path above the sea to get to the beach and after a few hours when my heart had stopped pounding I was told I had to go the same way back which was worse as on the way up I did not look back but this time I had to look down. I very nearly colonized Mingulay to the tune of one inhabitant. Only peer pressure got me on that boat.)  Rum. Eigg, Colonsay.  This holiday it was Arran, Gigha, Kerrera, Lishmore, Coll and Tiree. Coll and Tiree had amazing beaches with white sand and blue/green water. The islands were all beautiful but our favourite was Coll. The beaches were isolated and one had to walk to reach them over grass covered in an abundance of wild flowers. Susan and our grandson Alex came with us. Frequent ferry trips which Alex found exciting (we did too) the longest trip was four hours returning from Tiree to Oban.Met some lovely people both living on the islands and visitors. German people seem to like Scotland. Be prepared though coming from a fairly hectic lifestyle nothing is done in a hurry. As one lady in Coll said to me the kettle takes a long time to boil here. We found places to eat mostly hotel bars which were very few and far between and in Tiree Hotel I had the best knickerbocker glory I have ever had. I am still dreaming about it. Returned to Oban still bathed in sunshine but got a rude awakening when we stayed overnight with our friends (Terry and I have known each other since we were 4) in Glasgow when we encountered rain.
Home to Pannal more rain, cold and today grey skies. Missed the Jubilee (60 years of Pannal) to which I contributed a number of items so will have to find out how well it went and write it up in a later blog.  I did have the first copy of the new look Harrogate Advertiser and I think it looks like The Metro which is the free paper handed out to rail passengers. To me it is a comedown from a quality broadsheet to a tabloid.

Pannal and the Jubilee

The Fabulous weather continues but not for much longer THEY tell us but considering THEY never told us we were going to have a heatwave I do not have much face in THEM.  Geoff came back from Wembley elated after Huddersfield Town's win. We had left him a bottle of beer, a card and a balloon that lit up. Yesterday Geoff and Shirley invited us in to the garden and we all had champagne. Lovely. Pannal is preparing to have a Jubilee weekend which I hope will be well attended as it is half term and a number of people have their own plans us included. I have put flags out and decorated the Pannal Village Society notice board. At the church all Pannal groups will be represented and I have spent this past week helping various groups with their history.  I golfed yesterday and came second. Came third the week before which I am pleased about as I only came back to the club in March after being away nearly a year as I had a big op on valves in my legs then contracted dvt but I am back golfing and walking which we love and our other love apart from our family is gardening although the shine is going off that after carting big cans of water round every night. Must go and feed the cats are they are staring in the window with their knives and forks at the ready.

Pannal and sunshine

Huddersfield Town won. Very exciting game I listened to it in the garden in the glorious sunshine. Geoff went down to Wembley and came back a happy man.  This was also the day of Pannal Primary Schools Fair and what a brilliant sunny day it was. It has been scorching now for nearly a week. Could go on like this all summer as far as I am concerned. Pannal has been very quite no one around. Expect everyone is in their gardens with the barbeque.  St Robert are holding an exhibition focusing on the last 60 years of Pannal. I have been very busy helping various organisations with memorabilia. I am working with Pannal Village Society on their display and have helped Pannal Primary School with bits and pieces. Our family still hold the record for the longest attendance at Pannal Primary Susan was the first to attend in 1971 five years after the school moved from Woodcock Hill to Pannal Green. Susan was followed by Michael, then James and lastly Richard.  Off to do some watering now.

Pannal and

Great weather scorching as the papers say. Not scorching at the weekend as ten of us (part of the family) and two dogs hired a canal barge for the day 9am to 10pm from Skipton to Silsden. Fantastic took our lunch and the birthday cakes and moored up and visited pubs on the way. If you have not tried it give it a go. Its great fun. The mystery of the fairy lights has been solved Rachel who now writes the Pannal column e-mailed to say they were falling down from the tree and she with a Dad from the school tried to put them up again to no avail as they were broken. This got me thinking of all that had happened     on Pannal Green over the years. There used to be a butchers shop there and a blacksmiths both now demolished as were the cottages in front of St Robert's church (car park now) cows were kept on the green. In 1933 during a fair on the green the event was enlivened by Pannal Memorial Hall going on fire. During World War Two chickens were kept there by the children from Pannal Old School which was on Woodcock Hill. Miss Wigby kept ducks there in the 1960s. Running races were held there. Hundreds of daffodils were planted by myself and family and I helped the children from Pannal Primary School planted crocus round the tree. Services held - picnic on the green - by St Robert's and Pannal Methodist churches. Trees were planted. Cherry trees contain christmas lights in memory of three boys from Pannal Green killed in a car accident which Yasmin and I collected as donations. Also three seats in their memory. Another very sad occasion and a tree was planted on the green which I arranged in memory of four girls from Burn Bridge killed in a car accident. My school talks started on the green and still do for visitors to Pannal. I put stocks on the green with oak wood donated by Frank Hird and a grant from Cllr Cliff Trotter. VE Day Celebrations were held there. Children from Pannal Primary School planted crocus and I helped them. End this bit by saying Pannal Village Society are providing new lights for the tree in the middle this Christmas.  On Saturday Huddersfield Town are in the Yorkshire Final and my next door neighbour Geoff is their greatest fan so if they win it could be champers all round.

Pannal and life

Cannot get rid of the north east wind and when it is not windy one breathes a sigh of relief and then it rains. Have now been told by "they who know" that it will continue like this until mid/end June. But and there is always a but perhaps they are wrong.  On the surface life in Pannal continues but controversy is never far away. Sandy Bank Quarry will it be closed off from the fields that one walks across to Almsford Bank? Police Training College on Yew Tree Lane closing down and housing, a large number, being built there. What does this mean in traffic terms for both Yew Tree Lane and Pannal/Burn Bridge? Concrete Batching Plant at Dunlopillo site many lorries annoying residents at the top of the village. Looking forward to one joyful occasion - Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. There will be an exhibition of Pannal memorabilia on display in St Robert's church. I am providing a number of items and also putting photographs bunting in the notice board near the church. We have four children and they are coming up this weekend with partners and grandchildren to celebrate Susan, James and Charlotte's birthdays. Should be great fun as we are hiring a boat on the Skipton canal. I finish this blog as I started by saying hope the weather improves.