Pannal and the polls

Pannal remained conservative notice the small c as I am fed up with all the parties. Think most people are too with the protest vote for UKIP.
We are going to feature in a tv programme Restoration Man with George Clarke. I have been asked to help with the history of the water tower on the hill by Walton Park which is being converted to a house. I have declined the offer as I remember there was a lot of opposition to the planning application from people who live there so I do not want to become involved.
We have lost our neighbour Geoff Holberry. Poor Geoff had been ill and hospitalized since Christmas. He was a character which came out at his humanist funeral. We will miss him coming round in his shorts and saying Shirley and I are off to Sharm el Sheik can you water the tomatoes? We also used to say we are off to Bristol, Cheltenham, Wales or The Lakes (nowhere fancy) nothing to do just to let you know we are going to which we would reply "You have not asked permission". His football team and love of his football life was Huddersfield Town and when they won the Cup Shirley was out so he came round with a bottle of champagne and said "Shirley has gone out and won't be back until late and I have no one to celebrate with me" So we duly obliged. That was no hardship.
Weather rubbish. Hope it is not going to be like this all summer. Beware of newspapers saying "going to be a scorcher" Oh ha!
I have now finished my next book. Reading the proofs. It will be published in Scotland as it is about My and my lifelong friend's childhood in Glasgow and Millport, Isle of Cumbrae. On to my next one now. At least this weather is good for writing. Minute the sun shines it is down with the pencil and out. Tuesdays have been good and I have been able to golf and have been doing quite well. Course closed today. Dear me and it is summer too. 

Share of Pannal sadness

Oh dear first Joan Newby has died. Not long after Ken. They came to live in Burn Bridge after we came to Pannal so we have known them a long time. Stalwarts of St Robert's church until they were deemed too old to help. Joan was on the Pannal Village Society and was always willing to help with teas and coffees. A very nice couple apart from their fanatical devotion to the Liberal party. I am completely as they say catholic in my choice of candidate. In local elections I vote for the person whom I think will do the job properly. Having said that what is there left for in Pannal to fight for?
Our neighbour Geoff Holberry has died after a long illness. We shall miss him as he was always such a cheery soul. We look after each others houses and I always seemed to be at the sink (think I am chained to it and only let out on a long leash to garden) when he used to appear to say they were off to foreign parts and could I water the tomatoes. Knowing his dislike of cats I had to appeal to his better nature once, when my friends who came in and fed the cats were away, and ask him to do the honours and bless him he did.
I do wish May would buck up as I love the long evenings but they seem to be wet as of now. We are still walking locally (by that I mean Knaresborough, Ripon, Otley) at the moment as there are so many highways and byways to rediscover. Nearly fifty years of walking this area there are not many places we do not know. I hope you all have a good summer and I shall be writing again but I hope with cheerful news. My book on a Scottish childhood is being printed as we speak and will be published in Scotland fingers crossed.

Spring, Pannal and traffic

These blogs are few and far between as I have been writing a book on a Scottish childhood. Two wee lassies me and my friend Terry. We have known each other since our mothers used to push us in our prams round Alexandra Park in Glasgow. It is at the printers now and hope it will be published soon.

Spring has sprung, the grass has rise, I wonder where the burdie is. Anyone remember that? The daffs are out on Pannal Green. I don't think quite so many as when I first planted them as Harrogate Borough Council dug a b---- great hole just where there was a number of daffs. My little garden by the notice board is doing well despite the fag ends and sweet wrappers that I clear up. Talking of sweet wrappers I rang Pannal Primary School to ask Jane (Head teacher) if she could announce at assembly for the children to put their wrappers in their pockets until they get home and not throw them in our gardens. Seems to be working as we are not clearing up so many. Do you remember when we were children saying Mum what do we do with this wrapper and Mum saying put it in your pocket until you get home. We taught our children that but God knows what they are told nowadays.

Have we seen the best of Pannal?  Answer yes. I of course remember it with no Crimple Meadows, no Rosedale, Rosedale Close or Woodcock Close. No Pannal Green or Clarke Beck Close. Farm, farmlands and fields that's what it was. I wonder if I am cursed or praised for asking the council in the 1970s when Crimple Meadows was in the planning stage to not make a through road to Burn Bridge as they had separate identities and should not be joined up.

Traffic - a great number of people are as fed up as I am with a speeding traffic and b using Pannal as a rat run. It will only get worse with houses on the Dunlop site and Police Training College and more to come on the western side.. Hence my question in the third para?

Pannal bits and pieces

I wrote a blog a couple of weeks ago. Got to the last line and computer packed in. I lost the lot. Not in drafts nowhere - all gone. ~~Computer would not recognise my password. I had to "phone a friend" eventually and after changing my password (a nuisance) I hope I am back on line. Life was peaceful but annoying for a week.  All those emails to answer.
I have met John Mann  who lives in Knaresborough, but within the next couple of weeks will reside in Walton Park,  who is standing in Sharon Bentley's place.  She was a dead loss why she thought she could represent Pannal and live around New Park I cannot think. I surmise people in Pannal vote for the party and not the individual in local elections. They are entirely different. One must pick the person who you think will serve Pannal best regardless of political party.  Whether he is our best person I do not know as I have not seen, apart from him, who is standing.
Havn't  we been lucky, so far, with the weather. No horrible floods like those poor people around our coast and in Somerset.
Marble still watching Call the Midwife and Mr Selfridge. Havn't told her they are nearly finishing.
I have finished my book about s Scottish childhood. Having it proof read then have to type it out again. Has kept me busy and I have enjoyed it. Celebrated by going to Fountains Abbey yesterday and Golden Acre today. We are lucky that we have so many nice places to go. Lotherton Hall used to be free but one is charged for parking now.
I still have people ringing up and often coming to the house asking about distant relatives that lived in Pannal. So far I have been able to answer all their questions.
Residents in Pannal Green not that chuffed with school traffic parking. Funny I have spoken to a number of people and when we ask an offending vehicle to please move (blocking the drive etc) we have all had a mouthful of abuse mostly and I am sorry to say from women.
I am going now in case I lose all this.

How many characters left in Pannal apart from nutty me?

We went to Ken Newby's funeral service yesterday and as they say "he would have loved it" I saw so many people that I had now seen for years. Amanda Sharp's Mum and Dad who used to live in Burn Bridge. Greeted me with. Goodness I have not seen you for 28 years. True. I said well at least you recognised me and someone else said easy you have not changed. Now is that a compliment or does it mean 28 years ago I looked as I do now? Did not manage to go back to The Black Swan with them as I had a doctor's appointment and considering it takes weeks to get one I thought I had better not cancel.
Saturday we spent in the front garden clearing it of leaves. We do not have any trees but we get our neighbours leaves. When it is windy we watch them come bowling down Rosedale and Main Street straight into our garden. What a nuisance but nothing we can do. It was mild and in the sun and quite enjoyed it all.
I have got all my photographs and papers ready now so I shall be starting on my next book. Shall not golf until March which should give me plenty of time.  Middle of February all the family, 15 of them, are coming for the weekend. We can just about manage to fit them all in.
Other news is Tigs has at last gone back to sleeping in her bed. After numerous washings to get rid of the stray ginger cat smell she is in it obviously preferring the small of Daz to other cat. Marble now watching tv again. She gave up when Call the Midwives and Downtown finished but does like watching people kissing (strange cat) Now that Mr Selfridge has returned and Call the Midwives (she is not all that keen on the groaning that goes on so I turn down the sound which pleased me as I am not all that struck either) Bas meanwhile sitting across the other side of the room is delighted with the sound off.  Marble now quite happy sitting in front of the tv entranced.

Flu

Christmas was lovely New Year saw through a hazy. Managed to stay up to wish the New Year in but what a struggle as we both came down with flu and the dreaded cough. I put on my Facebook site that I was dying and the coughing was keeping me awake at night. I was flooded with one cure from everyone. How they all knew and I had never heard of it I do not know but here it is and it works. Everyone said it did and it does. Put Vick on the soles on your feet. Yes that is right> Put on a pair of socks and you will have a cough free night guaranteed. You will cough the next day but not at night which is worth it to get some sleep. We think we might live now and stop going round saying Oh God. Went out for a walk today and it was lovely. Shaky legs but felt better by the end of the walk. Sad news is that Ken Newby died last week. Funeral is on Monday 20th, St Robert's 10.30am. He was a grand person was Ken. He was very ill towards the end but before that and for a few years when he was passing in the summer he used to come in and sit in our summer house and have a chat. I remember him saying to Bas once when we first got the wheely bins for garden rubbish do you do this Bas I get a ladder and stand on the weeds and you get more in that way. So I shall always have a picture of Ken doing just that.

Christmas and all that

Christmas Eve everyone here. Always do a big dinner roast ham sprouts etc followed by clootie dumpling. We all have our traditions and heaven help me if I miss one out. Had a lovely evening in front of the fire fortified with the Christmas spirit from a bottle. Bas had his usual Christmas Eve cold. I am getting suspicious as it has been thus for many many years. Grandchildren hung up their stockings, sent their letters up the chimney (always a nerve racking experience for me) put out the sherry, mince pie and carrot and off to bed to lie and listen for the sleigh bells which they always hear. As Bas was poorly I did the honours only to be told the dishwasher was on and no one could hear them. Three times in all I went out in the cold. Not a delicate tinkle more like Big Ben when I had finished. The spirit of Christmas was wearing thin, It was cold out there. All the adults went to bed including Bah humbug with his cold leaving me to do Santa's work. I was so engrossed I never heard Big Fairy Bas come back into the room, God knows why, to switch off the dining room Christmas lights.(We have a large lit tree in the hall and four on the window sills in the lounge and one in the dining room) Anyway I heard the thump looked round to see Bas on reaching for the plug had fallen in the corner behind a large pouffe and got jammed between that and the welsh dresser. He could not get up and to be honest I nearly left him there. Anyway between smothering my laughter in case Scrooge saw it I got him up and off he went to bed for the second time. I meantime had to switch off the other lights and on reaching behind the tv and over the table with Santa's sherry and mince pie and Rudolph's carrot I overbalanced and there I was stuck behind the tv. I had to get myself out. squashed the pie, broke the sherry glass and had sherry all down my front. Where the carrot went I will leave it to your imagination. Eventually got to bed and got up at 7.30am (not bad) to find that Santa had been and in his hurry to get back up the chimney dropped and broke the sherry glass and had stood on the mince pie. What a tale Alex made of it all and who was it who had frightened Santa? Incidentally I have now got the cold accompanied by a cough. Shall be a quiet New Year for us I think. Certainly stay up to see 2014 hopefully not from behind the welsh dresser or tv.  I wish you all a very Happy New Year.