What Connects Barry McGuigan, Charles Blondin, Moorgate Tube Station, Charles Wesley and Albert Berry?

Well, here we are on the last day of February, and I just had to consult my “On This Day in History” book! Surely something of interest or excitement must have happened!

Well here is what little gems of wisdom it tells me…..


Barry McGuigan the world lightweight boxing champion was born in 1961




Charles Blondin the Niagra Falls tightrope walker was born on this day in the year 1824

Today in 1975 was the date of the Moorgate Tube Disaster, in which 42 passengers were killed. At the time it was London Undergrounds worst ever train crash. The train shot through platform nine of Moorgate Tube Station without stopping and rammed into a dead end tunnel.

John Wesley founded Methodism in 1784

On Feb 28th 1912 the first successful parachute jump was made from an aeroplane, by Albert Berry from Missouri in the United States.

The Labour Party won the General Election in 1974. Their victory was somewhat spoiled by the fact that they had a majorty of only 4 seats!

I wonder what the result will be for them at the General Election in 2010...... (No prizes for a correct guess!)

The Guest List

You may have missed me for a day or two, but more important things have begun to rear their heads – like the start of preparations for our youngest daughter’s wedding!

As with all weddings certain things need to be started in motion long before the “big day”, and one of the things we have been grappling with is the Guest List. This seems to consist of all the friends and relations on the Bride’s side and all the friends and relations on the Groom’s side who qualify to attend the Wedding and the Reception.

Now the word “qualify” is something of a loaded expression – do you qualify to be invited to the reception just because you are a relative? – do you qualify to be invited to the reception because you have known the family for x number of years? – do you qualify because you invited the Bride’s Parents to your children’s weddings?

If there is a large family, how far down the family tree do you go? If you invite cousins, do you invite cousin’s children? Can you imagine the feelings that would be aroused if you invited some cousins/some cousin’s children, but not others?

If both families are of roughly equal proportions then nothing would be simpler than to say OK we are having 100 guests so we split the invites 50/50, but what about the situation where one side of the family is large and the other relatively small. What proportion is a fair split?

Then what about friends of the Bride and Bridegroom? Which of those qualify to be invited to the reception? All – you need to be made of money to do that! Some – but how do you decide which? None – I’m sure that would go down like a led brick!

And the fun has only just begun. Somewhere along the proceedings comes the table plan. Who do you sit next to whom? If Uncle Fred is a raging atheist it might not be a good idea to sit him on the same table as the Vicar. Great Aunt Florrie will certainly not appreciate the near the knuckle jokes and humour of young Zack and his busty partner!

I think I'll just go and lie down with an ice pack on my fevered brow.........

Political "Spin" Explained in One Easy to Follow Lesson

Judy Wallman, is a professional genealogy researcher in southern California, and was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Congressman Harry Reid's great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana territory.

On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: 'Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

So Judy recently e-mailed Congressman Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.


Believe it or not, Harry Reid's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

"Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory . His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

And that's what they call Political Spin!

Another WAG Marriage Bites the Dust

It came as no real surprise when it finally came. For the last two or three weeks the press have been reporting it large and bold. It wasn’t a case of “If”, but more a case of “When”.

For some time now Ashley Cole has been reputed to have been unfaithful to his wfe Cheryl, but give the girl her due, she seems to have tried to keep the rocky marriage going.

The following is a quote from an article in January 2008

Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole has vowed to stand by her husband Ashley Cole despite claims he cheated on her.

Earlier in the week, hairdresser Aimee Walton claimed she had sex with the drunken Chelsea and England star after meeting in London nightclub in December and now a glamour model, Brooke Healy, has claimed she also slept with Ashley, just months after his lavish marriage to Cheryl. Brooke told the Sunday Mirror that she had sex with Ashley after a Christmas party in 2006 and was paid £6600 to keep quiet about it to protect his reputation.

But despite the initial rumours that she was planning to leave the footballer, Cheryl has stated that she intends make her marriage work.

She told a newspaper yesterday: “When I married Ashley I made my vows and promised we’d be together for better or worse. This has to be the worst it gets.”

“I’m astonished that girl [Aimee] says she felt sorry for me. If she felt so sorry why did she run to the papers to try and ruin my marriage? I hope she’s happy with her first designer handbag that she can buy with her dirty money.”
“I’ve been through an emotional roller coaster but I’m determined to be strong. Ashley’s a wonderful husband and we ARE in love. I won’t let this woman destroy our marriage.”

But sadly, the inevitable has happened.......

Pop star Cheryl Cole is separating from her husband footballer Ashley Cole, her spokesman has announced.

"Cheryl asks the media to respect her privacy during this difficult time," a statement said.

The announcement follows speculation about the couple's private life and recent press reports that their four-year marriage was in trouble.
A Girls Aloud spokesman said the band would not be commenting in public, but were supporting Cole "in private".

The 26-year-old X Factor judge married the Chelsea and England player in 2006 during a lavish ceremony in London.

The pair met in 2004 and were engaged a year later after the footballer proposed in Dubai.

Glossy magazine OK! covered the wedding, despite Cole's earlier insistence that the ceremony would be a "quiet affair".

In 2008, the couple's marriage was rocked by tabloid speculation about Ashley Cole's fidelity. The Girls Aloud star fled the country and was pictured without her wedding ring.

In a later interview with Jonathan Ross, the singer sported the wedding band and joked: "I was tempted to put it back on his head!"

Speaking about press interest in her life, the singer added: "There's no such thing as a private life in this industry.

"I spoke openly about my marriage in the past and it's come back to hit me in the face. I learnt from the past that you shouldn't do that."


It is somewhat sad that this girl has had all her efforts thrown back in her face by the idiotic and animal like behaviour of her husband.

A Timely Warning (I Hope)

This is not a joke

Swindon Police Station Gablecross Shrivenham Road South Marston Swindon Wiltshire SN3 4RB Telephone: 0845 408 7000 0845 408 7000 0845 408 7000 0845 408 7000
Swindon Crime Reduction Department


This has been passed on via another Force area through our own Fraud Department In Wiltshire Constabulary, and it is a very convincing SCAM. We have been asked to disseminate the information as widely and was quickly as we can through Neighbourhood Watch, School Safe and others.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was called on Thursday from "MasterCard". The scam works like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank) did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £497.99 from a Marketing company based in London ?" When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £297 to £497, just under the £500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?" You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"


Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works the caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card." He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers." There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card.. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say, "No," the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number.


But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £497.99 was charged to our card. Long story - short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.


What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.

The All New Doggy Diet

I received this e mail yesterday from a friend and thought you might find it funny...

Yesterday I was at my local supermarket buying a large bag of dog food for my loyal pet and was in the checkout queue when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.


What did she think I had an elephant? So, since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the new Dog Food Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn’t, because I ended up in hospital last time, but that I'd lost 2 stones before I woke up in intensive care with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pockets with Dog Food nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again.

(I have to mention here that practically everyone in the queue was now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked me if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's bum and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.

I'm now banned from the supermarket!

Better watch what you ask retired people.
They have all the time in the world to think of daft things to say.

Snow, Snow, Snow.

Isn’t it amazing how a fall of snow changes your perspective on everything?

We had had the grandchildren (Mollie & Tom) spending the evening and night with us on Saturday, and when I took Ruby out for her final walk at about 9.30 pm it was extremely cold and frosty. The ground sparkled like precious jewels, the grass crunched underfoot and there was a definite crispness in the air.

The grandchildren were awake at about 7.15, so I got up, and had a look out of the window. Everywhere was covered in a sheen of white, and there was a sense of peace and calm, that you get when the snow absorbs the usual sounds (although at 7.15 am on a Sunday morning there is usually very little in the way of ambient sound around.)

Collecting my camera I took a few shots of the white world outside.

Garden trespasser

I had left the camera in my pocket, and when I arrived at church is was fairly obvious that the congregation was not going to be very large, so I took the opportunity of taking some shots of the church before all the footprints appeared in the snow and spoilt the view.

On the way home from church I passed a young couple busily engaged in constructing a seated snowman on a seat outside the Bradford and Bingley Building Society Offices, and I couldn’t resist a few shots of that too!

Me 'n' my snowman


It raised quite a bit of interest from passers by who were busily reaching for their mobile phones to take a shot of the snowman!

As an interseting little aside.......

Did you know that Wilson Alwyn "Snowflake" Bentley (February 9, 1865 – December 23, 1931), born in Jericho, Vermont, was one of the first known photographers of snowflakes? He perfected a process of catching flakes on black velvet in such a way that their images could be captured before they melted.

Sleepover at Seventy One

Last night we had Mollie & Tom for a sleepover. When it came to bath time both of them wanted to be last, so being diplomatic I suggested that they decide the order on a the flip of a coin. Mollie called heads, but it came down tails, so Tom won the choice and decided to go second!

So Mollie had the first session in the bath and when she had dried herself and got dressed I said I would take her photo for today’s blog. Here she is all clean and sweet smelling after her bath!

She insisited that I must feature a photo of her new slippers on today’s blog. These were the ones we got her when we went up to Settle. So here is her right foot encased in one of the new slippers!

Meanwhile Tom had decided it was time for him to have a bath.

After fruit drinks, the two were tucked up in bed, but not before Tom had a final session on his Nintendo DS!

Mist and Frost

Good news – the back pain seems to have disappeared, so I was up and dressed at a reasonable hour this morning! Ruby had gone for her morning constitutional up the field, and there was an opportunity to take a few photos before the sun burnt off the mist.

It was a chance to see how the camera would behave in misty conditions. The results (below) are not too bad.

Looking up the fields

The sun trying to burn off the mist

The mist is slowly clearing

Frost and Mist

Less mist, more sun

Visibility better!

A Day Out in Settle & Austwick

This morning started quite dramatically. I woke at about 7.30 am and when I got out of bed I found I was in agony! The lower part of my back was giving me hell when I moved between a sitting position and a standing position. After struggling downstairs and having breakfast I was no better, and was persuaded to take a dichlophenic, which the nurse of the house reassured me would take the pain away. Two hours later it was not really any better.

We had planned to take the two grand-daughters out to Settle and Austwick for the day, and as we usually call in Ye Old Naked Man Café I had visions of me lurching between sitting and standing (a bit like the Hunchback of Notre Dame), however after having my back rubbed with some Ibuprofin things did seem to ease a little. (I hasten to add that this did not occur in Ye Old Naked Man Cafe, and I am not Ye Old Naked Man!)

We collected the grand-daughters and headed towards Settle, passsing what I can only describe as lots of steaming fields on the way. First there was low cloud, and then later the fields looked as though they were steaming. Another quite dramatic event!

We arrived at Settle, and whist Dot and the girls headed to Ye Old Naked Man to get a table I called in Nat West to do a bank raid. When I got inside the café who should be there but one of Rachel’s friends from some years back (Jane Brearley and her daughter Felicity.) We were welcomed like long lost buddies, and caught up on the latest news.

Ye Old Naked Man Cafe

After Coffee, Milk Shakes and Chocolate Drinks and a pastry, the girls went one direction and I went the other, heading for the charity shops, where I purchased a double Video Cassette of the G K Chesterton Father Brown Stories, a double cassette of the Linde Consort playing the Bach Brandenberg Concertos, a triple cassette called Golden Overtures and another triple cassette of Handel’s Messiah and a CD Classical Piano Chillout all for the princely sum of £3.80!

We then headed on to Austwick, and had a very late lunch (2.30 pm) in the Gamecock Inn. The owner and resident chef is a Frenchman, and he produces some excellent and very tasty meals, all reasonably priced too.

The Game Cock Inn - Austwick

The Bar - our table (with menus on it)

We all started with a main course. I chose the Guinness and Steak pie, Dot had a vegetarian dish and Mollie had Pizza and Olivia had fajitas. The girls decided they would like a sweet too. These were beautifully presented, and ample – so two sweets were ordered and two extra spoons!

Superbly presented & deliciously tasty sweets

Mollie & Olivia waiting to start their sweets

Towel Heads

I recently received the following e mail from a friend in the States. It was part of a series of cartoons produced by a staff member of Hallmark Cards, which features a politically incorrect little old lady.

TOWEL HEADS

Recently I received a warning about the use of this politically incorrect term, so please note:

We all need to be more sesitive in our choice of words. I have been informed that the Islamic terrorists, who hate our guts and want to kill us, do not like to be called “Towel Heads.” Since the item they wear on their heads is not actually a towel, but, in fact, a small folded sheet.

Therefore, from this point forward, please refer to them as “Little Sheet Heads.”

Thank you for your support and compliance in this delicate matter.

Global Warming? More Like Global Freezing!

I pulled back the curtains this morning and looked out of the window, and was greeted with a heavy frost on the lawn, which only extended as far as the end of the gardem, and then disappeared into the fog. Ruby, who usually sits patiently by the back door, and the moment I open it, stands and has a sniff of the air, and then goes out. It was obviously not to her liking this morning, because after sniffing the air she did a smart about turn and headed back to her bed and cuddled up against the radiator! She would normally be all excited at taking the good lady to work and would be sat at the back of the car waiting to jump in, but she never stirred from the radiator!

Thinking about what rotten cold weather we have been having for the last two or three months (Yes! It was way back in December when we got some of the first falls of snow) reminded me of the Flanders and Swann “Song of the Weather” which I quote:


JANUARY brings the snow,
Makes your feet and fingers glow.

FEBRUARY ice and sleet
Chills the toes right off your feet,

Welcome MARCH with wintry wind -
Would thou wert not so unkind!

APRIL brings the sweet spring showers,
On and on for hours and hours.

Farmers fear unkindly MAY –
Frost by night and hail by day.

JUNE just rains and never stops –
Thirty days and spoils the crops.

In JULY the sun is hot
Is it shining? No, it’s not.

AUGUST cold and dank and wet
Brings more rain than any yet.

Bleak SEPTEMBER mist and mud
Is enough to chill the blood

Then OCTOBER adds a gale -
Wind and slush and rain and hail.

Dark NOVEMBER brings the fog –
Should not do it to a dog.

Freezing wet DECEMBER,then
Bloody JANUARY again!

Books, Books and More Books

I don’t know about you, but there is always a pile of books on my bedside locker. Usually two or three of them are part read, and the others are waiting to be started.

Whilst rummaging through the pile of books, I came across one which is a must have for all those Pub Quiz addicts. It’s called “On This Day in History” and is compiled by Simon Mayo and Simon Jenkins. Laid out in time order (by each day of the year) are some fascinating facts about what happened on each particular day.

Let me give you a few samples.

Did you know that on October 31st Harry Houdini, the famous escapologist died as a result of getting a punch in the stomach. Harry prided himself in being able to take a punch in the stomach, and had invited a visitor to his dressing room to punch him, but the visitor hit him before he was ready, as a direct result of this Harry died of a burst appendix!

July 22nd Revd Archibald William Spooner toasted the Queen with these words “Let us drink to the Queer old Dean” He was the gentleman who gave Spoonerisms to us. Another of his famous ones was telling a cyclist to "Go Boil your Icicle".

On Dec 1st 1900 thousands of gallons of beer were poured into the sewers of Liverpool and Manchester, because the beer had an unusual additive – arsenic! Four people were killed as a result of drinking the brew and a further 2,000 were injured.


So what about today February 16th?

Today in 1960 the U.S. nuclear submarine set off on the first underwater voyage around the world without surfacing.

Today in 1834 marks the death (on dry land!) of Lionel Lukin – inventor of the lifeboat.

In 1959 John McEnroe the tennis star made his first grunts – when he was born!

Half Term Weather

It must be half term judging by the weather forecast! I’ve just been on the BBC/Met Office Weather Site for Bingley and the forecast is for snow, sleet, rain, etc.


Mon Day weather
Light Snow
Temperature Range 4 39°F 0 32°F


Tue Day weather
Light Snow Shower
Temperature Range 4 39°F -2 28°F


Wed Day weather
Sleet
Temperature Range 3 37°F -1 30°F


Thu Day weather
Light Snow
Temperature Range 3 37°F 3 37°F


Fri Day weather
Light Rain Shower
Temperature Range 6 43°F -1 30°F

A Hobby of Mine

Hard at work with the Canon XM2

For a goodly number of years I have been an avid video photographer.

Up until about five years ago I used to regularly video weddings as a hobby, but to do the job properly if you are covering all the events at a wedding can often take up to twelve hours, and that's only the videoing - there's the editing and copyong to be done on top of that!

If I only videoed one wedding a month you can see that this took up a fair proportion of my time, so it left me little time to work on my own videos.

I have produced a variety of videos on a variety of subjects.

Looking back over the last thirteen years, I have produced videos on such diverse subjects as:- The Royal Yacht Britannia and HM Queen visit Arran, A Pilgrimage to Holy Island, 65th Surprise Birthday Party, Promotional Video for Pennine Boat Trips of Skipton, Local Middle School Christmas Concerts, A Day out on MV Raven on Ullswater, Slaidburn Silver Band Centenary Video, A Pilgrimage to Whithorn, St Michael & All Angels Centenary Celebrations, Meet Tim and Sally - two orphan Hedgehogs, Cottingley Fairytale, Wilson TS Advertising Video, Dedication of War Memorial by HRH Prince of Wales, and The Opening of the Cottingley Cornerstone Centre by HRH Prince of Wales.


I have just been sorting through all the video I have taken that is unedited, and was amazed to find just how much there is to work on.

To give you some idea of the gargantuan task, below I have listed what needs working on:-

VIDEO TAPES OF HOLIDAYS &c. TO EDIT & COPY:

1. Western Isles [Hebrides] & North West Scotland (July/Aug 2002)
FILMED ON SMALL CANON ON 8MM FUJI TAPE No number cassette & Cassettes
1, 2 & 3

2. Norwegian Fjords (May/June 2004)
FILMED ON SMALL CANON ON 8MM FUJI TAPE CASSETTES 9. 10. 11. 12

3. Northumberland (Sept 2005)
FILMED ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE CASSETTES 1 – 5

4. Arran [Felmemris] (Sept 2006) FILMED ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE END OF CASSETTE 6

5. Arran[Rosaburn Lodge]/Berwick upon Tweed [Unthank Farm] (Oct 2007) FILMED ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE CASSETTES 7 – 10

6. Holy Island Ruby Wedding Weekend (May 2008) Alnwick Gardens FILMED
ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE CASSETTE 11

7. Grassington Festival Magna Carta Final Concert FILMED ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE CASSETTES 12 – 14

8. Consecration of Third St Michael & All Angels (Sept 6th 2008) FILMED ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE CASSETTES 15 & 16

9. Waren Mill – Bamburgh/Lamlash – Isle of Arran Holiday (Sept/Oct 2008) FILMED ON CANON XM2 ON DIGITAL TAPE CASSETTE 17

I usually plan to do some of the editing during the “winter months”, but this has got put off and put off for the last few years, and if I delay much longer I will never get the stuff edited, so it is my plan to set to work on this lot in the next week or two and try to get some serious editing done! A simple calculation will tell you that there is something in the region of 25 hours of tape to view before any editing can be done!

Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day (as if you romantic people didn’t know!)

Popular modern sources link unspecified Greco-Roman February holidays alleged to be devoted to fertility and love to St Valentine's Day. This was probably known as Lupercalia.

The Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to Christianize celebrations of the pagan festival of Lupercalia.

A commemorative feast was established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, so you can see that Valentine’s Day has it’s origins in the dim and distant past!

Even no less a person than Shakespeare mentions the event.

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,

All in the morning betime,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your Valentine.

Then up he rose,

and donn'd his clothes,

And dupp'd the chamber-door;

Let in the maid, that out a maid

Never departed more.
—William Shakespeare , Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5

In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own.

Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called “mechanical valentines,” and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.


Paper Valentines being so popular in England in the early 1800s, Valentines began to be assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid 1800's. In the UK, just under half the population spend money on their Valentines and over two billion pounds is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent.

So it has now become a money spinner – so much for the romanticism!

I’ve just been on an MSN site in which Dr Pam Spurr tries to analyze the type of people by the gifts they give. These were the results for me:

Chocolates

With chocolates you've got a good traditional man. And a man with traditional values probably enjoys a quite traditional relationship.

He may not be the most imaginative guy but he'll probably be a good one. And he likes to treat his woman to something he knows she'll enjoy.

Romantic commitment rating: 7/10

Religious Discrimination?

Nadia Eweida - banned from wearing her cross at work by BA.

Only a couple of days ago I read an aticle in which Sir Mota Singh, a Muslim Judge was demanding that muslim schoolboys should be allowed to wear a ceremonial dagger [a kirpan], (one of the five articles of faith) in school. I would have thought that he realised that this would be classed as an offensive weapon in this country, and that was why it was not allowed. It would be interesting to hear what his thoughts are on the following case.

Christian airline employee loses cross ban appeal

Nadia Eweida says she was placed at a disadvantage due to her beliefs.

A Christian British Airways (BA) employee has lost her appeal against a ruling which allowed the airline to stop her wearing a cross at work.

Nadia Eweida, 58, wanted the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling that she had not faced discrimination.

In 2006 she went home after failing to reach a compromise with managers over the visible display of the plain silver cross on a chain around her neck.

The following year the airline changed its uniform policy.

Lord Justice Sedley, giving the ruling of the court, said her case of indirect discrimination was defeated by BA's case on justification.
He said: "This case has perhaps illustrated some of the problems which can arise when an individual asserts that a provision, criterion or practice adopted by an employer conflicts with beliefs which they hold, but which may not only not be shared but may be opposed by others in the workforce.
"It is not unthinkable that a blanket ban may sometimes be the only fair solution."

Lord Justice Sedley said Miss Eweida is a devout practising Christian who worked part-time as a member of check-in staff since 1999.
She made complaints about incidents between 2003 and 2006 which she claimed showed anti-Christian bias on the part of BA.

Human rights group Liberty said in a statement that the appeal court had upheld the Employment Appeal Tribunal's (EAT) "startling" judgment of November 2008.
It found that banning Ms Eweida from wearing a cross was not discriminatory because Christians "generally" do not consider wearing a cross as a requirement of their religion.

Corinna Ferguson who represented Miss Eweida, said: "This is a disappointing judgment that will do little to build public confidence in equality laws protecting everyone.
"But this is just the sort of case that a Supreme Court is for and we have every hope that the highest court in the land will put Britain's long tradition of religious tolerance into modern legal practice."

A spokesman for the airline said: "British Airways is very satisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, which yet again confirms that British Airways has acted appropriately and lawfully in relation to Ms Eweida."

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, said the failure of the appeal would lead to further cases of religious discrimination.
He said: "I believe it is not an exaggeration to say that people of faith are facing particular hardship in a period where different freedoms and rights are being tested against each other."

In 2004, the airline scrapped a high-necked uniform and introduced a new one, which could be open neck and prohibited the wearing of any visible item of adornment around the neck.
It introduced an amended policy in 2007 which permitted staff to display a faith or charity symbol with the uniform.

What A Crazy World We Live In

What a crazy world we live in. Just read the following article to see why........


Expenses body to cost six times more than MPs' payback

Sir Ian Kennedy will be paid a salary of £100,000
The Parliamentary body set up to police expenses will cost about six times the amount MPs have been ordered to repay, the BBC has learned.

Figures show the annual cost of running the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will be £6.5m.

Last week, MPs were told to pay back £1.12m of their second home expenses after an audit of their claims dating back to 2004 by Sir Thomas Legg.

Meanwhile, three MPs and a Tory peer are facing charges over their expenses.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has replaced the Commons Fees Office, and most of its £6.5m budget is expected to go on recruiting about 80 staff. Its chairman Sir Ian Kennedy will be paid a salary of £100,000.

This will come on top of the £1.1m cost of Sir Thomas Legg's audit and the inquiry by the standards watchdog Sir Christopher Kelly which cost £400,000.

"That inquiry is now being re-examined by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority prior to implementing a new expenses regime," he added.

So to sum up, MP's have been told to pay back £1.12 million, but the costs incurred in arriving at this, and setting up the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority are £8.1 million. A loss of around £6.9 million when we are already burdened with enormous debts. What a crazy world we live in!

I thought the whole point of this exercise was to save us money!

A Womans Work is Never Done

I received the following e mail this morning, and thought that some of you hard working mums might find it amusing!


What do you do all day??

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and 20 wrappers strewn all around the front garden.

The door of his wife's car was open, and so was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.. Proceeding into the dining room, he found an even bigger mess.. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door..

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife.. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel.

She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went..

He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?'

'Yes,' was his incredulous reply..

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

The Other Three Bentley Girls

I went out to our Tourist Information Christmas Dinner last night. (The original one got cancelled due to the inclement weather we had.) We dined at Herriot’s Hotel, in the new section called the Rhubarb Restaurant, and the meal was very good. I think they had pulled out all the stops in the hopes that we would pass along to potential customers how good they were! Each of us were given a small carrier bag containing a money-off voucher for a meal at the Rhubarb Restaurant, two hotel produced cookies, and various pieces of hotel advertising literature – special offers for the Valentine Weekend etc.

During the course of conversation I was asked by one of the ladies who I usually only see at the TIC gatherings “How is Ruby getting on?” I explained that she was now two and half years old and it felt like she had always been a member of the family.

I also mentioned that there were two new girls in the Bentley Brood – One called Pixie, and the other called Macey. I explained that these two were Hannah’s dogs, and that Pixie was a Miniature Pinscher and Macey was a Shih-Tzu. Macey originally joined Hannah as a dog she was looking after for a pregnant friend, but she has now been officially handed over to Hannah and will eventually become a fully fledged member of the Bentley Brood!

As one or two of the table hadn’t met Pixie or Macey, I promised I would take some pictures of them so they could see for themselves what they looked like.

This afternoon Hannah and the two dogs came round to our house, so it was a golden opportunity for a photo call!

There's always one looks the other way when you take a photograph!


Ruby, Pixie and Macey

Macey

Pixie and Macey playing

Slaidburn

On Sunday we paid a visit to the pretty little Trough of Bowland village of Slaidburn.
The village lies in the River Hodder valley, with a village green alongside the river. There is a Riverside Café opposite the village green which is popular with the many visitors who come to Slaidburn.

The Riverside Cafe opposite the village green

There is a lovely old pub in the village which has the unusual name of the “Hark to Bounty” which still retains its local village pub atmosphere. There is a story behind how the pub got its unusual name.

The Inn dates back to the 13th century, and until 1875 was known as The Dog. The Squire of the village, who was also the Parson, had a pack of hounds. One day whilst he was out hunting, he and his party called at the Inn for "refreshments". Their drinking was disturbed by the long and loud baying from the pack outside. High above the noise could be heard the Squires favourite dog, which prompted him to call out “Hark to Bounty!” It is from this time that the pub gained its unusual name!

The "Hark to Bounty" Inn Sign

We had a meal at the pub whilst we were in Slaidburn, and having visited and had meals here before we knew that the food served was home made, plentiful, well cooked and excellent value for money. We were not disappointed!


The parish church of St Andrew is a church of special distinction with it’s unusual pews, three-decker pulpit, lovely stained glass windows and carved chancel screen. The amber stone came from the surrounding fells. It is situated on the road leading out to Newton.My father in law was a curate here many years ago.


St Andrew's Church Slaidburn

St Andrew's Church Slaidburn - East Window


Slaidburn Village Hall

There is also a village hall, which was converted from the old Methodist Chapel, with additions. Work was commenced on this project in January 2006 and completed in May 2007.