Twenty Four Hours per Day? It Doesn't Seem Like it!!

I don't know why it is, but in the weeks leading up to our holidays time seems to implode. Usually each day consists of 24 hours, and I can manage to fit all the necessary arrangements in, but come a pending holiday and everybody suddenly needs my services! Today, just a few minutes before I typed this, I was contacted by a local church asking for me to play for a funeral on Friday of next week. The office at my own church contacted me with details of a funeral which I need to play for on Wednesday. The carpet fitter called to ask if he could complete the fitting of some carpet edging strips on Monday, and I also have a Wedding to play for next Saturday. I also got a call from the Physio Department at the Yorkshire Clinic giving me an appointment there at 9.30 am on Monday! I sometimes wonder if it's worth booking holidays, because all that seems to happen is that the world becomes more chaotic in the weeks leading up to them! Seriously though, we look forward to a break away, and being the boring souls that we are we will again be going to the Isle of Arran for a week, then crossing the Scottish Borders and staying near Bamburgh for our next week. I've already had a look at the possible dates for our post Christmas break (we usually spend a few days at Masham) as I know that life will be pretty hectic prior to this holiday - Carol Services, Christingle Services, starring as Father Christmas, as well as family birthdays!

A Country View

Because we live adjoining fields we tend to take the view for granted. There have, however been times, when first time visitors have commented on how lucky we are to have the view we have to the rear of our property. Well, truth to tell, there are green fields stretching as far as the skyline, - something which I know a lot of housewholders would give their eye teeth for! Looking up the field today, there is a marked difference to what could be seen yesterday. I mentioned in yesterday's blog, that the farmer had been busy cutting, woofling and baling the grass. Here are the results of his labours.....

If you look carfully at the close ups of the bales you wll see the birds are having a crafty feed!

Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness....

I woke up this morning, and looked out of the bedroom windows to be greeted by what looked like cotton wool! Rubbing my eyes I took a second look, and the cotton wool was still there. It was then that I realised that what I was actually seeing was a heavy mist. I could barely see to the top of the field behind our house.

Next door's car roof was covered in condensation - a sure sign that Autumn is on the way! Wow! What happened to Summer? The farmer has been busy in the fields for the last few days. First he set to and cut the grass. Then he came along with a woofler, which neatly turns the cut grass into rows. Today he has been along with a Hew Holland machine [a small hay baler] which gathers the straw and turns it into circular bales. A certain sign that Harvest is fast approaching!

The Saga of the Heated Towel Rail

On Friday 31st May, Bobby, our (almost) resident joiner commenced work on rebuilding the bathrroom so that a walk in shower could be fitted. Do note the date! I am typing this blog on Monday 12th August, and after having had a new heated towel rail fitted in the bathroom last Friday, Ben, the plumber informed us that it was not heating up properly, and that he suspected a blockage in one of the pipes. He did his best to clear this, but to no avail. The boiler refused to fire up too! I phoned the Gas Board (we have a service contract with them), and the following morning at 8.30 Adele, their engineer arrived. With a deft tweak of the boiler she soon had it working again and heating the water, however she confirmed that there seemed to be a blockage in the pipes supplying the heated towel rail, and said she would return on Monday morning at 8.00 am. She also suggested that we have some thermostatic valves fitted on the bedroom radiators and the dinging room radiator, which will reduce the gas consumption. Unfortunately to trace this blockage may involve ripping up floorboards…….. Adele duly arrived on Monday morning, and after careful consideration she began to take up the carpet and underlay on the landing. She then took up three floorboards, only to discover that the pipes underneath the removed floorbards were the domestic hot and cold water pipes and not the central heating pipes! After this, a colleague called Marie arrived and they decided that they would try and clear the blockage by draining the pipes each side of the heated towel rail and then hand pumping water into the system, under pressure. This they did and after this they decided that there was now no longer a blockage in the pipes. Everything was put back togther and the central heating system turned on. All the rediators heated up as expected, but the heated towel rail was still very slow to heat up. A further engineer was summponned and between the three of them they decided that somewhere in the central heating system the pipe work had been wrongly connected. The only way to eradicate this was……….. You’ve guessd it! to rip up the bedroom floor (which is laminated). We decied we would manage with a slow heating towel rail!

Bargains To Be Had

"Bargains To Be Had" - it seems like another "SALE" sign, which we see all to frequently in this age of austerity. Hardly a day goes by without somone offering "two for one", "Buy one get one free", "Three for the price of two", etc. All these are simply ploys to get you to make a purchase of the goods on offer (even if you hadn't intended buying them before you entered the shop)- and let's face it, they are not a bargain if you hadn't intended buying them. You have spent money on goods you didn't need! So why have I headed this blog "Bargains To Be Had"? For some time now I have made purchases of books from four or five online book suppliers - Amazon, The Book People, Postscript, Selections and Bibliophile. Of these, Bibliophile is quite unusual in that it is the only online book supplier with a Royal Warrant. The name Bibliophile was dreamed up by Australian Max Harris, with former owner Bill Smith in the 1980's. Bill Smith was the first person to open his then bookshops until 9.00 pm and always had a pile of baskets by the door so that his customers could use these to fill with their purchases. In the 1990's Bibliophile was joined by Fred Bass, 80 year old owner of the Strand Bookstore on Broadway, New York (following the death of the founder, Max Harris) Before the death of Bill Smith in 1992 he had arranged for the editor Annie Quigley to buy the business from his widow and Mr Bass. Fred and Annie still buy their books together at all the major book fairs, and have cheekily been called "herons" for the way they swoop on an unsuspecting supplier and hoover up all his books! At the turn of the Millennium (in 1999) a website was launched to list all the titles for sale, an to prove that you can sometimes judge a book not just by an excellent review, but also by its cover!!! During the last week I ordered the books you see below.

The Cover price total for these books came to £138.91! Bibliophiles price for them was £36.00. YES THAT IS CORRECT THIRTY SIX POUNDS!

Just on Our Doorstep!

I don’t know if you realise how fortunate we are to live so close to some wonderful and spectacular Dales scenery. The truth is, because it is always there, and so close, we tend to take it for granted. Dot and I regularly take a trip along the A650 and we drive along the Aire Valley towards Keighley, then take the A 629 heading towards Kildwick, but before we reach Skipton (Known as the Gateway to the Dales) we take the by pass and join the A 65 heading towards Gargrave, Coniston Cold, Hellifield, Long Preston & Settle. Settle is a typical limestone country market town. This 13th century market town is located at the foot of the Pennines in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. It is conveniently located 29 miles from the Leeds Bradford international airport and hardly a mile from the Settle Railway station. The main road B6480 which links to the A65 runs through the city and links it to Skipton. It lies at the southern end of Yorkshire Dales and is close to Three Peaks. The small town is famous the world over for its perfect scenic beauty. The population was around 2,400 at the 2001 census. It is in a perfect setting among caves, gorges and the river. It has a sweet blend of modern culture with the relaxed air of the past. The views are mesmerizing with equally comfortable weather. The limestone and grit stone grand waterfalls are spectacular and give a distinct beauty to the area. It is a great spot for exploring Yorkshire Dales. The rocks were formed between 280 and 350 million years ago. The nearby forest of Bowland is rich in wildlife and scenic beauty. Shopping, Eating & Relaxing in Settle… There are plenty of things to do in Settle, so spend a few relaxing hours experiencing the atmosphere and enjoying the sights of this lovely market town. Browse the interesting range of shops – few High Street names here – rather a great assortment of local, independent shops and galleries that cater for all requirements with that most precious of commodities – expert and friendly service. If you want a coffee, a snack or a meal choose from a great range of cafés, restaurants, wine bars and historic inns that have been catering for the town’s visitors for hundreds of years.

How on earth can this sort of thing happen in a supposedly Civilised Society?

I suppose, like me, you have read of the horrific life led by Daniel Pelka at the hands of his mother Magdelena Luczak and his step father Mariusz Krezolek. In four short years he was subjected to abominable horrors - starved, force fed salt, locked up in a bedroom with no internal handle on the door so he could not get out, subjected to near drowning and regularly beaten. We have various agencies charged with protecting the young - social services, the police, schoolteachers, doctors and hospitals to mention just some, and all these agencies were involved in some way or another with Daniel, yet the impossible has happened. A poor defenceless child has been killed at the hands of his parents. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS SORT OF THING HAS HAPPENED Do you remeber the "Baby P" case? In truth, I am also afraid to say that I believe IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENS EITHER. Isn't it time that these agencies stopped pussy footing around such evil parents and took the stance we don't believe you until you can prove what you are saying is true. For far too long the attitude of these agencies has been stay at arms length - give the parents a chance. What sort of a chance? A chance to kill a poor defenceless little boy? All the theory and paperwork in the world will not stop this sort of thing happenning. We need to give our Social Services the teeth they need to step in and take control right from the first signs of problems. Decency forbids me from commenting on what I would do to the parents. Maybe some fellow prisoner will do it to them instead.