In The Village, Astcote, Northamptonshire

Merry Christmas :)

2011-12-23T13:11:00.000Z

Bangers & Mash for Sarah B 50

2011-11-26T13:43:00.001Z

Penny's place was packed a week or two ago. Wherever I stood, I was in the way as what seemed like most of the inhabitants of Astcote and Cold Higham had arrived to sample a whole load of variations on the theme of bangers and mash. Many had also arrived by invitation to wish Sarah B a slightly early happy 50th birthday. (The real occasion is tomorrow.)

Richard had the wood burner going in one room where the temperature was tropical and Penny's ovens were working at full steam so the kitchen was only marginally cooler. Wearing a shirt that I'd sprayed myself with blue and yellow stripes and some 1950s Polaroid sunglasses I felt appropriately dressed for the climate but, perhaps, not the occasion. The outfit had gone down well at Adrian's Half Century do just a week before so I thought an appearance, at least, was justified and a suitable nod in the direction of Sarah's penchant for the weird and wonderful providing it has something wackily artistic about it. The spray paint clogged up all the holes in the shirt fibre, though, so it was like wearing a cellulose mac and, especially in the vicinity of Richard's wood burner, the heat (and risk of explosion) necessitated a quick change to something more comfortable.

The food was, as always, brilliant and most of us had several helpings as well as indulging in the plentiful supply of alcoholic beverages available. For once, the Committee remained sober for long enough for me to read out one of my traditional birthday poems and that seemed to go down well. Here is is for anyone who missed it or fancies another chuckle.

Hawaii Five Oh, Dear

2011-11-12T14:03:00.000Z

At possibly the most colourful events I can recall attending, a huge pile of friends and representatives of the Paddock Party Committee gathered at an Indian restaurant to wish Adrian Pinckard a jolly 50th birthday. He had entitled the event Hawaii Five O - hence the ridiculous garb someone managed to snap me in. It could have been worse, I suppose, had I had the courage to don the grass skirt!

The mixture of Hawaii and some unidentified province of India was strange to say the least and perhaps it was just as well that we were more than entertained by each other as the poor waiters looked totally confused as they attempted to deliver people's orders correctly. The music may have also contributed to their confusion, the normal Indian fare being replaced by The Beach Boys and Monkees for the night.

The Paddock Party Committee had wrapped a 30-CD collection of Carry On films which I understand Adrian is slowly working his way through and a dozen selected bottles of beer which are probably suffering the same fate (OK, delete the word slowly!)

It was a splendid evening and strange to think that yet another friend has now passed the 50 mark. Indeed, next year several reach the next milestone of 60 (no names, no pack drill) which is frightening. But that's another year. Have to survive this one first.

Local chaps carving out a new career

2011-10-24T17:23:00.002+01:00

Messrs Pinckard & Hill in the new shop they have opened in the village. Pinckard can be seen here greeting a customer and rolling a good-sized joint. In the background is his business adviser, Hill, who was mainly concerned at ensuring a plentiful supply of coffee and coke while he prepares for a forthcoming Ofsted Inspection after which he may be on his bike, (well, Pinckard's old bike actually), delivering groceries rather than lectures. An abundance of cheery swearing will enhance their coarse provision while their Rustlers' Special lamb and Roadkill pies ensure they'll meet the Quality & Diversity regulations. Elliotts of Towcester and Towcester Tea Rooms have nothing to fear, however, with this new enterprise, as Pinckard & Hill do not, as yet, have any room in their premises for tables and chairs. Pinckard expects that he may be able to extend his shed a little in the future once he's drunk all the beer stored there. "That may .. hic .. take some time .. hic .." he said, ".. but people .. hic .. keep buying me more.. hic .. each .. hic.. ruddy year!"

[Adrian Pinckard was 38. Ed]

All credit to the wonderful Spitalfields Life blog for the original image, by the way, and hoping they don't mind the minor editing.

Adrian's years must be shorter than ours

2011-10-22T17:24:00.000+01:00

Walking through Towcester on a sunny afternoon with a Beach Boys vinyl album under my arm today. Now that, apart from it being a Music For Pleasure one, was cool. Found it in the charity shop where I had gone looking for a pair of sunglasses. They didn't have any sunglasses but, as well as the vinyl, they had a reasonably loud shirt which I bought too. Now, you may be thinking that the burst of sun had affected my brain but this was all part of preparation for a party this evening to celebrate Adrian Pinckard reaching 50. One shouldn't really mention people's ages in public places like this but he really doesn't look any older than over ten years ago when I landed up living next to him in the village. I can only conclude that his years are shorter than most of ours. He is a bit shorter than the rest of the Paddock Party Committee so maybe that's what it is.

And, of course, to mark such a notable event, there has to be a poem:

The Artist In Residence

Quite flirty at thirty and bold,

And naughty at forty, I’m told,

All I can recall

Is that we’ve had a ball -

And guys like you just don’t get old.

Always bright and ever cheery

Cool and smart and gay

(That’s not the first part of query –

Whatever they say, by the way).

You daily drove your little Polo;

Inside you sat so low

I had to peer across to see

If there, indeed, a driver be.

Then one day in the morning,

Just as the light was dawning,

I saw the car but no-one there

Seems like you must have got out somewhere…

Somewhere on the straight A5

You’d shouted out “Screw thislife!”

“I’m leaving! Get stuffed!”

“That’s it! Had enough!”

You’d held out your thumb

Like a hitchhiker bum

To get a ride home

Where no-one’ll moan

About lesson plans, SARS,

Or some silly arse

Wanting ECM themes

In all of your schemes,

And Equality embedded

(Not to mention the dreaded

Diversity strictures

About black and white pictures).

“Hooray!” You cry, as somechap stops,

He offers a lift – but your face drops

As he opens the door and there inside

Is one of those students you could never abide.

He goes away and you seem quite forlorn,

Until you hear the sound of a familiar horn.

“Drunk again?” I ask as I open the door,

“Nudge nudge, wink wink, I’ll say no more?”

“No. I’m free. On the dole!”

“What, you’ve left that old hole?”

“Yes. Oh, what a great day –

No more MK!”

“So, where shall we go?

“To the movies, a show?”

“I could do with a beer

“But no money, I fear.”

“Perhaps they’ll make me an offerI can’t refuse:

“Get out and we’ll give you a bigbox of booze.”

“That would be good -

“Yes, really they should -

“All in all it that’s quite a good ruse.”

“Now I can do all the PPC signs

“The minutes, too, and the funnylines

“I’ll be Chairman, Chief Saladeertoo

“Quorate with relish, yes, that’lldo.”

“I’ll build my own trains

“Mow grass when it rains

“And I can whiz around the garden

“Even fart , get a hard on, withoutsaying ‘Pardon’”

“I’ll be king of erections

“Give you astronomical directions

“A Ph. D in Gazebos

“And bad innuendos.”

Oh boy, won’t it be great -

For Paddock Party 8

To have AP in the tents:

Our Artist In Residence.

When petrol was 6/8d a gallon

2011-08-24T23:47:00.002+01:00

This 1960 Ford Popular took me around Hertfordshire lanes at 17, on a trip to Glen Trool in the west of Scotland with Ian Golds to celebrate leaving school and later all the way to St Andrews University and back and back again. With just three forward gears, a key that you could remove from the ignition when it was still on and windscreen wipers that went slower when you went uphill and often packed with teenagers, there was never a dull moment! I called it Trundle and bought and sold it for £30.

Next came The Cardinal (named by Vincent), a 1957 Wolseley 1500 with leather seats and real wood on the dashboard. I bought it in Dundee for £40 when the Ford had expired and was going to cost more than that to repair. This was the car in which Tony Bragg and I made the trip home in March and took the treacherous A68 across Carter Bar in a blizzard, a detailed account of the journey is written on the inner sleeve of a Beach Boys Greatest Hits LP. It started with a button on the dash.

There were a couple more that I haven't found any photos of yet and then the wonderful Hengist, a 1962 Rover 100 with rear doors that opened the wrong way, a big bench seat across the front and an electric fuel pump that often got stuck, usually in Edinburgh traffic. A sharp thwack with a hammer or large screwdriver, however, got it ticking again soon enough! The Rover cost £100 and I sold it for the same price, being without a car for a few months before and after getting married in 1973, when a train to Edinburgh from Kirkcaldy where we lived was a rather more sensible way of commuting.

Me and a road sign

2011-08-23T21:03:00.001+01:00

This is somewhere near Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire. As I didn't get long trousers until I was in the Third Form at school it must have been around 1965.

View Larger Map

The sign doesn't look as if it's changed from this Google Street View image today!

Problem solving at Level 8

2011-08-08T21:25:00.003+01:00

Found this computer chess set that JM gave me back in the late 1970s. It's still immaculate and works well. It probably has less processing power than my door-bell but that was enough to make me struggle to beat it 30 odd years ago. It has eight levels of play and I do remember eventually winning at Level 8, after which it must have gone back in its box until now when my son's starting over at Level 1!

Even though there are probably wonderfully animated and instant response versions on-line nowadays there's something appealing about the buttons and old-fashioned beeps, not to mention the warm browns that would once have matched the sofa, cushions, carpets and curtains!

Problem Solving at Level 7

2011-08-08T18:50:00.000+01:00

Graduation Certificate arrived. Missed the ceremony but not too worried about the hat and gown and clutching rolled-up prop picture. Something I can arrange when I have some spare cash for gown rental with a friend with a decent camera! Amused that I was awarded 20 Credits at level 7 for Problem Solving which I reckon I really need more than the other stuff just at the moment. What a week.

Broken down in Saskatchewan

2011-08-02T17:04:00.000+01:00

The aforementioned Harold took a position in Saskatchewan in early 1923 that seemed to require travelling huge distances from town to town, with most letters coming from Laverna. Shortly after arriving, he is delighted at getting a car. My guess is it was one of these:

Lent 3, 1923

My new car is a great rig. It has self starter and battery lights that go dim to order, detachable rims, a wonderful tyre rack and a green glass vizor on the top of the wind screen to protect the same from rain and one's eyes from sun glare not to mention a Thermostat on the Radiator top to tell you when the eggs boil + a little electric light inside it to light the dial up at night.

St Lawrence Day, 1923

I did not think I should be able to reply so soon, but my car has gone bust - four loose con. rods, one loose cam shaft. five valves out of eight leaking - slack back end and a broken shock absorber and it is at this minute in pieces in the hands of the garageman. So I am stranded at Laverna for a day and a half and having celebrated the occasion by having a bath, shave and a clean shirt, I am able to sit down with clean hands and a pure (sic) heart.

His second letter was written a mere two or three months later!

Reviewing the situation over the stove and a pipe

2011-08-02T12:33:00.000+01:00

"your humble reviewing the situation over the stove and a pipe - there is a shortage of seating in the house"

This is a photo of one of my old friend Vincent's correspondents, taken at home either in Ticehurst, Sussex or Saskatchewan, Canada in the 1920s. So far all I know is that his first name is Harold and from the reams of letters I've got covering 1920s to 1940s he appears to have been a deacon, (if not a preist or bishop even), in the Catholic Church as he writes of 'sermons to work on' and often dates letters with St Someone-or-other instead of the day and month.

No doubt I'll discover more as I read through them all but that'll take some time and I suppose I should do something useful over this summer break. I do just love this image, though, the fellow seated on a Quaker White Rolled Oats tin, the gas lamp and milk bottle in the background. although it looks like an electric light bulb in the ceiling. He writes brilliantly and I shall endeavour to reproduce sections on this blog from time to time as, despite his apparent church role, in private he takes a delightfully maverick viewpoint of much of what goes on!

Like Vincent, he did not marry or have children but would have had an influence on many and will similarly not have failed to make a significant mark on the communities where he did reside.

Newfoundland newspaper and a silver something

2011-08-02T11:48:00.000+01:00

In another bundle of boxes to sort out I found a lovely copy of The Evening Chronicle from St John's, Newfoundland, dated 7 August 1879, a mere 132 years old next week. Intriguing, though, is a small silver something that I need some help to identify. One friend thinks it might be a toothpick holder but I haven't been able to find anything with a similar shape anywhere in a range of internet searches so far.

The hallmarks show it was made in 1939 (I think it's that type of P) in Birmingham but I can't find anything resembling the maker's stamp, which ends LT(D?) in a sans serif font on any of the pretty comprehensive-looking catalogue sites I've looked through so far.

Maybe when I've cleaned it something will be a bit clearer. In the meantime if anyone out there has any ideas do let me know. Click on the images to get a better view of the details.

Wildlife in the village

2011-08-02T11:19:00.000+01:00

After an amazing weekend when the sun shone and lots of people smiled a lot and Pete & Gemma became Mr & Mrs Fuller, the paddock looks nearly normal again. It would be normal but for the fact that the grass is still exceptionally short and tidy and the geese haven't yet had a chance to drop their feathers everywhere. T & L Marquees have made their last negotiation of the drive between the cottage and the main house. They deserve the link there because the guys all did a brilliant job, not only getting all the stuff in but creating such a wonderful environment at the heart of proceedings.

There are some more preparation photos in the Marquee post now. No doubt there'll be some from the wedding itself before long too. For now it's back to seeing what's growing and moving around and here's a first selection of August's wildlife in the village.

Kirri's Picnic July 2011

2011-07-28T20:52:00.000+01:00

Assisted by Adrian, freshly released from MK College, a considerable amount of cake, chipsticks and sherbet was consumed in and around the paddock, interrupted by a strange version of boules and searches for lost tennis balls. Teenager #1 ate most of the sherbet and my supply of fiery seeds and was quite nice all day to Teenager #2 whose birthday it was.

A marquee and an oak gazebo

2011-07-28T01:07:00.000+01:00

Finally Peter's oak gazebo, with railings by Gemma, is complete. Today also saw the completion of a bigger canvas version. Things are looking good for Saturday!

My brother's 1950s Meccano Steam Engine

2011-07-26T20:25:00.003+01:00

Found this in one of my boxes that I have been tidying up over the holiday. It was my brother's. Well, still is I suppose. It must be 60 years old now - but I'm sure it'll still work. I did warn you that there'd be some odd posts!

My 1960s calculator

2011-07-26T15:26:00.002+01:00

"Can you use it as a ruler too?" asked Kirri. Admittedly, that was before he'd seen what a slide rule actually looked like. I even have the original case and instructions.

It's my birthday, so there'll probably be some odd posts...

2011-07-26T12:52:00.003+01:00

Nothing new there, then :)

Before the chicken crossed the road

2011-07-23T23:38:00.003+01:00

This one looked right, then left . . . (OK, it's not a road, I know, but threshold probably wouldn't have got your attention). Incidentally, if you view these two photos in the slideshow and go back and forth between them it's a giggle!.

There was also a weasel or maybe a ferret that did actually cross the A5 yesterday. First one I can remember seeing in the wild. And here's a goose and funny-looking penguin spotted today:

Up On The Roof

2011-07-23T23:20:00.002+01:00

Finally, the roof's complete. Now for the floor. The decking had been deposited (along with three massive bags of stones) by the suppliers in the drive, preventing anyone from getting out and Pete was nowhere in sight so Graeme, Maggie and I had to move it all. Quite how all this will be finished by this time next week I have no idea. Watch this space, I suppose!

House of The Setting Sun

2011-07-21T20:35:00.000+01:00

There is a house in Astcote, lit

Here by the setting sun -

And it's been the doin' of Pete with a bit

Of roof his dad has done.

The Gem 2d.

2011-07-21T20:25:00.002+01:00

I came across this comic when tidying up some boxes of my old friend Vincent's stuff. Now you'd expect a giggle as it is a comic but probably now, 73 years later, for quite different reasons!! For younger readers, 2d, or tuppence, is a bit less than 1p in today's money. 2/6 stands for 2 shillings and 6 pence, or half a crown as we'd have said then, which is 12½p. I can remember my father calling people's faces physogs but I'd never seen the word in print and thought he'd made it up until now!

Click any illustration for a full-size version and have a chuckle as you read!

Kids get high at Kirri's birthday party

2011-07-16T22:16:00.001+01:00

Vincent's Diary: January 1919 and December 1921

2011-07-15T21:39:00.000+01:00

I guess this ticket wasn't a winner. A shilling would have been quite a high price to pay then. What appeals to me is how these have been specially printed - there surely can't have been that many staff in the General Manager's Office!

The diaries have been pretty sparse in their content for a couple of years but the entry on Sunday 26 January 1919, meeting the Archbishop of Cyprus at 11am, is fascinating as he was over here on a political mission at the time to pursue his island's independence. Vincent in his Church role would have been organising something behind the scenes.

Peter's oak gazebo grows

2011-07-15T13:02:00.005+01:00

Graeme blames a giraffe for some interesting variations in beam lengths. Now, most people would, you'd think, wonder why on earth there should be a giraffe in Astcote in the first place. "Ah, just the right back angle to hold up the roof!" said Pete, always keen to use natural solutions.

Peter's portable oak gazebo

2011-07-11T21:18:00.000+01:00

Under Gazebos

2011-07-10T22:50:00.001+01:00

The Paddock Party Committee met in Cold Higham where Adrian entertained us and Sarah B fell asleep after providing masses of fine food and drink, including some remarkable desserts from the Saladeers. Stationmaster Steve demonstrated yet another skill by the production of Stationmaster's Light Ale, a tipple that had the Chairman wanting more and making several trips around the table after several handfuls of Bombay Mix.

In the absence of a Paddock Party this year there was not a great deal to report which was just as well seeing as how the Minutes Secretary had to interrupt proceedings in order to watch his 12 year old son emerge from a Village Hall Disco, thankfully sober and not wrapped around several female school friends, in Potterspury and then do the Dad Taxi service before returning to the Committee.

On his return half the Committee had disappeared, possibly to avoid having to sing his reworked version of Under The Boardwalk. So that they might practise for the next occasion the lyrics are included below.

UNDER GAZEBOS
Oh when the rain beats down and the sky above is black
And your clothes get so wet, you may think about going back
Under gazebos, being blown away, yeah
With our friends and a bottle is where we'll stay

(Under gazebos)
Out of the rain
(Under gazebos)
We'll all be laughin' again
(Under gazebos)
People singing this song
(Under gazebos)
All getting it wrong
Under gazebos, gazebo

From the shed you hear the happy sound of a Saladeer
Mmm, you can almost taste the hot dogs and smell Steve's own beer
Under gazebos, we're doing fine, yeah
With our friends and a bottle is where we'll stay

(Under gazebos)
Out of the rain
(Under gazebos)
We'll be laughin' again
(Under gazebos)
People singing this song
(Under gazebos)
All getting it wrong
Under the gazebos, gazebo

Oh, under gazebos, with the PPC, yeah
On the grass with a wet arse is where we'll be

(Under gazebos)
Who needs the sun?
(Under gazebos)
We'll be havin' some fun
(Under gazebos)
It can rain all night
(Under gazebos)
But we'll be all right
Under gazebos, gazebo.

with apologies to The Drifters and The Rolling Stones, amongst others.

Taking a shower

2011-07-08T21:37:00.000+01:00

A downpour this evening didn't seem to bother this visitor.

Keeping cool

2011-07-05T00:41:00.000+01:00

Now that the pond looks like a pond should look again, I can see that I'm going to have trouble next time I have to put the geese away before they're ready to go on their own!

Ghost

2011-07-01T23:33:00.000+01:00

I was just taking a quick snap of this jackdaw, who'd been showing off his ability to stand on one leg and stare at me, when there was a strange wooooo-ooo noise from across the road. Now, normally I would have associated that kind of noise with either an owl or one of Stationmaster Steve's latest steam engines blasting its way around his plum tree. It was neither. A large ghost had appeared in his garden.

The paddock seems to have a new beach

2011-06-04T15:14:00.000+01:00

I know the weather's been pretty warm and pleasant recently and everyone's thinking about holidays but I was surprised to find these scenes today. I had actually gone to see if any moorhen or whatever they're called had arrived yet on what I distinctly remember being a pond not that long ago.

"Raise your glasses, please..." (but I have to find mine first)

2011-04-29T16:22:00.005+01:00

Now this really isn't a good place to lose my glasses. It was all this fellow's fault . . .

With a few of his friends this lamb had clambered over a stream, a fence and some obstacles put in their way after they'd got into the paddock last week. The Chairman being away with Stationmaster Steve at Towcester Beer Festival raising another pair of glasses, I thought I'd better do something like persuade the invaders to return to their own field, especially bearing in mind that it was a beer festival and neither would be able to focus any better than I could without my glasses on their return.

So I put my glasses in my top pocket and set about creating some new obstacles for the sheep to negotiate. At some point in this activity the glasses must have fallen out of my pocket. "Damn!" I distinctly remembering saying to myself, followed by "Oh well, nothing for it but comb the area." Being pretty light I'd hoped that they would be easy to spot perched on a thistle or atop a bunch of sticky-willy. After an unsuccessful first survey, during which I began to doubt whether I would actually recognise them even if I did see them, I had to start at one end of the area and, on hands and knees, do an intensive search. I had never realised quite how much stuff there is beneath other stuff in what just looks like grass and some plants and weeds. Piles of scrabbled-up weeds and plants and ivy and more sticky-willy and brambles (ouch) and nettles (still tingling as I write) grew up and I was beginning to wonder whether I would finish up having to search through them again so daredn't chuck them away either.

At one point I was thinking that a jackdaw or magpie could have whizzed down and nicked them when I wasn't looking or that perhaps one of the invading sheep was now wearing them and had hoofed it off into the adjoining field with the things. Then, after about an hour's unplanned weeding, my mind beginning to wonder whether there'd be a shop open to get a pair from and whether I'd be able to get by with some standard reading glasses, there they were. "Yippee!!" I shouted and felt a really big smile coming on and a huge sense of achievement. It was one of those things that you just want to tell everyone about. Only those who've ever lost something in a ridiculously difficult place to find it again but did find it will appreciate any of this but now I have done and maybe you will.

And congratulations and very best wishes to William and Catherine too. So pleased it all went well and even the weather was kind.

Looking out of my window one nice morning

2011-04-26T19:57:00.000+01:00

I've decided I like lichen

2011-04-26T19:54:00.001+01:00

This wonderfully coloured lichen grows on a old hutch in the paddock. I think I shall look around for some more. It's the sort of stuff you can take photos of even when the wind's blowing.

Fire and water

2011-04-26T19:51:00.000+01:00

Just as well it was a really hot day as Matti insisted on 'helping' with watering the UFO landing marks that appeared in the paddock recently. With no change of clothes to be found. They also discovered that it's extremely difficult to burn a bird's feather. I said that's what makes them really good for making quills to write with and then wonderd why on earth I'd said that. I blame it on the sun.

I hope they're not baby triffids

2011-04-26T19:44:00.001+01:00

Sitting outside in the brilliant Easter weekend sunshine, I found myself in some kind of seedstorm as hundreds of tiny white fluffy seeds floated around. It wasn't just an occasional few bits blown in on a passing breeze but went on for hours and goodness knows how many found their way into the inner workings of either the laptop or my ears. I tried really hard to get a photo but by the time I'd figured out how to snap a few they'd subsided. Anyway, if you look closely you'll see the little white specks aren't mistakes but some of the seeds. Some are still flying out of the cooler outlets inside the car too! So whatever they grow into should be sprouting up everywhere later this year! I just hope they're not baby triffids!

April sun

2011-04-19T20:57:00.000+01:00

It just dawned on me

2011-04-03T10:22:00.000+01:00

Sunshine, more lambs, the camp and a rabbit

2011-03-28T23:38:00.001+01:00

Lovely weekend and finally I have emerged from hibernation and actually walked somewhere. Matti and I wandered across the field, said Hi to some lambs and came to the conclusion that their camp (three ancient trees in a row on a small hill) would soon be invaded by stinging nettles. Then he found a tiny rabbit who seemed a bit lost. I even had time to clean the car which, epecially having lost an hour too, makes me quite sure I have forgotten to do something important. I mean, time usually flies by on Sundays and it's Monday shortly after Saturday night. Nice, though. And so was the rabbit.

The Rice Krispie I couldn't eat

2011-03-18T13:13:00.000Z

Shepherds Pie

2011-03-12T18:50:00.000Z

Big moles?

2011-03-11T08:56:00.000Z

Signs of recent activity in the paddock. May have to warn the geese to beware of very large moles.

The village has a Bee Swarm Co-ordinator

2011-02-26T10:13:00.000Z

Sandwiched between Ballet Classes and Bridge Clubs in our Pattishall Parish Directory I was delighted to see that we have a Bee Swarm Co-ordinator!

The magazine is one of those A5 home-produced things that could have almost any date of the cover from the last 20 years and still probably be pretty accurate, all Arial font and little adverts with clip-art you'll recognise from Windows 3.1 days but it did make me laugh this morning so loudly that I disturbed a bunch of jackdaws on the Chairman's roof.

Astcote really do have to get their act together, though, as the village is only mentioned twice with one being for the list of people who do things Methodically on Sundays at the Church and the second as the letters coming after the E in Eastcote. Cold Higham, that place whose name we usually only whisper, on the other side of the A5, occupy most of the content and Pattishall to the West most of the rest. Nice to see that the very lengthily named Pattishall Parish Hall and Playing Fields Association raised a nice pile to keep the hall and field going but I must make sure the shorter Paddock Party Committee get a few pages in the next edition and come up with some ideas to counter the Cold Higham (shhhhh!) invasion.

Breaking news from the magazine that needs wider circulation: about 20 people are going to be supplied with speed guns between 6 August and 17 September! So watch out. Apparently they have to have an hour's training for, er, 'Health & Safety purposes'! Pity, I thought it might have been to show them how to leap out from bushes and stand in the middle of the road, corduroy legs apart brandishing their weapon. That'd sure slow me down.

Bits and pieces

2011-02-20T14:14:00.000Z

Kirri has this thing about taking things to pieces. Luckily, my own car needs more than a screwdriver or I'd be in trouble on Monday morning when I try to set off for work.

Vincent's Diary: 1 January 1916

2011-01-01T13:09:00.001Z

It seems that 95 years ago we would have been checking that we'd renewed our Dog Licenses and paid the King's Taxes. Or, possibly taking a ferry home rom celebrations in Ballachulish.

The 1st of January falling on a Saturday didn't mean Monday off as a Bank Holiday either!

OMG Facebook 2007-2010. Blink and I missed it.

2010-12-26T18:26:00.000Z

OMG Facebook from Andrew Hill on Vimeo.

Christmas Eve decorations

2010-12-24T13:08:00.000Z

Christmas Eve Eve!

2010-12-23T21:16:00.001Z

I am trying to focus on Christmas but it's cold here in the village. Despite a trip to Towcester today on roads that were actually grey-black instead of brown-white my car is still covered in snow and actually getting back into the drive required a couple of goes to get up a gentle slope that even my son's 12" tennis ball wouldn't roll down.

It all looks very pretty but I think we've seen enough now and I'd welcome some green back again soon. Although I'm supposed to be completing a couple of modules for an MA portfolio due to be assessed in January, having so much time on my own has led to a whole lot of different research. I've figured out how to use different fonts on a web page, launched a new set of programmes for a client that I'm hoping will boost income a bit for me too and I've discovered where a particularly annoying draught has been coming in.

Twitter has been remarkably useful during the holiday so far. First, there's a nice chap running Towcester Tea Rooms who tweets about the road conditions and shares pictures which has helped me decide whether or not to risk a spin in the car on several occasions. Then there's the local council gritters who tell us when they'll be clearing roads and what to expect overnight. Fascinating, too, have been all the links posted by people with similar interests to myself. You click a link and find yourself immersed in some news about a new technology development, notes explaining how to do something or even a new video preview and American Idol news from either producers or Ryan Seacrest! Several hours later I realise that I'm hungry and I'm no further ahead with that portfolio But it has been a pleasure.

Facebook is beginning to get tedious now. It's a useful communication tool but practically all my posts there now come from feeds from elsewhere - this blog, for instance feeds new posts through to Facebook and the headline and the first few sentences will appear with an image. Twitter I've set to update Facebook so whatever I say in the former place appears on the latter. There are one or two people, though, who I can only keep in touch with there so I'll be keeping my profile for a while yet.

Presents are nearly all wrapped. Another delivery arrived today and I'm trying to remember whether I've got any more due from Amazon. Yes, I know I should know but, as I said, it's hard to focus in this weather and my memory is definitely not working as well as it should. It's quite nice, though, as you get a nice surprise when something does arrive - I do have this habit of getting something for myself at the same time! The other thing I do is hide presents that I haven't wrapped in case the children find them. That would be fine except I forget and last year discovered several items by chance on Boxing Day! In fact, just as I write this I've remembered two more. That was lucky!

I really don't like all those gaudy outside lights that some people have. Milton Keynes suburbs seem to be almost wholly lit solely by these displays on house walls and eaves. I'm so glad that the village has been spared these, well, so far at least. Occasionally, you do encounter a very beautiful and classy display on your travels, of course, but so many just look cheap and pretty nasty. I'm turning into a grumpy old man. Better be careful and stop bothering about that.

Right, it's Christmas Eve eve. Just one day left to get organised so enough of this drivel.

snow on the moon

2010-12-22T20:08:00.000Z

It's cold.

2010-12-20T02:03:00.000Z

Vincent's diary - September 1916

2010-12-10T11:41:00.001Z

I inherited a set of diaries from an old friend, Mr Vincent, and have recently started looking through them. A fascinating entry for Friday, 1st September 1916 . . .

Trees and things after the snow went away

2010-12-06T20:23:00.000Z

Happy Birthday, Chairman

2010-10-02T11:23:00.000+01:00

The Paddock Party Events Sub-Committee held an urgent meeting last night to consider the matter of singing Happy Birthday to the Chairman today. Although the Minutes Secretary did offer to type the words in very big letters on sheets of A4 which could be held up to help those who were unsure of the lyrics there was some concern that the wailing might disturb one or two new neighbours and there was also the lack of a Performing Rights Society licence which seemed to make one or two members wobbly.

Accordingly it was agreed to send him a card instead and various cakes, wine and models of cement lorries.

Harvest moon again

2010-08-30T01:13:00.001+01:00

Now I can see what the lines were on the picture I took a couple of nights ago. I'd never realised there were so many cables draped over the paddock although clearly a couple of pigeons find them useful to hang around on. Sorry to disappoint those readers who had been hoping we'd discovered a railway on the Moon or skid marks left by a Lunar Rover on a past visit.

Can't tell the wood from the trees

2010-08-30T01:05:00.000+01:00

Bits of my mystery plant - that's the one climbing out bottom left and another cutting bottom right - seem to have quite enjoyed the sun and wind and rain which we've had, occasionally all at once, over the last few days. The trouble is, there's now a whole load of other stuff growing in the tub I put them in and I've no idea which are weeds and which might be something interesting.

So if there's anyone out there with some advice just let me know. The black stuff was some compost I found in another pot which might have had some cress in once upon a time. And, of course, if you can identify the main one, which has quite thick, blobby leaves that smell great when you squish them, that would be good too after what must me a year or so of wondering!

It's still never flowered. The leaves smell of something quite distinct but I just can't match it to anything I know. Vaguely citrus-like, add a touch of eucalyptus and a pinch of mint and think lavender and you'll be on the right tracks. I know it's pretty common-looking but I'd love to know what it is.

Has it stopped raining yet?

2010-08-27T21:19:00.000+01:00

For the last few days the birds and I have been searching the skies for a patch of blue. Finally, today, the clouds lifted and the sun shone. Now that I'm back at work I expect next week will be wonderful :/

Harvest Moon

2010-08-27T21:15:00.000+01:00

I have no idea what the two lines are, though.

It didn't rain!

2010-08-11T19:56:00.000+01:00

Just added a few more photos to the PP7 album, taken by Adrian, including this wonderful one of the sky as the sun was going down. You can just spot some patches of blue through the clouds still and it was such a relief that nothing fell out of the darker ones at all!
You can see all the photos so far at this link of click on the mini slideshow on the right or in an earlier post.

Paddock Party 7: first pictures

2010-08-09T15:10:00.000+01:00

9 days to go . . .

2010-07-29T08:43:00.000+01:00

I meant to do this yesterday when it was 10 days to go but the day just disappeared. Bit like the whole of July really.

Minutes of the 868th meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

2010-07-24T18:13:00.001+01:00

Nice version with RED action points available for printing or viewing at this link.

Where in the Village? photos now at links on the right >>

Minutes of the 868th meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

Held at Hibiscus House on Satuday 17 July 2010, supposedly at 6:30pm but some people arrived nearer 7:30pm due to mental exhaustion after figuring out Cold Higham dingbats or because their sausages weren’t ready any earlier.

Present
Graeme in the chair
Maggie on the bench
Penny on the hot plate
Richard on the Barbie[i].
Sarah on the look-out
StationmasterSteve off the rails[ii]
Sue up right
Mark[iii] laid back
Kathie on the vegetables
Minutes Secretary on the phone

Apologies
Various reasons were proffered for the absence of the Cold Higham Pair[iv]<.	All members to reassure SB that we think she is really lovely and miss her greatly and make arrangements to drag her and AP, kicking and screaming if necessary, to the next meeting.
1. Adrian was still struggling with Sarah who was struggling with her essay and Adrian
2. There was a Cauldroneers gathering in Cold Higham at which Sarah was being initiated and Adrian was likely to be debriefed
3. Following an exhausting afternoon at the Cauldroneers’ Fete earlier that same day at which Adrian’s father had insisted on taking over the Make Children Cry With A Scary Face stand, Adrian had felt it necessary to explain to all the parents that remarks that they all needed a good spanking might have been taken out of context and, indeed, it hadn’t done him any harm. They had agreed to let matters, other than either of the Mr Pinckards’ trousers, drop in exchange for being entertained with Bament beverages and hence were far too pissed to contribute meaningfully to discussions of a Paddock nature, especially erections which would be quite out of the question for several evenings.
4. None of the above

Minutes of the previous meeting
It was noted that action points had indeed been included but the matter of members actually reading the damn things still remained a slight encumbrance to procedures. The Chairman asked whether the action points might be red next time. The Minutes Secretary pointed out that this might make then make them redaction points which could have the effect of making them totally indecipherable but agreed to see what better system of highlighting he could come up with.	AH to make better action points (again)

The Chairman then proceeded to read at great speed those he had spotted in what could be described as an Executive Summary. Mark attempted to show that he had some knowledge of business procedures and mumbled about using a table and having little notes to the right of the minutes before returning to an almost horizontal position on the special outdoor seat Richard had constructed which resulted in an unfortunately frank view up his shorts for those sitting opposite. Kathie and the Minutes Secretary were, however, the only members affected and neither seemed particularly perturbed.

All the action points had, he declared with relish, been dealt with - with the exception of one. Wheeling round to his right he peered over his glasses at Sue who peered over hers back. One of those exceptional moments of almost complete silence occurred as even Richard’s sausage seemed short of a sizzle for a split second before “Sue to confirm chapel tables and chairs” boomed from an inch or two below the Chairman’s glasses. This was followed by what can only be described as a wail from Sue who would have probably leapt up and done so immediately had the said chapel not been closed for business at the time.	SH, for the 4th time of asking, to arrange for Chapel furniture to be available

Stationmaster Steve remarked that there had been some special offers of big tents but that the dimensions of 6m by 9m were not as big in the context of what we had already.

The Committee were reminded that the Chairman and Maggie had also not exactly dealt with their own action point (which the Chairman had either not mentioned or read so quickly that no-one had noticed it). This concerned the taking of some pictures around the area of scenes or things and then putting them on display with some sort of competition to guess where they were taken.	GF, MF, AP and AH to take some snaps around and about and plan the competition

The action point requiring Richard to remind Penny that she shouldn’t spend all week preparing for the event led to Penny making a gesture at the Minutes Secretary with two fingers. This might have resulted in some distress for the Minutes Secretary who had only really been trying to ensure she had a more relaxing time between now and the Big Day but the announcement that another member was getting hungry meant that she had to whizz off to attend to some sausages as the concept of anyone, not even a vegan with nut and pulse and root veg allergy, going hungry on the Annis premises was totally unthinkable.	AH not to make any reference to RA not being able to see the kitchen for a week again

Numbers
Penny& Richard 6	KC to make renewed effort to get money out of Shoemaker Close and all to get money to GF and any changes in numbers asap GF to confirm numbers for pig
Kathie 20
Andrew 10
Sarah & SteveD 9
SarahB & Adrian 10
Graeme & Maggie 70

Although these only added up to 125 it was expected that the final tally would be around 160.

Music
All was looking good, despite the quintet possibly now being a quartet. Rocky would be likely to be Rocky Matt and another. Amy was happy to do her intro and a spot or two during the event. There might also be one or two late additions to the list of musicians to entertain us but these were not yet certain.	GF to check licence received

Graeme would check that all the stage boards were still around and that Peter hadn’t used them on some project or set fire to them in a recent clear-out.	AH to advise if any other performers likely

Shopping
There was great enthusiasm as the saladettes listed what they’d be providing, namely Caesar, carrot & kidney beans, beetroot & yoghurt, corn & black bean salsa and something that the Minutes Secretary has written down but can’t now read which looks like woolly but surely can’t be.

A head of lettuce, roasted vegetables, lime-dressed courgettes and watercress & grapefruit were also mentioned although not he was not entirely sure of the context.

Maggie would do pasta & tomatoes, rice and yet more courgettes. It seems that there is expected to be an abundance of courgettes this year and the Chairman warned everyone of the coming season of courgette & pest soup which should have been courgette & pesto soup although the former might be a change perhaps.

Kathie, Maggie and Sue would play the roles of saladettes with Penny as Chief Saladeer, a word which now seems to have been added to the UK dictionary on some laptops as a sign of eminent respectability, despite her occasional gesturing in the garden. They would invade the Cash & Carry emporium and get revenge on the chap at the entrance who gave them strange looks last year by dressing as Bunny Girls on Thursday 5^th August. Stationmaster Steve and Mark seemed to pay more attention to proceedings at that point but only for a brief moment.	Saladettes on parade 5th August

All the necessary bits and pieces would be bought from the kitty which was now beginning to grow into a positive figure with contributions from members’ ticket sales. The Chairman did urge everyone to ensure that they did have enough tickets as he and the Minutes Secretary had gone to a huge amount of trouble printing and cutting the damn things up.

Kathie seemed to think that she had only had 19 but as they were distributed in pairs this was pretty unlikely. She would investigate as it may be that her entrepreneurial (not a word often encountered in the Minutes) son may have nicked one to sell on the Black Market, Ebay or wherever people sold things at highly inflated costs these days. The Committee didn’t agree that he could park his Aston Martin in the paddock that day and he would have to find a convenient verge like everyone else.

Penny announced that those who weren’t participating in the shopping trip should be informed in good time so that they could add their requests to the list.	Saladettes to contact SB and SD re shopping list

Drink
The Chairman had ordered 2 barrels on Frog Island ale. One called “Shoemaker” and “The Other One”.

Layout
Kathie had a series of photos which would remind the Committee of where they’d put tents last year and an effort would be made to reproduce the layout which everyone thought had worked well. If she was unable to unearth those photos then the Minutes Secretary and Adrian had some that they’d taken before guests got in the way.	KC to find photos and show AH or GF

Graeme suddenly realised that he had forgotten to check the scout tent was still there and would do so pdq.	GF to check scout tent

Kathie undertook to find some table covers and advise if they needed to acquire any more.	KC to check table covers

Sue would dig out last year’s table displays and do the honours in that respect, probably renewing some of the flowers too.

SarahD had boxes of plates and plastic bits and pieces, mostly in extraordinarily bright colours in her loft. It was suggested that this might not be the best place for them as she would be away until the day itself. She agreed to get Stationmaster Steve to deliver them within the following week which Maggie could then keep in the shed with a large sign declaring that they were not to be used for any installation or ‘tidied up’ by Peter in the meantime.

Raffle
Kathie had agreed to do the hamper at the last meeting but The Absent SarahB had indicated to SarahD that she was in the process of doing one. No-one was quite sure what to do about that but unless SarahB had actually put the whole shooting match together it seemed sensible for Kathie to carry on and to include anything that SarahB had accumulated. Presumably they could have a chat about that and take it from there.	KC to liaise with SB re hamper production

The hamper, or maybe even hampers now, would be the main raffle prize. There would be donations of bottles which would be second and third prizes and, unless something else came along at the last minute, it was hoped that the prize announcement bit would be nice and short like last year.

The Chairman confirmed that the Rugby Group Development Fund trustees had agreed once again to match the funds raised from the event. This was much appreciated and made the whole thing really worthwhile. He would also attempt to get some publicity leaflets and stuff from the W&N Air Ambulance people so that this was available for guests to see where the funds would be going.

Any Other Business
There then followed some quite exceptional servings of bangers and mash. Being a Paddock Party Committee meeting, of course, these were not just bangers, nor was the mash just mash. This was PPC Bangers & Mash with a range of sausages, all cooked to perfection (even those hurriedly done in the pan by the Minutes Secretary immediately before arrival) and with labels declaring what may or may not be contained within the crisp brown skins. Well, the labels might have been legible had they not been left on the barbecue but it was a good idea nonetheless. The sausages were accompanied by a choice of traditionally squashed and bashed potatoes topped with cheese or not-really-mashed-at-all potatoes with broccoli (I think) and doubtless other interesting flavouring which was a fascinating variation on ‘mash’ and encouraging to all of us who occasionally get fed up with pushing the old masher thing up and down and serve up lumpy mash.

Stationmaster Steve, who had been strangely quiet for most of the proceedings was most taken by the potato dishes, however and wanted to share with members how heat and kinetic energy can both burst the walls of the starch grains in the potato, releasing amylose, which traps water, imparting an undesired "gluey" consistency in the same way that starch adds thickness to foods such as gravy and custard. To avoid this, he said, potatoes must not be cooked at a high temperature for too long. Whole or chunked potatoes receive considerably more heat on the outside by the time enough heat penetrates to cook the centre, overcooking the outside; thinly slicing the potatoes allows a consistent amount of heat throughout. Heston Blumenthal recommends cooking the sliced potatoes for 40 minutes at a controlled temperature of 70°C. To avoid the need for temperature control, the sliced potatoes can be boiled until just cooked (10 to 12 minutes), testing constantly. America's Test Kitchen recommends rinsing potatoes halfway through cooking to remove excess amylose, and pressing potatoes through a potato ricer to avoid unnecessary agitation of the starch grains. If a food processor or similar is used for mashing, it will mechanically break the starch grains, releasing amylose and giving an unpleasant gluey consistency. Potatoes are best mashed before adding butter, etc., as the butter or liquid lubricates the lumps of potato, making them more difficult to break up. They are, however, an excellent source of dietary fibre, he added, before taking another mouthful.

Both dishes were masterpieces and to have such limited choice at the Annis Emporium was most rare but, in this instance, thoroughly appreciated. Seconds and even thirds were consumed with large helpings of port, approved by Stationmaster Steve as LBV.

The evening was also marked by the arrival of a Top Gear Chocolate cake and the rendition of a familiar tune to celebrate the Minutes Secretary’s forthcoming birthday. He agreed to take it away and deliver chunks to members in a while, if there was any left after children had spotted it.	AH to distribute cake

Date of next meeting
Thursday 5 August – all able-bodied men on parade for de-pooing, grass-cutting, wood-chopping and erection and electrical equipment-checking. Will decide then whether to do tents then or Friday.	Available bodies to paddock on Thursday

^{^[i]}that should be ‘barbie’ as in barbecue. I blame AutoCorrect.

^{^[ii]} the extension to the Astcote line has hit a few snags so may not be operational until after the event and the children’s rides idea will have to be cancelled

^{^[iii]}a new guy who followed Sue to the meeting but seemed a nice chap so we carried on regardless

^{^[iv]} Commonly known as Adrian and SarahB, previously referred to as ‘them two from No.5’, parents of Jet

Where in the Village? Photos

2010-07-23T21:21:00.003+01:00

You can try and identify where these are in the competition form here where you can add comments or, more simply, just indicate whether you know or not on the form included on this blog (probably just below ▼ or listed in the archive list on the right ►).

Entry form for the 'Where in The Village?' competition.

2010-07-23T20:53:00.003+01:00

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In the conker tree

2010-06-25T13:11:00.000+01:00

Looks like Kirri will have to wait a while before he goes climbing his tree again!

Addendum tra la

2010-06-24T00:33:00.000+01:00

Only six weeks, then

Good Friday's here,

When the boys make tents

And talk no sense

Over a beer

And get it up again.

Hands on poles,

All in a row,

Await the order 'Lift'.

'But mine's adrift!'

'It's on my toe'.

'Just fit them in the holes'.

Commands are issued

Loud and clear

'It's looking good'.

'We knew we could'.

'Have no fear'

All well and truly screwed.

Pegs are banged in

Ground quite soft,

Mallet swinging,

Sarah singing,

Arms aloft,

Demanding 'Retha Franklin

Like 'I say a little prayer'

Or 'Something-E-C-T'

For her greatest hits

And whatever else fits

On a USB

Or Graeme's iPod player.

865th Meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

2010-06-23T01:54:00.001+01:00

Also available as for download and scribbling all over with groovy action points at this link.

Held at Astcote High Street Station 2pm, Sunday 13 June 2010

Present:
Graeme (Chairman), Maggie, Steve, SarahD, Kathie, Amy, Richard, Penny, Sue, Andrew (Minutes Secretary)
Apologies:
Members were informed that SarahB is still writing an essay which has now become such a vast and authoritative tome that Adrian had been lassoed on his way out in order to assist with what all students seem to want to do, namely place each sheet in a ruddy plastic wallet, much to the later annoyance of tutors who moan like mad at having to extract every sheet in order to correct them. Members were divided on the subject of this remarkable three month effort, the majority concluding that it was The Life And Times Of A Garden Gnome. Steve quietly hoped that she wouldn’t insist on grabbing the microphone and reading it out at the party. The Minutes Secretary had serious doubts about whether she would have completed it by then.

Minutes of the previous meeting
These were approved after Maggie had run across the road to check the dog. Richard disappeared to get some port which prompted Stationmaster Steve to explain that Late Bottled Vintage, like Vintage Port, is a wine of a single year but it is not a “declared” Vintage Port. Whereas Vintage Port spends only two years in casks and then matures in bottle, LBV is aged in casks and then bottled with a light filtration at between four and six years old. At the time of bottling it has completed its maturation and is ready for drinking without the need for decanting.

The Chairman asked whether the Minutes Secretary could add action points to them. Seeing the expression on the latter member’s face, he added that it probably wouldn’t be necessary to add action points to all the previous minutes, just from here forward. The Minutes Secretary looked quite relieved.

Date and time
7 August, 6:30pm as last year

Chairs and tables
Cold Higham would be supplying a good quantity which Peter would collect. Sue was reminded yet again that she needed to check whether the Methodist Church furniture was available. Not the pews, though, and she should ensure the items we removed were not in use at the time.

Tickets
Adrian and the Minutes Secretary had spent a great deal of time viewing images on the internet but needed to check a few more before selecting those that were likely to be appropriate. Bearing in mind that there would be children present and some guests shouldn’t be subjected to sudden shock the Minutes Secretary agreed to advise Adrian that none of the predominantly pink images he had come up with were likely to be approved, even allowing for the close and lengthy consideration that Richard and Stationmaster Steve seemed willing to give to them. It was agreed that a range of samples with a PG certificate would be supplied to the Chairman by 22 June (which by sheer chance happens to be the date today and I’ve just e-mailed them to him).

Licence
The Chairman admitted to having completely forgotten about requesting a licence from the local Council in order that music can be played. Kathie said that if he didn’t get it in time then everyone had an iPod these days and so they could listen to their own. Penny pointed out, though, that no-one would then be able to hear SarahB screeching “Aretha! We must have some Aretha!” Richard assured her that SarahB would not be ignored, especially if she were hurtling towards an unsuspecting Minutes Secretary at the time as would be her wont and steps would be taken to avoid a collision.

Tents
Members agreed to keep an eye out for any special offer tents. Whilst it was believed that the one held together with duck tape and with a pole up one of its tubes would serve another event without enveloping guests below during the evening, should any of them experience a sudden and massive gust of wind from an unfortunate angle then disaster might strike and it was good to be prepared.

Raffle
Kathie kindly agreed to make a hamper for the main raffle prize this year. She reckoned that she had a suitable basket and Sue would give her some ideas as to what to put in it.

It was agreed that, in return for hampering, Kathie and her family would be provided with free tickets.

Ticket sales
The Chairman then broached the thorny subject of who would cover which areas to get tickets out to the people to be invited. Traditionally, he reminded members, the Paddock Party invitations were offered to Shoemaker Close residents, even if we didn’t know them particularly well, because we were likely to keep them awake and were, after all, conducting the whole thing either on the other side of their fences or within a stone’s throw of their TVs which could be quite a nuisance, especially once guests had had a few beers or glasses of wine and for more reasons than one.

Kathie agreed to do Shoemaker Close in its entirety
SarahD and Stationmaster Steve would do School Road and Suttons Walk
Penny would do next door, Suzanne up there and invite her line dancing friends
SarahB, would do the Cold Higham mob, or Adrian if she hadn’t finished her essay
Maggie & Graeme would attend to Pattishall friends and all stations East

Tickets would be distributed just as soon as Adrian and the Minutes Secretary got their act together and produced the damn things and the Chairman would ask for an update on sales at regular intervals.
Committee members could invite as many of their own friends as they wished but we did need to know numbers to ensure the pig was the right size.

Music
The jazz quartet, Matt and Grace and Amy were confirmed as performing. Amy would do a welcoming intro on Graeme’s keyboard. She had indicated coyly that she would prefer not to play on his organ but the Chairman insisted that it was a piano that he would make available.

The Rock School had not been asked to perform.

In addition to the live acts we should also have some groovy tracks available, not just to satisfy SarahB’s Arethaic demands but also to have something to play as and when there were breaks and probably later when the performers were likely to be suffering from an excess of alcohol and liable to render versions of numbers that a mathematician might be inclined to describe as imaginary.

Food
Penny would take the role once again of Chief Saladeer with Sue, Sarahs D and B, Kathie and Maggie as individual saladeers under her command. A request should be made to anyone offering to bring food that they bring salads rather than puddings as the saladeers took the view that there’d be more than enough excellent desserts being provided.

Penny would arrange a shopping trip at an opportune moment to ensure all the appropriate goodies and gallon tubs of salad cream and mayonnaise were purchased. Stationmaster Steve reminded the Committee that he had six drums of each in his garage already but they may be past their ‘use by’ dates. He was finding the salad cream, in particular the Crosse & Blackwell one, to be an excellent lubricant for his train. The Aldi variety was nothing like as effective, though, but had great binding properties for the gravel on the new slopes he had been building for the Eastern extension.

Any other business
Sue would produce candles and flowers to add a touch of class to the formica-topped tables. Everyone agreed that she always made a splendid job of these and it was fun watching people trying to figure out why they didn’t fall over when tables were wobbled.

The Minutes Secretary would produce a range of signs as usual. Any special requests to him as he always seems to be doing them a few minutes before people arrive and there’s nothing more embarrassing than bending over to hammer in a sign that reads ‘Please put your forks in here’

A slide show projected onto Kathie’s wall or the side of the food tent was agreed to be something that we should try this year. Shows at early Paddock Parties had been a popular distraction and the format of the evening, without a band at the end, might allow the show to be more effective as well as being seen without massive silhouettes of Tom and friends looming over them. The Minutes Secretary would see if he could acquire a decent projector and work with Adrian to set up something suitable.

The Chairman reminded members that we had agreed to have a quiz this year to keep people amused during the lighter hours. This would take the form of their attempting to identify images of things or views around the locality. He and Maggie had been taking pictures but others were welcome too and the Minutes Secretary offered to put the whole shooting match into some semblance of order and print the images and some answer sheets.

Date of next meeting
Sunday 18 July 2010 at Penny & Richard’s 3pm

Absolutely everything is growing like mad in my mother's very wild garden

2010-06-19T17:41:00.002+01:00

Kirri and Bryony wander around with my camera . .

2010-06-10T20:44:00.001+01:00

The Chairman returns

2010-06-06T21:43:00.001+01:00

Graeme & Maggie get back from Cyprus in good time for the next Paddock Party.

Katie gets married

2010-05-31T22:13:00.002+01:00

The sun eventually shone in Edinburgh on Sunday 30 May when my daughter, Katie, married Stuart and ventured out into Queens Street Gardens, opposite the exclusive Scotch Malt Whisky Society's premises where the ceremony had taken place.

I knew everything was going to be fine when I heard her giggling in the hotel, finally about to appear to the world in her dress. Until then more than a little nerves and panic had been evident amongst everyone at one stage or another of the process of managing people and things spread out across the city. Her brother, Russell and I were staying in York Place, close to the ceremony venue but some distance from the Hotel where most of the important people were gathering. Getting from one to the other was an interesting exercise in navigation, particularly with some new road system being developed which completed foiled any of the gadgets I had hoped to use to get from A to B. Tourists wandering around aimlessly and pipers frightening the life out me at various places en route didn't help but were quite amusing in a way and contributed to a tremendous sense of achievement in actually arriving on time.

A dimunitive but highly experienced Registrar lady grabbed Katie, her 'bridesmaid' and me on arrival at the SMWS venue and I'm sure that she took longer explaining what would happen that what actually happened took! Eventually we were all released and Katie and I ascended a huge spiral staircase behind a piper playing something I should probably have known the title of but didn't. We were both relieved that it wasn't one of those wailing and wheezing tunes and we stayed close enough behind to avoid any embarrassing views of the kilted chap ahead.

Then, into the main room where all the guests had been arranged into a nice semi circle and I handed her over to the relieved arm of her husband-to-be-pretty-soon-now and wondered where on earth I should go next. Stick around, I thought to myself, and all will become clear. The delightful service followed and in no time at all there was this almost tangible sense of relief and we could look forward to photographs and then food.

Amazingly the greyish skies cleared and the sun emerged while we were in the park opposite the venue at around 5pm. Staff had battled down a narrow path armed with bottles of champagne and glasses too which was a nice touch and how on earth they managed that without losing any on the way was remarkable.

Eventually we returned to the dining room and a series of wonderfully tasty courses arrived, beautifully presented and with abundant supplies of wine and even some very expensive-looking single malt whisky samples that I am sure would have kept me way over the limit for most the following day had I done more than smell them.

I am surprised that I managed to go up and down that spiral stairway, all 42 steps, so many times throughout the evening to see guests safely into taxis without having to stop for a rest halfway or that no-one took a faster route by tripping or sliding down a few. All was very well that ended well, however, and a really great time was had by all.

There'll be lots more photos soon but, having driven back today (another sub-5 hour run) with Russell this is about the best I can manage!

His name is Jack and he lives at the back of the Paddock Party home . .

2010-05-28T09:44:00.000+01:00

Things you find up a conker tree

2010-05-28T09:30:00.000+01:00

Kirri took the pictures above when he found a bird's nest in his favourite climbing tree. The pigeons have been coming and going since so nothing was disturbed.

I did wonder what he'd spent so long looking at.

Luckily, Matti didn't manage to get quite so high.

Kirri eventually finds a wireless connection

2010-05-28T09:18:00.000+01:00

After the connection kept disappearing at his spot on the sofa indoors, Kirri found a comfortable office outside.

Green plant produces strange flower

2010-05-28T09:10:00.000+01:00

861st Meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

2010-05-14T18:46:00.003+01:00

[PDF version available for download here]

861st Meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

Held at the Fuller Residence 2pm, Monday 3^rd May 2010

Present:

Graeme (Chairman), Maggie, Adrian, Steve, SarahD, Kathie, Amy, Richard, Penny, Sue, Andrew

Apologies:

SarahB, apparently either swimming in a curious fashion or making a model of a monster, Adrian informing the Committee that she was doing a Nessie and couldn’t, therefore, be with us.

Minutes of the previous meeting

Running to over 50 odd, very odd, pages it was suggested that these were taken as read which, indeed, they were and had been, often to the bewilderment of various family friends over Christmas and New Year.

Date

It was confirmed that the 7^th event would take place on 7 August, hopefully a Saturday.

Time

Discussion of the time for the event to start was distracted when Penny and Richard realised that they hadn’t adjusted their watches since returning to the village from its antipodean twin in Woollybumma and were 9 hours ahead of themselves, possibly explaining why they were still in pyjamas. Stationmaster Steve took an early opportunity to mention that some members of the Committee may not have been aware that the National Library of Australia had on display an extract from a 1771 bill for dividing and inclosing the open and common fields, common meadows, common pastures, and other commonable lands and grounds within the parish and liberties of Pattishall with the hamlets of Eastcote, Astcote, and Darlescote, in the county of Northampton.

Once Penny and Richard had corrected themselves, apart from their hats, it was agreed that a 6:30pm start would be appropriate.

Format of event

After the success of the previous six parties it was not exactly something that needed a great deal of discussion. However, some members did feel inclined to mention some possible additions for the amusement of guests, mostly including sheep. Richard announced that sheep wee a lot for some reason. This prompted Sue to recall playing Poohsticks and Penny to remark that she had had great trouble with Richard’s because it kept blowing off.

The Chairman muttered something to the effect that the effects of age upon the Committee members was beginning to become apparent and urged that we move on before dementure requires that the Minutes Secretary reads the minutes of the current meeting so far lest some forget that we’re merely on item 3.

Food

The pig was already ordered which prevented suggestions that we have a ewe roast instead. The usual queries about vegetarians were raised and the Committee reassured each other that there would be plenty of vegetables provided on the day. Sue remembered that we used to provide an alternative dish for those who didn’t like pork but agreed that everyone seemed more than happy with the food and, with all the other bits and pieces available in the tent, there would be plenty for everyone without needing any additional main course.

Drink

It was agreed that an abundant supply of Frog island would be supplied, this having been well appreciated last year. Adrian reminded members of Party 7s which set off fond memories amongst many of turning up at parties with the once ubiquitous yellow and red cans containing seven pints of beer. The Party 7 theme may be something worth thinking about for the PP7 tickets and promotional material. The Minutes Secretary said he might see if we could get some sponsorship or even free samples from Watneys. The Chairman said something about his being damn lucky as Watneys closed in 1979. He did, though, still have a Watneys red barrel keyring.

Stationmaster Steve decided to announce that he had had a Teacher of The Year Medal which momentarily stunned the members and discussion of drink and sheep halted. Even the corks on Richard’s hat seemed to be less animated than usual. “Congratulations” said someone and “Jolly good show” another. “You got an award?” boomed the Chairman, “who voted for you?!” Unfortunately, the Chairman was struck by wind towards the end of the phrase, resulting in some emphasis of the last word lending his genuine enquiry a somewhat different shade of meaning. Glasses were, though, duly raised in recognition of Stationmaster’s achievement and the Minutes Secretary reassured him that he wouldn’t forget to include this in the minutes.

Weather

“Something the Committee does need to consider . . .” started Stationmaster Steve.

“. . . INCLEMENT WEATHER!!!” sang everyone else except Amy who was too young to remember it ever raining at a Paddock Party.

“They’ll get wet.” boomed the Chairman.

Seating and tables

PP6 had seen a slightly expanded square formation of the tents in comparison to the close arrangement of PP5. Earlier events had seen tents thrown up in pretty random places and it was clear that the erection team were getting ever more organised but not to the point of getting their set squares and theodolites out. Sue and Kathie were quite interested in the men getting their theodolites out but accepted that erections were essentially in the hands of the men who turned up on the day.

Music

The Chairman was particularly keen to get his organ out. Adrian and the Minutes Secretary groaned, not at the old joke but at the memory of PP4 when they happened to be in the right place at the wrong time and were obliged to assist in heaving Graeme’s massive organ through gaps a mere few millimetres wider than it was and then across what seemed to be the ¼ mile trek from conservatory to paddock on a steamy August afternoon. Their expressions changed to delight akin to those of schoolboys who discover that there isn’t going to be a History test in period 2 after all and they were on the verge of dancing together had Archie not given them one of those looks that said he wouldn’t be having any of that queer stuff here.

In fact, it was a distinctly portable keyboard to which the Chairman was referring and Amy was enthusiastic about adding some performance with that to the evening.

She went on to agree that she could provide some music which could be playing as people arrive, something we haven’t had before, and agreed to be a nice new idea. Contact would be made with all who had performed previously, notably the Jazz Quartet, Gracie and her man, Matt and someone else who played guitar and is apparently called Rocky. Amy also reckoned that a covers band from the Towcester Rock School might be persuaded to join in.

Tickets

Adrian and the Minutes Secretary would produce the tickets again this year. Adrian had collected some sample designs from telephone kiosks around St Pancras Station in London on a recent visit which the two men decided to take a long hard look at one evening. The other information to be displayed would be largely the same as for last year which would save a lot of time checking how to spell the words. Largely was also an apt word for the way the price would increase this year, from £8 to £10 which was agreed on the basis that (a) 10 was a round number and (b) there would be no need to mess around with tins of coins for change at the gate. It was also the case that every year guests had been accosting members of the Committee demanding to know how on earth we managed to lay on such a great evening at the price. It was hoped that a 25% increase at a time of economic hardship might finally put a stop to such behaviour.

All profits from the event would go to WNAA, with the Rugby Cement Group kindly offering to match the profit, effectively doubling the dosh that could be contributed to the Air Ambulance cause.

Any other business

Penny informed the Committee that, despite having been on the other side of the planet, she had noticed that gazebos were on special offer at Homebase. There was some discussion about the condition of one of the large gazebos following it being blown half-way to Tiffield by winds prior to PP5. It had been repaired with yards of gaffer tape for PP6 and might just make it through PP7 but there was also a missing pole in the set for the other large one so perhaps, if Penny spots a suitable bargain, an addition to stock may be a good idea.

Other activities were considered, some clearly having been mused over for some time as little encouragement was needed for their airing.

The Minutes Secretary suggested bell-ringing which slightly worried most other members as it later did the Minutes Secretary himself who completely failed to understand why on earth he had suggested it.

Sarah D suggested the far more sensible Know Your Parish which would involve a number of pictures of local things being stuck up around the tents and gazebos. Adrian said that we had tried that with last year’s rasterbated images of Committee members which had proved fascinating and caused several guests to bump into each other when walking backwards to attempt to figure out who was who which in turn resulted in several new relationships developing. Sarah D advised that by ‘local things’ she hadn’t actually meant Committee members. The idea, though, was approved and Adrian and the Minutes Secretary instructed to go forth with their cameras and snap odd things before the next meeting so that the Committee could have a look at what they’d got. Adrian made another attempt to get out his telephone box cards on the grounds that the Minutes Secretary might need something to remind him when he was recollecting the discussion.

Whilst Sarah B wasn’t there in person there was a distinct sense of her being nevertheless being in the room and Adrian hurriedly stuffed the errant items back in his pocket, looking around nervously and occasionally up and the ceiling which wasn’t what Committee members did very often, the only memorable other occasion being Stationmaster Steve’s struggling ladybird impression from the very early years of Paddock Party business.

Displaying the images would require yet another erection of some sort for which young Peter Fuller’s wonderful carpentry expertise would be called upon by Maggie when she next sees him and remembers (the two not necessarily being coincident).

Date of next meeting

13 June 2010 at Steve & Sarah D’s 2pm

Behind the blossom

2010-05-10T01:19:00.000+01:00

Conservative have 60+ seat majority in England

2010-05-07T13:02:00.001+01:00

Bearing in mind that devolution has given Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland varying but increasing degrees of control over their individual region's politics, looking at this map should make it pretty clear that for English constituents to have anything other than a Conservative-led government would be hard to swallow.

Perhaps rather than proportionate representation, which will give our money and a whole lot of publicity and airtime to over 60 idiots from the BNP, UKIP et al if PR were applied to today's vote distribution (and it is generally accepted that PR would, in fact, considerable enhance the standing of minority causes so 60 seats is very much a minimum figure), we should be seriously considering some form of devolved English government too.

I may not agree with government decisions in Scotland but I respect the fact that many are now made by MPs elected by the Scots. What really annoys me at times is when a host of Labour MPs are also elected in Scotland to serve in the UK parliament and have for several years effectively maintained a very unrepresentative control over English voters who, even in the Blair heydays, had voted Conservative in larger numbers than Labour.

So, yes, there does need to be some change in the 'system' but none of the immediate options of PR or yet more layers of government through devolution on any of the styles used to date will be satisfactory either. Much as I would personally have liked to have seen a clear Conservative UK majority I do appreciate that that too would have been unacceptable in Scotland or, possibly, Wales where they may have been ill-supported. Whilst no-one seems to be particularly happy with the outcome of this election so far it may be an excellent opportunity to make some changes that recognise the simple fact that, for better or worse, the people of different nations do seem to have quite different views on how they'd like their nations run. So be it.

Busy now the sun's shining

2010-04-29T23:37:00.000+01:00

Rainbows

2010-04-29T23:35:00.000+01:00

Kirri earns some pocket money

2010-04-18T19:37:00.000+01:00

Brilliant weather. Just right for lazing around and watching others work :)

Driving with a bucket of water on the front seat is tricky . . .

2010-04-12T20:06:00.001+01:00

Just spent an hour cleaning my old car which was covered in . . well, you know, what you get when you leave a car under tree branches for weeks! Nothing that unusual in that - except I'd taken the car to the village garage this morning as the wipers wouldn't stop wiping and left the keys with them so I couldn't take it down, as planned, to the car wash in town. So that meant driving, very carefully indeed, with a bucket of warm soapy water on the front seat of my new car from home to the garage this evening.

Luckily there aren't that many people wandering by in the village but those that did must have wondered what an earth I was doing washing a car in a garage car park. Maybe they thought I'd got a job as an evening valet. I couldn't do the rinse bit, though, as getting one bucket there was tricky enough, never mind a repeat trip, so I was hoping like mad that it would rain. But it didn't. So I have worn holes in the chamois leather drying it off and must have used a gallon of window cleaner to get rid of the smears.

Someone's coming all the way from Newbury, hopefully to buy it, and he sounds a nice fellow so I thought I'd better make an effort. Now, I just hope that the wipers stop wiping. Or pray for rain again!

Here's looking at you, kid.

2010-04-12T01:21:00.000+01:00

Election Posters

2010-04-10T23:56:00.000+01:00

I'm going to grow my own watercress

2010-04-09T23:21:00.000+01:00

A photo of a bubble popping

2010-04-05T18:32:00.000+01:00

Nice day

2010-03-14T21:28:00.000Z

At last. Sunshine. Managed to clean my car for the first time since I bought it over three months ago, tidy up the house too.

UFO lands in Astcote. Sheep unconcerned.

2010-03-06T12:22:00.000Z

Spring, at last! I think.

2010-03-06T12:09:00.000Z

Mystery visitor

2010-01-08T11:29:00.000Z

I expect someone will tell me what nice bird this is.

Now you see her . . .

2010-01-08T11:22:00.000Z

The gnome had been wondering where the goose was. Then she stood up.

Nice weather for the time of year

2010-01-06T11:35:00.001Z

How many times did we say that?

2009-12-29T20:23:00.001Z

30pm (31) adrian (65) agreed (83) andrew (36) announced (17) anyone (14) appeared (19) around (20) asked (14) attempt (15) available (21) bales (16) band (27) bottle (18) business (14) chairman (87) chairs (17) cold (14) committee (74) confirmed (16) date (29) discussion (21) due (16) effect (13) either (14) ensure (15) erections (18) evening (18) event (44) everyone (25) followed (17) food (29) getting (18) graeme (62) guests (14) held (18) idea (30) items (13) maggie (41) managed (13) matters (16) meeting (83) members (76) mentioned (23) minutes (102) money (13) music (16) night (20) no-one (25) noted (21) numbers (27) offered (16) order (22) others (14) paddock (36) particularly (17) party (36) penny (77) people (36) pig (14) plates (15) point (23) present (23) pretty (14) previous (30) provided (25) quite (31) raffle (22) rather (21) read (19) required (16) richard (63) rob (45) salad (32) sarah1 (16) sarah2 (27) sarah (37) sarahb (18) secretary (69) seemed (15) several (31) someone (15) something (24) stationmaster (16) steve (59) sue (49) suggested (23) supply (15) tables (21) tents (19) thanks (13) things (20) thought (17) tickets (60) tom (15) weather (18) whatever (14) whilst (14) wine (16) year (66)

created at TagCrowd.com

Pretty silly time to sell a car, really

2009-12-28T20:37:00.001Z

but even after a week or so sitting at -5ºC it simply starts and gets on with whatever it's supposed to do. Must advertise it somewhere I suppose. Not much passing traffic in the paddock in December. Oh, it's only £1350 by the way. That's less than most people lose on their insurance renewal premium because they skidded and needed a new bumper on newer cars.

Yes, that's the idea: put your 59 plate in the garage and have fun running around in my 323iSE until the weather improves!

Or I could try another economic tack: either by loss of interest on your capital or loan instalments my car will pay for itself in 4 months!

And if that doesn't do it: in one year your car will be worth at least 20% less than it is now. That's more than £1350? Buy my car and you can give it away this time next year!

Hmm, better cater for the lads too: 143mph, 0-60 in 8.8seconds, 40mpg, £300 insurance unless you're under 14¾ years old. If your name is Riggaro it's also got your number plate!

The importance of lock-nutting

2009-12-21T17:34:00.001Z

In case I don't get all the cards done in time . . .

2009-12-21T17:12:00.000Z

Christmas release by The Animals

2009-12-12T09:44:00.002Z

The Age of Richard

2009-12-06T16:48:00.001Z

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Paddock Party (Planetary Pandemonium Sub-group) Committee was held today, indeed is still going on, to mark the achievement of Richard, the astronomer, in completing sixty years on Planet Earth.

Held at a Thai Restaurant some considerable distance north of the village but still on the right side of the A5 (for reasons not totally clear but possibly associated with the good food there and pretty waitresses) the sexuagenarian (not a word you encounter often these days and quite difficult to pronounce without causing offence) was supplied with vast quantities of Thai beer, gifts and cards.

The proceedings commenced with the presentation of a large cake resembling the rings of Uranus (again, careful if reading this aloud) and featuring Earth and a spaceship. Uranus appears to have a couple of inhabitants, at least, 6 and 0 being mounted at its uppermost pole.

The Chairman spoke warmly and loudly in praise of Richard's achievements and was going to direct the singing of Happy Birthday but decided to leave that until a little later when whistles might be wetter and the higher notes less painful. He did, however, remind those present that Paddock Party 7 will be on 7 August 2010 and we need to start thinking about tents.

Return of S1X

2009-12-05T17:48:00.000Z

I was going to argue with DVLA but decided that I'd probably lose and had to find a new car pretty quickly. Amazed by the low prices of the sort of cars I like. I guess everyone's buying new ones or going electric or something.

Although severely tempted by a Cadillac Seville STS I found with the registration just three after one that I had, I reminded myself why I had found an S Type Jaguar 4 litre so much nicer. Then I found one of those and so very nearly bought that but the one I had owned was nearly new and guaranteed. Reports of huge bills in later years, coupled with my lack of spare resources these days, finally help my head win the heart v head battle that raged for a week or so. This nice, one owner BMW appeared and is really a fatter version of what I had before with a beautiful interior and some extras like a sunroof. Because it has a scratch that BMW had quoted a huge sum to repair the owner was happy to take a price I could manage and I think I can get someone to fix that one day for a much more reasonable sum.

So I've filled out all the forms and posted them off and, with fingers firmly crossed, the tax disc will soon match the plates. Well, nearly, as I shall replace them with the S1X AH spacing as soon as I can find someone who can make them for me. Even that requires a bundle of paperwork these days but I reckon there'll be a service on the internet somewhere I can use if the local shop won't do it.

Now all I have to do is find a buyer for the old one. Fully serviced, new MOT and genuine reason for sale!!

S1X AH five years on

2009-11-27T11:26:00.004Z

Almost five years ago my car was stolen and I have trying ever since to get the registration S1X AH back.

Last week I trundled down to the local DVLA office, having finally gathered the various documents they needed, and paid some money to the helpful guy behand the screen to keep it on retention until I get a car I can put in on. It had been one of those jobs on my to-do list that had been transferred from diary to diary since 2004, always needing something from someone like insurance companies, finance companies and DVLA themselves but finally all was in place.

Then, today I get a letter saying that they're terribly sorry but I can't put the number on retention - I have to transfer it to a vehicle! They'll retain my money until then and waive some fee as they advised me incorrectly but that doesn't help much. My present car is about 2 months too old to take that registration so I've got to sell that and buy something else. This old BMW's been great and even with 140,000 miles on the clock seems to leave most other stuff standing on my travels (apart from Dunstable where we're all more or less stationary anyway!) and does nearly 40mpg even with my driving. It's not worth much and selling can take ages unless I find someone prepared to do a part exchange. Trouble is, garages add on a good £500 - £1000 which almost doubles the price of a cheap car and I'll probably get an effectively miniscule amount for mine. I may finish up having to park it in the paddock and having two cars until someone comes along with a reasonable offer.

I cannot see any logic in DVLA's insistence that the plate has to go on a vehicle. No chance of changing them though as there's bound to be rules and regulations so . . . if anyone wants a really good BMW 323iSE for a very modest price, let me know. I wonder how long DVLA will give me to find something else? Hmmm. Watch this space.

Russell's adventures

2009-11-27T11:06:00.000Z

Russell's been having some adventures recently. It all started when his camper van overheated at the start of a tour with Jeremy Warmsley, fortunately on their way from Oxford to Derby which sort of brought them in the direction of the village. Having paid a fortune to have something similar attended to by a garage in Fort William he wasn't too keen to have to pay again when the village garage confirmed that it was an expensive head gasket problem. So, desperate to make Derby before the audience started throwing tomatoes or beer cans at the warm-up act doing a fourth unrequested encore, a very rapid dash to pick up a hire car in Northampton was needed. Achieved that with seconds to spare and licence intact and they went on their way.

Being the brilliant journey planners that they were, Bristol followed Derby then Manchester and Harrogate then Plymouth and Norwich before Aberdeen and probably several more figures of eight on the GB Atlas before returning the car 3000 miles later.

Tour done, Russell now needed some transport. There had been a Nissan estate sitting in the paddock for best part of the year which the Chairman's son, Pete was going to get round to getting back on the road one day. He agreed to letting Russell have it and we had some fun getting it started and out of the mud, including a great drive along a track I didn't even realise existed across the field to get it used to moving and stopping again. Dropped it off at the village garage and it actually cost less to get through an MOT than my own car!

Russell had some extraordinarily generous breakdown insurance that would get him transported home in the event of the camper van breakdown. So, after transferring most of the stuff from van to car he set off for Fort William in the van. I think he made it a few miles up the A5 and from there got a piggy back on various breakdown trucks for the other 600 miles. Long, long bus ride back to the village and all that was needed was some tax for the car. Now, that should have been pretty straightforward - you can do that on-line these days and he was doing it on behalf of Pete so no complicated owner changes. All he needed was a registration document reference number. Pete said he'd dig the papers out and let him have that at the weekend.

Russell stayed with me and we waited breathlessly for the magic number. He'd arranged a quite complicated series of visits to people before setting off to chase some girl in Holland and timing was quite important. Pete's normally reliable but on this occasion had had a pretty intense Friday night drinking session and, according to his partner, had stayed the night somewhere else and set off for a shooting event early morning. Things like DVLA reference numbers, understandably, had slipped his mind. Now, normally a quick call would have enabled his dad to rummage around his house for the missing item and pass it to us. No phone signal wherever he was. There was no way to contact Pete. We'd have to wait until he got back home that evening. As it happened, Matti had a birthday party going on in MK so Russell made a star guest appearance which made the 8-year-old's day and probably made the delay worthwhile after all.

Got back to the village and, at last, the magic number, clutched by an embarrassed Pete, arrived. Russell dived on to the DVLA web site and bashed away at keys and all was looking good. Although he hadn't actually got the disc, he had paid for it and thought it wouldn't be too disastrous to set off on his travels and I'd post the disc on when it arrived.

That would have been fine. I not waved fond farewell, did the manly hug thing and then found he'd left a razor and a much beloved skateboard behind. Posting a skateboard would have cost as much as the petrol to wherever might have been a suitable meeting point so another hello goodbye session followed yesterday when the tax disc arrived and finally the lad is off, legal, well-fed and watered. Next stop Holland and, hopefully some teaching work there and a bit of luck with the girl.

In The Village, Astcote, Northamptonshire

Merry Christmas :)

Bangers & Mash for Sarah B 50

Hawaii Five Oh, Dear

Local chaps carving out a new career

Adrian's years must be shorter than ours

When petrol was 6/8d a gallon

Me and a road sign

Problem solving at Level 8

Problem Solving at Level 7

Broken down in Saskatchewan

Reviewing the situation over the stove and a pipe

Newfoundland newspaper and a silver something

Wildlife in the village

Kirri's Picnic July 2011

A marquee and an oak gazebo

My brother's 1950s Meccano Steam Engine

My 1960s calculator

It's my birthday, so there'll probably be some odd posts...

Before the chicken crossed the road

Up On The Roof

House of The Setting Sun

The Gem 2d.

Kids get high at Kirri's birthday party

Vincent's Diary: January 1919 and December 1921

Peter's oak gazebo grows

Peter's portable oak gazebo

Under Gazebos

Taking a shower

Keeping cool

Ghost

The paddock seems to have a new beach

"Raise your glasses, please..." (but I have to find mine first)

Looking out of my window one nice morning

I've decided I like lichen

Fire and water

I hope they're not baby triffids

April sun

It just dawned on me

Sunshine, more lambs, the camp and a rabbit

The Rice Krispie I couldn't eat

Shepherds Pie

Big moles?

The village has a Bee Swarm Co-ordinator

Bits and pieces

Vincent's Diary: 1 January 1916

OMG Facebook 2007-2010. Blink and I missed it.

Christmas Eve decorations

Christmas Eve Eve!

snow on the moon

It's cold.

Vincent's diary - September 1916

Trees and things after the snow went away

Happy Birthday, Chairman

Harvest moon again

Can't tell the wood from the trees

Has it stopped raining yet?

Harvest Moon

It didn't rain!

Paddock Party 7: first pictures

9 days to go . . .

Minutes of the 868th meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

Minutes of the 868th meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

Present

Apologies

Minutes of the previous meeting

Numbers

Music

Shopping

Drink

Layout

Raffle

Any Other Business

Date of next meeting

Where in the Village? Photos

Entry form for the 'Where in The Village?' competition.

In the conker tree

Addendum tra la

865th Meeting of the Paddock Party Committee

Absolutely everything is growing like mad in my mother's very wild garden