The Grange was a lovely old house, one of the oldest in Eaglescliffe, and was home to a family which really made the house into a family home. When our children were growing up there were always children living at The Grange, and more children visiting them, always welcome, always safe and though maybe I'm looking back with rose tinted memories, but they always seemed happy. The children grew
We all know that Helena Bonham Carter is the great grandaughter of Liberal prime minister HH Asquith, indeed she lives in his old house at Sutton Courtenay in Oxfordshire. But I was curious to discover that she is not the only thespian of note descended from old Squiffy. Specifically Anna Chancellor of Spooks, The Hour and Hidden fame (and still better known as Duckface from Four weddings and a funeral) is his great great granddaughter. Her great grandfather was Asquith's eldest son Raymond, whose tragic death on the Somme was symbolic of the 'lost generation' who fell in the first ...
In the bad old Communist days, a visit to a showpiece factory was de rigeur part of any Western journalist's visit to Eastern Europe, so I was amused that the highlight of the first day of the AEJ's Congress in Bucharest today was a trip to the Dacia car production plant, about two hours' drive ...
Update from the County Councils LGSS Legal team on the rescinding of the members allowances change voted for by (largely) Conservative Councillors at the last full council. Legal clarification was requested on how exactly the vote in the chamber would be reversed. Here is the response;"From: Baker QuentinDate: Thursday, November 3, 2011Subject: queryTo: The position is that the legislation regarding members' allowances provides a condition precedent which any council must satisfy before it can make or amend its scheme of members' allowances.The condition is that full council must have had regard to a report from an IRP. In our case, ...
Apparently by the end of 2012 (or earlier) the major record labels are planning on replacing CD releases with just download/streaming offerings, except for certain special editions. It is clear why they would want to do this as it massively reduces costs and therefore increases the margins that they can make on any one song. They don't even have to have an artist churn out an album, just record a song and start marketing it if they like. As soon as it's recorded and mastered then it can be ready to go - just a few clicks, contracts with suppliers ...
Now before anyone jumps down my throat I want to point out I've been wearing a poppy for the last 11 days like I do every November. In my youth as part of the Scouts I was proud to take part in my local parade every year. I think it is a great symbol, it shows that we have not forgotten those who have fought and died for the freedom that we take for granted. It also raises a lot of money for a very worthy cause and is something that I hope continues for centuries to come. Most who ...
It sounds as though Liberal Democrats in the East Midlands are falling out over boundary changes. Or they are judging by the Rutland Times: Rutland's Liberal Democrats want to reassure voters that they had nothing to do with a proposal to create a new Rutland and Corby constituency. A public consultation is under way into plans to cut the number of parliamentary constituencies by 50 to 600. In September the Boundary Commission said it had no plans to change the Melton and Rutland constituency but last week the East Midlands Liberal Democrats revealed its own proposals which includes a Rutland ...
Or so the Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle says in its interview with the Lib Dem candidate in next year's London Mayoral election: The Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, the same man who was trounced with little more than 10 per cent of the vote the last time he went up against the big two, Ken and Boris, insists, this time, he is not here to make up the numbers. "You are going to see a different Brian Paddick - I am better prepared and ready for the fight," he says.
The Localism Bill finished its passage through Parliament this week, and the consultation has closed on the new National Planning Policy Framework. The Coalition Government's reforms in this area have been called the biggest shake-up of the planning system in fifty years. Neighbourhood planning is going to be a big deal. I'm not sure that ...
This morning, along with the Lord Provost, fellow councillors, veterans, civic guests and council officers, I took part in a short ceremony in the City Square to mark the armistice signed at that moment in 1918, marking the end of the first World War: the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. A large gathering of Dundonians joined with us in the City Square and took part in the two minute silence. This was, again this year, an opportunity for all of us to remember those who lost their lives, not only in the two world wars, ...
At the Cenotaph by Siegfried Sassoon I saw the Prince of Darkness, with his Staff, Standing bare-headed by the Cenotaph: Unostentatious and respectful, there He stood, and offered up the following prayer. 'Make them forget, O Lord, what this Memorial Means; their discredited ideas revive; Breed new belief that War is purgatorial Proof of the pride and power of being alive; Men's biologic urge to readjust The Map of Europe, Lord of Hosts, increase; Lift up their hearts in large destructive lust; And crown their heads with blind vindictive Peace.' The Prince of Darkness to the Cenotaph Bowed. As he ...
In the second third of this parliament, the one now beginning, and whose opening will be marked by Osborne's autumn economic statement on 29 November, Britain's economic woes will be laid rather less at Labour's door and rather more at that of the eurozone. That's why Cameron and Osborne are now constructing a very obvious narrative of continental European failure, from which Britain is thankfully (as they depict it) exempt, but which nevertheless continues to put the UK economy at risk. In some ways, blaming Europe is not as easy as blaming Labour. Labour is a stationary target, and both ...
Fri 11th
17:53
One of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. The new Greek government being sworn in.
It's got the lot. Greek Orthodox Church priests in golden ceremonial robes. Candles. Beards. Religious singing. And the modern touch is a TV camera whizzing around above them on a crane. Four government members put their hands on a golden Bible, and then the rest of the cabinet put their hands on their shoulders, so they are bought into the bargain. Click on the arrow below to enjoy: [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Please click on this link to the Huff Post story to see who else is in the list and then add your comment asking for Mohammad Al Bouazizi to be named as Person of the year. Thanks Here's another quick reminder of all you can do to help get Mohammad named as the overall winner Tweet the judges!! They are: @bwilliams (Brian Williams, Anchor and Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News) @mariobatali (Mario Batali, Chef, Writer, Restaurateur) @JesseEonline (Jesse Eisenberg, Actor) @GroverNorquist (Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform) Also Anita Hill (Attorney) and Seth Myers (Actor and Writer, Saturday ...
Much to our frustration, the demolition and rebuild of Warwick Mall in Cheadle (due to have a Sainsburys on the ground floor and 14 new apartments above) has yet again been postponed. We were given an October start date which slipped and have now said that no building should start until the new year, to avoid disrupting the Christmas trade in the village. We've had months of slipping schedules and we can only hope that 2012 will see work start on the new building, which is expected to take about a year to complete.
Apparently, Rick Perry lists those three government agencies (Education, Commerce and Energy) several times a day in his standard stump speech. He just couldn't remember the third one at a crucial time during a GOP candidates' debate. (We've all been there). And he looked a total chump. Everybody ridiculed him. But he hasn't taken all this lying down. It is very unusual for candidates to enter the "post debate spin room". But, straight after the debate where he gaffed, Rick Perry was in the spin room explaining/laughing off his gaffe. The day after he made eight major TV appearances, including ...
There are two meetings scheduled for next week. Tuesday ( 15th November ) Policy Working Group , 6pm at Ebor House This is a Working Group meeting, and it is not open to members of the public. Thursday 17th November, Events Committee 6pm at Ebor House Both meetings have the potential to be "interesting"
Another day with Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer. Wednesday The fashion nowadays seems to be to appoint prop forwards to conduct inquiries. Fran Cotton is to consider whether or not Market Harborough's most famous son, Martin Johnson, should be allowed to stay in charge of the England rugby XV, while Gareth Chilcott is currently working on his report on the United Kingdom's role in the Iraq War. In the latter case at least, I think this is an excellent idea - particularly after Len Hutton's bosh shot at investigating the death of Dr David Kelly. Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP ...
Just thought I'd offer up a headline suggestion for any tabloid journalist looking to write up this story. Alternatively, for the more highbrow, how about: International talks reduce differences of temporal opinion to just 1 second; sources cautiously hopeful of a deal.
A short public service announcement for the benefit of all Lib Dem bloggers follows: Entries for the Orwell Prize 2012 are now open, for political writing first published in 2011. Entries will remain open until Wednesday 18 January 2012. Full details of the launch, including this year's judges, are available on our website, www.theorwellprize.co.uk. Online forms for the Journalism Prize, Blog Prize and Book Prize are now available (along with PDF versions of the Journalism and Book Prize forms), along with the rules and values of the Prize, at http://theorwellprize.co.uk/the-orwell-prize/how-to-enter/. Entry for all three Prizes is completely FREE. As ever, ...
In 2005 I left university with a degree in Journalism. So many people dream about being a journalist and breaking the big news, doing the background research, being the first with the news. It is a something that so many young people strive for. Journalism in one of the most over-subscribed courses at universities in this country but yet the reality is different and so many lose their way over time. As anyone who has read anything from me in the past week with know the biggest issue in my life has been the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal ...
At the last Cabinet meeting the Conservative controlled administration in Shire Hall agreed to change the way that Minor Highways Improvements are to be dealt with by officers from 2012/13 onwards.The new policy is (basically) this; Every year there will be a single annual process by which, in each District, a decision is taken as to which minor highways improvements are to be done/ funded that year.Each of these schemes will cost at the very most £10,000The bidder (for example a School or the Local Parish Council) would be expected to contribute towards the cost. The level of contribution required ...
[IMG: our victor Cathy French] There were four principal local council by-elections held on Thursday 10th November. There was a Lib Dem gain from the Tories, two Labour holds and a Labour gain from Respect. There were no parish or town council by-election results reported to ALDC. [IMG: the final letter] In Ipswich we took revenge on the Tories for losses last May. St Margaret's ward was first won in 1994 but we started to take control in 1999 and have had all three councillors for the ward from then onwards. In May our elderly sitting councillor stood down for ...
Anyone driving along Styal Road in the last few weeks may have noticed a large pothole across the road, near the junction with Hollyhedge Road. The Lib Dem team were in the area last week, we reported it to the Council, and it's been repaired. If it needs more extensive work doing, that'll be done in future too. Please let us know of any potholes you spot, or report them to Stockport Council directly.
[Originally posted on The Guardian Housing Network, 10/11/11; An edited version of this post] Last month saw the launch of the first edition of The Housing Report, a joint report from the Chartered Institute of Housing, National Housing Federation and Shelter. The idea is a good one: governments make all sorts of statements about policy aspirations and achievements, and piecing together the available evidence allows us to scrutinise these claims and assess progress. The report applies a traffic light rating to 10 areas of housing policy, including housing supply and overcrowding, with the aim of returning to the issues regularly ...
It is a shame that it is those who don't deserve to that are usually those that suffer. The housing market is a case in point. Those who got onto the housing ladder in 2006/7 when the housing market peaked are now in grief because prices are down some 20%. Others see their chance of owning a home receding. It is the word 'home' that matters. For decades ones 'home' was also seen as a safe route to ever increasing wealth. This delusion was fueled by oceans of credit. I sold a house in 1985 which was sold again in ...
The actual funeral of the 'Unknown Soldier' after WW1 .A tree is felled from the grounds of Hampton Palace. It is made into a coffin of English Oak. Fixed atop is a 16th century crusaders sword, taken from the Tower of London. A British soldier, unknown by name or rank, is exhumed from the battlefields ...
Cornwall is right to be proud of the fact that it is getting superfast broadband across 80% of the Duchy and that it is getting this before many other parts of the UK. We should also be very happy that the scheme appears to be rolling out more quickly than was at first anticipated. But that doesn't mean that it isn't extremely annoying and disappointing that getting implementation dates and details is like getting blood out of a stone. This afternoon I had a meeting with officers who are working on this joint Cornwall Council/BT/EU project. They asked to meet ...
The agenda and reports are here. There were three motions at last week's Cabinet meeting. They are all below. Agenda Item: Provision for Inflation 2012-2013 Cabinet agrees all the recommendations, Cabinet asks Chief Officers to contain any price inflation costs within their existing budgets, as it notes that the long term Government assumption of inflation ...
The one thing that Rick Perry knew when he made that gaffe in the latest Republican debate was that somehow it would end up in one of David Letterman's legendary top tens the following night. However, there is one way to ease the sting and that is what Rick Perry did, he delivered the top ten Rick Perry excuses himself live on the show.
As a British taxpayer, a Liberal Democrat and a friend of Israel, I am pleased to read reports and that the UK's Coalition Government "is to put £40,000 into a programme to promote better ties between Jews and Arabs in Israel". Through the UK Task Force on Issues Facing Arab Citizens of Israel (http://www.uktaskforce.org/), this has been established as a key priority for a range of British Jewish and pro-Israeli organisations. The UK has a tradition of an activist foreign policy, which means giving money to NGOs in other countries; other countries are equally entitled to give money ...
This is one of what is becoming a series of blogposts written in half an hour of my lunch break. Hopefully this will force me not to ramble on at ridiculous length. The other day I wrote a post about why I'm leaving 38Degrees over it's treatment of disability campaigners. David Babb from 38Degrees was kind enough to leave a comment on the blogpost but unfortunately it got caught in the spam filters. I've rescued it, but, for those who missed it, here it is in full: "It's David Babbs from 38 Degrees here. I've just posted the comment below ...
I've been struck by some of the debate recently around the wearing of poppies for Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. It seems that to some, the wearing of a poppy is seen as a political statement, yet in my mind ...
Every year, Armistice Day represents an opportunity to remember the sacrifice of those who fought to protect our freedom. I try to do so during the two minutes' silence at 11 am, and again on Remembrance Sunday. I try not to think about the countless numbers of people lost in wars that had nothing to do with freedom or justice. Unfortunately, as that describes most wars, and especially the wars that have happened during and just before my lifetime, I find it very difficult. I don't wear a poppy for that reason, although I do sometimes donate to the Royal ...
A week ago today my local party had our Annual Dinner in Woking. It was a very pleasant evening with a great guest speaker, Dr Evan Harris, who came along and talked to us about his work on the NHS ...
UKIP chairman Paul Nuttall has been accused of insulting the memory of those who fought for freedom in two world wars by describing the EU symbol as "a flag of occupation." Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat MEP who represents the ... Continue reading →
Much-loved member John Moth died in hospital on November 8th 2011. We asked Sheila Waye, a fellow carer for children, to write a short appreciation. John Moth, aged 77 years, was a very well-known local figure in Neath and played an active role in his Church, The Mission Hall. John will be remembered for the many altruistic endeavours in his life, not the least of which were his 15 years in a foster parent capacity. In political circles he was a helpful, staunch and active member of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Party always giving of his time willingly. Perhaps the ...
It's the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year...
The residents' consultation on improvements to Gatley Green goes out next week, and we'll post the full proposals then. These come on top of the full relaying of the pavement along the south-east side of Church Road (from the old Nat West up to the Prince of Wales), which the Lib Dems have secured and will be done around February/March next year. The proposals for Gatley Green include blocking off the cut-through road to make one piece of greenspace that includes the war memorial, some residents parking (but with parking for shoppers permitted during the daytime) and improvements to pavements. ...
Fri 11th
11:02
The Independent View: The Coalition needs to get serious about protecting citizens' privacy
Slowly, we are waking up to the enormous risk to personal privacy posed by the misuse of personal information. Big Brother Watch's report into the data protection breaches in the NHS highlighted a number of harrowing individual cases. However, the wider cultural question is the one which should be of greatest concern. In an age when ever more personal information is collected as a matter of routine by both the public and private sector, how that information is held and protected is of critical importance. When that information is of the kind of sensitive details found in medical records, lax ...
[IMG: We will remember them]
One of the fabulous things about being an MP or working for one is that you get the chance to take good ideas from constituents and make them happen. In two minutes' time at 11am on 11.11.11, 91 years after the Armistice that ended World War 1, the nation will stop to honour those who have been killed in armed conflict. Whether you agree with a particular conflict or not, it's right that we honour those who have given their lives. and stop to think about the children who grew up never knowing their fathers, about the parents, grandparents, uncles, ...
That's a phrase derived from one used by my uncle, Alan Walter (pictured right), in the one of his wartime letters sent from Montreal, Canada in September 1939. He was on board SS Tregarthen when it had a near-miss with another ship. He exclaimed: "another 3 inches nearer would have sent us to Davy Jones for supper". Here's the text of another letter he sent from Montreal in the same month: Dear All Thanks for your three letters. I wrote one last week but I don't know if you have got it because of this B. war. We are now ...
Annually the Guardian sends a reporter to Consett to revel in stories of disadvantage and deprivation (20-10- 2010) & 11-11-2011). There's no doubt that many people in our town face great economic difficulties, and I have no intention of minimising that, but this remains a strong community which cares for its neighbours, works hard and plays hard. It really doesn't need "poverty tourists" and lazy journalism which refers to a former "steel mining town" (now corrected) or which interprets our market as "On Thursday mornings, residents set up impromptu stalls on the pavement of the pedestrianised main shopping street, selling ...
At 11 o'clock down at the local war memorial I may be wearing my Irish Poppy label along with my poppy . Sadly it will have a biologically incorrect leaf behind it as I haven't been to Scotland in order to get one from there. But as a mark of the fact that 49,900 from this island gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918, more from the South than from the North, more Catholic than Protestant. This year I've decided to share a poem from one of the Irish War poets Patrick MacGill. Before the Charge The night is ...
The Government is conducting a review of parliamentary constituency boundaries, to cut down the number of MPs and even up the number of people in each parliamentary constituency, ie the number who elect each MP. The Boundary Commission is responsible for carrying out the review and they are holding a hearing at the Gonville Hotel in Cambridge now (10th-11th November) As readers of the Queen Edith's Focus and this website will know (Queen Edith's is in Cambridge!), I am disappointed that they are not taking this opportunity to restore Queen Edith's to its rightful place as part of the Cambridge ...
It is basic that if you belong to an extremist group of any kind your biggest enemies are those who belong to your tribe, religion, party or whatever but who do not subscribe, may even detest, your extremism. So what do you do? Well today you come up with a demonstration against remembrance, and get yourself banned. Our witless media gives you airtime during which you get the chance to say that the poppy is a figleaf to cover the crimes of the Government. With luck this will create a backlash which you can exploit by playing the victim of ...
Yesterday I had the chance to make my case against the plans for a Devonwall constituency at the Boundary Commission's hearing in Truro. I reiterated the reasons given by the Keep Cornwall Whole campaign and added the fact that I think a Devonwall constituency will turn off voters. In the old days the Boundary Commission was run by the Electoral Commission, one of whose major tasks is to encourage people to vote. I'm concerned that a cross-border seat, combined with constantly changing boundaries, is not only going to make it much tougher for MPs to represent people, but it is ...
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. You are forever in our thoughts, we are forever in your debt. RIP 11/11/11
County councils all over England are making deep cuts to school transport that Liberal Democrats are right to fight against. School transport cuts are bad for child safety, bad for working parents and bad for congestion on local roads. The cuts, which mostly have come into effect this term or will over the next 12 months are, in most cases, to reduce school transport to the very least permitted by statute. That means it is being axed for everyone who is not on free school meals or who lives more than 3 miles (2 for primary children) from their nearest ...
There is a public sector strike planned for 30th November. At the moment it's not entirely clear how many people will be involved, but it could well lead to a large section of Stockport Council, along with the public sector across the rest of the country, being out of action for the day. November 30th is a Wednesday, which means those of us in Cheadle & Gatley may not get our bins collected on that day (the green bin, plus either blue or black depending on where you live). The current plan is to collect any missed bins, plus any ...
For a drummer and technology geek it's probably one of the coolest jobs you can have. Assemble a dream team of the world's greatest drummers and percussionist and launch an innovative online drum academy. I work at ArtistWorks, the award-winning company behind the forthcoming ArtistWorks Drum Academy, Billy Cobham School of Drums, Thomas Lang School ...
A quick #ff for fundraising guru @MotionJoanna and libraries guru @richove # 'Wealthiest still donate smaller propn than less well off' http://t.co/q4aQUiR1: people paid <£32k give 1%+ to charity; >£52k give just 0.8% # Cooking a roast while reading the 'new' Sherlock Holmes. It's what Fridays should be about. # Derren Brown scares me. Suddenly Norman Baker looks like a guy who trusts the Establishment too much. # Fab & true review » Downton Abbey: you are awful ... but I like you http://t.co/zaclOm3u # There's little sign of intelligent life on Twitter, never mind over Los Angeles http://t.co/lXsG0igA > ...
Roy Jenkins and I share one or two things. Welsh background, (eventual) membership of the same party, and a birthday on November 11. As a small child I remember being pleased that so many people paraded in the streets on my birthday but did wish they looked happier about it. There tends to be exceptionally serious programmes on TV in this week also, so I have a habit of serious thinking and reading at this time rather than unalloyed celebration at the passage of years. Todays memory of war is on a semi-palindrome date 11th Day of 11th Month of ...
If this really does mark the beginning of the end of Julius Malema's career in South African politics, then this is exceptionally good news. Reuters: S.Africa's ANC suspends Malema for five years While clearly very popular with the millions of blacks living in poverty, the South Africans I know have been terrified of his potential to destroy the country's industry, economy and international standing. A reduction in his influence can only be good for the country, and the continent.
Whatever you think of Alex Salmond, you have to give him credit for forcing others to address his agenda. The question though is whether it is the right agenda at the right time? Do people really want the Government to be focussing on Independence in a time of economic crisis? David Cameron clearly has a problem with this. Judging by this article in the Independent he is finding the whole debate very distracting and would like Scotland's First Minister to get it over with so that everybody can move on. The paper says that the Prime Minister is considering a ...
The journalist Shiv Malik took a rather intriguing photo at the recent student protests. Mike Stead created this quick image. You can download the original image or my alteration with the transparency. [IMG: flattr this!]
Consett's skate park is one of the most used young people's facilities in the town. We need it. That's why I was only too pleased to get involved when I was presented with a petition from young people concerned about the facility at Belle Vue, and set about putting them in touch with the leisure team at county hall. I knew that there was a commitment from the county council that the skateboard/bike park is to be reprovided as part of the new Academy/leisure centre scheme and was delighted that there was a group of young people keen to play ...
Fri 11th
07:50Vicky Pryce's "revenge" on Chris Huhne gets the full-on Mail Jan Moir treatment - Meow!
Oh dear. Oh dear. I am particularly intrigued by the allegedly planned book called "Thirty Minutes to kill the story". Word cloud from Wordle.net [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Mark Twain O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle–be Thou near them! With them–in spirit–we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help ...
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. It is where we get the expression "at the eleventh hour" from. It was the end of the most disastrous war in British history- a war that destroyed the flower of a generation, so that when the war was resumed only twenty years later, there were very few men in their forties left to lead. A war that destroyed centuries of careful husbandry, so that when the war was resumed, only twenty years later, the financial reserves were utterly exhausted, and the national reserve had became the ...
A superb additional event for the forthcoming West End Christmas Week :
A suspiciously shiny website promoting the virtues of the Conservatives in the Coombe Vale area has come to my attention. From what I can gather it was launched on Wednesday. The news section for example has no news of the reasons for the resignations of two thirds of the councillors for the ward, but you can adopt a tree instead - if it makes you feel better. Most interestingly the local Conservatives - according to their twitter feed - appear to be bribing voters with coffee and cake - known in the archaic jargon of elections as 'treating'. Treating is ...
Desperation of hope Encounter with a carjacker in Karachi. (tags: life crime economics ) watervole: Happy Music Certainly cheered me up - thanks, Judith! (tags: videos music ) The Marianas Trench The Marianas Trench is deep. Really deep. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly deep it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to the Marianas Trench. (tags: geography ) UUP leader rejects Tory merger plan - Politics, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk "The leader of the Ulster Unionists has rejected a Conservative Party proposal that they ...
Today is Remembrance Day and this year it has stirred up a bit of controversy what with FIFA and international footballers' shirts and some extremist British Islamists who want to promote 'Hell for Heroes'. At the same time fewer and fewer people seem to wear a poppy (unless you are a TV presenter!) What does Remembrance Day mean for me? The Remembrance Days I attended at school in Edinburgh in the 1970s left a big impression on me. First it was some of the teachers. Several had seen action. One, a French teacher who was hopeless at keeping order, had ...
Tomorrow, at 11am, the Friends of Southern Cemetery will be holding our first Remembrance Ceremony at the War Memorial in the Old Cemetery. Local school children will join with cemetery staff and members of the Friends Group in remembering those of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. After the ceremony there will be hot drinks and light refreshments available in the 'Remembrance Hut' near the main entrance to the cemetery. There will also be an opportunity to view an exhibition of Armed Forces memorabilia in the hut, thoughtfully provided by Dave Harrop. If you ...
Winter weather advice to ensure people are prepared for another coldspell is available from a special Government web page. The page suggests simple things to do to help you and your family keep warm, healthy and safe. There is advice on protecting your home, health and well-being, travelling and communities. The web page is called Get ready for winter.
I spent this morning getting good and dirty at the sod cutting for the new Care Home at Drum Brae. The new 60 bed unit is being built by Graham's who did such a great job building Inchview. This brings to five the number of new care homes the Lib Dem led Council have built. Our officers can't recall an administration ever building so many! In the last year in the Drum Brae area the Lib Dem led council have built a new library and Day Centre where more than a hundred council staff and police will be located and ...
