Canny lass

I'm sure this will make totally riveting reading for Vic and HPW. I'll stick to Private Eye and wait for the synopsis! Interesting to see the extent of the area worked at Netherton Colliery though. BIG!

“Tenants will not be affected adversely by these changes and all current programmes and projects will continue.” Does this not include Bedlington?

Something similar was clubbed through here a couple of months ago. (Comes into force January 2019). However, all that glistens is not gold. Certainly, we won't be paying £240 a year in licence fees but we will be paying a new 'public service tax'. This will be payable by ALL people over the age of 18 years who have an income above a certain level (currently set at £13,000 pa). It's reckoned that about 70% will pay the full whack - estimated to be £130 pa. - while approx. 20% will pay a reduced amount and 10% will pay nothing at all. Single parent families come out as winners while your average family of '2 working adults with 2½ children' comes out slightly worse off with a public servicee tax bill of £260 pa. The broadcasting service remains unchanged.

I wasn't imagining my visits then! I would have been 5 or 6 years old at that time. That's certainly the 'Virol' jar I remember but looking at those photos I now think it was maybe a manufacturer's name rather than the name of the product. I can't imagine bone marrow tasting like sticky toffee - not even in my wildest dreams! They must have made several different products.

was the Alma still open (as a food office) in the early fifties? I have vague recollections of going there with my older sister to get National dried milk - in a blue and white tin, cod-liver oil, a foul tasting orange juice concentrate and a wonderful malt 'extract' sold in earthenware jars. I think it was called 'Virol'.

Have you tried moving your armchair nearer the stove?

Have you tried shortening the chain to the kitchen stove? She's obviously being allowed to move too far away from it.

I must be a bad lass then, cos I get thet message as well!

Well, there is a well known butcher's shop just a stones throw away and they sell excellent pies. Just saying.

I wa tempted to ask if it was any relation to Sweeney - but I thought better of it.

Feedback: No more problems here! Thanks again.

Great stuff! Always good when another piece of the puzzle falls into place

Hello Peter, On maps from 1898 there are no allotments mentioned but there are two areas marked out - one to the south of the reservoir and one to the east of Sleekburn Cottage. On maps dated 1924 both areas are given as "Allotment Gardens". Could your relative have had an allotment in either of these?

Thanks Andy.

If so, why has Newsbot not picked up on it?

Is there something going on that I don't know about?

Thanks Eggy! it's really irritating. Hopefully somebody can rid me of the nuisance.

Is anybody else having problems accessing this site? For the past 10 days I'm always met by the following message when I try to access the bedders site: Sorry, there is a problem. Something went wrong,. Please try again. Error code EXO. There is a "Contact us" button but I'm always very wary of these. I usually manage to gain access after 3-4 attempts in different windows but it's getting a bit tedious. Any ideas from the computer-knowledgeable members amongst us?

I certainly have!

Barred? 3g? Never!! I think he’s just busy practising his story telling, a real performance f.. Sorry merc, I see now that you wrote performance ART. I’ll start again. Barred? 3g? Never!! I think he’s just busy practicing his soft shoe shuffle for the grand opening. Live entertainment! That’s what social meeting places are all about folks.

Go for it! I once had a hankering for a floating gin palace at Cambois but it never seemed to take shape.

Will he have time to run a pub when he's PM and if so, will it be allowed?

Me too!

Having enjoyed the status of immigrant/emigrant – depending on which side of the North Sea you view it from – for much more than 15 years, I was not allowed a vote in the Brexit referendum. Therefore, I have not had the privilege of seeing an actual ballot paper. Can anyone tell me just how the question was worded? I imagined a simple yes/no type of question, along the lines of ‘Should the UK remain a member of the EU?’ Answer YES or NO. When the whole democratic process of the referendum had ended the answer was a very democratically decided “ NO, the UK should not remain in the EU”. I, bless my naivety, expected the NO voters to be delighted and the YES voters to be disappointed. I, bless my naivety again, expected the British to accept the decision with good grace and let the government - who are not only paid to do so but also democratically elected to do so – get the business done. Oh, silly me. The NO voters are still whining. Why? You won, for heaven’s sake! As far as I know you weren’t asked in the referendum HOW the exit should take place or WHEN it should take place. However, you have had your chance to say WHO should get the job done. Britain, being the democracy that it is, has a democratically elected parliament and government. It was elected by both the No and the YES voters. That parliament includes an opposition and the government is only as effective as that opposition allows it to be. That’s the great thing about democracy – EVERYBODY gets to have their say. The sad side of democracy is that you can’t please everybody. Stop getting your knickers in a twist over what’s to be. The quality of good, substantial British knicker –elastic being what it is means you’ll probably strangle yourself in the process. I feel a song coming on: Que será será whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see, que será será Eggy, should we start a choir?

That's probably the most sensible thing I've heard on the subject of Brexit.