Canny lass

Good luck, Malcolm and the rest of you - USE YOUR VOTE!!!!!!!!!!

Just testing to see if you're awake! You're right, of course. I saw "Station Street", "Cooperative" and the 'pointy' bit of the building and thought I knew where I was. I must get stronger specs and remember to take my medicine every morning.

Pleased to see it's still in use. My life-long passion for tap-dancing was kindled and nurtured on the second floor. It's amazing how the floorboards held with 50-60 youngsters giving it six nowt every Monday evening! Fish & chips before catching the Raisbecks home again. Those were the days.

Couldn't have put it better myself, Pete. Go for it Malcolm and get out there and vote the rest of you!!

"Good" is a bit of an understatement, Foxy. I think it looks fantastic!!

I sincerely hope you haven'ät been hit by this storm. We found ourselves without electricity and marooned for 5 days, unable to come out on any road after hurricane Gudrun in january 2005. Looking out of the window it looked as though we were living in the middle of a giant sized game of spillikins. It was a nightmare, even if we were well prepared for it. Here, it's quite common for families to switch off the electricity for a weekend 3 or 4 times a year and practice emergency routines. The BBQ comes in handy for preparing meals, Brian. Other tips i can give you from our experience: Keep a box containing the first available requirements in a place where you can easily find it in the dark. It should contain a torch, matches, batteries, candles,a hurricane lamp and a battery operated radio. Fill any empty space in the freezer with bedding. Duvets go well in chest freezers, pillows go well in upright freezers. Keep a stock of bottled water at home for drinking and cooking. Snow also works well if it's available. Know where your nearest source of river/stream/pond water is for flushing the toilet, a compost heap is a second best but a bit nippy with your drawers down in January! You can keep one decent sized room (approx 40 sq. metres) reasonably warm by keeping a dozen candles burning. If you're able to use your car, you'll be able to charge mobile telephones etc. Stock up with BBQ brickettes at the end of the summer season when they are cheap and you can use the BBQ to cook food during winter power cuts. Try to have a store of frozen/canned food that will last a week. You can have a half decent, warm shower standing in a plastic washing up bowl and using 2 litres of water heated on a fire/BBQ A plastic bottle filled with warm water makes a nice hot water bottle - and you can use the water again. Give it a bash! Try a weekend without electricity now and then. It's well worth the effort when the real thing unexpectedly comes a long.

Ha ha! Only when it's for 'medicinal' purposes.

You almost had me going with that! It's not April 1st is it?

It's probably all over bar the shouting down under but happy birthday anyway. Hope you're enjoying it!

Thanks guys! I've never seen 'notification settings'. I've been dealing with it under 'manage followed content'. I've made a few changes so hopefully the problem is solved. If not can I come back on it?

Following again after that second post, despite having unfollowed after the first, and I suppose I'll be following again when I've posted this. Help!

Yep! I'm automatically following this as well. Anybody else having this problem?

The past month or so I seem to automatically follow any topic I participate in. This results in many notifications in my e-mail which I feel I could live without. I've tried changing my settings to 'no notifications' and I've tried 'unfollowing' without success (latest attempt 5 minutes ago so we'll see how it goes with this topic). Is it some new feature of the forum that we automatically follow a topic if we participate in the discussion?

The police actively encourage the reporting of all crime here, no matter how petty the offence may be.They are also honest and tell you that there's very little chance of the offender being caught if the crime is low priority - simple thefts etc. The reason is not enough police officers. The only way to get more resources is by showing the true amount of crime on their patch. If people don't report crimes - for whatever reason - the policing will remain at a very low level.

Happy birthday Vic. Another year, another ache but research has shown that those with the most birthdays live longest!

Indeed. Life in the country isn't all about shovelling snow!

Oh dear! I'd better start locking my front door! It hasn't been locked in over 30 years (true) and neither has my car!

Thanks Eggy! Never heard of those. I couldn't get my head round a missing doorbell and a bell that could still ring without it! As I said - I must be leading a sheltered life here. I must try to get out more.

I must be living a very sheltered life here. How on earth do you pinch a doorbell!

Got it!

Just for a second I read that as 'country' seat! You wouldn't believe the picture that flew into my head. I'm sure you'd give your all at county level as well. Some people are made like that.

What you've actually done is put 'the people of Bedlington' before your private life for two years. I hope it's been appreciated. However, I understand the need to take a break. Would a week-end off not do the trick?

I see what you mean, Foxy. I wonder why they bother to explain that one particular councillor "is not a member of the Services Committee" and thereby excusing his absence. Given his attendance rate at full council meetings, he doesn't appear to be a member of the full Council either. Any possible explanation would have been better placed under that table. In saying that I'm assuming that his absence isn't caused by some legit. reason such as ill health. In other matters, well done Malcolm and supporting cast. I think Bedlington has stepped upp to the spoon very nicely the past few years. It's starting to look really nice and while appearances are not the be all and end all of everything they do go an awful long way in helping to promote a place. Malcolm, why are you joining us 'commoners' again? You've only just got your mayor's hat nicely warmed up. Why discard it now?

Me too, Symptoms - not that I would ever dream of writing anything long!