One local chap is recorded as saying that the law will take its course, and that life goes on as usual (or words to that effect). Very true, for all the media hype and feeding frenzy which will now ensue.
Yes. They have to keep on reporting even when there's nothing new to say.
"And now over to X at Windsor for an update".
"Actually, Clive, I haven't got one".
As if ...
True enough, but with the case now presumably sub judice, there's not a lot they can say, other than speculation.
Dear me. The late Queen would have been much vexed, to say the least, but My Old Mum (an ardent fan of the royals) would have had a hard time just trying to comprehend the whole Epstein/Andrew affair...
Meanwhile, the rain, it raineth.
PIE n'CHIPS with BAKED BEANS for lunch - comfort food, indeed.
Cold here today. I did my aerobics class followed by coffee with friends and a few errands before home for lunch.
This afternoon necessitated me reading a document of 168 pages related to the house we're proposing to buy. I am fast losing the will to live.
Mrs BF and I once received a similarly-sized document regarding the late 15thC house we were proposing to buy. It was the Surveyor's report, complete with graphic colour photos of the dry rot, wet rot, and death-watch beetle ravages...the lovely peg-tiled roof needed to be completely stripped, and the 18thC tiles re-used, where still sound...the electrics and plumbing (1950s) required total replacement...and the plaster infill on virtually every wall had to be removed, with appropriate materials substituted.
I guess I understand it in that case. Our proposed move is into a house only 2.5 years old.
I've had an exciting day: having been kicked awake by Mr Nen at 4.15am (he was having a nightmare) and unable to get back to sleep afterwards, I had a hair trim this morning with a new hairdresser at my usual place. I always ask for a "dry trim" and up until now it's been what I expected. The new person drenched my hair so much with a spray that she then had to blow dry it and I've always disliked not only having my hair blow dried but the feeling of it afterwards - that bouffant, straight-out-of-the-salon look and feel. It was a cold day, otherwise I'd have told her not to bother, as I always come home and shower after a hair cut to get rid of those itchy hair bits that get lodged in your clothes.
She also, slightly condescendingly, asked if I trim my fringe myself, to which the answer was yes - because there was a time when regulars could go in and get that done free of charge, but now it's at least £7 a time. I am not paying that every time the fringe gets into my eyes.
I met with friends for coffee and chat after lunch and am looking forward to spaghetti bolognese for tea, washed down with red wine.
Dear me. The late Queen would have been much vexed, to say the least, but My Old Mum (an ardent fan of the royals) would have had a hard time just trying to comprehend the whole Epstein/Andrew affair...
My mother, on the other hand, was an ardent republican. She certainly thought the whole crew were a waste of space, whereas I have a soft spot for King Charles.
I spent two hours this morning freezing in the local parish church sewing knitted flowers onto net as part of a display to celebrate 400 years of having a mayor in our town, and 250 years since the Town Hall was built. It’ll look great when it’s in place. I can knit, but my sewing skills are dodgy, so I hope the flowers I attached don’t fall off.
A lazy afternoon which included a nap and some more knitting. This evening will be dedicated to a nicce bottle of red wine.
@Puzzler - resist any and all attempts to make you take on the role of secretary - a thankless task if ever there was one!
Yesterday I finally got round to signing my Will and Power of Attorney, which I've been intending to do since I started in my present job, and it turns out to be a perk: all I had to pay was the registration fees with the OPG.
Well, I did type them myself ...
Mixed weather here today; I got Somewhat Damp at lunchtime, and Really Quite Wet on the way home, although my computer was telling me it was 11°, which is Rather Warm. Must be because I've just bought a pair of very comfortable red boots, which have made my trotters extremely happy.
I had a lovely catch up with my friend back from Spain for just this week, but she is off again tomorrow until Holy Week.
Then French group, where we waxed lyrical about “ then and now”. More precisely, we discussed which things are better today, and which things worse, than when we were young. Really interesting. Conclusion: in practical and financial terms things are much better today, and at our age, less stressed, more relaxed, making the most of our more leisurely lives, whereas younger people seem less happy, more stressed, more troubled, despite ( or because of?) all the improved opportunities and possibilities, technological advantages etc etc today. We touched on so many aspects that there is scope for many more future conversations.
The heavens opened at the end, so we had to wait before we dared emerge to go home.
Tomorrow I am going to a Come & Sing which means a very early start.
Usual day here, I marked some essays (policy in end of life care), I wrote a study skills tutorial (referencing again) and then I prepped my next lot of essay marking for next week (child and youth mental health advocacy/activism).
Tea was Chinese beef with sticky rice, with the novelty of a turmeric latte for dessert. I am now having a ‘rangpur lime’ gin and tonic.
Well, since last night's parish council meeting we no longer live in a village but a town. OK, I think the paperwork may take a little while but the decision has been made!
Just finishing off a rather late dinner of homemade pizza. We went over to the parental Knotweeds' abode this evening to drop off a little shopping and a Medium Bear who appeared in my car yesterday, and some time was spent chatting. The car was serviced yesterday, and the guy bringing it out informed me that I'd acquired a copilot Free gift of a rather nice Medium Bear 🧸 He's being passed on to my youngest niece (aged 9), since I have as many Bears as I want right now, and she'll appreciate him
Really not looking forward to tomorrow's networking event - there has been someone at the last few who has no idea how patronising it is telling people in my situation how they should be positive. If they do it again tomorrow there is a fair chance I will be banned from the events for life... even if I'm not jailed for life!
I will have to read further down this thread to find out how things went.
Toxic Positivity is the name for the practice of telling people how they should be positive, and I would have no hesitation in calling it out. In our pastoral care group I educated some in not doing this, as they did not realise that they were saying this sort of thing to make themselves feel good that they had done something, rather than actually being empathic.
In the UK, there is no strict legal definition for when a village becomes a town, but it typically occurs when a settlement adopts a town council or reaches a population threshold, often considered to be between 2,500 and 7,500 residents. While smaller places often have parish councils, a shift to a town council signifies this change, often accompanied by increased services like schools, libraries, and a commercial centre.
Our 'village' has been a town since the 10th century, and in 1202 it was granted a Royal Charter by King John, formalizing its status and allowing it to hold markets.
We have a town hall, town council and town center. And only 2000 residents.
Anyone who calls it a village quickly gets corrected!
Today is our last full day in Blighty (as my brother-in-law would say). On Thursday night the family - children and grandchildren as well as we the in-laws - met at a long-time favourite Indian Restaurant of his to remember him.
We had planned this three week visit with the idea that we could go to the funeral, but it seems that funerals here take longer to plan, so it will be mid-March before the funeral director and the Bluebell cemetery will be available. We have visited the cemetery and my sister has chosen a site in the woodland area that they have.
(And that reminds me that I should visit my mother's grave in Sevenoaks today.)
Tuesday (actually Monday night at 11pm) we will be back in Oz and straight back into searching for a downsizing home in Brisbane which, unlike our country town, has decent public transport and access to the facilities that people in our 70s need.
In the UK, there is no strict legal definition for when a village becomes a town, but it typically occurs when a settlement adopts a town council or reaches a population threshold, often considered to be between 2,500 and 7,500 residents. While smaller places often have parish councils, a shift to a town council signifies this change, often accompanied by increased services like schools, libraries, and a commercial centre.
Our 'village' has been a town since the 10th century, and in 1202 it was granted a Royal Charter by King John, formalizing its status and allowing it to hold markets.
We have a town hall, town council and town center. And only 2000 residents.
Anyone who calls it a village quickly gets corrected!
Well, having been there, your place certainly looks like a town, albeit a small one!
But what is the difference between a town council and a parish/village one?
Well, I've been googling when I should be out walking the dog and the answer seems to be 'as long as a piece of string!'
A parish can be as small as a hamlet or as large as a major town, with size driven by historical boundaries, population density, or administrative consolidation.
Parish and town councils are both the same legal entity—the lowest tier of local government in England—serving local communities by managing amenities like parks, community halls, and allotments. The primary difference is symbolic: a town council represents an urban area and elects a Mayor for civic pride, while a parish council typically serves a smaller, rural village.
Well, since last night's parish council meeting we no longer live in a village but a town.
Please explain.
News story here. Makes very little difference to most things, but slightly more planning protection. @Sandemaniac has pointed out on occasion that he's lived in a city smaller than this place!
That is a large size for a village. Our village, which goes back to Domesday, became a borough of Cambridge in 1934 but was still clearly a ‘village’ until recently, with green spaces separating us from Cambridge. The occasional thatched cottage on the high street and a Norman parish church helped maintain the look. Since around 2010 we have had several thousand houses surround us (there is a huge new estate about 4 metres from my back gate built on the previous farm fields) and we are now definitely a suburb. But like many other newer Cambridge suburbs we still have the village sign in place.
I need to get up and go for a walk, then potter in the garden. I might do a little writing later.
I had some very nice sausages from Kidlington more than sixty years ago while on a narrow boat holiday. I think there will be more interest in Town and Parish councils when local government reorganisation goes ahead. Having a council that knows the area will become more important when the seat of local government may well be some distance away.
We’re off for a night away in the city to the west. One of my husband’s friends is celebrating his retirement. When we moved down to London we introduced that friend to some of mine so they’ll also be my old drinking crew there too.
Well, since last night's parish council meeting we no longer live in a village but a town.
Please explain.
News story here. Makes very little difference to most things, but slightly more planning protection. @Sandemaniac has pointed out on occasion that he's lived in a city smaller than this place!
@Sandemaniac , when not pondering what happens when you tag yourself in a conversation, grew up somewhere so rural the nearest village was over half a mile away, and is therefore prone to using the words "rustic wank fantasy" around people who people who get up themselves about it "Being A Village!".
Here at Casa Nen the sorting and boxing up of things is in full swing (no moving date yet, but working towards the second week of March... there are a couple of things that have to be sorted out before exchange of contracts...) and mutual irritation with each other is not far away .
We are out to a meal with friends this evening so that's the shining light at the end of the tunnel (or is that the oncoming train?).
If you can see two lights - at buffer-beam level - it's an approaching express passenger train. Hie yourself into the refuge niches immediately.
Grey and dull in Arkland the Mild, but at least it's dry for a while. S&Q in the wheelhouse, I think, after lunch, which is FISH PIE. It's a fishy day, in fact, food-wise, as there are PRAWNS to be eaten, probably this evening.
I live in a place fondly described by the locals as 'the largest village in England' so I suppose I should be grateful that there is now less competition for the title! (It is also a smallish town in everything but title, though )
The residential area which lies at the top of the hill above Arkland is locally referred to as 'the village', although AFAIK it has never had its own council, and is very much part of Our Town, politically speaking.
Many years ago, there was much less in the way of housing in the vicinity, and They actually built a new road (now lined with some very desirable residences, many inhabited by doctors and consultants) in about 1908 to get the trams to their terminus at the top of the hill. Today's buses don't actually go more than half-a-mile or so before terminating at the point where Our Town suddenly becomes Countryside, even though the tramway system was done away with nearly a century ago (1930)...
'The village' has a pub/restaurant, a chippie, a Chinese takeaway, a Co-Op and another convenience store, a pharmacy, a GP surgery, a small but well-kept Village Hall, a fine modern infant/primary school, and (last, but not least) an Anglican church with a weekly Sunday service...no Po Stoffis, alas - that went about 20 years ago.
Until recently, there was a Baptist chapel, which fell on hard times, and this is now used by a Pentecostal gathered congregation which doesn't seem to be made up of local people AFAIK.
Whereas our town has suddenly become a 'city'. No changes at all for the average resident except for expensive changes to every Civic sign, flag, banner, publicity event etc etc.
My town( we have a town council with a Mayor ) is called a village by those who have lived here a long time, even though the population has increased to over 1,000. But we have a charter for a market going back centuries, a post office, library, station, three pubs, two chippies, countless take-aways and several other eating places. No large supermarket, but most things can be bought here. Sadly the last bank has closed.
The Come and Sing tackled Verdi’s Requiem ( extracts ) and went well, although the building was cold, with water dripping through the roof of the hall, but there was plenty of cake.
My threshold for a village becoming a town is the acquisition of a secondary school, which we have. We also have a hospital (no A&E), a Post Office and churches of several denominations. We have 2 pharmacies and until recently had 2 butchers.
I was brought up in St Albans, one of the smaller cities, and work in Hull which is definitely city-sized but I think was only graced with the title relatively recently.
May have mentioned this before, but cities and towns and villages are quite different off the left hand side of the map. My favourite is in New York State: the Village of Johnson City. Then there is Goshen, NY, that stubbornly insists on being a village despite being the county town. But otherwise, if it has a water tower and a sewage works, it's probably a town.
The road sign for Kirkwall, where I grew up, welcomes you to "the City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall". The Royal Burgh bit is beyond dispute: it got a charter from James the something or other in 1536. It has a cathedral, which in other jurisdictions would convey city status; I have a feeling it doesn't apply in Scotland, but I'm happy to think of it as a city, albeit a rather small one! ❤️
Grey, mild and intermittently damp in West Lothian, where I got rather more exercise than intended. I ambled along to the phone repair shop where I'd bought my seized-up Tablet, and they said to come back in half an hour, which I did.
After some snoozage, I watched most of the Wales - Scotland match - wow! 🏴
Today has been my birthday. We had Made Plans for a nice meal out, but both my wife and I have been suffering the tail-end of a debilitating Lurgy, which has drained us (and used up 50% of the world's supply of tissues). So we have had a rather dull day, albeit with calls from my son (at work) and the rest of his family (at home) and also my sister. We did have a little cake (courtesy of Asda), also a nice dinner (courtesy of Waitrose) and will hope to have that Meal at a later date! A good thing we hadn't booked to go away this weekend.
Our previous location was a village the size of a small town, and during the 30+ years we were there all suggestion that it should change its status were firmly rebuffed.
We moved away 10years ago, and there has been a lot of redevelopment around the edges since then so, prompted by he last few posts here, I had a look to see if the situation has changed - but no, in spite of now having a population of 8,621 (2021census) it is still a village.
Just wondering how much bigger it will have to get before the parish council call it quits!
Happy Birthday, BT, I hope you are feeling better soon.
Gardening achieved this morning, followed by housework, though we did them slouch in front of the TV to watch the Winter Olympics. The food has been good though; lunch was muntjac saddle in a baguette with brie, and tea was home-cooked skate and chips and a glass or two of Il Grillo.
Our previous location was a village the size of a small town, and during the 30+ years we were there all suggestion that it should change its status were firmly rebuffed.
We moved away 10years ago, and there has been a lot of redevelopment around the edges since then so, prompted by he last few posts here, I had a look to see if the situation has changed - but no, in spite of now having a population of 8,621 (2021census) it is still a village.
Just wondering how much bigger it will have to get before the parish council call it quits!
A bit bigger, I think. Our village population was 17,164 in 2011, and is also still growing!
Delightful to be spotting some signs of spring. Heard a blackcap singing as I was walking into town. Heard and saw some great tits on my way back.
Though in between I narrowly avoided getting run over by a car driver who chose to ignore both their own indicator stalk and the zebra crossing which I was in the middle of.
Excellent sermon from the visiting NSM this morning.
The Church Warden informed us that the vacant post will be readvertised, so that’s at least another three months to wait.
I've got myself a new wet weather hobby - so the sun has come out! 😂
I'm not complaining.
So I shall go out and get some gardening done before I start my new venture.
I've bought myself a lovely new fountain pen and an adult handwriting book.
My handwriting is good and always has been, but I would like it to be really nice with a little bit of flair. Then I shall start writing letters to people.
Well done Boogie! It seems to have extended well beyond Boogie Wonderland: it was so mild and sunny here that I had a little amble beside the loch after church and said hello to the ducks. I probably undid any good it might have done by picking up a BACON SANDWICH on the way back, but I enjoyed it (the amble and the sandwich).
Laundry is tumbling, and a gentle Sunday afternoon beckons.
Beautiful sunny day here too. We had a very nice time in city to the west last night, though next time I think I'll get my husband to chose the restaurant and I'll chose the hotel. Neither were as good as they should have been, though the staff in both almost made up for the shortcomings. We arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon yesterday and I realised I hadn't packed my coat. There was a large Sainsburys next door to the hotel so I went and bought one in their sale. It's bright red and rather big for me, but I think it'll be useful. One friend has suggested I go to the Denton and Gorton by-election for a spot of canvassing. This morning we went to the 'get 25% off' event at a favourite shop. I now also have some lightweight summer trousers and a summer jacket. Husband picked up a new shirt. He said he wanted a plain one, but ended up with one with a rather strong pattern. It does go well with his suit jacket though which is what he thought when he spotted it.
Mild and dry here too. Our town has a pop of just around 1000, but as its charter was granted 800 years ago we're not about to downgrade ourselves any time soon.
Fordwich in Kent is widely considered the smallest town in the UK by population, with approximately 372 residents. Other exceptionally small towns include Broughton in Furness (approx. 529), Stockbridge in Hampshire (approx. 592), and Manningtree in Essex. These locations are often small due to having retained town charters from medieval times, despite not growing in population or size in the centuries since.
That's true of our town.
(Mark gurgling? I do a lot of my typing by voice but the speech recognition software doesn't always understand my accent so 'more googling' come out as Mark gurgling! So I just had to leave it. 😂)
I went to the early service at Our Place and had some nice conversations with people over coffee afterwards. Then home, lunch, and on with the inevitable sorting. I went through the food cupboard and found more out of date stuff than I care to admit.
Roast chicken for tea tonight, washed down with white wine. We had a lovely evening with our friends last night and as they don't drink white wine, and two people had brought a bottle, we came back with an almost full one.
The weather may very well be milder today, but I have been quite chilly. We had rain falling in various degrees of enthusiasm up until mid afternoon, but as soon as that dried up we had a sea fret blow in. Now it's just dank and dismal.
Barometer has dropped quite bit over the last couple of days, so TV reception has ceased for the main channels. That means we've not seen any of today's winter olympics events. Some of the minor channels are 'glitching' a bit, so they may not last the evening.
I am frittering slices of the day away in front of my computer watching the Peter Davison series of "Campion" from the first episode, and rather enjoying it so far.
Originally posted by Boogie: I would like it to be really nice with a little bit of flair.
I recently came across a Will, written in 1847, in which the writer added a heart shaped flourish to some of his capital letters - B, I, J, R and S . I was very taken with it; it was obviously a male hand, and so the multitude of hearts avoided the "teenage girl dotting "i" with hearts" look, but - wee love hearts all over the place! I wish I could write like that, but suspect it would look foolish. Perhaps it works best in sombre sentences such as "to my Sisters, or the Survivor of them, All and Sundry..."
I bought 20 small plug Primulas in bloom for £10 from Lidl. I know they will have been forced in a hothouse somewhere and will wilt at the first hard frost, but right just now my front garden is studded with wee glimmers of pink and yellow and it makes my heart sing. It has been a long winter.
Comments
"And now over to X at Windsor for an update".
"Actually, Clive, I haven't got one".
As if ...
Dear me. The late Queen would have been much vexed, to say the least, but My Old Mum (an ardent fan of the royals) would have had a hard time just trying to comprehend the whole Epstein/Andrew affair...
Meanwhile, the rain, it raineth.
PIE n'CHIPS with BAKED BEANS for lunch - comfort food, indeed.
I've had an exciting day: having been kicked awake by Mr Nen at 4.15am (he was having a nightmare) and unable to get back to sleep afterwards, I had a hair trim this morning with a new hairdresser at my usual place. I always ask for a "dry trim" and up until now it's been what I expected. The new person drenched my hair so much with a spray that she then had to blow dry it and I've always disliked not only having my hair blow dried but the feeling of it afterwards - that bouffant, straight-out-of-the-salon look and feel. It was a cold day, otherwise I'd have told her not to bother, as I always come home and shower after a hair cut to get rid of those itchy hair bits that get lodged in your clothes.
She also, slightly condescendingly, asked if I trim my fringe myself, to which the answer was yes - because there was a time when regulars could go in and get that done free of charge, but now it's at least £7 a time. I am not paying that every time the fringe gets into my eyes.
I met with friends for coffee and chat after lunch and am looking forward to spaghetti bolognese for tea, washed down with red wine.
Hoping to feel less grumpy tomorrow.
I spent two hours this morning freezing in the local parish church sewing knitted flowers onto net as part of a display to celebrate 400 years of having a mayor in our town, and 250 years since the Town Hall was built. It’ll look great when it’s in place. I can knit, but my sewing skills are dodgy, so I hope the flowers I attached don’t fall off.
A lazy afternoon which included a nap and some more knitting. This evening will be dedicated to a nicce bottle of red wine.
Yesterday I finally got round to signing my Will and Power of Attorney, which I've been intending to do since I started in my present job, and it turns out to be a perk: all I had to pay was the registration fees with the OPG.
Well, I did type them myself ...
Mixed weather here today; I got Somewhat Damp at lunchtime, and Really Quite Wet on the way home, although my computer was telling me it was 11°, which is Rather Warm. Must be because I've just bought a pair of very comfortable red boots, which have made my trotters extremely happy.
I had a lovely catch up with my friend back from Spain for just this week, but she is off again tomorrow until Holy Week.
Then French group, where we waxed lyrical about “ then and now”. More precisely, we discussed which things are better today, and which things worse, than when we were young. Really interesting. Conclusion: in practical and financial terms things are much better today, and at our age, less stressed, more relaxed, making the most of our more leisurely lives, whereas younger people seem less happy, more stressed, more troubled, despite ( or because of?) all the improved opportunities and possibilities, technological advantages etc etc today. We touched on so many aspects that there is scope for many more future conversations.
The heavens opened at the end, so we had to wait before we dared emerge to go home.
Tomorrow I am going to a Come & Sing which means a very early start.
Tea was Chinese beef with sticky rice, with the novelty of a turmeric latte for dessert. I am now having a ‘rangpur lime’ gin and tonic.
Just finishing off a rather late dinner of homemade pizza. We went over to the parental Knotweeds' abode this evening to drop off a little shopping and a Medium Bear who appeared in my car yesterday, and some time was spent chatting. The car was serviced yesterday, and the guy bringing it out informed me that I'd acquired a copilot
I will have to read further down this thread to find out how things went.
Toxic Positivity is the name for the practice of telling people how they should be positive, and I would have no hesitation in calling it out. In our pastoral care group I educated some in not doing this, as they did not realise that they were saying this sort of thing to make themselves feel good that they had done something, rather than actually being empathic.
Our 'village' has been a town since the 10th century, and in 1202 it was granted a Royal Charter by King John, formalizing its status and allowing it to hold markets.
We have a town hall, town council and town center. And only 2000 residents.
Anyone who calls it a village quickly gets corrected!
We had planned this three week visit with the idea that we could go to the funeral, but it seems that funerals here take longer to plan, so it will be mid-March before the funeral director and the Bluebell cemetery will be available. We have visited the cemetery and my sister has chosen a site in the woodland area that they have.
(And that reminds me that I should visit my mother's grave in Sevenoaks today.)
Tuesday (actually Monday night at 11pm) we will be back in Oz and straight back into searching for a downsizing home in Brisbane which, unlike our country town, has decent public transport and access to the facilities that people in our 70s need.
Well, having been there, your place certainly looks like a town, albeit a small one!
But what is the difference between a town council and a parish/village one?
News story here. Makes very little difference to most things, but slightly more planning protection. @Sandemaniac has pointed out on occasion that he's lived in a city smaller than this place!
That is a large size for a village. Our village, which goes back to Domesday, became a borough of Cambridge in 1934 but was still clearly a ‘village’ until recently, with green spaces separating us from Cambridge. The occasional thatched cottage on the high street and a Norman parish church helped maintain the look. Since around 2010 we have had several thousand houses surround us (there is a huge new estate about 4 metres from my back gate built on the previous farm fields) and we are now definitely a suburb. But like many other newer Cambridge suburbs we still have the village sign in place.
I need to get up and go for a walk, then potter in the garden. I might do a little writing later.
We’re off for a night away in the city to the west. One of my husband’s friends is celebrating his retirement. When we moved down to London we introduced that friend to some of mine so they’ll also be my old drinking crew there too.
@Sandemaniac , when not pondering what happens when you tag yourself in a conversation, grew up somewhere so rural the nearest village was over half a mile away, and is therefore prone to using the words "rustic wank fantasy" around people who people who get up themselves about it "Being A Village!".
This may be because, at heart, I'm a grumpy arse.
Nothing. How dull!
We are out to a meal with friends this evening so that's the shining light at the end of the tunnel (or is that the oncoming train?).
If you can see two lights - at buffer-beam level - it's an approaching express passenger train. Hie yourself into the refuge niches immediately.
Grey and dull in Arkland the Mild, but at least it's dry for a while. S&Q in the wheelhouse, I think, after lunch, which is FISH PIE. It's a fishy day, in fact, food-wise, as there are PRAWNS to be eaten, probably this evening.
Many years ago, there was much less in the way of housing in the vicinity, and They actually built a new road (now lined with some very desirable residences, many inhabited by doctors and consultants) in about 1908 to get the trams to their terminus at the top of the hill. Today's buses don't actually go more than half-a-mile or so before terminating at the point where Our Town suddenly becomes Countryside, even though the tramway system was done away with nearly a century ago (1930)...
'The village' has a pub/restaurant, a chippie, a Chinese takeaway, a Co-Op and another convenience store, a pharmacy, a GP surgery, a small but well-kept Village Hall, a fine modern infant/primary school, and (last, but not least) an Anglican church with a weekly Sunday service...no Po Stoffis, alas - that went about 20 years ago.
Until recently, there was a Baptist chapel, which fell on hard times, and this is now used by a Pentecostal gathered congregation which doesn't seem to be made up of local people AFAIK.
The Come and Sing tackled Verdi’s Requiem ( extracts ) and went well, although the building was cold, with water dripping through the roof of the hall, but there was plenty of cake.
I was brought up in St Albans, one of the smaller cities, and work in Hull which is definitely city-sized but I think was only graced with the title relatively recently.
Grey, mild and intermittently damp in West Lothian, where I got rather more exercise than intended. I ambled along to the phone repair shop where I'd bought my seized-up Tablet, and they said to come back in half an hour, which I did.
After some snoozage, I watched most of the Wales - Scotland match - wow! 🏴
Then Piglet's Pancetta Pasta for supper.
The rugby was good even though Wales lost.
We moved away 10years ago, and there has been a lot of redevelopment around the edges since then so, prompted by he last few posts here, I had a look to see if the situation has changed - but no, in spite of now having a population of 8,621 (2021census) it is still a village.
Just wondering how much bigger it will have to get before the parish council call it quits!
Gardening achieved this morning, followed by housework, though we did them slouch in front of the TV to watch the Winter Olympics. The food has been good though; lunch was muntjac saddle in a baguette with brie, and tea was home-cooked skate and chips and a glass or two of Il Grillo.
A bit bigger, I think. Our village population was 17,164 in 2011, and is also still growing!
Though in between I narrowly avoided getting run over by a car driver who chose to ignore both their own indicator stalk and the zebra crossing which I was in the middle of.
Excellent sermon from the visiting NSM this morning.
The Church Warden informed us that the vacant post will be readvertised, so that’s at least another three months to wait.
I hope you and Mrs BT are feeling better today, @Baptist Trainfan .
I'm not complaining.
So I shall go out and get some gardening done before I start my new venture.
I've bought myself a lovely new fountain pen and an adult handwriting book.
My handwriting is good and always has been, but I would like it to be really nice with a little bit of flair. Then I shall start writing letters to people.
Laundry is tumbling, and a gentle Sunday afternoon beckons.
Fordwich in Kent is widely considered the smallest town in the UK by population, with approximately 372 residents. Other exceptionally small towns include Broughton in Furness (approx. 529), Stockbridge in Hampshire (approx. 592), and Manningtree in Essex. These locations are often small due to having retained town charters from medieval times, despite not growing in population or size in the centuries since.
That's true of our town.
(Mark gurgling? I do a lot of my typing by voice but the speech recognition software doesn't always understand my accent so 'more googling' come out as Mark gurgling! So I just had to leave it. 😂)
Roast chicken for tea tonight, washed down with white wine. We had a lovely evening with our friends last night and as they don't drink white wine, and two people had brought a bottle, we came back with an almost full one.
Barometer has dropped quite bit over the last couple of days, so TV reception has ceased for the main channels. That means we've not seen any of today's winter olympics events. Some of the minor channels are 'glitching' a bit, so they may not last the evening.
I am frittering slices of the day away in front of my computer watching the Peter Davison series of "Campion" from the first episode, and rather enjoying it so far.
I would like it to be really nice with a little bit of flair.
I recently came across a Will, written in 1847, in which the writer added a heart shaped flourish to some of his capital letters - B, I, J, R and S . I was very taken with it; it was obviously a male hand, and so the multitude of hearts avoided the "teenage girl dotting "i" with hearts" look, but - wee love hearts all over the place! I wish I could write like that, but suspect it would look foolish. Perhaps it works best in sombre sentences such as "to my Sisters, or the Survivor of them, All and Sundry..."
I bought 20 small plug Primulas in bloom for £10 from Lidl. I know they will have been forced in a hothouse somewhere and will wilt at the first hard frost, but right just now my front garden is studded with wee glimmers of pink and yellow and it makes my heart sing. It has been a long winter.