I do not have a clue what is meant by the song "Chasing Pavements" which launched Adele's highly successful music career. Therefore, I was not instantly attracted to her music. I assumed it was a euphemism for drug taking. I wonder if its called "Chasing Sidewalks" in the USA?
Anyway, back to Pembrokeshire. Its a county that over the years I have lived here, has seen pavements being created in rural areas, primarily to create cycle paths. Presumably for the tourist industry as well as for locals. They are funded by Objective One funding by the EU.
To be honest, for the amount of use some of them get, I wonder if the money could have been better spent.
I remember a few years a go I had a letter published in the Western Telegraph querying the lack of use of the pavement from Haverfordwest that leads to the golf course. To this day, I have only ever seen it being used a couple of times.
In recent months, I have seen pavements sprout up on the A487, on the road towards Pelcomb Cross and along the A477 near Cosheston. I still have to see them in use.
I remember cyclists complained in large numbers about the cycle path near Hayston Cross roundabout in the direction of Neyland. Apparently, a farmer cut the hedging at the side of the cycle path and didn't clear up the mess, resulting in punctures galore!
Some of these cycle paths remain unused as cyclists continue to use the road, parallel to them. Others are on the opposite side of the road and a cyclist would have to cross the oncoming lane in front of busy traffic. Some of these cycle paths also suddenly come to an end and you have to rejoin the road.
Yes, Pembrokeshire is a good place to come for a cycling holiday, but as I understand it....funding is coming to an end and we won't see any more of these pavements/cycle paths funded by the EU. Yet one of the most obvious places in the whole of the County that desperately needs a pavement (in my humble opinion) is the hill that leads out of Goodwick (near Fishguard) that leads up to the Stop and Call estate. So pedestrians will still have to negotiate the traffic up/down this hill, as there is STILL no pavement.
I wish someone could chase a pavement along this stretch of road that must be at least 1/2 mile long and I would guess its more dangerous in the darkness of winter.
So whilst the EU pavement mountain seems to have ended up in Pembrokeshire, we must be grateful, but they haven't put one where there is population that would benefit from it. Whereas the others built are out in the countryside, away from villages and towns.
Maybe they could get Adele to front a campaign to chase a pavement for them ?
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Margaret Thatcher
Tomorrow is the funeral of Margaret Thatcher.
A lot was said in the years she was Prime Minister and even now, people who were not even born when she was in office, seem to have strong opinions..... mainly hatred.
I dread to think what could happen tomorrow, when the eyes of the world will be on the UK. Will there be any noticeable protests or will it go as a funeral should go? ..... Peacefully and with respect.
The first General Election I can remember was in 1970, in which Harold Wilson was replaced by Edward Heath as Prime Minister. The name Margaret Thatcher thus came onto my radar when I was about 11. Mrs Thatcher was Education Secretary.
I remember her rise to power and how she replaced Ted Heath as Conservative Party Leader in 1975.
In 1977, Britain under Labour was broke and we had to go to the IMF for a loan. Britain was labelled "The Sick Man of Europe" and the country was ripe for a change of Government. Callaghan bottled it in 1978 and went on TV to announce there would not be a General Election in the autumn. Usually, PM's go on TV to announce an election.
Callaghan probably regretted that as what followed was the Winter of Discontent, as the unions went on strike. Rubbish piled up on the streets and the dead remained unburied.
So it was no surprise that when Callaghan had to go to the county in 1979, Margaret Thatcher became our first female PM.
The rest is history and Maggie was PM for the next 11 years. Depending on your views, you either think the sun shone out of her a**e or you detested her. My own view was more in the middle. She did good, but it was the Poll Tax that was her downfall and deservedly so.
So Maggie has been there on the news for the last 43 years of my life, in some shape or form.
A PM can never get everything right, but I am sure that Maggie will still be talked about, for many years to come. This is in comparison to the likes of Gordon Brown, who lost just 3 years ago and he is now almost forgotten.
I hope to be watching the funeral tomorrow and it certainly is an end of an era. I also hope that it will not see any trouble and that she is shown the respect that anyone can expect at their funeral.
I won't post a photo of Maggie. I think we all know what she looks like.......
A lot was said in the years she was Prime Minister and even now, people who were not even born when she was in office, seem to have strong opinions..... mainly hatred.
I dread to think what could happen tomorrow, when the eyes of the world will be on the UK. Will there be any noticeable protests or will it go as a funeral should go? ..... Peacefully and with respect.
The first General Election I can remember was in 1970, in which Harold Wilson was replaced by Edward Heath as Prime Minister. The name Margaret Thatcher thus came onto my radar when I was about 11. Mrs Thatcher was Education Secretary.
I remember her rise to power and how she replaced Ted Heath as Conservative Party Leader in 1975.
In 1977, Britain under Labour was broke and we had to go to the IMF for a loan. Britain was labelled "The Sick Man of Europe" and the country was ripe for a change of Government. Callaghan bottled it in 1978 and went on TV to announce there would not be a General Election in the autumn. Usually, PM's go on TV to announce an election.
Callaghan probably regretted that as what followed was the Winter of Discontent, as the unions went on strike. Rubbish piled up on the streets and the dead remained unburied.
So it was no surprise that when Callaghan had to go to the county in 1979, Margaret Thatcher became our first female PM.
The rest is history and Maggie was PM for the next 11 years. Depending on your views, you either think the sun shone out of her a**e or you detested her. My own view was more in the middle. She did good, but it was the Poll Tax that was her downfall and deservedly so.
So Maggie has been there on the news for the last 43 years of my life, in some shape or form.
A PM can never get everything right, but I am sure that Maggie will still be talked about, for many years to come. This is in comparison to the likes of Gordon Brown, who lost just 3 years ago and he is now almost forgotten.
I hope to be watching the funeral tomorrow and it certainly is an end of an era. I also hope that it will not see any trouble and that she is shown the respect that anyone can expect at their funeral.
I won't post a photo of Maggie. I think we all know what she looks like.......
Why am I a Moonraker, you may ask?
You may wonder why I call myself Moonraker in Pembrokeshire. It has nothing whatsoever to do the James Bond film. Here is a glog article I found that lays its out perfectly. Those of us born and bred in Wiltshire are "Moonrakers".
The original location for the famous 'Wiltshire Moonraker' legend has been fiercely debated over the years by several local villages. Its most likely location however, is still believed to be the Crammer pond in Devizes, which was formerly part of the parish of Bishops Cannings.
The story goes, that in 1791, a group of smugglers based in Wiltshire had hidden contraband brandy in the Crammer pond. Their presence at the Crammer one particular moonlit night had drawn the attention of a team of excise men who had been tipped off that something untoward was going on at the Crammer. Taking cover nearby, the excise men waited patiently for their quarry. In due course the smugglers arrived and began pawing at the surface of the pond with what appeared to be rakes. Unknown to the excise men, the smugglers had also been tipped off and had hatched a cunning plan.
Seeing enough and with their suspicions aroused, the excise men broke cover and quickly confronted the smugglers enquiring as to their business. The smugglers played dumb and said they were from Bishops Cannings and were “raking out that gurt yaller cheese in yonder pond”. Briefly translated means, “we are trying to get that great yellow cheese out of the pond“.
Hearing their explanation, the excise men believed these rogues as simpletons from the village of Bishops Cannings (a village that had acquired a reputation for more then its fair share of fools over the years and had become the butt of many jokes) so were inclined to believed their ridiculous story. Satisfied they had just encountered several fools attempting to rake in a reflection of the moon on the pond thinking it were a giant cheese, they rode off. Little did they know, that the 'village idiots' had just had the last laugh.
In other words.... we may give the impress of being simple country folk, but in fact we are cleverer than you think.... hehehehehe
The photo below is that of the Crammer Pond in Devizes. With St James' Church in the background. The road in front of the houses on the left is the A361 going to the World Heritage Site of Avebury and then onto Swindon.
The original location for the famous 'Wiltshire Moonraker' legend has been fiercely debated over the years by several local villages. Its most likely location however, is still believed to be the Crammer pond in Devizes, which was formerly part of the parish of Bishops Cannings.
The story goes, that in 1791, a group of smugglers based in Wiltshire had hidden contraband brandy in the Crammer pond. Their presence at the Crammer one particular moonlit night had drawn the attention of a team of excise men who had been tipped off that something untoward was going on at the Crammer. Taking cover nearby, the excise men waited patiently for their quarry. In due course the smugglers arrived and began pawing at the surface of the pond with what appeared to be rakes. Unknown to the excise men, the smugglers had also been tipped off and had hatched a cunning plan.
Seeing enough and with their suspicions aroused, the excise men broke cover and quickly confronted the smugglers enquiring as to their business. The smugglers played dumb and said they were from Bishops Cannings and were “raking out that gurt yaller cheese in yonder pond”. Briefly translated means, “we are trying to get that great yellow cheese out of the pond“.
Hearing their explanation, the excise men believed these rogues as simpletons from the village of Bishops Cannings (a village that had acquired a reputation for more then its fair share of fools over the years and had become the butt of many jokes) so were inclined to believed their ridiculous story. Satisfied they had just encountered several fools attempting to rake in a reflection of the moon on the pond thinking it were a giant cheese, they rode off. Little did they know, that the 'village idiots' had just had the last laugh.
In other words.... we may give the impress of being simple country folk, but in fact we are cleverer than you think.... hehehehehe
The photo below is that of the Crammer Pond in Devizes. With St James' Church in the background. The road in front of the houses on the left is the A361 going to the World Heritage Site of Avebury and then onto Swindon.
Monday, 15 April 2013
Laying Ghosts to Rest - (Part 1)
This blog is about my thoughts and feelings since the death of my ex-wife, Ann, on Sunday 26th November, last year.
I am very active on Facebook and have built up a good set of Facebook friends through my interests in the Liberal Democrats, and also my love of humour. Indeed, I even have my own Facebook comedy group that unlike many groups is not there just to post jokes and cartoons, but I see it as a rolling sit com.
So whilst I have a good band of people who love my jokes and humour and also share my love of politics and the Liberal Democrats (plus some in other parties or none!), they may feel that they know me quite well. And yes that is true in many respects. However, I do not have any family members on Facebook and so I am happy to post what I like, without fear of someone in the family telling me "you shouldn't have said that".
On Facebook, I project a very outgoing persona, but if the same Facebook friends were to sit back and say what they know about me personally, they wouldn't really know that much about me.
On my wall, I do not say I am away for the week-end. I rarely mention my family. I dont say when I am going out, or even anything about relationships. I guess there is the side of me that I am happy to share with everyone, but there is also the private side of me and I like to protect that side of me, I guess some people are just happy to tell the whole world, their inner most thoughts about their life and their family. That is not me.
Anything I do want to tell Facebook friends, I do that in private messages.
I don't think I have told anyone on my wall that my ex-wife had died and how I was feeling. This is why I am writing this piece. To lay some ghosts to rest, I suppose.
I can honestly say that from the day I met Ann at an SDP meeting on 4th March 1987, I knew that she would outlive me. Ann may have been 19 years older than me (I was 27 at that time), but I first met Ann's family at her gran's funeral, a month later. She died at 101. Ann's mother died just 4 years ago at the age of 100, so it was obvious that Ann would make it 3 in a row.
Well, Ann and I divorced 5 years ago. Not my choice, I hasten to add. Not my decision either!
So I lost the only woman who I had truly loved through divorce, but fortunately, we somehow managed to rebuild the relationship and we remained very good friends, often having long chats on the phone and I would take Randolf (our dog) to stay with her in the Fens and then at her house she got in Caerphilly.
About 3 years ago, Ann was diagnosed at having a tumour in her left eye and I must admit, I have never met someone who was so positive, as she had to have it removed. Indeed the false eye was such a good match, I could never remember which eye it was and I would forget it. Ann just carried on living her life in a positive manner. As she said.... she was alive.
About a year ago, she went for her regular testing and was told that there were 19 small cysts on her liver. I was told that she would be taking a trial drug as treatment that had good results and some chemotherapy. As they had caught it early, I was told that whilst she'd have a fight, the chances are that it would ultimately be successful and she would live to fight another day.
I last saw her in earlyt September and we went to Sainsbury's in Thornhill, Cardiff. We loved to have a coffee there and then do the shopping. I thought Ann looked so good and positive, that I got my Blackberry out and took 2 photos. Those were to be the last photos I took and about 11 weeks later, she had died. The cancer had won.
After seeing Ann, she had a falling out with me because of a Sky box that she had given me to give to my Aunt. There was a problem and Ann promised to resolve it with Sky. The next thing was I got a text from Ann saying she didn't want any more communication with me.
Well, if you knew Ann, I took that as another of her funny moods and they were when we were going through the divorce. So I accepted her wish and didn't make any contact and I did truly find it difficult to manage without her being there at the end of the phone.
It was only on the Wednesday in late November that I received a message via Facebook from her eldest son, to contact him, did I know that something was up. It was just a matter of time. She had known for months, but she had kept it from me as she knew how it would upset me.
I think it was 9am on the Sunday 25th November, and Ann died peacefully at the new hospital in Ystrad Mynach.
What made it easier for me to accept was that:-
I have called this blog laying ghosts to rest as I am now trying to move on with my life. I was pretty crap at divorce and I had lost Ann to that.
Now, I had lost Ann a second time...... to death. Something I had NEVER even contemplated as I knew that the female longevity in her family and the fact that the male line in my family seemed to be lucky to get to 70.
I have now lost Ann twice in a matter of 5 years. Firstly to divorce and secondly to the most final means possible.....death.
I will write more in time, as I want to write down my thoughts to tell my side of things. I miss her considerably as she is not there at the end of the phone to talk to.
If I had known Christmas 2011 was to be her last, would it have been as quiet as it was as I spent it with her in Caerphilly?
Ann was very private and that is why I havent broadcast it on my Facebook. But I have felt years of hurt since the divorce and months since she died, so I hope by opening up on a few blogs, I can move on by making my feelings, public. I always loved her and still cannot understand how she was taken so early.
The evils of cancer.
Ann so loved her writing and I hope that she will understand why I am now writing about her. More will follow in due course. Below, is the link to the Wiltshire Times, that published a lovely article on her. The photo is the best of the 2 that I took in September 2012, in Sainsburys, Thornhill.
In memory of Ann. Born 7th March 1940. Died 25th November 2012. Aged 72.
I am very active on Facebook and have built up a good set of Facebook friends through my interests in the Liberal Democrats, and also my love of humour. Indeed, I even have my own Facebook comedy group that unlike many groups is not there just to post jokes and cartoons, but I see it as a rolling sit com.
So whilst I have a good band of people who love my jokes and humour and also share my love of politics and the Liberal Democrats (plus some in other parties or none!), they may feel that they know me quite well. And yes that is true in many respects. However, I do not have any family members on Facebook and so I am happy to post what I like, without fear of someone in the family telling me "you shouldn't have said that".
On Facebook, I project a very outgoing persona, but if the same Facebook friends were to sit back and say what they know about me personally, they wouldn't really know that much about me.
On my wall, I do not say I am away for the week-end. I rarely mention my family. I dont say when I am going out, or even anything about relationships. I guess there is the side of me that I am happy to share with everyone, but there is also the private side of me and I like to protect that side of me, I guess some people are just happy to tell the whole world, their inner most thoughts about their life and their family. That is not me.
Anything I do want to tell Facebook friends, I do that in private messages.
I don't think I have told anyone on my wall that my ex-wife had died and how I was feeling. This is why I am writing this piece. To lay some ghosts to rest, I suppose.
I can honestly say that from the day I met Ann at an SDP meeting on 4th March 1987, I knew that she would outlive me. Ann may have been 19 years older than me (I was 27 at that time), but I first met Ann's family at her gran's funeral, a month later. She died at 101. Ann's mother died just 4 years ago at the age of 100, so it was obvious that Ann would make it 3 in a row.
Well, Ann and I divorced 5 years ago. Not my choice, I hasten to add. Not my decision either!
So I lost the only woman who I had truly loved through divorce, but fortunately, we somehow managed to rebuild the relationship and we remained very good friends, often having long chats on the phone and I would take Randolf (our dog) to stay with her in the Fens and then at her house she got in Caerphilly.
About 3 years ago, Ann was diagnosed at having a tumour in her left eye and I must admit, I have never met someone who was so positive, as she had to have it removed. Indeed the false eye was such a good match, I could never remember which eye it was and I would forget it. Ann just carried on living her life in a positive manner. As she said.... she was alive.
About a year ago, she went for her regular testing and was told that there were 19 small cysts on her liver. I was told that she would be taking a trial drug as treatment that had good results and some chemotherapy. As they had caught it early, I was told that whilst she'd have a fight, the chances are that it would ultimately be successful and she would live to fight another day.
I last saw her in earlyt September and we went to Sainsbury's in Thornhill, Cardiff. We loved to have a coffee there and then do the shopping. I thought Ann looked so good and positive, that I got my Blackberry out and took 2 photos. Those were to be the last photos I took and about 11 weeks later, she had died. The cancer had won.
After seeing Ann, she had a falling out with me because of a Sky box that she had given me to give to my Aunt. There was a problem and Ann promised to resolve it with Sky. The next thing was I got a text from Ann saying she didn't want any more communication with me.
Well, if you knew Ann, I took that as another of her funny moods and they were when we were going through the divorce. So I accepted her wish and didn't make any contact and I did truly find it difficult to manage without her being there at the end of the phone.
It was only on the Wednesday in late November that I received a message via Facebook from her eldest son, to contact him, did I know that something was up. It was just a matter of time. She had known for months, but she had kept it from me as she knew how it would upset me.
I think it was 9am on the Sunday 25th November, and Ann died peacefully at the new hospital in Ystrad Mynach.
What made it easier for me to accept was that:-
- Ann wanted to be back in Wales. She was. She had over a year in Caerphilly and enjoyed living there.
- She wanted to be near her 3 children and she was. They were all there at the end.
- and she had made it clear in all the years that I knew her that she didn't want to be here if she had no quality of life. She didnt want to spend years rattling with tablets, in an old people's home.
I have called this blog laying ghosts to rest as I am now trying to move on with my life. I was pretty crap at divorce and I had lost Ann to that.
Now, I had lost Ann a second time...... to death. Something I had NEVER even contemplated as I knew that the female longevity in her family and the fact that the male line in my family seemed to be lucky to get to 70.
I have now lost Ann twice in a matter of 5 years. Firstly to divorce and secondly to the most final means possible.....death.
I will write more in time, as I want to write down my thoughts to tell my side of things. I miss her considerably as she is not there at the end of the phone to talk to.
If I had known Christmas 2011 was to be her last, would it have been as quiet as it was as I spent it with her in Caerphilly?
Ann was very private and that is why I havent broadcast it on my Facebook. But I have felt years of hurt since the divorce and months since she died, so I hope by opening up on a few blogs, I can move on by making my feelings, public. I always loved her and still cannot understand how she was taken so early.
The evils of cancer.
Ann so loved her writing and I hope that she will understand why I am now writing about her. More will follow in due course. Below, is the link to the Wiltshire Times, that published a lovely article on her. The photo is the best of the 2 that I took in September 2012, in Sainsburys, Thornhill.
In memory of Ann. Born 7th March 1940. Died 25th November 2012. Aged 72.
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Liberal Democrat in Johnston, Pembrokeshire .......Welcome to my New Blog
Hello and welcome to my new blog.
I did have one on my local newspaper's website (The Western Telegraph), but I must admit, my work and personal life took me away from regular posting and as it was courtesy of a local paper. I did sometimes feel restrained in what I could write, though I have always done my utmost to be entertaining, and thought provoking by my content and opinions. I don't go out to be controversial, but I realise no one is going to read something that is dull and just a diary of a boring day at work and watching TV.
As you can see from the title to this blog, I am a Liberal Democrat and I can also say that having been a member since 1986 (via the SDP), I had never expected to see the day that my party would be in Government. But then in 1986, I had never expected I would get elected to a Council, let alone leading a Council. That did happen in 1988 when I got elected to Trowbridge Town Council, in Wiltshire. The County Town.
I also got elected to West Wiltshire District Council in 1991 and thanks to the huge mess left by the Conservatives, we (to our TOTAL surprise), led a minority administration. Elected on a Thursday, I was Deputy Council Leader by the following Sunday and Leader from May 1994 and by a defection and bye-election wins, we had our majority. I was Leader at the May 1995 elections and we increased our majority.
No, I am not a tub thumping Lib Dem politician, spouting party policy. I have always gone by my gut intincts and doing what is right. Local politics is not all down to party politics. In many respects, I was "independent" in mind, thought and actions, but through and through, I am a Lib Dem. I was also happy to take on board proposals from the Labour or Conservative groups, if they were any good. That didn't happen too often as they didn't have many good ideas.
Any way....My ex-wife moved to Pembrokeshire in West Wales in December 2001. I had stood down from the District Council in 1999 and the Town Council in 2001, so I was free to move to Pembrokeshire for a new life.
I am still fairly active in local politics and now Preseli Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats now form part of the new Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats Local Party, I hope I can play a more active role as I would like to see the Party grow further whilst I am still breathing.
I aim to produce a blog based on local, national and international matters....that grab my attention.
I hope I can entertain you with my musings.
I did have one on my local newspaper's website (The Western Telegraph), but I must admit, my work and personal life took me away from regular posting and as it was courtesy of a local paper. I did sometimes feel restrained in what I could write, though I have always done my utmost to be entertaining, and thought provoking by my content and opinions. I don't go out to be controversial, but I realise no one is going to read something that is dull and just a diary of a boring day at work and watching TV.
As you can see from the title to this blog, I am a Liberal Democrat and I can also say that having been a member since 1986 (via the SDP), I had never expected to see the day that my party would be in Government. But then in 1986, I had never expected I would get elected to a Council, let alone leading a Council. That did happen in 1988 when I got elected to Trowbridge Town Council, in Wiltshire. The County Town.
I also got elected to West Wiltshire District Council in 1991 and thanks to the huge mess left by the Conservatives, we (to our TOTAL surprise), led a minority administration. Elected on a Thursday, I was Deputy Council Leader by the following Sunday and Leader from May 1994 and by a defection and bye-election wins, we had our majority. I was Leader at the May 1995 elections and we increased our majority.
No, I am not a tub thumping Lib Dem politician, spouting party policy. I have always gone by my gut intincts and doing what is right. Local politics is not all down to party politics. In many respects, I was "independent" in mind, thought and actions, but through and through, I am a Lib Dem. I was also happy to take on board proposals from the Labour or Conservative groups, if they were any good. That didn't happen too often as they didn't have many good ideas.
Any way....My ex-wife moved to Pembrokeshire in West Wales in December 2001. I had stood down from the District Council in 1999 and the Town Council in 2001, so I was free to move to Pembrokeshire for a new life.
I am still fairly active in local politics and now Preseli Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats now form part of the new Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats Local Party, I hope I can play a more active role as I would like to see the Party grow further whilst I am still breathing.
I aim to produce a blog based on local, national and international matters....that grab my attention.
I hope I can entertain you with my musings.
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