Merry Christmas

Well it's Christmas time again and I am sitting having a break from the festivities.  I do love Christmas the dark nights of winter, the snuggling down with the fire on,  while the wind is howling and the rain is pouring down, everyone doing their shopping and getting ready for Christmas, buying presents, and putting up the decorations.  I enjoy walking the streets and looking at the house decorations, seeing what goodies the shops have, then once it's all wrapped watching the the room transform itself, from a tired dull living room to a cosy bright and decorated Santa's Grotto.  People around you in Town, although you get some who moan and groan, on the whole they are happier and more likely to  talk to you, and even the 'Bah Humbugs' will stop and talk to you as well.

I work over Christmas normally, and that is always fun, but it also means that when I get home everything is ready for me.  Even though my children are older now they still like to spend Christmas at home, it also means that they have the dinner cooked, mulled wine on the hob, and all I have to do is sit down and but my feet up, eat, drink, and be merry, and open all my pressies of course.

We had a new little tea shop open up in High Street South, called Drift In, if you want proper coffee served in a cafetiere,  and tea in a tea pot, then this is the place for you.  Kev and I have been in several times and I think it will be come a popular haunt for us,  as if you visit me regularly you will know how I feel about coffee machines.  The Round Table float will be around as usual in the evenings, although it may be the last, due to lack of volunteers, this would be a shame if it is.  The big Jolly Chap, is the display in Oxfam's window this year in High Street North. 

Merry Christmas Everyone

Luton Busway

 Well after month's of Dunstable looking like a building site, and drivers having to give themselves an extra hour during peak times, for diversions, one of the area's Kingsway, Court drive and Queensway are beginning to look as if an end is in sight.  Traffic on High Street North, could turn left down Queensway into Court Drive, and into Kingsway, reaching the White Lion Retail Park or could cut of the corner and arrive in Church Street.  When they started digging up the road for the busway, it became one way because of single lane traffic, a sensible option, but one that created problems for a lot of people and of course the shops in that area, Leisure Centre, Library, Asda, Dunstable College, the new Theatre Complex, Ambulance Station and Law Courts, not forgetting the couple of hundred house's in that area, so you can see the scale of the disruption.  Well it is now finally finished, well not finally as they have not finished, but the road has re opened. Unfortunately they have not marked the turning to go left so one poor motorist tried to turn left only to find himself facing on coming traffic, they had not marked the other end either, there are no pedestrian crossings and no lights so at  night pedestrians have to treat carefully, so that they don't fall down the kerbs, which have been raised  at the bus stops for the new guided buses for the busway.   Part of it, although it has what looks like a kerb stone separating the vast sea of tarmac  it is totally flat, on the council website it tells you that this is 'shared space'.  Which simply means a car can come onto the pavement side,when they feel like it.  They also tell us that they will be no Pelican or Zebra crossings they will be 'crossing places' these are stone blocks in bedded into the tarmac   Which simply means you dice with death when you try to cross the roads, because drivers will not slow down let alone stop, as there are no road markings.  There has been several car accidents, on this area of road because of this; fortunately not involving pedestrians; Yet.  The idea is you make eye contact with the driver, Not if you are a child, Not if your blind, Not  if it is night time, Not if it is snowing, Not  if you have just staggered out of the Gary Cooper, and certainly Not  if a driver, put's his foot down and refuses to acknowledge You.   Unfortunately, The Grove House Garden's is where we have our open air concerts, The Grove Theatre, Dunstable Leisure Centre, The Gary Cooper, a large play Ground and not for getting Dunstable College, are all on one side of the Road, and Asda, and the Quadrant on the other.  It will make sending the kid's for snacks impossible, sending them to Asda to use the toilets impossible, as we have only one set of public toilets in the whole of Dunstable Town Centre and that is in Wilkinson's car park.  This my friends we are told is to improve Dunstable Town Centre.  Well I am glad they clarified that, because it looks to me and a lot of other's as if they  want us to loss our identity, as a Historic Market Town, and become a giant car park for Luton. Or should I say Bus Terminal.

                     

Smugglers

When we went to Herne Bay recently to research Kevin's family tree,  we were surprised to see the number of skull and cross bones grave stones in the cemeteries.  We were told that smugglers where given a corner of the graveyard.

During the 18th and 19th Centuries, times where hard, and due to the level's of tax being charged by the government, for goods coming from oversea's, people found a non-tax method of bringing goods into the country.  If you lived on a coast line, then smuggling was a part of life, you where either involved directly, or a little parcel was left on your door step, to keep your silence. Those that decided that they where not going to be part of it,  unfortunately, they would face an early death.  Law enforcement was patchy, if any of the gang was taken, and they knew which excise officer was involved, then it could often lead if he was lucky to his house being burned down, if not then to his death.

The Divers Arms Herne Bay  is a Smugglers Inn. It was built by a smuggler named William Wood, who was caught smuggling and spent 5 years on a naval vessel.  On his release, he became a diver, and salvaged a Spanish Ship, carrying a lot of money, with this he built the Inn, and become a landlord.  Beside the Inn a brook ran down to the sea, which was operated by a sluice. Wood's was given the job of looking after the sluice, this was too good an opportunity for a smuggler and he reportedly, had a doorway leading from his cellar to the sluice, and some goods would make their way into his cellar.  It is possible a blind eye was turned, as he died leaving a respectable fortune. 

This is the cover of a lovely little book that I have taken my exerts from. Dated 1969 and you can still buy it.

This is a Smugglers Inn, where there is a secret passage which runs from the cellar to the church opposite.  When the excise men came in to the Inn the smugglers would make they way through the passage to the church and then escape.  I was told it was still there but had been  blocked off for safety reasons.  

Wetherspoons Whitstable

This Wetherspoon Pub is in Oxford Street Whitstable.  The building was built in 1912, over 16-18 Oxford Street as a cinema.  It was called the Oxford Picture House.  It was rebuilt in 1936 in art deco style until it closed it's door in 1962.  It then became a bingo hall until 2010.  Wetherspoons decided to take it over, and the search began for a new name.  Despite some objections of it not being named the New Oxford, Wetherspoon's decided to name it The Peter Cushing, they kept the 1930's feel to it and it's deco reflects back to the golden age of cinema.   

Peter Cushing is very much a house hold name, as an actor and he and his wife moved to Whitstable in 1959, only 50 years you might say, and he wasn't born there.  I think it is very apt, and you can always trust Wetherspoons to be respectful of a building and it's history. more here

The Peter Cushing Wetherspoons Whitstable

The Oxford Picture Hall

The Oxford Picture Hall

                                                                           

                                                                             

The interior of the Oxford Picture House 1912

An interior shot.

                                                                                                                                                                           

The old Projector and reels from the Picture Hall

                                                                               

                                                                                     

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

Updates

The Norman King has officially been de-listed.  It  was confirmed on friday the 21st, by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, that the building has lost it's grade II status. The fire had been so intensive, and the collapse inside after the fire, meant that not enough of the original building was left.  The building can now be re-developed or even knocked down.   Sooooooo  Sad.

Disappearing Betty

I now know why my picture disappeared, apparently when you have a blog on google you are also on picassa their photo sharing site.  you   are allowed so many pictures  on there,  before you  start paying similar to Flickr.  The only problem I have is  my photo's are not tagged, so their is just a random punch of pictures, just sitting there.  I will have to pay of course as I want to keep blogging, why don't they just charge for the domain site or the number of pics you put up.  I suppose I could tag some of the pictures, so that if anyone does find them they will know what they are.  It is so time consuming, and most of the pictures are up on Flickr anyway, oh well never mind eh.

And Finally last, but not least.

The wonderful Andy Williams past away on Tuesday, how sad such a fantastic performer, with a great personality, and an even greater voice.  He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.

.

R.I.P Andy

Lost Header

Well those of you who are observant, may have noticed I have lost Betty from the top of my page. When I tried to put her back I was told that I did not have enough memory left on my front page.  Not sure what this meant so went into design and onto page, apparently when you log on the front page comes up and it has  7 posts on it so it suggested I reduced the number of posts to a page, it will load quicker and, I thought oh I should be able to reload my picture, so I reduced it to three, it did load quicker, but I still got the same message when I tried to reload Betty.  So I am afraid I will have to stay Betty-less, until I can think of away round it.  If anyone has already had this problem and knows a way round it then let me know please.  If not I will have to make sure I add pictures to my posts, which I tend to do anyway as it makes it look colourful, and I don't have to ramble on for hours.

Olympics

Well it is all over for another 4 years, I will admit to never watching them before, mostly it is down to the fact of time difference, and I am rarely in when they show the highlights.  However, it was a fantastic show cost us millions, but what the heck, we do know how to throw a party.  It was so exciting to watch Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and all the team strive to win their medals, especially the paralympics, they get second billing to the able athlete's we are told about their hard work, and I am not denying what they go through is tough, and the sacrifices they and their families have to make, but you have to admire and respect the parlympians, they have to go through the same sacrifices, and more they are often battling against extreme disabilities, the prejudices, of those living in their communities, and for the vast majority, they are coming to terms with being fit able-bodied one day, and then due to horrific accidents, waking up the next day with a terrifying disability.  I am hoping that the 'Weirwolfe' Ellie Simmons et al, coming into our homes each day and showing the strength of human endurance, will finally break down some of the narrow minded thinking that exists, and people will see beyond the disability, and to except people for who they are and not what they look like, for they are all champions.

 

      

The Norman King Dunstable

The  Norman King in Dunstable is an Inn, that dates back in parts to the 11th century.  It is alleged that King Henry 1st had a Palace Lodge built there which was known as Kingsbury Court.  This is where he stayed when going through Dunstable and used as a hunting lodge, until he built the Priory Church on the opposite side of the road, then he stayed with the Prior, but the Lodge was still used by his entourage an the nobility.  There are several old buildings still intact on the Kingsbury site, that where used as farm buildings.  In 1961 The Old Palace Lodge Hotel and The Norman King where opened, having been the farm house and the stable's.  The Norman King was separate to the hotel, being owned by different people, and it was a very popular little pub with the local's, and retained it's thatched roof and old world charm.  In 2011 it had a small fire and closed for refurbishment, It was then sold to the Palace lodge, as extra rooms and also an additional venue.  It had re-opened and on the night of August the 9th 2011 it had 50 guests and employee's staying there, when an arsonist struck and it was burnt down with guests and staff being safely evacuated.  Being a grade 11 listed building, we where ever hopeful that  it would be rebuilt, and that it would re-open it's door in all it's former glory.  The English Heritage have now confirmed that they will be submitting a report to the Department of Culture Media and Sports for review.  They will decide if there is enough of the historic fabric of the building left to deem it a grade 11, or if it has been to badly damaged by the fire.  There are hoping for a decision to be made by the autumn.  If of course it is decided to de-list, then there is no chance of it's survival, and the current owners will be able to knock it down.  Unfortunately no attempt has been made in the past year by the owner or the council to start work on it's refurbishment.  Dunstable has so few historic building's left, that it would be a tragedy for us to lose another, especially one so picturesque. 

Adverts

Are you like me and have certain words or phrases, that you have to say in a particular way, or prefix a word with another.  If I use the name Kimberley I have to say it in a flat northern tone like Victoria Wood's character.  I have my old lady voice for 'Lov-lay' and  'Ghaaastly' and my Hattie Jacques voice to vent my disapproval.  Often if it is raining I will fall into Derek Guyler and say 'I wish I'd brought my brolly'.  it is from a 1960's public information film on pelican crossings. After 30 years and no matter how many times I have explained it to him, Kevin  doesn't remember seeing it.  It was in  two parts one for the pedestrian  a man with his granddaughter, and one as a motorist, a man with his wife. Great adverts now on you tube, Kevin remembers Joe and Petunia, but not the pelican crossing adverts, here  are the links so enjoy.

'Eeh Eck! Don't make them like that anymore'

Charity shops

Isn't it amazing what little bargains you can still find in charity shops.  Normally some of them have e-bay accounts, and savvy manages, who look up what something is worth, what condition it is in before they set a price.  I find it quite amazing really, because what is given is given freely, being a charity they get cheap rent and rates, they should pass on they lucky finds to their customer.  Unfortunately everything is about making as much money as possible, so a lot of charity shops look just like normal  shops with everything itemized together, and some even colour coded, even the prices, are not much cheaper.  However you can still find bargains.  I went into one shop that had all the items nicely displayed, and in the windows items laid out to buy, at the front of the window  was a violin for £24 not bad, but on top of it where a load of little bits and bobs for 50p or so. Surely if you want someone to pay £24 for something it should have pride of place in the window, hanging or free standing, but clear of other items.  The bargains however are still there to be had so have a little roam around town and go and have a rummage, who knows what you will find.

Olympic Fun and Games

Well  the games have started and despite the problems, with the security staff, tickets not being allocated properly and  Lococ playing God, stealing the Olympic ideal and making out it is their's so that they can make more money. The opening ceremony went really well and was very enjoyable to watch.  A pat on the back time, the press and the public loving it, and everyone  in accord.  So this morning we are told that there are to many empty seats,  these are not any seats, these are the front expensive seats that the wealthy and the corporate bunch where supposed to buy. So what shall we do with all these empty seats, get in touch with the people that missed out and offer  it to them? No! How about we open a box office and let people know that tickets will be for sale, we can reduce them a little so that they will sell? No!  Oh I know all those soldiers being drafted in for security, lets tell them to fill the seats, they can sit there in their uniforms, and as they are on duty they cannot refuse? What a good idea, Lococ have done it again brilliant; and who would have thought of that one? not me.  Well they finally decided to sell the tickets on line, and I know a few people who have taken the opportunity to get to tickets, so good look to you if you decide to go.  This will be our best chance of getting all those medals, being at home with a home crowd there is nothing like it for raising moral and boosting confidence.

 Good luck Team GB