Remembrance Sunday

11-11-11

                                     Eleventh hour on the eleventh day in the Eleventh month 
                                                         We will remember them

I have always supported the Armed Services and the Remembrance Service on the Town Hall Square with all the local dignitaries and representatives of the many branches of the services, has been an important event in my calendar. My father was in the Royal Navy during WW2 both my brothers served in the Army and my eldest son was in the Royal Navy and joined the TA on discharge. Because he is tall and very smart he was chosen as Honour Guard at the Cenotaph almost every year, and now is proud as a Policeman to march with them on that day. I have a high regard for the dedication and sacrifices these young men and women give our country, in the conflicts of the past and recently in Northern Ireland ,Iraq and Afghanistan. Seeing the young and old marching through the town accompanied by a Military Band is really something special.
Boy is it cold now. It’s surprising how you forget how cold the wind can be until you feel it whistling around your ears for the first time. It has forecast heavy snow soon, already there is snow in Scotland. Plus we have had dense fogs on occasions, something I haven’t seen for many years and with the amount of traffic on the roads it can be very dangerous. I shouldn’t really moan about the weather we have had some brilliant Autumn days sunny and warm. I was knee deep in leaves on the garden last week, filled the huge Wheelie Bin and this week there are just as many more that need clearing, one of the pains of being surrounded by trees. But the autumn colours have been magnificent this year, they say it is due to the very cold winter and the wet summer. We also had a bumper fruit harvest this year and that was due to the abnormal weather too. Went to the cinema to see the latest Harry Potter movie it was good but it was only Part 1. I have to wait now for the conclusion which will be at least a couple of years I bet I will have forgotten the plot by then. I have started my Christmas shopping and my writing my cards so I am feeling quite proud of myself as I am usually on the last minute. I am spending Christmas in Knaresborough this year with my son, so I have to get organised. My 19year old grandson is now on his way to Australia with a 12 months working Visa. He is in Hong Kong for a week or so then on to Sydney. Lucky guy he will have a brilliant time.



Saltaire,

No.6  Defender

                                                 Autumn colours in my back garden
The last few weeks in October I was out almost daily, it was certainly too much for anyone. But I soldiered on and must say enjoyed myself. Went with the WI to Saltaire Mills in Shipley North Yorkshire. It was a model village complex in its time, with educational and recreational facilities, plus a hospital and homes for the workers at the Woollen Mill built by Titus Salt and run by his family for decades. http://www.saltsmill.org.uk/contact.htm   Now it is a complex of apartments, offices, enterprising units, shops and the David Hockey Art Gallery. Quite impressive but I must admit the shops where the main attraction I don’t rate Hockey very much he is too modern. The following Sunday I was in Manchester to join friends in a guided tour of Manchester Art Gallery, my friend Chris is a guide at the gallery and occasionally takes these tours, so we went along to support her. I always find these tours very interesting as they have some brilliant collections, I especially like their large collection of Pre-Raphaelites Paintings as they tell a story. I like this one
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Shalott
I had a nice long chat to my daughter before she left for a holiday in Bali. Since then the Merapi Volcano in Java has erupted and desiccated a large area followed by a Tsunami triggered by a earthquake soon after. Thankfully I have been assured she was not in that area. Bali is a small island far south of Java well away from the disaster. Its rather a coincidence that the day she returned from a previous holiday in Bali the area where she was staying was bombed by terrorists, many killed and maimed it’s a troubled area in more ways than one. And now in the past few days two Quantas Jumbo Jets have lost an engine on their flight to Sydney Australia from Singapore. Its really scary, I now fly via Dubai with Emirates, but I have been on the Singapore Route many times in the past.. My friends Ann and Derek are on there way today 7th Nov, to New Zealand for the winter via Singapore and Sydney I do hope they will be safe. I was pleased that I was able to spend some time with them before they went, I will miss them, they are good friends,this time last year we where together in New Zealand in Ruby Bay and wonderful holiday.
Last week I went to my cousins funeral she was 85yrs,it was lovely to see all her family together again, she had eight grandchildren and the same number of great grandchildren, I do miss children, mine have all grown up or live too far away. Yesterday Saturday I was up in Harrogate hanging out with my son and grandson. He is 19 yrs now and off to Australia at the end of this month for 12 months, hoping to play football and cricket in the sun. We watched him play football for his team,( they are top of their League) and I was surprise how much I enjoyed the excitement.