Glad I like jigsaws!

80% of the pots at Gill Banks were broken, on Friday evening , ten days ago.

Now it's time to see how many of the pieces are re-glueable !

Can this be done without showing lots of cracks?

Can the odd little piece that is missing be found?

There's a pile of small pieces to sort through. Fortunately, I love jigsaws. At least with broken pots you know whether you've found the right piece - it fits exactly !

Araldite can work wonders.

We'll see what the outcome looks like.

There are some favorites that may survive in some form. Pig and a couple of Dolphins may qualify! Several of the Russian Dolls should be OK. Horse requires some major surgery.

Time to make some more flowers.

The latest idea is to make moulds. The end product will then be destroyed gleefully - it will be chocolate and shortbreads of varius kinds - might even be Aluminium and Brass . . . . a little harder on the teeth.

Grit update

The following message from James Airey was overly optimistic:

Hi Geoff

I have been told that the grit boxes should be filled very soon, I know this
is no consolation but stocks are again low and it is a question of manpower
getting the stuff out every where. Ulverston though does seem to have come
off rather better than say Kendal. So hopefully our constant jumping up and
down is working.

Regards James.

I think it's up to us all to help ourselves and others around us. I guess the role for James is now to identify the needs and help organise us all to help each other.

A.R. has given excellent advice in her last comment just below of how to use an alternative to the unavailable salt that won't work on thick compacted ice or snow anyway .

As A.R. didn't reveal the source of his (she apparently is a he) Ballast used on his drive, I've been down to Travis Perkins and bought Grano which is slightly over £3 per bag and will be switching to this up our lane.

Do we know of any roads that need to be closed because of the potential for serious accident?

I'm sure the "jumping up and down" it is true. But this is the electorate doing things. What is our County Councillor able to achieve?

What does "very soon" mean? Still no grit and its Wednesday and the pavements are treacherous. I'm coming to the bottom of my carefully used single bag . . . . but at least we have a foot wide path up a difficult sloped lane that is clear.

Something I also strongly believe in is, thanking the workers for the work they do get done. I think that the standard of gritting of the town pavements has been excellent. I understand that once you get there the standard is good.

So hopefully we can send a thank you.

Do you agree?

My present concerns

In order of priority:

• Our sense of community and drinking among young people
  
• Lack of action from Our Mayor - Norman Bishop-Rowe regarding the MUGA that was promised for Croftlands, this spring and lack of support for the community over the Roxy licensing problems
  
• The continued lack of supervision of County Council Departments by our Councillors: first Highways then Waste Disposal and education in Barrow
  
• Overspending by the government on defense
• Our encouragement of abusive behaviour by celebrities
• The wrong focus in our schools that fails to give young people enthusiasm for life - "There's nothing to do here - so we drink into the early hours . . .
  
• The opening of Tesco in Ulverston - hoping the public give these crooks with whitewashed faces, a wide birth
• The ongoing political scene, not only national but especially locally where inaction is the order of the day
  

These are weighty subjects and the lack of support from people on this blog leads me to spend my energies with real people who discuss their views in the flesh and are ready to take action of some kind.

Continued anonymous participation pales in comparison with eyecontact and conversations with people in the flesh.

This is the drawback of the present use of the Internet - we end up with a lot of shadowy exchanges that lead nowhere. Forums I've witnessed are depressing places; to be taken in small doses only.

We need more detailed contact with others in order to develop action that is supported.

Soldiering on, on ones own without support seems pointless. This is why the number of postings here have diminished. A lot more satisfaction is gained by contact with people ready to do!

So this is what I'm doing at present: doing with my hands rather than writing what's in my head.

The Media Lynch Mob

Are we not going too far with our fury with MPs?

Will there be suitable candidates to stand in their place?

It could be very difficult to persuade them back with the treatment some of them are getting!

Regretfully coming to an end

Once in a while I have the experience of reading a really good book and as you sit and share someone else's thoughts through the pages you can see those that still remain rapidly diminishing.

June 4th is quickly approaching and I will cease to have a good excuse to go knocking on people's doors and finding what great people are hidden behind them.

Every night I'm out, I meet someone new that I didn't realise lived here. You can't predict what kind of people you'll meet by the area you go knocking. There are always lots of surprises. The conversations will soon come to an end. . . .

The exciting thing then is finding out how these meetings will progress into friendships where actions become the result and difficult obstacles are overcome!

Whatever the result of the election, I shall have lots to follow up and enjoy!

Roxy concerns

What started as a good idea for Ulverston shows signs of turning sour.



This is the view as one approaches the Roxy this Saturday morning.



And this is what is found on the door step.

Not the images that convey responsible behaviour the night before when this new music venture was in action.

Neighbours across the main road are already reporting a deterioration in the noise levels coming from this venue and these images tell their own story.

Suspicions that excessive drinking here would be condoned are being confirmed.

The management will have to take a firm approach and not serve alcohol to people who abuse their nighbourhood. It is the man behind the bar that needs to take action. Profits from beer sales must be secondary to this place being a benefit to Ulverston.

At present the signs are not good and I am seeking an interview with the promoters. Now is the time for a firm approach to be taken or they will have Ulverstonians turning against them.

Witch Hunt

For the Newspapers to bother reporting Gordon Brown's cleaning expenses is pathetic, but for the Guardian to feature this 'revelation' on the frontpage shows what kind editors we have selecting the news we are being fed.

Just stop and assess this information:

£6, 600 paid a cleaner over 26 months, that's £66 per week - £13 per day. Just how little do they think a cleaner should be paid, for God's sake.

This story that goes in the National press and on prime time TV News illustrates how irresponsible the media is being. What idiots do they take us for?

Leave Brown alone to get on with his job.

Let's be clear at the beginning - before I am elected as County Councillor. I shall be claiming for a taxi if it enables me to do the job of county councillor better. Though I enjoy driving, if I am faced with driving home over long distances after a long day of getting people to listen to me and taking in what they are saying, I shall use a taxi.

I shall not car share as this will put even greater strain on my patience to have to endure the company of pompous idiots.

What I see as being an efficient way of working is to have someone else taking care of getting me from 'A' to 'B', leaving me to write emails, make phone calls or just plain sleep.

If a County Councillor is doing his job properly he/she is managing the efficient spending of millions of pounds and needs to be enabled to do this in every way possible. Criticism is only justified if the councillor is not doing their job well. This is where the media should target its stories.

And before you start criticising the above, take note of the following:

At present a Councillor cannot claim for journeys for more than a set rate per mile in a car as though they were driving their own. Thus when I use a taxi - which I certainly will - it will be me that pays for most of the cost under the present rules.

Two excellent festivals start tomorrow

Both of which were pointed out a month ago!

Spoilt for choice - something if it rains and something if its fine!

.

At 11.20 am Tuesday Laurel and Hardy made us shake again

Well, we all rumbled a little !

Does this call into question the burying of radioactive waste?

Or will this be another fine mess we get into?

Mind you, 9km is a long way down!

Ed Balls talking nonsense about discipline

It's very sad and worrying when politicians stand up and talk rubbish on television.

Ed Balls claims that discipline is improving.

If it is, it's because we have some brilliant teachers who are managing to make their lessons interesting in spite of the straitjacket of the National Curriculum, SATS and the 5 A-Cs GCSE testing.

For the most part the interference of the government in education over the last twenty years has lead to many problems.

A good teacher, supported by imaginative management can subvert to dictates of government and achieve quality education. However many teachers do not have the confidence to challenge the way they are being required to teach. Few schools have Heads who have the confidence to take on the Government thinking.

As a person that came into teaching at 53 I was able to teach the way I chose and thus achieve very good results. In a sink school where all the problem children in the borough were sent(Hainault Forest High,Redbridge, London) I was able to teach with few discipline problems. This is because children enjoyed their lessons. They liked being challenged with imaginative projects where they were encouraged to express themselves.

I was never given promotion by the management, but on the other hand because I was able to produce the results , I was left alone to teach the way I wanted.

What goes on in many lessons is training rather than education. The former kills off initiative and enthusiasm it leads to many disruptive pupils who feel they are failures and leave school hostile to 'the system'.

Ulverston Cobbles - mistakes rectified

7 April 2009 16:14:52 BST

Dr Dellow

I am delighted to confirm we have completed all remedial works to the cobbles on Market St., Ulverston.

I have also been informed that Cumbria County Council have approved the funds to rectify the stretch between New Market St and Brogden St.

Graham Wheelhouse is the Engineer for the scheme.

Please accept my best wishes for the future.

Thanks

Jeremy Robinson

Water Maintenance Project Manager,

United Utilities,

Hadrian Depot, Nelson Street.

Carlisle CA2 5BJ

My reply, on behalf of the Town:

Copy to Roz Harris, formerly of Ulverston who raised the matter with her bosses at United Utilities after seeing our petition on Market Street in September last year.

7 April 2009 23:08:47 BST

Jeremy Robinson,

Many thanks for your welcome news.

We appreciate your efforts in making a vast improvement to the state of our cobbles, so that many of the problems are greatly reduced.

We now look forward to the many other areas the cobbles being brought up to a similar standard.

The work of the county will still leave much more to be done but it is a much appreciated step towards our goal of having our cobbles restored to complete health!

Geoff Dellow

The story behind this is that when we approached United Utilities along with their employee, Roz Harris they agreed that the work carried out for them by Balfour Beatie in 2005 was substandard and agreed to fix their work even though their liability to do this expired in 2007.

They pointed out that they had never received a complaint from the County or anyone else before. This was in spite of the numerous complaints made to the County by the Town council which were ignored and apparently never forwarded to United Utilities.

This incident shows that Private Industry is far more concerned about its reputation than the County Council who behave in a cavalier manner, ignoring criticism from all quarters. It is not surprising that the Audit Commission give the County a very poor rating, yet despite this the Councillors choose to ignore this and support their Highways Department when questioned publicly over this.

Here is the account of the presentation

And here was the result :

To the question:"Why did you not supervise the contractors?"

The Highways replied "We don't have the money to do the repairs"

Which totally ignored the original question and was allowed to stand by the Chair of the meeting Cllr Geoffrey Cook despite this being pointed out.

What does 'sorted' mean Cllr Col?

On 26th February Cllr Colin Williams informed us that this sorry sight had been 'sorted' by him.


"Thanks Geoff, for bringing this to my attention.

I have called Graham Wheelhouses' office @ Cumbria County Council but he's out of the office until 3pm today, Thursday.

This is a shoddy repair to say the least, but leave it with me and we'll get it sorted as soon as possible.

cllr Col Williams"

Could we have an update please, as nothing has changed ?

Our absurd local government.

Normally I have had to petition the authority to get things done.

Now that has changed totally.

I am finding that maybe I have to petition them NOT to do something.

Yesterday Union Lane had its double yellow lines redone despite the fact that I had requested to Nick Raymond not to do this but rather to do some of the work so badly needed in the town centre.

You are right to question why he should listen to a single individual - I was lulled into thinking that he had - however consider the fact that all eight of those I've talked to so far who live on Union Lane see this expenditure as totally unnecessary.

They interpret the system of local government to be totally bureaucratised so that common sense decisions are now impossible.

Democracy and the wishes of the locals NOT to have money spent on them appears to have disappeared down the hill along with the highly mechanised lorry that did the work and returned richer to Brampton, Carlisle, where they no doubt came from!

Sanity is now a rare commodity!

Are things all getting worse?

Slowly , steadily, are we moving in the wrong direction?

Does the article below persuade you that aggression just makes things worse?

Do you understand why we're in Afghanistan?

If it's to do with the supply of drugs to the UK; why not concentrate on raising people's self esteem and belief in the future so that they're not attracted to drugs?

Why is it that we continue to make offcomers angry with the way we treat people abroad?

Why do we support the actions of countries like Israel as they seek to pulverise the Palestinians?

Are we really surprised they support the latter? I certainly do and so do many Jews.

Can you really cower people who feel deeply that western justice is hypocritical?

Are we proud to be English when independent courts tell us we are criminals?

Don't these things matter?

Do we not mind the loss of our freedom in an increasingly police state?

Are the voices of rational British who are at this moment demonstrating against greed and inaction being listened to?

Are they really the voices of deluded trouble makers that need to be ignored so that we can 'move forward'?

Which direction is forward?

Police response to the Croftlands attack

Personally, I'm very impressed with their prompt and thorough action.

Well done Ulverston Police; I'm sure that they'd appreciate some positive comments here.

They get plenty of discouraging comments all the time. Emotionally, doing a thankless job, coppers are like the rest of us; they need a regular top up of encouragement, especially when they're 'on the ball', working with the community like this.

Come on, see what you can do!

Here is their press release on the subject!

Subject: Ulverston man charged with Assault ABH


An Ulverston man has been charged following an assault on a 63-yr-old local man in the town this week.

Police received reports that a man had been assaulted on Oakwood Drive in Ulverston at around 10pm on Sunday 15 March.

Following a police investigation 24-yr-old Michael Fisher, from Larch Grove in Ulverston, was arrested and later charged with Assault ABH.

Sergeant Rupert Johnston from the Ulverston Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “I would like to thank the community for their help in the investigation into this assault. This sort of crime gives people the wrong impression of Ulverston, but the community spirit shown during the investigation proves that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated in the town.”

The brand new MUGA in the Honeypot

Looks good - sturdy, well made but where are the facilities for playing tennis and the like?

At the meeting in October we were promised that net games could be included - all conveniently forgotten.

Next; how about something for the skateboarders. This isn't the best location but something is needed locally for young children who should not be expected to travel unattended all the way to Lightburn Park.

Next obstacle to deal with is the provision of lighting so that the MUGA can be used in the evenings and the provision of some youth workers to encourage its use.

Let's keep the pressure on Simon Hughes and the SLDC to keep supporting and extending this facility, perhaps with something more central to the area.

This is an opportunity for Mark Wilson , the new and keen SLDC councillor to show us what he can do!

Croftlands people have a good look - this is what is planned for the Playing field on Central Drive !

Have we forgoten how to sing?

A lot of enjoyment for no/little cost!

All we need is someone to get us to open our mouths and let our voices out!

It's an emotion thing -

and we're not too good at emotions are we!

Town Mess Clear Up

Congratulations to Andrew, as reported in the Evening Mail, for having the energy to campaign about dog mess. It's great to have people in our town who will get up and actually do something rather than just moan.

However Cllrs Brenda Marr and Colin Hodgson will know that their statements are just hot air and will achieve absolutely nothing.

It's no use relying on SLDC to catch the bad dog owners (and they are very much in the minority - a few dogs can create a lot of mess). The officers go around in bright yellow jackets and can be seen a mile off!

What will change things in my view are two things:

Speak out ourselves whenever we see someone leaving a mess - hand them a bag and ask them to pick it up if necessary. Second - not so pleasant - pick it up ourselves.

As someone who enjoys walking other people's dogs, I regularly do both! If I'm picking up my mess, then I pick someone else's at the same time.

If Brenda and Colin are really genuine then let them join me on a Town Mess Clear Up. I'll give £100 to charity of their choice if they do - and they can wear bright yellow coats so that everyone will notice them (as they did in Kendal) if they please!

Lets see our Councillors be seen to DO SOMETHING !

The only one who I imagine would take up such a challenge would be Cllr Colin Williams - he knows how to get his hands dirty when necessary.

How about it Cllr Col ?

That would impress me - not hot air coming out of ineffective poodles - but fire coming out of dragons that bite.

Tourism disappointment

The news that the North East is getting a big influx of tourists is a Wake-up Call to Ulverston.

They are benefiting from overseas visitors thanks to the weak pound and a steady effort in promoting their area over the last five years.

By contrast our Town Council and Jayne Kendall have really let us down with a poor web site from a tourism point of view.

Thanks to Jayne we have great events here but we are sadly lacking in the skill to promote them over the Internet.

The Town Council's web site was a great disappointment from a tourism point of view, though good at informing us about the workings of the council itself.



GoUlverston, though an excellent service for local people, informing about businesses in the town, is not primarily aimed at promoting Ulverston abroad.

The Town is really missing out and the empty shops reflect this.

The sad state of our streets does little to help, with the local Councillors not standing up to the County to get better service.

Ralph Spours, chairman of the Ulverston Traders Association, is out of touch, making a statement just a week ago that:

“Ulverston has become a thriving little town with the small shops and businesses."

He leads a divided group of shopkeepers.

The town is sadly showing signs of dying on its feet.
.

Tesco planning applications

Three applications are before the Town Council this next Monday Feb 23, 7.15 upstairs in the Ulverston Town Hall. The public have 15 mins at the beginning of the meeting in which to express their views.

Their role is an important one. They express their views which the SLDC planning committee who make the decision take into account.

It is important to first convince the town councillors.

If they recommend acceptance, it is unusual for the SLDC to go against their views.