Birthday Bash

Saturday night at the Game Cock Inn with good friends Andy, Joan and Ray, then of course Frank and I! Superb "surprise" dinner for us and the Inn really went that extra mile to make sure it was a memorable occasion. The edge on Austwick Hall as we were in the main body of the kirk and were able to include the other willing participants in the celebration. I understand that we drank the bar dry of gin. Barry would have been proud of us! Just to make sure we had a good time we ended up there for Sunday lunch! I really did not feel like or able to cook especially when the kitchen is still being renovated!

The Berkshire visitors had a good time and as well as feasting and festivals they were able to see some of the countryside in all of it's sunny glory. Thanks for the gardening, planting and lopping (Andy's specialism).

A special mention to Eric for his tower of profiteroles with chocolate male genitalia one the top! As you can see something special to get out teeth into! I suspect the "Wainwrights" and champagne helped Ray but I made sure I gobbled the top one up!

If this is 60 I can recommend the celebration being todays 40 of course! Many thanks for all the good wishes, gifts and kind thoughts for those near and dear!

Bill Speirs 1952-2009

I first knew Bill when campaigning for the repeal of Clause 2a, he was a remarkable man who was able to hold a crowd with arguementative zeal. This are just a few of the tributes to him as his passing is announced this morning:-

Tributes are being paid to the former General Secretary of the STUC Bill Speirs who has died, aged 57. His predecessor Campbell Christie described him as an 'outstanding personality of the trade union movement'. Bill Speirs was a socialist and a trade unionist who was among the most talented of his generation. He shunned a parliamentary career as he rose among the ranks of the STUC. Campbell Christie, the STUC General Secretary from 1986-98, said: "I worked with him or 20 odd years, he was one of the outstanding personalities of the trade union movement during that whole period." His politics were that of the pragmatic left. He was suspicious of markets, was pro-home rule and was aggressively internationalist, being a leading advocate for Palestine and against apartheid South Africa. Jim Devine MP, Labour member for Livingston, said: "I went to see him and there were messages from the South African government, there were messages from Palestine, messages from various other individuals from right throughout the world and I can think of very few if any other politician or trade unionist who would have that sort of support from right throughout the world."
When Thatcherism was at its height, Mr Speirs' reputation blossomed as an articulate and strategically sharp operator in defence of workers. He was on the vanguard of anti-Conservative agitation against the Poll Tax and was a keen architect of the cross-party Scotland United campaign. As a former Labour Party chairman he was a committed member, but was never narrow or sectarian. At the STUC his eight years as General Secretary from 1998 kept the unions at the centre of the political, cultural and civic debates of the time.
Former First Minister Jack McConnell said: "One of the remarkable things about Bill Speirs was that everybody will have disagreed with him at some point. He had opinions on everything and was never afraid to confront the vested interests, he was never afraid to speak his mind, but also he was always winning to make new friends and to build alliances to make things happen."
When he retired from the STUC three years ago, he had a long battle against illness. It pained family and friends who witnesses the slow and inevitable decline. Those who knew him will remember a giant of his generation, who had a natural gift for politics and all its many machinations. They will remember most of all that he fought on behalf of people and causes that he loved.

The Hedge

After months of thinking about it, consulting with lawyers, parish council and dales national park but most important with our adjacent neighbour Elaine, the day arrived when work begun on the removal of the hedge! Apart from opening the garden out and improving the view we hope it will begin to establish our mark! To be replaced by a dry stone wall, Ann George and as Ann describes him, the "lovely Robert" have all rallied around to get the work done! For our part we are keeping out of the way while the tiling, papers and general finishing off in the kitchen gets done! Need to be thinking about work, "MAJAK" and our move to Austwick around about April 2010! This decision came about as a result of the birthday weekend with Joan, Ray and Andy just talking to Frank about the future here! Thankfully he agreed and I don't under estimate that the move from Fife for him is a real milestone! However I think we know that it will be for the best for a list of positive reasons!

Flower shop open!

The 60th birthday flowers adore the chaos that is around in the house! each delivery is unique and lovely. So put them on display in the front porch that should keep them well for the journey to Scotland on Tuesday!

I think such journeys are becoming a challenge and I would suspect the turn of the year will see us making some "life changing" decisions about our future and life here in Austwick! Watch this space!

A lot to think about but clear views are emerging! So today we are off to the market and tonight a birthday party supreme at the "Game Cock Inn". Hush don't tell Ray! I need to sneak along with the birthday bunting! As Jaki said we are really good to ourselves and why not? These are Derek and Jaki's florals!

A very happy birthday to us!

Ann

Ann Robinson, the Austwick one, has a lot to be praised for! Boundary Mills is a great example because as you can see Andy, Ray and Joan had a shopping experience yesterday after their early arrival from Berkshire! Brilliant and the boot was full to overflowing, although yours truly did make a wee contribution!

A very happy birthday with lots of good wishes from dear friends and my loved one, plus flowers and gifts which made the day! Our down South visitors loved Boundary Mills so such that they presented me with a fabulous canteen of cutlery as Mrs Bucket would say, "top of the range".

Kitchen is becoming a little bit of a challenge as the tiling was getting on and looking great, but the adhesive from Focus Store did not set the floor tiles and certainly was not fit for purpose so the builder had to take them all up again, wash the adhesive off, which was not a problem thus indicating the crap it is, and start all over again with "professional" stuff! Will be interested to hear what the store say today when we visit Skipton.

A reflective 60 year old

I think Gladys said it all in her song:

I've had my share,
Of life's ups and downs,
but fates been kind,
the downs have been few,
I guess you could say,
I've been lucky,
Or I guess you could say,
That it's all because of you.
If anyone, should ever write, my life story,
for whatever reason there might be,
you'd be there,
between each line of pain and glory,
cos your the best thing that ever happened to me,
Oh your the best thing that ever happened to me.
There have been times,
when times were hard,
but always somehow I made it, I made it through,
But for every moment that I've been hurtin',
there's been a moment, that I've spent.....
Oh just loving you,
If anyone should ever write my life story,
for whatever, for whatever reason there might be,
you'd be there, between each line of pain and glory,
Cos your the best thing that ever happened to me,
Oh your the best thing that ever happened to me,
don't you know, your the best thing....
Oh that ever happened,
to me.

So really as I do reflect on being 60 yes it's about personal achievements and those I inherited on my life journey and those I met and many I said goodbye to but most of all it is about those I have dear and near to me and not personal possessions, fame or even infamy! Today will be a celebration and I will be raising my glass to 60 years of life! Long may it be so, although our neighbour Elaine (97 years young) told us yesterday that after reaching 60 the years just roll by! Did like to say that 60 is the new age 40.

In recovery

After really intensive medical care for my burns, mainly with "Flamazine" and sterile dressings but also the specialist care from Town Head Health Centre in Settle, the main burn to my wrist is healing really well and they reckon that I will mot need skin grafting but will have scaring that will fade. So really good news here for a change.

Looking forward to Frank arriving on Tuesday, collecting him from Settle train station at 17:56!

Ann and George have been great support as well as true friends who have phoned and emailed me! The last couple of weeks have been scary but thankfully the "flash backs" have dome and I'm getting restful sleep!

Well Ray hits the big 60 today! I'm not far behind him on Thursday. Frank and I are going to Austwick Hall for dinner to celebrate the arrival of my bus pass with Ray, Joan and Andy arriving early on Friday for the celebratory weekend! It promises to be a great way of hitting the "third age" or as I look on it today's 40! Shame Robin from down under cannot be here but we can do it all again in 2012!

Ann drove me to Colne in Thursday as I was in need of a break and retail therapy! "boundary Mill" mainly store outlets, was great so on the list for next weekend. Convinced myself that a good spend was what I needed and my did I have a good spend!

Kitchen wise still waiting for the two cupboard doors that were missing and for the tiler to come in a couple of weeks and then George to paper! Phew what a marathon! Still has not put us off having the bathroom upgraded!

Kitchen Destroyed!

Derek & Steve with Mark and Paul from Scotia Joinery have begun the long awaited revamp of the kitchen! As I have said to make omelette's you need to break eggs and after spending hours taking cupboards apart there sledge-hammer techniques seems to be getting there!
Health wise I'm attending the local surgery and been fortunate to have a care nurse that specialised in burns when she was stationed in the Falklands! "Flamazine" is applied with strict instructions about keeping the burn site wound clean and sterile. Back there on Monday so some self care over the weekend!