NEW YEAR
Well, if you are reading this you have survived another Christmas. I hope it was a good holiday and everyone ended up happy and glowing with festive joy. If my memory of family Christmases serves me right the kids were still enjoying things but Vera and I experienced a feeling of let-down, a sort of post Christmas depression. Mind you, it wasn't as bad for me because in those days, working at the dairy, we worked right through Christmas, the cows had to be milked and we had to pick it up from the farms and process it. One thing was certain, anything left over from the Christmas roast ended up on my butties, I can remember getting quite bored with turkey and stuffing sandwiches. I remember one Christmas when we were really hard up I bought a goose from a man called Vince Whitaker at Rush Isles farm on the moors above Keighley. It was a big bird and I got it for ten shillings, (50p), the problem was it was as tough as old boots. Vera recognised its age and part boiled it first but we still couldn't eat it. In desperation she made a curry out of some of the meat and it was still terrible so I buried the lot in the orchard! I asked Ernie Dawson at Thornton Hall Farm how long a goose could live and he told me 25 years was quite common. He did nothing but laugh when I told him why I was enquiring. Ah well, you live and learn!
This was the time of year when our thoughts turned to the old custom of making New Year Resolutions. First I'd like to tell you about a Christmas Resolution I was taught early in life. It was a Scotsman who told me that it was a good start to the New Year to spend the week after Christmas making sure that when the midnight hour struck on the last day of the year you didn't owe any money to anyone. Not counting the biggies like the mortgage, it had to be a very bad year before Vera and I missed accomplishing this. All right, I know that this will be a sore point to some of my readers who through no fault of their own can't manage this but it's still something you can aspire to. In the old days before Direct Debits it always amazed me how so many people managed to send a bill that arrived in the first week in January and of course nowadays this will include the credit card statements! It won't do much good I know but you have my sympathy.
As for New Year Resolutions, if I tell the truth I can never remember making one that I stuck to. I'm not sure if this makes me a bad person, on the whole it probably means I am human. I can imagine the scene in many a bathroom when someone steps onto the scales and recoils in horror when they realise just how much weight it is possible to put on in a fortnight. This probably explains why the magazines are full of articles about slimming in January and the various slimming clubs experience a healthy rise in membership. There will also be plenty of advice about managing debt. The problem is of course that this is shutting the stable door after the horse has gone, it's too late for this year! This was one of the things I had in mind when I was talking about pester power last week. They tell me that there is a motto engraved over one of the gates of the Escorial palace in Spain, “Take what you want and pay for it”, that just about sums it up, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
We are on the brink of 2013. I shan't be sorry to see the back of 2012 because for so many poor people it has been a very bad year and 2013 isn't looking much better. I feel so sorry for young families rearing a family these days. We had some rough times but at least we had a job and relative security. I've told you the story many a time about buying Hey Farm for £2,200 and paying it off in 15 years on a very low wage. I can understand why young people can't believe this these days, to them it's like a fairy story. All I can say is that given the choice I'd rather have the conditions we had then than what young families face today. I feel so sorry for them, somewhere in the past housing prices went wrong and the young ones are suffering.
How about this for a resolution that stands a chance of being kept. Suppose we all tried to be nicer to each other, the world is short of 'nice'! (I know this doesn't apply to you because you are always nice but worth putting the idea out there.) Give more hugs! I once had a sweatshirt that had “I give hugs” written across the chest. You'd be amazed at the number of people who took advantage of the offer, usually ladies of uncertain age but it certainly was an ice-breaker. If you've a friend or relation you haven't seen or communicated with for too long, do something about it. People are so busy these days chasing their own tails that they forget and it may be up to you to make the first move. One of the nicest things about writing these articles is that many a time people will come up to me in the street and say “Are you Stanley?” and it's always a pleasure to talk to them. I've often said that one of the good things about Town Square is the way you can always see groups of people just standing still and chatting. Don't be afraid of talking to strangers, in my experience they don't bite. The more we interact with each other the better the town will be and by enjoying yourself making new acquaintances you'll be ensuring that Barlick stays one of the best places in the world to live in.
So, my last message for 2012 is thank you for reading my ramblings, I'm sorry if they aren't always your taste but we have to try to cater for everyone. I don't know what 2013 will bring but I wish you all the best of luck as you sail forward into the future. I'm a bit pessimistic about the prospects but we have all seen hard times in the past and survived somehow. One thing is sure, it will be easier if we stick together and help each other. My picture this week was made by an American friend who was delighted by the fact that people in Barlick sat in Town Square talking to each other, there are many places where this is seen as eccentric behaviour!
Having a good natter!
