WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Tardis]

Finally took a picture, to applaud LancashireCC for finally repainting the zebra crossing outside Gisburn Road School

[Marilyn]

I like the wet, cold road look and slight mist up ahead...so very different to my day at the beach today...miles of sand, blue skies and 34 degrees. We walked miles and paddled in the water. Top day.
"AUSTRALIA DAY" today, of course.
Traditionally a day for backyard barbeques, time spent with family, a few beers and fireworks later. ( but we were happier walking the beach).

[Stanley]

You wouldn't enjoy it this morning Maz, lousy wet horrible cold morning.

[Thomo]

The restrictions on terrorist suspects have now been removed. Put in simple terms, they may now do more or less just as they wish! For the do gooders and the suspects this will be wonderful news, for they who have to try to protect the rest of us it will be costly, Good old soft touch Britain at its best!!

[Stanley]

Tripping over the back yard doorstep as I came in from our walk. Full length and I'm going to have a lovely bruise on my left hand! Lucky actually, that's the classic way for a crumbly like me to break their wrist.... No get well cards, I am OK otherwise.... (so far!)

[Tizer]

Now if it had been my dad tripping over the back yard doorstep he would have insisted that someone had raised it! Take care! I hope you don't do it again, but if you do then remember to put your hand under a running cold water tap to close the blood capillaries and prevent bruising.

[Tardis]

Yesterday. The press photocall on the Town Square for the people who would do the sponsored walk for the "9 miles for 9 days". They walked in that howling wind and rain, the first making it back for 12.30

[Tardis]

Today, some good renovation of the walls in Valley Gardens. Asked for by the Friends of Valley gardens, but now being paid for by Pendle Parks I understand (£600 instead of the £3000 initially quoted)

[Stanley]

Thanks for the concern. I must have bounced. No aches, no pains and no bruising. Clean living and good grub might work after all!

[LizG]

About 3 years ago a lady up the road gave me a slice of one of her orchid bulbs. It grows in a hanging basket and the flowers push through the bottom of the basket.They are fragrant and only last for 3 days.

I have nurtured this plant for all this time and was delighted when 2 flower spikes emerged. They should have opened about now but then along came the stinking hot weather. Today they gave up the ghost and are now crispy! (despite all the TLC) AGHHH!! Better luck next year eh?

[Stanley]

Nothing crispy in Barlick this morning Liz. (Apart from the chips I will have with stew for dinner!)

[Thomo]

Last night on the news there was a piece about the Bank Panic in the run up to World War One. In some of the original footage there was a Tank outside of the Bank of England, a MK IV Male Tank No. 113, the one in Letcliffe Park was No. 114!

[Tardis]

Nice Tank fact.

Today's lancashire Telegraph has an article on the success of Barlick cyclist Lucy

[David Whipp]

Extensive repairs being carried out on Park Road (one of 50 odd stretches of Barnoldswick road needing repair identified in a survey carried out last February).

[PanBiker]

I hope they make it as far as the Skipton Road Junction with Fernlea Avenue on the bend at the bottom of Ash Grove. That must be one of the roughest 50 yards of road in the district, its more like a roller coaster with the undulations than a flat surface. Really noticeable on two wheels when approaching the junction. Mind you they have just put new white lines down so it looks more likely that it will be overlooked again!

[Stanley]

Sorry Peter. Here's Gus's pic of the tank, 144.

[David Whipp]

I hope they make it as far as the Skipton Road Junction with Fernlea Avenue on the bend at the bottom of Ash Grove. That must be one of the roughest 50 yards of road in the district, its more like a roller coaster with the undulations than a flat surface. Really noticeable on two wheels when approaching the junction. Mind you they have just put new white lines down so it looks more likely that it will be overlooked again!

This is one of the sites reported in the long list last February (another was the route from Ash Grove onto Leonard Street). From memory, LCC said the Skipton Road stretch wasn't bad enough. Mind you, I've been getting some better answers since May.

I'm going to review what's happened with the sites reported last year, and do another survey next month.

[Thomo]

114 is what I put, followed by ! mark.

[Tardis]

LCC have patched the Leonard Street, Ashgrove junction. Though I think that they missed quite a bit

[PanBiker]

I hope they make it as far as the Skipton Road Junction with Fernlea Avenue on the bend at the bottom of Ash Grove. That must be one of the roughest 50 yards of road in the district, its more like a roller coaster with the undulations than a flat surface. Really noticeable on two wheels when approaching the junction. Mind you they have just put new white lines down so it looks more likely that it will be overlooked again!

From memory, LCC said the Skipton Road stretch wasn't bad enough.

If that's not bad enough, I wouldn't like to see one that was!

[hartley353]

Now I have returned to the city, normal habits have resumed like buying a newspaper. Today my paper contains ariel photographs of somerset, 10% of which is under water what is clear from these images is that most of the villages are surrounded by water and have become islands. From this I would deduce that the folks who founded these villages many centuries ago were aware of the problem of flooding and built on the high ground good common sense. The baying pack has now decided that lack of dredging is the problem, personally I dont believe this to be the case and will allow the future to prove me right. In 1973 I started what has become a annual pilgrimage to Somerset for a weeks fishing. This takes part in the heat of the summer and allows a lot of thinking time whilst sitting on the banks of a watercourse. When I first sat on the river banks the water would be 8 to 10 ft below surrounding land levels, these were meandering rivers which had cut their own path through the years and had good water flows. Over the next forty years I have watched these river lose their summer flows not by natural means, but probably through water abstraction and a drop in aquifer levels. The consequence of which is siltation. Dredging would not be an answer to this, and would not be practical.

[Stanley]

Peter, are you missing the fact that the tank is number 144 not 114?

[David Whipp]

If that's not bad enough, I wouldn't like to see one that was!

I've a folder full of pothole pics which are used to provide evidence to LCC that action needs taking. When I've the time, I may post some of them in a new topic.

After we did the survey last February, the tone of the response from LCC was very much one of denial that conditions were so bad. Nowadays, the highway engineers are much more helpful. Most, but not all, problems reported almost a year ago have been dealt with, some after several years of neglect. It'll be useful to resurvey over the next few weeks, check what's been or being done and find out where fresh deterioration is taking place.

[Thomo]

Thanks Stanley, head confused by severe cold/flu. The tanks are 143 and 144 respectively.

[plaques]

Date stone on the "Wool Pack" row of cottages, Lenches Rd Colne. Grade 2 listed buildings. The owner of the house thought it may have belonged to William Pickles Hartley the Jam manufacturer and philanthropist. This is doubtful since it pre-dates his birth. Hartley was a very common name in Colne and Trawden. Non of your lot is it Mike?