Take a look at this link to the Bownessy Monster, spotted by some people out  in a Kayake on lake Windermere.
Picture of the Bownessie Monster
Any  ideas what you think it is ?
Apparently it was the "size of three cars"
All i can think is -- it must have once been one heck of a big tree --lol

The Politics of Fear

Riding the bus, as i often do now , i tend to chat to those around me, just to pass the time of day.
Talking to an elderly lady the other morning , she remarked on the changes the current government are making to so many different areas of our lives . As she commented on the many things that would affect her, i noticed as she spoke about the changes to the benefit and pensions systems , that her voice became filled with fear, regarding the ongoing changes.
How proud our government ministers must be to be frightening the elderly and the infirm , with their ongoing rhetoric about the savings they are going to make in the welfare system.
It makes you proud to be British.

A NEW COMPETITION OR TWO

As many of our local reader will know (hey believe it or not we,ve actually got one- thanks Dave -was feeling a bit lonely here all alone), anyway - those reading the Westmorland gazette will be aware of the "Spot the Dog" competition . So i thought we would go one better and introduce two competitions .

The first is entitled "Spot the Grit"

and the second is called "Spot the Council Gritter"

and we can use the above picture for both

Winners get a weekend in Burneside and runners up get a fortnight.

So to the serious aspect of my joviality. There have been some very serious accidents locally with injuries and sadly also fatalities. This makes me wonder how the council cost out the economics of a little grit spread on the main pavements of the town against the accidents resulting from not bothering.

Being no spring chicken myself (but not dead quite yet), i must admit to staying off the pavements as much as possible during this snowy spell, especially as i watched several people slide down the road without a toboggan in sight.My reasoning being it is safer to walk down the middle of the road with a 20 ton truck inches away from you , than it is to take your life in your hands and risk injury on the lethal pavements of Kendal Town.

I suppose with so much time on my hands i have found my mind wandering back to my days as a child  here in Kendal. It only seems like yesterday , and i can hardly believe than some 50 years have passed since i joined "Noddy" Richardson's class as the first "First Year" to enter the then brand new Longlands Boys School (Now part of Queen Katherines School), and this was much to the annoyance of Mrs Mayor (our final year teacher at St Thomas's  Prmary School, at the end of Burneside Rd- now a print works) as many of the class were expected to join the dizzy heights of the Grammar School, but never made it.

I joined that website on Facebook "You know your from Kendal when..." and i hate to admit it , but i seem to be one of the oldest people on there, and yes so many things have changed over the years here in Kendal. The population has mushroomed from some 18,000 when i was growing up, to somewhere around 28,000 now or so i believe, and so many of the old "yards" we explored as children have been destroyed by "regeneration". A fact I contemplate quite sadly.

Well the clock has beaten me again so cheerio till next time (must get a spell checker on this site )

PICTURES IN THE SNOW DEC 2009

DEC 2009 -- SNOW IN KENDAL

Its Sunday Morning the 20th December 2009 and something very strange happened today :- Take a look:-

Yard 51 Stramongate

 

The Market Place, Kendal

The Sunday before Christmas -- and its snowing

Gives our Christmas Tree a Festive air...

WHATS ON AROUND KENDAL

Well its that time of year again, when normally sane people don ridiculious costumes in the name ofthe "panto", and this year rthe Brewery Arts Centre is showing "Alladin".
The pantomime is showing up to the 9th of january and further details can be found at
http://www.breweryarts.co.uk/event-detail.cfm?id=708&type=1 

"Made in Cumbria" are holding a christmas market in kendal market Place on Mon21st and Tuesday 22nd December from 09.30 to 13.30 daily, so get along and pick up those last minute presents .

On the 2nd Jan 2010, Ken Dodd makes a welcome return to Kendal and is playing at the Lakes Leisure Centre on Burton Road. Doors open at 18.30, but if you want to see this show , I'd get in touch with the booking office post haste, as Ken's visits to kendal are usually a complete sellout.. Tickets are £18.00.

Fancy visiting Santa with the children? well you can find him at Sizergh Castle in Santa's Christmas Grotto from Sat 12th  to Sun 20th December from 11am to 3.30pm  (Note : Saturdays and Sundays only).

Want to join in and sing? -get along to the United Reform Church Main Hall on Highgate on Sunday the 20th December at 4pm for a candle-lite Carol Service, i'm sure all will be welcome.
Well there are loads of other things going on --so leave your comments of the events not covered here, and a Merry Christmas to all my readers (errr is there anyone out there ???)

My Last posting for a while.

Sorry dear Reader,
But this is going to be my last posting for a while as I'm off to spend a few weeks
in Lancaster Royal Infirmary. Not my idea of fun, but these things have to be dealt with.
Kendal is holding a new "Foodie" event for the first time this year, and its called
"The Kendal Festival of Food" (now there's a novel title)It runs from the 24th to the 31 October and there are a wide variety of food related attractions and venues throughout the town. To find out more go to :
http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=3121

One event not to be missed is the annual Mountain Festival which is being held
from 19th Nov (Thu) to 22nd Nov, 2009 (Sun) at the Brewery Arts Centre and
Kendal Town Hall and Shakespeare Centre.
Further details can be found at : http://www.mountainfest.co.uk/index.cfm?pageid=1
If your interested in "The great Outdoors" this is one not to be missed.

On a personal note , i was pleased to hear that approx 1/3rd of ambulance cases are now to be assessed at Westmorland General Hospital instead of being taken directly to the RLI at Lancaster. This is the first sensible thing the trust has done in months.

Having had the "pleasure " of riding in an ambulance to Lancaster recently , it ended up having a most enlightening discussion with one of the paramedics about the joys of trundling up and down the motorway day after day . Having been told about the lines of ambulances stood outside the RLI waiting to handover patients , i wondered who was providing cover in South Lakeland while these ambulances were sitting outside the Lancaster Hospital- and the truth seems to be --its No-one, despite what the "Trust" tells the public (Trust seems to be the worst possible name for this group of shiny seated bureaucrats).
So if you live in South Lakeland and your planning on having a heart attack -- my advice to you - either DONT or move to Lancaster first.

Another personal niggle -- South Lakeland Council finally got "Their Way" and have earmarked the free Car Park on New Road for closure. Why should this bother me -- well i must admit to using it from time to time. But recently it was not available over a weekend when i was staying with friends in that area, and it cost me over £9.00 during the 2 day stay. Not so much you may think -- well unfortunately I'm in and out of the RLI a lot at the moment so I'm living on a very modest income until I'm able to return to work, and the cost if i had to use the Council Pay and Display sites all week would amount to 40% of my gross income -so i either park my car legally and starve or park it illegally and end up with a parking ticket costing me even more. This exercise is nothing more that a means of adding to the Councils coffers, and as for the "public consultation" -i went 3 time to put my point of view when it was in Kendal only to find it unmanned -- (Me thinks -that way they don't get to hear things they don't like)

Hummm, i think this blog is turning into a personal rant on the things happening locally that i don't agree with.
Well dear reader, , what do you think of the format of the New Style Westmorland Gazette ? i am most interested to get your comments .

That's all for now , Here's hoping I'll be back to write to you again in a few weeks --