Vic Patterson

It was a family event making proggy and clippie mats, hessian was stretched on two wooden runners and clippings were either poked up or down through the hessian, clippie mats were made with short clippinges and were pushed down and the ends trimmed, (like a shag carpet) proggy mats were longer clippings pushed up through the hessian forming loops and often following a pattern drawn on the hessian. As kids it was our job to cut the strips of cloth and keep the supply of cups of tea going! Aunts and cousins used to bring there gossip and news, even share their sweet coupons! They had a mat making demo at Beamish last time I was there. The same family members used to attend Beatle and Whist drives! even show up for wallpapering sessions or wall stippling! I think this may be the reason we never complained about "I got nothing to do!" mom would soon find something!

If I were the Bedlington Terriers sponsor I might think it was worth it! What options are offered?

Sports Centre, Leisure Centre, Recreation Centre, all good names for what Bedlington would like, (like or need!) that has to be defined, how close are the facilities that are already available? as it so happens our Recreating Centre is in the process of being redeveloped as it is 40 years old! at a cost of about $20 to $30,000,000!!! Where is the money coming from? well there is lots of funding around if you can find it! (and secure it) seniors get a lot for such as crown bowling, Aqua fitness etc it often comes from Lotto's, casinos and gambling Education authorities need facilities for fitness like swimming, soccer and gymnasiums. The soccer club need training facilities, there are other groups like running and cycling that could contribute to the running costs (nothing comes free!) when all else fails it is TAXES! (population 2,300) Our facilities will include some meeting rooms, Community Health Centre, Pre-school centre, and other agencies that will contribute to the running costs, I think the school board pays for the use of the pool, rink and a school hot lunch program.

What am I missing? why is everyone so negative towards the new owners? the negative tones appears in most of the strings being posted!

The Bedlington Terrier was the feature dog at a New York dog show last week (according to our local newspaper)

I think you just said where, China!

What a coincidence that this is in our "local" paper today, it shows the typical camera used by hunters etc and it even snaps a Lynx! The article in the newspaper is quite a big spread and was based here in Grande Cache. The Wilmore Park is the view out of my window. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Wolverines+Wild/3650234/story.html

I think Brian can attest to the destruction by feral cats! they are more of a problem than our wild cats, but they do keep the rabbit population down! we often get Lynx, cougar even bears on our golf coarse (and round town)

Not a Union it's called a "Mob"

See, Unions do work, 11 people employed! if it wasn't for the unions the guy in the hole would be holding onto his own rope! on the down side I don't see any lunch boxes!!

3G, I must disagree! a myth according to who! (or is that whom!) I believe unions made the changes! but when they began dictating government policy (60's-70's) they stopped being unions and became political parties! overstepping their mandate. (Communist Party, ETU, I was apprentice electrician then) If it wasn't for the unions I don't believe the rich would have given any concessions to the workers. Today it is a different story, the owners are are smarter (and richer) by using the policy as you state, but only because of the stand the unions took many, many years ago. But I guess this could be debated for ever! (Union member for over 40 years, until I was given the boot! )

It's time they unionized!

Working in unsafe conditions, 12 hours a day, earning 5 pound a week! and living in a company house (as long as to toe the line!) shopping at the company store!

I don't remember the one at Hollymount but I was in Ashington ATC 1110 around 1958

Checking for contamination, standard practice for garages. Contamination can be very expensive as it can travel several blocks! usually the new owners would be responsible for the reclamation, removing contaminants and disposal!

Hi Brian, We enjoy the winter but this is 6-8 weeks too early, It caused a few power bumps and it brought a few branches down.

This is too early!

Hi Brian, Would that be 1961? On 20-21 June 1961 the first non-stop UK - Australia flight was made by a Vulcan of 617 Squadron. The flight involved three aerial refuellings (FWIW I was in Wolongong 1994, nice museum!)

I remember the air shows very well as they "caused" me to join up in 1960! RAF boy entrant, Meteors, Hunters, Javelins, Vampires, Venoms, Anson, Shackletons and many US, Italian and French visitors, the highlights of my youth!

It must have been a great site to see! the very last airworthy one, I remember one flying over our car at zero feet in the Wooler area, almost scared the life out of us!

Good to hear it wasn't anything too serious! keep up the good work, it's certainly appreciated.

In the mid sixties my sister-in-law and family lived in Barrington Cottage, at that time it was an NCB house, they were told of the murder in that house.

3G, I don't know how the children are being killed with guns but just the fact that they are is disturbing, too many guns and not enough controls, laws need changing! my experience with Mr. Plod have normally been ok it is when the "senior" officers get involved or "policy states" it goes wrong! Malcolm, You have a valid point but as I said I don't know how many were involved, most police are not performing critical duties but are out doing routine jobs, surely these would be used in this situation and not necessarily replaced. Mental illness is not very often recognized in criminals, but is quite obviously the cause of their offences, again I believe the laws need changing, not all mental cases need locking away in institutions but treatment and controls can safeguard the public. Sounds like this guy should not have been released, but where should he have been kept? and how many others should be detained and for how long? I don't have those answers!

Dammed if you do, dammed if you don't! how much public protection was needed? how many police were used (I have only seen and read snippets in our news) where is the extra cost incurred? overtime to the police? I don't know a lot about his case but keeping offenders in prison under the present laws is pretty difficult, early parole etc in meant for the majority of normal offenders, and it works! it is for the minority that the laws need changing, more discretion for the authorities is needed, repeat or serious offenders should be pounding rocks! While growing up, a caravan in Rothbury was our annual vacation, they were the best days of my youth! Cragside, the Thrum and the moors! I hope they don't get too much tourism publicity.

There is no such thing as an "obvious" toy gun. These are old stats but do show that too many kids are killed by guns, yes the police appeared to be heavy handed when they dealt with the 12 year olds (they are old enough to know what they were playing with) only a fool would wait until they found out if they were real or toy guns. Trust me, I'm a police man! There are a few bad apples everywhere! In a single year, 3,012 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States, according to the latest national data released in 2002. That is one child every three hours; eight children every day; and more than 50 children every week. And every year, at least 4 to 5 times as many kids and teens suffer from non-fatal firearm injuries. American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States.