Vic Patterson

Thanks Brian, Oh yes I was spoiled, she let me do the housework at MY pace.....

Thank you Tony and Cympil (cake was great! ) I had a wonderful day relaxing, but it's back to work today

Thanks Pete, Having a great lazzy day, watching the Brier right now(curling) snowed a little on Thursday and Friday but it's melting fast.

Great stuff, hope you all have a good time, I think I recognize your rellie!

In an area where one third of the workforce works for HM Government the cuts will be harder felt than elsewhere.

Actually GGG the figure is 40% not 33% and I have questioned the sustainably of that.

You could be wrong in your prognosis about the town muddling though, I think it is far more serious than that! I think we should all be getting together and supporting each of the various efforts people are coming up with. If debrade65 thinks carpet bombing the politicians is the way to go then so be it. It is a perfectly legitimate strategy in a democracy. Other people are going down different routes and good luck to them too but we should all be supporting each other because at the end of the day we are all fighting for the same cause.

Taking the possible library closure as an example, if every man, woman and child in the town went and took membership out at the library the county would be hard pressed to make a case for closure! They are using usage figures as justification for closures. That would be a community acting to protect its communal assets. I would urge everyone to do that anyway because there are two words which have become synonymous with council pronouncements regarding anything controversial at the moment, 'decision deferred!'

A little bit off topic.... If the library were to move with the times it should "go electronic" Who reads paper books these days? the digitized books should be made available, I know quite a few people who go the library before going on vacation or just traveling on business. I also know several people who don't have computers who go to the library to check their e-mail etc. I think this concept has to be adopted into all ways of life, things have always changed with the times so we need to think how to keep up with technology!

Be nice!

The Tyne bridge represents Newcastle, Market place Blyth, what view means Bedlington to you? (Market Cross!)

I too applaud your effort but be careful what you ask for! as long as you have the basic services how much do you really want? most people appear to have some mode of transport (I could be wrong) and Blyth, Ashington, Cramlinton and Newcastle all have the mega stores, fast food outlets and all the garbage that goes with them!5-10 miles is close enough for industry and all the pollution and waist it often produces.

I'd be pressing them to clean and tidy what you have and fill up the closed or run down buildings and provide recreation and leisure facilities.

Respectfully submitted

Well done Amy

Anyone watching the Olympics? what are you following?

Yes Cympil that is where Walter Dagless lived with his wife Sarah Jane (with 5 bairns!)the door was sharp right in the arch.

My wife's grand parents lived in it, it was called the "Old Hall" sort of a multi dwelling place, she remembers going through an archway to a courtyard that had about eight dwellings. not sure about it being called a work house.

Your certainly correct about the salt and causing rust, we see vehicles from the coast rusting in a couple of years but here in the mountains with dry air and very little salt they wear out before rusting, only my 26 year old Bronco is now showing it!

But salt is good to -21c for traction they use more sand than salt.

How much do you want to pay! We get a lot of snow every year and we pay hefty taxes to remove it! Vancouver only get a heavy frost! and hardly budget anything (yeh they do all end up in the ditch !) I buy snow removing equipment (at work) $90,000-$150,000. and it gets used often, if your council bought this stuff how often would it get used? a lot of it can be used all of the year round but things like snow blowers etc can't.

If industry comes to a halt without it maybe industry should be taxed to clear the roads (that's not going to happen!) How often in a normal year is it needed?

These are 5 year old figures

Snow-removal budgets compared with annual average snowfall:

• Vancouver — $400,000; 8 centimetres

• Calgary — $21 million; 106.5 cms

• Edmonton — $49 million; 123.5 cms

• Ottawa — $66 million; 202.5 cms

• Toronto — $67 million; 133 cms

• Montreal — $128 million; 144 cms

Should they drive faster? faster than the speed they are comfortable driving at! I say be more patient and arrive in one piece.Courtesy and lane discipline (there is neither here!)

DAY!

Happy birthday to you all, have a great dat

BLEEDING HEARTS! they have taken over! we all deserve basic rights but when we look after the criminal and not the victim something is wrong, we go to the extreme in giving cons more than basic rights in medical dental, cosmetic (sex changes etc) coverage, I see them going right across the country on "compassionate trips" I've said on another topic there is no accountability for their actions! we are not allowed to punish but only "correct" If we would only give our seniors half of what we give cons, it takes over $100k to keep a con in jail how much would it cost to keep him out?

I am working in a Federal Penitentiary, been here for the past 25 years, I have seen every kind of inmate (offender is preferred!) that there is, it will benefit some inmates but not others you cannot generalize, you think the UK is soft "you ain't seen nuthin!"

Some inmates should be way up north breaking rocks, many inmates are institutionalized and cannot function in the outside word (but we don't help them stay out!) many will never be back, some ask us to hold their jobs until they return! We have bad guys who will never be anything else but BAD!

I have run into ex inmates with their family's who thank us for helping them through their bad times others you wouldn't like to meet in a dark alley. Xmas at home for most low risk inmates would makes life a lot easier for us!(just like early parole)

Happy birthday Pete.

I'm having my Christmas wish right now, today I drove the 500 km to the city and made it in time for a grandson's school Xmas concert! now I'll have the next three days with my three daughters and their family's.

On the way home on Saturday I'll stop in at my son's and spend some time with his family. I'll also get my wife her Xmas present!

Life is great!

-41c (without wind chill)and it's heading your way! but the snow stopped.

I think it's time to vote on this issue!

Ho Ho Ho Joe, nice to see you pop up out of that snow bank! we've had snow for about 6 weeks now but we didn't get big dump you did, the girls did in Leduc, two years ago October 21st we got 4ft but it was all gone by May or was it June! -34c last night.