Today's News

COCKERMOUTH
Castlegate is closed at the moment so that they can resurface the road. It's a very narrow street - I mean VERY narrow - and they seem to be making the pavements wider, which makes me wonder if they're planning to make it one-way. But if they do, where will the traffic going the other way go? Perhaps they're going to install traffic lights? Nice fancy new paving stones going down. Causing temporary chaos for people wanting to drive up to the school or the Leisure Centre though, as they have to go away up Market Place to the top end of town and then back down past the school. Half of Market Place itself is also being re-done, though I'm assured it will all be finished in time for the Georgian Fair in May. It'd better be.

DEAD HORSES
I'm horrified after hearing about the RSPCA going into a Buckinghamshire farm and finding 32 dead horses lying around, and another 80-odd that had to be rescued. A few of these were in such bad shape they had to be put down.

PIPING HOT
Our first get-together after the festive season, and now we're starting to plan our programme for the Georgian Fair. Five of us present, which is enough for the moment, although by the time the concert comes round Helen will be gone, as she's selling her house and moving down south. We played through some JC Bach, a Mozart horn concerto (no, not the Flanders & Swann one!) and some Dowland almains and a galliard, all of which are possibles for May. We also ran through Limelight which caused much merriment as it's not as easy as it looks. Amazingly, despite growing up in Leftpondia, Rachel had never heard it before. She had also never heard Autumn Leaves before, leaving me believing the poor girl, despite appearances to the contrary, must have had a deprived childhood.

FIRE
Steve lit the fire in the living room. We don't do this very often, but it's really nice, and makes you want to just sit there in front of it and do nothing. Shame my computer is in a completely different part of the house. The cats don't seem to have noticed it yet - I don't think they realise the joys of an open fire, but once they do . . .