Jim Webster's Blog, page 15

Cobwebs and superglue

I remember, many years ago, watching the vet treat a cow which was tied in a stall in the building next to the milking parlour. Because it was easy to separate a cow from her mates there, after she’d been milked, this was the stall we used for cows the vet needed to see. It …

A small tornado a long way from London, nobody noticed.

  Last month, during evening milking, the electric went off. This is a damned nuisance, especially given that at this time of year, it’s pretty much pitch dark. Even darker because it was a wet and windy evening. However before we managed to phone the electricity people to query gently when they expected service to …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall.Part seven, the start of an awfully big adventure.

Our steering committee was assembled in the conservatory at Ann Hodgson’s house. Normally our committee met in her kitchen but in honour of our greater numbers, she had put the conservatory at our disposal. Already I can see that the factions from Auldwick and from Cowperthwaite were coming together in unity. Rather than sit glaring …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall Part six. The Indiana Jones experience.

One of the questions the nice lady from ACTion with Communities in Cumbria had asked me was, “What is the charity status of your village hall?” In the face of my incomprehension she’d asked the follow-up question, “What does your constitution say.” I was forced to confess that I had never actually seen the constitution, …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall Part five, taking the crisis out of housing.

Jenny, our vicar, called round for coffee the following morning. We’d agreed to meet, to start putting together a steering committee. Now traditionally everybody holds meetings involving the vicar in the vicarage. The problem with this is that, with the vicarage being as it were, the natural haunt of clergy, that’s where people phone when …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall. Part four, The public meeting!

  Of course it had to be a wet night. I assumed that would mean we had fewer people. But obviously I had underestimated my fellow citizens. Driven by a sense of public duty, (or lured by carrot cake, but in all candour I was in no position to be judgemental) our meeting was attended …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall. Part three, involving the community.

  Next morning, fortified by a decent breakfast, and with the trauma of the previous evening’s village hall committee meeting fading under the assault of the second mug of strong coffee, I gave some thought to the decision taken. The committee had chosen me to approach ACTion with Communities in Cumbria (from now on known …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall Part 2, ‘The Village Hall Meeting.’

  It was obvious we were going to have to do something about the village hall. Wendy over-insuring it had put an ‘unfortunate’ fire out of our reach. Still, it did strike me that a five year sentence for arson, with time off for good behaviour, might still be less of an ordeal than a …

The saga of Auldwick with Cowperthwaite village hall. Part 1, Sheep will safely graze.

It was always going to be one of those days. It started with somebody hammering on the kitchen door. I put my coffee mug down and went to see who it was. Young Geordie from Lower Daleside Farm stood there looking a bit embarrassed. “Tup’s broken out and got into t’village hall. But I fixed …

The force is strong with this one

Every so often you read something in the paper which grabs your attention. For me this was a piece I saw about wolves. Apparently researchers, working with wolf cubs who’d had no contact with humans, tried throwing a ball for them so see what happened. It seems that the cubs in two litters ignored it …