Volcanic ash ......

I haven't been able to keep up the blog in recent weeks as I have been stuck down in 'Combe. I thought I was only going on me annual Easter Break down to the seaside which I enjoy at this time of year. However, like hundreds of thousands of my fellow Britons I didn't count on Mt Xjaaigurjussonquist erupting in Iceland. Consequently, due to the restrictions imposed by the so-called authorities on the matter, the matter being volcanic ash, on high altitude transportation, First Bus in it's wisdom and with regard to both it's fleet and the safety of it's passengers decided to suspend running double decker buses from Barum to Ilfracombe.  Therefore, due to the ensuing travel chaos I was stuck down there for the last week or so and I managed to get the first bus back out of Combe only yesterday evening. I've heard that some people, those without passes who require a walk on fare, may be stuck down there until at least the middle of next week! It has been rumoured that some Taxi drivers and less safety minded coach operaters have been making a killing ferrying passengers back and forth. Also, there was a story going about that one couple who'd popped down just for the day to clean their caravan had chartered a boat to take them over to Swansea where they then took the train to Bristol and then were forced to get another coach back to Barum changing at Taunton where they had an hour and a half wait. It took them the best part of a day and if you believe what people say cost 'em £125.
As far as I am concerned as the weather has been so nice the only impediment that I suffered was that I couldn't make it down to use the computers in the library and I missed Town's last home game of the season. More on that later.
Still, I,m glad to be back home.

..... breaking news.... breaking news...... from the sport desk

Barnstaple Town win away at Radstock. A vital victory for Barum which takes 'em four points away from the drop. I been down the club today to see the Reserves play West Exe. There was quite a good crowd to watch them, at least a hundred or so. I have a mate who lives in Radstock and for once I actually know where one of these Western League teams is. I have even been to their ground. It is nothing compared to Mill Road, infact it makes Mill Road look like the Camp Nou . In my own opinion the FA ought to create another league on the same level for the real Westcountry at least we could forget a round trip up and back again to Calne or Westbury that can be up to  250 miles which on a wet Wednesday night in November aint xactly a great prospect. People have said that Town should drop down to the Peninsular League as it would create loads of local derby opportunities  and as at the moment we ain't going to win the Western League then what difference does it make. A fair point but literally, unless a new South West league is created on the same level as the Western League then no thanks. At the moment Barum play in the Western League. It is a senior league. So I think what should happen is, is put a small cash injrction into the club next season and start winning, and then get people through those historical Rover's old gate. A town the size of Barum should at least be able to muster a Conference South side I shall be making that point to Mr S. James next time I see him. He looks like a haunted bloke and needs assistance.

Cider rebellion A song of the Western Men ( and ladies who like drop or two too)

Well, I have not heard such a rebel yowl in all of my life. The cider tax. No taxation without representation the republicans cried in the port of Boston some two hundred odd years ago and lest we forget many of 'em were of North Devonian heritage They may have tossed tea overboard in order to foment a rebellion agin Westminster but in my mind it's the same thing. Now I'm a true socialist man and boy but this to me really represents a knee jerk reaction to public order whereby some ciders, those which invariably have never seen an apple, are seen as being the catalyst for public disorder. Sorry but a pint of Strongbow makes me gag but a lovely pint of cloudy traditional cider is not only alcoholic but extremely tasty and if you have been out in the elements all day, what ever you'me been up to,  bleddy thirst quenching. Going back to the politics, the main cider producing areas of the country are invariably Liberal Democrat, they are not in government and Labour have probably given up hope of resting any seats from them or the tories. So how to make a moral panic and raise some revenue? Demonize cider, tax it and all in constituencies a couple of hundred miles away from the Westminster throng. Idiots, half the population does not live in metropolitan, urban areas and policy makers, pundits and the BBC seem to forget this fact as we suffer time from time from poorly thought out central government decisions.
This is  only the start. Don't shoot until you see the white of their eyes (Bunker Hill 1776) Aux armes citoyenes. Marchons, marchons. We have rebelled before in our Westcountry past we have toppled government, Kings and after traveling on masse 200/300 miles across the country  to fight and win fierce battles in order to make our grievances apparent. Rise again people of the West and I include Gloucester, the south midlands in this. The cricket season is going to start soon, Exeter City have a few crunch games coming up all of which may be on TV. Cider boys make your voice heard. Now!
My local though couldn't wait put the price up for a drop of natch. This afternoon it went up by 25p a pint. I only budgeted for four pints so I had to ask for credit for me fifth. I thought I'd have the fifth in order to give a cash boost to the local scrumpy farm. I ended up having on the slate
Following a delicious apple juice recipe......... cider vinegar aqua vita.......... farmhouse scrumpy bleddy gorgeous
Or how to get around paying duty. 1) an apple flavoured tonic juice. 2) Apple preserve. 3) Industrial tube cleanser and metal coating agent 3) Hire a small ship once a week load loads of barrels of scrumpy aboard. Tell the customs and excise that it is for export only and that you are off to the Carolinas but only sail as far a Lundy, stash the lot for a few weeks while incoming ships  which dock further up the channel, can supply you with documentation saying it's rum and then sail back into Barum not biddy and hey presto. The original booze cruise.
Seriously some fine apple orientated recepies  comin up...... Eh? recipie what the *****. A recipie
Last thing I knew we spoke the Queen's English, a language to be proud of and the Queens version an' all. Recipe Ok being bilingual I speak English and perfect North American, sometimes the incrasies  of spelling get lost in translation......,..

Surprise surprise here comes...... Tesco

I can't think of anything to add to the above title. This morning I have learnt that the Tesco planning application has been approved 14-10 by a meeting of the Town Council. This was hardly a suprise as in this neck of the woods a certain number of councillors never fail to cow tow to the intests of big business while disregarding the concerns of a significant proportion of their constituents even the concerns of the majority of local business community Barnstaple Chamber of Commerce ignored, dismissed. I'm sure theirs's was not a knee jerk expression of concern as sure a Tesco store closer to the town centre  rather than out on the periphery would create a certain amount of trickle down trade however, this would be outweighed by competition concerns and due to tescos machiavellian tactics as far as pricing and promotions   goes it's main competitors find it hard to compete let alone shops on the scale of Butcher's Row, Boutport Street and smaller concerns in the High Street which potentially could be anihillated by a Tesco loss making meat or produce promotion. Barnstaple's Town Centre has a wealth of small, local tradesman who have withstood any number of recessions and consumer trends however I believe and not without precedents set in other parts of the country that this could prove to be severely damaging to our historic municipality.
I have to add that I don't believe that Tesco bad all others good and I don't need to dispute that something should be done to improve the hinterland of Seven Bretheren Bank without doubt Brian Fords and it's cousin Beejays Value House look like a complete ramshackle collection of rather tired run down sheds a complete eyesore. However seeing that Tesco bought the lease secretly again in 2003 this is probably deliberately by design rather than anything else.
Ultimately, what really bleddy winds me up the most and makes my blood boil is the completely underhand tactics that Tesco resorted to in order to secure this site and the fact that none off this held much sway with the councillors when they voted on the application. I think that this raises some concerns about the nature of local democracy who are these people, why do they time and time again go against  considered and significant local concerns. I believe that there should have been a greater deal of public consultation and that decisions of this nature should not be left solely in the hands of local politicians. After all who are these people? I think they should lay themselves open to greater scrutiny and also when it comes to local elections people should think twice about who they are voting for not just the local professional, landowner or the bloke down the road as they have potentially a lot of power vested in their hands and it should not be held by a bunch of hawkish boosters or well meaning incompetents.

Free gift.....

...... A fine aerial photograph of our town, Barum. Please feel free to download, print it off and take down to the Minerva Gallery and get it framed. It would look fine above anyone's mantle piece whether it be at home or abroad. Smashing.

Community Notice - Early warning and top tip

Barnstaple Crematorium or rather North Devon Crematorium Ltd has announced that it about to put it's prices up next week. So readers are advised to save themselves a bit of cash by booking in advance or bringing their plans for cremation forward a bit in order to save some cash. Which  I am sure in these hard times should prove to be be a bonus to the household budget.
Also, this serves as something as a warning as you would want to avoid turning up on the day, without prior notice as unfortunately can happen from time to time especially  if you are caught short, with the incorrect fee as no doubt it would be rather embarrassing for the staff to have to demand a whip around among your friends and family and it would also be quite distressing if they just chucked you out the back to deal with later when they had a spare moment.

Going anywhere nice this year???

According to this weeks Journal Barum is a town of thirty two hairdressing salons. I found this figure quite incredible. We must be one of the most highly coiffed towns per capita in the whole of the British Isles. It used to be said that Barnstaple had the highest incidence of violent crime for a town its size in the whole country, or so I was told by a Polcie inspector back in the 80's when I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh award and it was also famed for having an extremely high concentration of public houses and this notoriety was was also enhanced by all day opening on Fridays and extended hours during the week. Of course thinking about it one was probably a consequence of the other. Alcohol and violence often going hand in hand you know

From this......

However, now we have to my mind at least a surfeit of hairdressers. While at North Devon College I do recall that the Hairdressing Department was a pretty lively place and if you couldn't place a student you could fairly safely label them as being a hairdresser. I do not know that this fact will enable the town to harbour another claim to fame but I suppose it may be deemed as being an improvement. The citizens of our town now evidently preferring to spend their money on getting their hair done rather than drinking all day Friday and getting in a scrap over the weekend. Anything else for the weekend Sir?

......to this