101 Posts A Month ?.

Blimey !, I seem to have produced 101 posts this month prior to this one which makes it 102. No sign of flagging yet as far as this blog is concerned. I am not sure why October has been so prolific but who knows what November will bring. I expect there wil be talk of bonfire nights past and remembrance sunday and it must be expected that the 'C' word will become more prominent as time goes by. We are reaching the stage where its not going to be possible to avoid the reality of its approach for much longer.

Ghouls and Ghosties.

So, Halloween arrives, that time of the year when the undead rise from the grave , the horrid cackling of witches can be heard as they fly by on their broomsticks and fiendish , unspeakable figures lurch through the streets. Whilst this sounds like an average saturday night in Wyndham road to me Halloween is the time when the supernatural becomes natural in the popular imagination. When I was a lad Halloween was only celebrated by dunkung for apples and with pumpkin lanterns. It was only when I moved to Scotland that I came across the whole 'trick or treating' business and was very surprised to learn that it had caught on down here in a big way a few years later. Hopefully, we shall not be having any egg and flour throwing in the village which can be disturbing and frightening for the elderly and that any halloween parties will pass off peacefully. but if you should run into an unquiet spirit on the way home from the pub or party dont let it get you in its clotches.

Remember, its always best not to get caught by the ghoulies.

Happy Birthday, Frosty

Happy birthday Frosty, the well known and respected chief stoker of the fire at The Lamb Inn. Today Frosty reaches the grand old age of 46 but despite his advancing years is still reported to wield his poker with the best of them when a bit of heavy stoking action is required. Doubtless, Mr Frost will be out and about over the weekend and I am sure that his many friends will be queuing up to buy him a few pints to help him celebrate.

Blog Theme Tune

Alan Haydon reminded me the other day that Dave Stewart and Candi Dulfer had a hit some years back with the tune 'Lily Was Here'. I have now decided that 'Lily Was Here' will now be the blog theme tune and that we shall be appointing Alan as honorary blog musical director in recognition of his services. Perhaps we can have The Cougars as our resident house band. Having a live band seems a safer bet then Karaoke in these parts just now.

Given the number of handouts he has didistributed with the web address of this blog featured, perhaps he had also better become publicity director.

Jumping Off

I hear that Louise, the well known Lamb Inn barperson, will be absailing down the side of the Engineering Building at the university on Saturday as part of an event to raise funds for The Childrens Hospice. I am sure she would be glad to accept sponsorship from anyone who might wish to provide some by popping into the Lamb at lunchtime between now and saturday.

Our advice is, dont look down and dont back out now otherwise we shall all shout 'chicken'.

Eyesore

I see that the eyesore that is the old hall site has now been further enhanced by the arrival of an old minibus. When travellers move into an area with their collection of scrap vehicles it usually leads to uproar and court action. It seems that this neverending cancer in the centre of Silverton continues to flourish unchallenged. Cannot the owners of the site be forced to clear it and fence it off to prevent yet more junk being dumped. Surely there must be envioronmental legislation that could be used. Maybe one of the parish councillors who read this blog might wish to leave a comment.

Sheet Lightning

I was rudely awakened at about one o clock this morning when Lily, the dog on the blog , burst into my bedroom. It didnt take long to find the cause of her panic when it became clear that a considerable lightening storm was raging outside. Lily, unlike Rory, is a notoriously nervous dog and had obviously decided that hiding beside my bed was the best place to be with an electrical storm going on. Thankfully, the storm was not loong lasting and all those in the house were soon able to return to their normal nightime abodes but it was certainly spectacular whilst it lasted. Less fortunate of course, were the inhabitants of Ottery St Mary, many of whom were flooded out of their homes when the same storm dumped up to 4 inches of rain and up to a foot of hail and snow on the Otter valley in less than an hour. Hopefully, all there will soon be back in their homes but its al a reminder that Devon is no stranger to freak weather events.

Getting Some Stick

And who is threatening never to appear at another Karaoke after getting some stick at the Silverton Inn event last saturday night ?. I bet that the likes of Madonna didnt abandon singing because their vocal performances got some verbal abuse from a drunken youth.

He was probably only jealous anyway.

Best Wishes.

Best wishes to James Read of The Silverton Inn after his car accident at Stoke Canon bridge at the weekend. We are glad to see that he is back at work and has suffered nothing more serious then a couple of ctacked ribs.

Icy Pavements

Now we are into the first cold snap of the winter it was disturbing to see the first ice of the season appearing on the pavements of Wyndham road this morning. The smooth surfaces of pavements such as those in wyndham and Coach road can become very dangerous in icy weather especially for the elgerly or those like myself who have a lively dog to control. Hopefully, the district council will be making sure that keeping pavements clear of ice is given the same priority as keeping the roads clear.

Silverton Calender 2009.

The calender produced almost annually by the Silverton Local History Society is available once more. As usual we have a fine selection of photographs of the village ranging over a period from the 1880's until the 1950's and include some people who are still amongst ub including Peggy and Maria Moore.. The calenders can be obtained from the SLHS stall at the November and December mini markets at the community hall on the first saturdays of the two months or from Graham Parnell.

Price £3.95

Al That Glitters

And talking of GG, Who was seriously embarassed in The Silverton Inn on sunday when their reference to the old pervert in relation to certain local recent events went down like a lead balloon.

And why ?.

Its certainly in line for the most embarrassing incident of the year award, part of the annual Silvertonia Awards ceremony to be hosted by Russel Brand and Jonathan Ross at the community hall when it gets taken over by Peter Stringfellow and reopened as a 24 hour champagne and pole dancing estabvlishment..

Other potential awards wil be announced shortly.

Bang Them Up.

Somewhere in the archives I have a tape recorded by my grandmother not long before her death in 1980. She was answering questions from pupils at Silverton Primary schoool about growing up in the late 19th-early 20th century. One incident she recalled was the fire that destroyed Cottons Row in the high Street (1904, I think), one of the buildings destroyed in the blaze \was the old village lock up where the constables stashed the village drunks at the weekend before they were shipped of by poney and trap to appear before the magistrates in Cullompton.

Perhaps after the events of last weekend the concept of a village lock up for late night distirbers of the peace should be revived. Although the community Hall has something of the look of a high security unit, perhaps something more purpose built could replace the scrapyard that is the old hall site. Perhaps, rather then shipping the miscreants off to Cullompton for punishment we could have some peoples justice on a sunday morning with them being placed in some stocks so that those who have had their sleep disturbed could bombard them with all sorts of unpleasent items from over ripe tomotoes to old Gary Glitter albums.

that wil learn them.

The Mog On The Blog

As you will see a photo of the Lamb's mystery moggie has now been added to the sidebar.

Its just there to wind up the dogs really but he may be added to the blogging team to give a cats eye view of Silverton life.

Winter Draws On.

So thats it then. The clocks go back, the evenings darken and now we are threatemed with a cold snap. Time to dig out the long johns, stock up with cold remedies and get your thickest duvet out of the cupboard. Now is the winter of our discontent made worse by crap on the telly made even worse by endless stories in the tabloids about the latest doings of those involved in Strictly Come X Factor. or whatever the latest talent show is called. Then there is the unremitting glom of the latest news bulletins as we now have ringside seats as the latest crisis of late capitalism unfolds.

Looks like there is only one thing for it. Follow the best practice of the animal kingdom and retire to bed and pull the duvet over your head and hibernate until about next easter. Maybe you will emerge to a beter world, or at least a warmer one.

Beer and Fisticuffs.

We hear that the disturbed night that I experienced on saturday night were one of the signs of an outbreak of fisticuffs brought on by another bout of too much beer and testosterone. I hope that this is the last of this sort of behaviour we shall be having in these parts for a while. I dont think we want the village reverting to some of its darker days, do we ?.

Visiting The Dentist

I paid my last ever visit to our local dentist, David Courtney-Stamp this morning. David wil be retiring at the end of the year after caring for the dental needs of the district for 50 years. The closure of his dentists surgery will mark the passing of yet another Silverton institution and it must be one of the few dentists surgeries located at the back of a garage. We wish David a long and happy retirement and hope that he will long be able to continue his walks with Rufus as one of the dog walking fraternity.

As for myself the visit was not a painful one. A filling, a filing and a general cleanup were the order of the day.

Merrymeade Outing

The Lamb Inn quiz team kicked off their winter campaign with a visit to The Merrymeade at Samford Peverall. Sadly, this was not a successful visit and despite our best efforts we came off second best. As a consolation though, we were successful in the beer leg which is always a pleasure. The next quiz wil be at home against The Kings Head, Cullompton next sunday.e

Disturbed Night

Enjoy our extra hour in bed did we ?. If you did you are lucky. At mu end of Wyndham road itv seemed that every reveller in the village was parading by the house throughout the early hours in large groups at 19 minute intervals. So much for the extra hour. As far as I am concerned I feel as if I had 4 less , and all this late night activity led to the dogs on the blog being restless which added to the fun. All in all not a night to remember.

40th birthday greetings.

To Dave, of Sas and Dave, those popular regular fixtures at the Silverton Inn. We say to Dave. Dony worry, 40 is not the beginning of the end, it just feels like it at the time.

C & R Motors.

Chris Banks of C & R Motors based at Thorverton Mill would like a plug for his ever expanding and highly regarded car repair business. As Chris is an all round good fellow as well as reputedly being a first class car mechanic we are only too happy to oblige.

Meanwhile At The Bar.

Not a plug for' Britains loveliest bulletin board', or some its admin team would have us believe, but an observation from one whom was virtually trapped at the bar at The Lanb last night by the mass of customers that appeared, that it looks as though not only booking a table at the Isaac establishment may be advisable on a friday night, but also booking your bar stool.

Mystery Moggie.

Does anyone know the identity of the rather elderly cat that has taken up almost permanent residence outside The Lamb ?. Despite being elderly and a bit battered it seems to be of a friendly nature and to be possessed of a voracious appetite. Word has it that thye chief stoker has been bringing it down titbits from home, to the disgust of lily, and that it sometimes gets a bit of sunday roast if its lucky.

Perhaps its time it was granted full pub mascot status.

Eastern Promise

Welcome back to Bob and Sheila from their recent travels in South East Asia. The dogs on the blog were less then chuffed to hear that canines are a popular addition to the menu in Vietnam and are said to be organising a boycott of tours to that country. Reports that Bob and Sheila were bringing back a troupe of ladyboys to feature as the star attraction at next years street market have proved unfounded to the grave disapointment of some in the village but perhaps Miles and Cristine wil bring them back some Turkish Delight from their current travels instead.

Note On Timing Of Posts

For some time now people have been mentioning that posts on the blog have been timed as having been written at very strange hours. This is because the default time for posts on the blog is US Pacific Time. I have now altered the timing to GMT London. This should now give a more accurate indication of when posts are written.

AND DONT FORGET. YOUR CLOCKS GO BACK ONE HOUR AT 2.00AM SUNDAY MORNING.

The Dog On Wheels Rides Again.

And while on the subject of The Express And Echo, it was good to see that they again featured Mollie, our very own Rottwieler on wheels and her owner Jannett Rice in their quest for national fame and glory. As I know that Jannett reads this blog regularly we can only wish them all the best in the forthcoming awards.

Down Your Way

I note that Silverton featured in the 'Down Your Way' page in the Express and Echo last night. Although its good to see the village getting so much recognition in the media lately, this one did have the air of being a bit of a reheated effort in that it again heavily featured Dave Haggett and also, Shane \at The Silverton Inn who featured in the E&E not long ago for his pies. There are, after all, two other pubs in the village. If its pies they are after why no mention of Mike Howe and the range of tasty and economical pies that he produces just outside the village ?. On the other hand it was good to see that the reopened Cabbages and Kings got some publicity. Good also to see some comments from village stalwarts such as Sarah Wigginton and Graham Parnell.

Sadly however, The E&E failed to really get its finger on the pulse of Silverton life by not interviewing a representitive of your soaraway Silvertonia blog without a daily reading of which no real Silvertonian is complete. I am sure that an interview could be arranged for a few nice pints for me, a crate of caramel chocolate for Mrs Frost and a years supply of Bonio's for the dogs on the blog.

Whats In Your Lunchbox ?.

This was the topic of discussion at Silvertonia HQ last night. Are you into peanut butter sandwiches for your midday snack or are you a bacon butty person. Maybe, if you work in the town you dispense with taking your own lunch and pop into Sub of the day. If you take your own do you take one of your 5 a day to go with your sandwiches or are you fighting the advance of the health police by taking along chocolate buscuits or a bar of a caramel chocolate. Perhaps you dispense with sandwiches altogether and take one of Mike Howes delicious range of pies or pasties or if you are really flush one of Dave Haggett's range. Then again, there is the pressing issue of what drink to take, coffee in a Thermos or a can of Tango which I always found a good hangover relief in my youth although the Scots swear by Irn Bru, with or without vodka added.

Then you have the vexed issue of whether men make up the sandwich box for their partners if their partners are the first out of the door. Surely in this age of gender equality there should be equality in sandwich making as in everything else. I hope your lunchboxes are a sexually liberated zone.

Fish And Chips

I note that the wedensday night sales of fish and chips at the Lanb seem to be on the increase and that more people seem to be choosing to eat them in the pub. Could it be that this is a sign that with the worsening economic situation people are abandoning the more expensive items on the menu for more basic, and cheaper meals ?. Time wil tell I suppose but it might be no bad thing if people returned to a more basic diet.

A hidden menace.

I note that the bungalow formally occupied by the late Bill Cole on the little lane to the health centre has now been fully demolished and work has begun on the new dwellings to be built there. The demolished bungalow was largely constructed of asbestos, a reminder to us all of how common that substance was in construction work only a few years ago. As is now regularly reported in the media the numbers of confirmed sufferers from asbestosis continues to rise and is likely to do so for a long period given the long incubation period of the ddisease. When working in the electrical wholesale trade in the 60s and 70s I certainly remember handling asbestos as I am sure do many others.

The dangers of asbestos came home to me when living in Scotland in the 80s and meeting ex shipyard workers in Glasgow invlved in the long campaign to gain compensation for exposure to asbestos fibres. Although eventually sucessful its doubtful that many lived long to enjoy their success. The dangers of asbestos was again brought home to me when a water leak which damaged the living room ceiling of the maisonette I was living in resulted in a specialist team having to be brought in to remove the whole ceiling due to asbestos content. Asbestos is the hidden menace in our midst, safe whilst undisturbed but with potentially deadly consequences when iinterfered with.

What it makes you wonder is if we have materials now which we take for granted but could come back to haunt us in the future. Although saftey measures are much more stringent then in the 60s or 70s there still remains the potential for other hidden menaces to threaten our health and lives.

Flights Of Fancy

I note that the gentleman who sell ariel photographs of the village have been doing the rounds again recently. One of their seling points seems to be if you are caught weeding your garden or washing the car in one of their photos. I bet they get a few good sales if their photos catch people engaged in rather more exotic activities in the shrubbery. I bet that some buy up every copy in existence lest they fall into the hands of their neighbours. Then, of course who knows what the fashion police might have to say about people caught hanging up their washing dressed in whatever clothes they could find to cover their decency.

Personally, I think it was a lot safer when the only people you had selling things at your door were old Sikh blokes selling brushes or the Romany community flogging lucky white heather.Everyone wants in on the act these days from aspiring Polish artists and dodgy burgler alarm salesmen, to the nutjobs who sell 'The watchtower'. Some of these people are a very good reason for keeping a dog with a very loud and fierce bark no matter how placid it is in reality.

A Double Victory

Congratulations to the two Lamb darts teams for their wins on monday. Lamb 'A' defeated The Crown aAnd Sceptre, NNewton St Cyres, and Lamb 'B' defeated The Silverton Inn. Better luck for The Silverton Inn next time around.

No Driving Ambitions.

The blogging team have a terrible confession to make. No, we have not been on luxury yachts trying to extract donations from russian oligarchs. Its worse then that. Neither of us can drive. Neither Carolyn or myself have ever had any desire to learn to drive, not through any hatred of the motor car or those who drive them but because we have never felt any particular need to. Carolyn says she has always been happy being driven about by her father when young, then by Mr FRost or getting about by train or bus. I have always found that public transport is adequate to my general needs and have never particularly had the confidence to get behind a wheel. There are enough temperamentally unsuitable people dpoing that already.

The problem seems to be that to some people you are not a fully paid up member of society unless you own a car. Carolyn return to working as a bank nurse last week and says that she has been very annoyed at the number of people she has met in the last week who seem horrified that she is a non driver. Perhaps if more people who have little interest or limited abilities when it comes to driving resisted the social pressures to get behind the wheel there would be less accidents and fewer deaths and injuries.

10a King Street.

Just so as all those interested in the situation know. I dont know who 10a King Street has been allocated to, or indeed if it has yet been allocated at all. I applied for it but dont expect to get it as I dont have a two bedroom need, and no, its not yet been cleared of the late occupants possessions yet.

That should answer all the current questions being asked about the situation regarding this property.

UPDATE.

This property has now been allocated. It was'nt me that got it.

Bloggers blues.

I'm bored !. Is there nothing of interest happening in the village these days ?. Come on !. Someone out there must have some material we can use. The chicken co-op seems to have gone quiet and there is only so much you can squeeze out of tales of the double deckers. Whats needed is a nice, big juicy scandal. Parish councillors involved in midnight orgies or something like that. What about the womens institute doing a nude calender or something. I know its old hat, or perhaps they could use strategically placed old hats, but at least it might liven things up a bit.

This being Silverton however, its probably best to be careful what you wish for. Anyone who has been around these parts for a while knows that things can change here very quickly from peace and quiet to mayhem. Perhaps a degree of boredom is safer for us all. You never know who could be in the spotlight if things changed.

Some Changes

I have decided to make it easier for people to leave comments on the blog. From now on comments will not be held for possible moderation and people will be abkle to post anonymously if they wish. Hopefully this will not lead to abuse and the rules having to be tightened again.

Tennis Balls

Out and about with Rory this morning who yet again proved that he has an inbuilt tennis ball detector. Halfway down New Barn road he dived into the hedge and retrieved a tennis ball which he refused to surrender even when we had returned to base. He never misses them. I was doing the rounds of Prispen View late the other night when he dived into the hedge after one. The only problem is that they only have a very short life after he gets hold of them as they are destroyed very quickly. So if you need to find your balls Rory is your man. Best to have something edible to take his mind off the ball once he has found it though.

Stirring It Up.

This, as we have said before is not a political blog. It would seem however that we are living through times when politics in one form or another, is likely to play an ever larger part in our lives. Therefore I thought it might be an idea to post the web addresses of some bloggers who have opinions and are not afraid to voice them. They come frome across the political spectrum and this blogger does not necessarily endorse the views of any of them So, in no particular order we have.

http://www.davidosler.com/

http://www.anenglishmanscastle.com/

http://www.blacktriangle.org/blog

http://bloodandtreasure.typepad.com/

http://www.order-order.com/

http://alister.blogspot.com/

http://www.hurryupharry.org/

http://www.organisedrage.com/

http://www.socialistunity.com




Plenty there for those interested .

Silverton Hits Sky News.

Seemingly, our very own SPAR shop and butchers featured on Sky News at the weekend as part of an aitem about attempts to stop the display of tobacco products on open shelves in shops. It seems that our own Dave Haggett was featured talking about his shop and work.

Has I known TV cameras were in town I would have been lurking about in the background waving a 'Silvertonia' poster. I dont mind putting the evil Murdoch empire to some good use if the occasion arises.

The 'C' word, Once More.

When I was on my travels in Thorverton at the weekend I noticed that the Bell Inn have started their Christmas draw. You might have thought they would have had the decency to wait until after bonfire night.

Rock and Roll Doctor

Big celebrations in The Lamb yesterday as various friends of Alan Haydon gathered to celebrate his 68th birthday. As the old chap is still rocking and rolling with the best of them The University Of Silverton has decided to award him an honorarydoctorate in popular music. In fact, in the words of a Little Feat classic he will have.

Two degrees in Bebop.
A phd in swing.
He's the master of rhythm.
He's the rock and roll king.

Keep on rocking.

Barnyed.

Chief stoker Frost got well and truly Barnyed yesterfay when his cigarette packet became mysteriously wripped in Sellotape once more while is owner was outside having a fag. Barny should remember that the stoker has a birthday on Halloween and a close interest in stoking fires. Perhaps those who mess with his cigarette packets might find themselves transported to somewhere warmer if they continue with that sort of behaviour.

Medical Fads

I was interested to hear recently that research now indicares that Aspirin is no longer to be regarded as the great preventative medicine for heart attacks and strokes in the elderly that ot once was. Given that Aspirin has been prescribed to all and sundry over the past few years as a preventitive and given that Aspirin is notorious for causing internal bleeding and gastric disturbancws, I wonder how long it will be before some of those affected begin to seek compensation for the consequences of adverse reactions to the drug.

Across The Great Divide

I had a trip across the great divide to Thorverton yesterday. I dropped in a The Exeter Inn and The Bell and talked to a few of the locals. Whatever can be said about Thorverton, and Silvertonians often tend to be a bit uncomplimentary about their neighbours over the river, it has to be said that Thorverton is not short of decent drinking establishments with a friendly clientele, many of whom seem to be very well informed about events and people over here. It was an enjoyable afternoon out.

When I boarded the bus to return to Silverton I was rather surprised to be asked by the driver if I could direct him to Broadlands as he had not done that part of the route before. You would have thought that Stagecoach might have given their drivers a better idea of what is after all a new route ut apparently not.

Sleeping Soundly .

We hear there was something of an emergancy situation in Wyndham road the other night. It seems that two occupants of a house were taken ill simultaneously and there was some concern that carbon monoxide poisoning might be involved. The emergancy services were ouit in force and key holders were called out. Luckily it seems that the initial suspicions about the cause of the illnesses were unfounded but one of the fire and rescue people was heard to remark that he had never been in an area like that at three in the morning and none of the neighbours turned out to see what was going on, which apparently the case here.

Very sound sleepers in Wyndham road it would seem.

Shang A Lang

We are reliably informed by Mrs Frost that chief stoker Frost, in his youth, used to dress in full Bay City Rollers regalia, including the tartan and white Levis whilst doing a milk round. This set me off on a train of thought about which of our other readers might have been fashiondedicated follers of some mad fashion or another at sometime in the past.

More to the point however, I wonder if any of our readers still hanker after being their teenage heroes in the privicy of their bedrooms. Perhaps they dress up as Marc Bolan or Freddie Mercury or perhaps do impersonations of David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust period. If female, or inclined to doing female impersonations, perhaps they do Madonna with her famous cones. If anyone would like to spill the beans about such matters we would only be to pleased to hear about it. As usual, photographs would be welcome and make a nice addition to the blog.

Candlelit Suppers

Visitors to the Lamb on wednesday will have noticed that much of the bar was candlelit. Alan Issac claimed that this was due to an electrical fault but then was heard to say that this was the credit crunch starting to bite. Many a true word spoken in jest I suspect. Perhaps we shall see a return to the conditions prevelant during the three day week of the seventies and we shall see waitresses at the Lamb taking out the meals to candlelit tables but the romance of the occasion being spoilt by a request from the management that customers bring their own logs for the fire.

Nicknames.

Most of us have them at sometime in their lives. Some people are better known by their nicknames then by the names they were given by their parents and some nicknames are probably less embarrasing then the ones we are given. Many nicknames unfortunately belong to periods of our lives that are best forgotten but however much they slide into blessed disuse you can bet your life that some annoying person with more memory then sense will continue to use it on every occasion possible.

The question arises though, how son after meeting someone you should begin to use their nickname. I would have thought that you would have had to establish some sort of friendly relationship first And its probably a sign of overfamiliararity if you try to shorten or interfere with an existing nickname. Its that sort of thing that can lead to the end of potentially beautiful friendships.

Snippits Overheard

Its always interesting when you overhear unexpected snippets of conversation. You can be riding along minding your own business on a bus or sitting quietly in the pub when you suddenly tune in to some totally unexpected line. Someone we know was riding along on a bus minding their own business when suddenly someone nearby said to their neighbour, 'She went to a swingers club last week'. The annoying part for the person who told me the story was that, as usual in these cases' they never got the rest of the story

Brains Wanted

The Lamb quiz team begins its long winter campaign on October 28th at the Merrymeade hotel in Samford Peverell .Whilst we currently have an established team, reserves are always welcome. The quiz leage runs from October to April on a sunday night and you get to visit some of the areas premier drinking establishments such as The Crossways Tavern.. The unfortune side effect is however, that we shall no longer be able to chase the big money at the Trout.

Anyone who fancies coming on board as a reserve should contact Alan at the Lamb.

Sheep Rampage

We hear from Louise at The Lamb that Flossie the geriatric sheep went on a garden rampage yesterday morning. Beware of ancient sheep seems to be the latest warning we have to offer our readers. Your gardens could be reduced to middens by rampaging sheep OAPS at any time. Its a good thing that Flossie did not run into Rory when he was on his similar rampage yesterday as it could have been the biggest showdon since Alien v Predetor.

I Reckon old muttonhead would have bitten the dust though...

Cat Flap.

If the sound of cursing and swearing could be heard coming from the Wyndham road area early this morning it was merely your blogger off in pursit of Rory thr dog who had escaped my custody and was off on his favourite pastime, chasing cats. Whether there really are as many cats in the Mead/Parsonage lane area as there appear to be I dont know but Rory seems intent on depleting their ranks if he can. What he seems to fail to grasp nis that they are not prepared to be chewed up or battered to a pulp without attempting resisrance. He is finding that the pussies of the aare not to be messed with

Something we should all remember.

Good Result

Your blogger and Patrick Fleming, playing as blog one, came second in the Lamb quiz last night. Not a bad result, I thought, considering there were only two of us. This quiz was written and presented by the mighty duo, Roger and Rick with Alan Isaac producing the picture round. I know that Alan Isaac is always looking for new people to compile the Lamb pub quiz so if you have any ideas for a future quiz pop in and see him. As for myself, I am sure the bottle of red wine I won will go down well.

And cheif stoker Frost is quite correct. Bulgaria is not on the Isle Of Mull.

One question I thought that more would have got right was what linked the deaths of William the Conquerer, Ghengis Khan and William of Orange ?. The answer is of course that they all died after a fall from a horse. In the case of King Billy, he died after his horse fell after putting its foot down a hole created by a mole. Thats why Williams Jacobite opponents drank a toast after his death to 'the little gentleman in velvet'.

And in answer to another question, the 'royal vegetable' mentioned was asparagus, not Prince Charles as some might think.

Quakers

It would seem that on a recent holiday in Greece several well known Silvertonians were awoken by a 4.5 Richter scale, earth tremor. Wether its true that a number of the ladies in the party said that it was the only time the earth had ever moved for them cannot be confirmed.

Close Wars

Rumours have reached me that in order to stop outsiders parking there, the residents of French Close are threatening to declareindependence. Perhaps they will be introducing a bit of french culture to their area when the barricades go up with croissants and red wine being handed out and accordianists and lasies of the night lurking on the corner. Silverton might then have its very own Latin quarter. Perhaps our Polish friends in Davies close could then get in on the act with vodka tasting and Polka dancing classes. It all might trigger off hostilities between the French close massiv and the Davies Close posse as to who controls the intervening section of Wyndham road but this could ensure that both areas are returned to Silvertonian control when the forces controlled by the Coach road pie mafia move in.

Dont Be Coy

Why is it that some people go very quiet these days when the blogger appears in the pub. It's either that or you hear shouts of 'Dont say anything !. It will end up on the blog'. Dont be coy. We are a family blog, well usually, and we dont go out of our way to cause offence. It is true though, that in the course of the weeks excursions we do hear far more interesting stories sometimes then what gets printed here. Perhaps I should start another blog called 'Silverton Esposed' but I doubt that I could stay in the village if I did.

One day however, after one glass too many of Dartmoor IPA, who knows.

Anyone know the times of flights to Ulan Bator ?.

Give Them Peace

We hear that some parish councillors are getting an earful from conxtituants while having a pub meal.Much as we are in favour of our representitives being held to account as often aS possible giving them grief whilst they are eating their steak and ale pie may not be the best way to ensure a positive outcome to your problems.

Darts Memories.

I was talking to a former Dilvertonian, Peter Crabtree, at thev weekend who was reminding me about his days as a member of the Three Tuns dart team in the 1960'd. Although the Tuns now again has a darts team it was known for many years as a trendy student handout and eaterie rather then for having a good darts team, Peter reninded me that, back then, the likes of hikself, the kate Den Follet and the Gooding brothers took on News Of The World champions and won. Hopefully, the new Tuns lineup can have ssimilar success in the future.

Family Trees

TV programmes such as 'Who Do You Think You Are' have created massive interest in tracing our family roots. Everyone, it seems, is now an amateur geaneologist intent on discovering if the family legends of being connected to someone weakthy or famous were indeed correct. More often then not, of course, such researches turn up the fact that the only famous member of the fanily was only famous witin his own village for being the local ratcatcher and the only wealthy one aquired his wealth by stealing sheep.

In our own village research might well prove that some of our best known families have no logstanding connection with the village at all. or if they do, certainly originated somewhere else entirely. Taking a few names at random, Gooding and Stradling are Flemish in origin, the latter coming via Wales. Davies, French and Hutchings are all Welsh in origin and probably date to the days when the welsh 'navvies' built the Exe Valley Railway or when Welsh miners came to work on the land when there were lay offs and strikes at home Selley, or Zelley, the family spelt it both ways at various times is cornish and the Dymonds in there original form, De Mont, were part of that noyorious band of 17th century asylum seekers, the freench htugonauts. When you start excavating the past things are rarely what you might expect.

Karaoke.

The Silverton Inn will be hosting a Karaoke session on October 26th so all those who fancy their chances with their Elvis, Robbie or Madonna impressions should be working on toning up their vocal chords.

I doubt if Gary Glitter impersonators will be too welcome though.

No Show

I went to catch the 12.44pm bus to Exeter from the square and by 1.15pm it had failed to arrive so I went home. While I was waiting I was talking to another passenger who said that he had only used the new bus service three times and it had been late on each occasion. I have also heard reports that some of the buses are elderly and breakdowns are not uncommon. Not good for the ordinary passenger especially those who have to rely on the bus to get to work or college Hopefully these are teething problems that can be sorted out and that this is not part of some corperate gameplan by Stagecoach.

Lamb Quiz

There will be a quiz at The Lamb this wednesday commencing at 8.30pm. Quizzes at the Lamb usually can be guaranteed to stretch the mental facilities so those wishing to take part are advised not to partake of too much liquid refreshment before the main event.

Blast From The Past.

I hear that Honest John's saxophonist, Ray Beavis, is off to Russia on tour with 70s rock icon, Suzi Quatro. It seems that she is still big in eastern europe and its good to know that not all the old rockers are reduced to doing 70s revival weekends in rainswept holiday camps in january.

I wonder though whats the translation of 'Devil Gate Drive' in Russian ?. Perhaps Dr Bob can enlighten us when he returns from touring the fleshpots of Bankok with Sheila.

Fighting Back

Good to meet the new proprietors of Cabbages and Kings in the Lamb yesterday and its gratifying to hear that they are doing well so far.

Its good to see them giving the established shopping outlets a run for their money.

Digital Revolution ?.

It seems that everyday now, we are being bombarded with reminders that the big switchover to digital TV happens next year. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that picture quality will be greatly improved those of us who have experience of digital YV know rhat more does not always mean better when it comes to the channels that can be recieved. DTV is fine if you are a sports fan prepared to pay for the extra sports channels or if you are into the latest filoms but forothers it just means endless channels full of repeats from the existing terrestrial channels.

The one good thing about the Sky digital channels is that it gives access to news from other sources in the world beyond the BBC. I suspect that with things as they are, we are going to need access to all the news sources we can get.

Back In The Village.

So, I am now a year back in the village. Whats changed since 1986 ?. Much of the artitechture of the centre of the village remains the same with the obvious exception of the demolition of the New Hall. The paper shop, Londis and the Dairy are no more and Imades has come and gone. The British Legion has also bitten the dust as has Brady's Garage. Outside the centre we now have the Community Hall and the St Mary's View extension to Wyndham road . Numourous former open spaces and gardens have now been built on throughout the village.

In terms of the wider community areas like Wyndham road have bedded down and have matured since the 80s. The population has substantially changed and there dont seem to be the lurid tales of wife swapping parties that I remember drom earlier decades. That area, like Hederman close now seems to be much more part of the village. many of the old Silvertonians that I remember from my youth are, of course no more and some families once prominent in the village now play little part in the centre of village life. It is an inescapable fact that in Silverton, as in many other villages, institutions like the parish council are now dominayed by incomers. This trend was becoming established in the 1980s and is now the established position. We also now have a much more transient population with people using the village as a stopping off point on the way up their career ladder.

Despite tales of drugs and excessive drinking that emerge occasionally, I would say that Silverton is currently quieter then I remember it in the 80s. Luckily, unlike some villages we have retained our pubs and they remain a vital part of village life. It is notable though that there are far less of the pub characters that I remember from my youth. The village as it now exists probably is less conducive to the emergance of such characters. I suspect also, that the smoking ban has probably had a deterrent effect on the sort of people who might have become pub characters, but I know this would be disputed by some observers.

On the whole Silverton retains a social structure and range of community organisations that make it a thriving and continually evolving community. Sadly, however it is the case here, as elsewhere, that some of the closeness that marked out Silverton as a distinctive community has gone. Most of the population no longer work in papermaking or on the farms and the ties that such employment created are no more. While Silverton obviously remains a desirable place to live, kin the eyes of this observer at least, the passing of the Silverton that I grew up in has left a vacuum at the heart of the village that it is difficult ever to see being filled.

The Bus Stop Moves

It seems that the population of Coach road and the surrounding area will not be getting the delights of Alan Haydon's sax playing and the meat pies after all. It seems that the unofficial bus stop has now migrated to Cynthia Warren's driveway.

It is not known at this time what services will be offered to them there.

Crossed Wires

Someone we know had a rather embarrassing incident yesterday. Whilst trying to phone her ISP she inavertantly pressed a wrong digit and got connected to a gay chatline.

So be careful out there.

You wouldnt want to be trying to phone the vicar and find yourself being told by miss whiplash what she does to naughty boys would you ?.

Or maybe you would.

A Hundred Years From Now

Presuming that civilisation as we know it has not collapsed in one hundred years from now and the internet is still functioning, you womder what the Silvertonians of the future will make of this blog if they find it archived somewhere. Will they find it of interest, merely quaint or consider that their forebears were as mad as a box of frogs.

If there are any time travellers out there perhaps they could give us an idea.

Honest John At The Lamb

Honest John will be making one of his regular appearences at The Lamb this evening start time 8.30pm approximately. I wouldnt be surprised if 'On the beach' is not part of his repotoire,

I doubt if anyone else would be surprised either.

Some background.

I have now been back in the village for exactly a year and I am going to write a couple of posts over the next two days about what I did in the years I was away and what changes I have found in the village since I came back.

I left Silverton at the beginning of February 1986. I moved to Ayr in the west of Scotland to be with Irene, a woman I met through a penfriend club, who I subsequently married in 1988. Besides wanting to be with Irene, I had become disillusioned with what was happening in Silverton and in England in general at the highpoint of Thatcherism and considered that Scotland might well provide a new start somewhere a good deal more sceptical about the Iron Lady and all her works then seemed to be the case here. I was unemployed when I left but decided that, rather then remaining so, to take up an opportunity to return to education that arose soon after I arrived in Ayr. This was, as I soon found out, a course of action that many of the mature unemployed took in that area at that time. I started a general studies course at Ayr college in august 1986 and soon became involved with the Student Union there. I also joined the local branch of the Labour party. From September 1986 until June 1987 I was secretary of Ayr College Student Representitive Council executive council and Ayr delegate to the west of scotland area executive of the National Union Of Students. This was at the high point of the struggle between mainstream Labour and Militant tendency and was to say the least, an interesting experience. From autumn 1987 until summer 1988 I was treasurer of the WOSNUS as well as being elected president of Ayr college students association. Despite these extra curricular activities I also got the necessary grades to ensure a place at the university of Strathclyde in Glasgow and began a course of study there in September 1988.

As well as beginning a course of study at Strathclyde uni I was also elected to the executive of the National Union of Students (Scotland) and served as an executive officer on that body for a year. I also during that period served as chair of Strathclyde university labour club where my vice chair was the now recently appointed secretary of state for Scotland, Jim Murphy about whom the less said the better. I parted company with the Labour party in 1990 for the first time.

Also in 1990 I became chair of Kingcase Tenants and Rsidents Association in Prestwick which covered the Arran Park estate where I lived from 1989 to 1998. I was chair of the association until 1994. I graduated from strathclyde University in 1992 with a joint honours degree in economic and social history and modern history (2:1). I soon discovered that to a mature student a history degree was about as much use as a chocolate watch.

Rather then returning to ful unemployment, I took up voluntary work as a sessional support worker with a mental health project which son turned into a paid part time job. I remained with the project until it was absorbed by Ayr Action On Mental Health 1n 1997. I also, by force of necessity, took a job as an estate caretaker on the Arran park estate in 1994 and retained it until 2002. It was a thouroughly disheartening and depressing experience which saw long periods of tedium interspersed with incidents such as an armed siege and vandals setting fire to a block of flats. I saw the worst of people and some of the best as people struggled to make a life on an estate which was largely neglected by the local authority until it became a costly embarrassment. I rejoined the Labour party in 1994 and was chair of the Prestwick branch for a year including the period of the 1997 election but left when it became clear that the Blairite labour party was essentially Thatcherism with a slightly human face. I subsequently joined the Scottish Socialist Party.

I had problems with my own health, cataracts with complications and depression due to my employment from 1998 to 2001 and then my wifes health began to deteriorate due to a lung condition (COPD) probably brought on by previousv employment. I became her full time carer in 2004 and she sadly died in january 2007.

Being close to 60 and again without work I decided that perhaps the best thing would be a return home. Having no family in Scotland made this less of a wrench then it might have been but I still had to leave behind some close friends and it was not a straightforward decision. Having been offered a room back in the village by my good friends the Frosts I returned here in October 2007.

Thoughts on Silverton today will appear here tomorrow or sunday

I

Who Pays ?.

Given that its now impossible to escape the consequences of the escalating global financial crisis a simple question. Governments worldwide including our own, are now engaged in throwing billionsn of whatever currency you like to name into propping up the global financial system. Two questions arise. How long can Governments continue to do this without hitting the financial buffers themselves and who pays the price ?. I suspect that it will be as usual, taxpayers and the most vunerable and that somewhere down the line we shall see tax rises and cuts to services not to mention mass unemployment. I suspect that we are being told a good deal less then the truth about what is really going on here and who will ultimately pay for it.

Housing Allocation.

Some time ago we raised the question of how llong you have to be in Silverton to be allocated a local authority or housing association dwelling. Those interested in this subject should see the comment from Babyblox on yesterdays 'Local Homes' post Thanks for that BB.

Local Homes For Local People, A Drawback.

I notice from the Homefinder website that, in relation to the council bungalow currently empty in King St preference will be given to those with a Silverton connection. Looking at other advertisments on the site I see that this stipulation is increasingly being used in relation to properties in other areas of Mid Devon.

Whilst the aim of this stipulation is indeed laudable I can see an immediate problem. f you are a single person living in silverton you are only eligable to apply for a one bedroom property. One bedroom properties in Silverton are few and far between and do not come up for allocation often. This being the case you might well feel your only option is to apply for housing elsewhere in the district.If the stipulation that more and more properties in the district will be let with a preference given to people who have connections with the immediate local area what chance do people from outside that town or village have of getting housed ?.

The point of all this is that its all very well to give preference for housing to people who have connections with a local area if that area already has sufficient social housing stock of all kinds that people can apply for if it becomes available. Otherwise we end up with yet another barrier to people getting a house. The answer still is that adequate stocks of social housing need to be built and less attention has to be paid to the NIMBYs when doing so. If governments of all political persuasions worldwide and in Britain in particular can throw hundreds of billions of pounds into propping up capitalism in crisis surely its now the time to push the point that in an advanced western democracy there is no need for anyone to be without a permanant roof over their heads. In housing as in much else, 'People before Profit' should be the slogan for the new era.

Branch Line.

Good to hear that Denis Marsden is busily engaged in clearing up the branches ripped from the trees in Coach road by our new fleet of double deckers. I suppose environmental damage was yet another small consequence of running the double deckers that no one considered.

Read Blog....Do Banking

Read blog....do internet banking seems to be the priority of some of our regular raders. With the current chaos affecting the financial world I suppose that many need a bit of light reading before tackling the world of interest rates, mortgages and unavailable loans. The blog does its best to oblige and it is always heartening to know that we have such a dedicated readership. It does raise the question however of when people access the blog.

Do people read the blog when having their breakfasts or on their teabreak at work. Perhaps they have a quick look after picking up the kids from school or, in the evening relaxing over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and a chocolate buscuit. Perhaps it is a guilty pleasure to be sneaked in when they should be studying or when they are trying to avoid their partners for reasons best only guessed at.

Then of course, there is the question of what they wear when reading the blog and I shouldnt be surprised if more then a few are rather glad that there are no webcams pointing at them whilst they read. I must admit that when I write the blog I am correctly dressed at all times as you might expect. We bloggers have to keep our standards up, you know.

Street Market Themes.

As our readers will notice we have now added a request for themes for street market '09 to the left hand side of the blog. The only two suggestions I know of so far are 'Time Travel' and 'Silverton Goes Scottish' and you can probably guess where that one came from. I though it would be a good opportunity for the population to dress up in kilts, silly wigs with tartan hats attached, run around shouting 'see you Jimmy !' and drink bottles of Buckfast for breakfast.

I am sure that others can come up with better ideas.

More Song Titles

As those who know their music will have noticed I added another two song titles today 'Easy To Slip' and 'All That You Dream' are both numbers by Little Feat and appear on their 'Greatest Hits' album.

' All That You Dream' also features in one of the last scenes of 'The Sopranos' that everyday story of Mafia folk that built up a cult following over six TV series and sadly came to an end earlier this year.

Those who might wish to see the mighty Little Feat in action are advised to check out their videos on YouTube.

All That You Dream.

Rereading 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas recently, I wondered what the residents of Silverton dream about when they are curled up under their duvets late at night. Do they dream about things that might happen in our own village ?. Given that, according to surveys, many people dream about the Queen, do people dream about Her Maj being driven down Fore Street in an open carraige driven by one of our prominent residents, or maybe dropping in to have lunch wirth the OAPs at the Lamb Inn Shed on a tuesday lunchtime. Maybe they dream about pleasurable things that might happen in the village such as Silverton in summer or lazing in the garden. Maybe their dreams veer towards the naughty end of the spectrum, watching 20 naked virgins dancing around the flagpole in the little rec or being chased by a hunky builder around Broad Oak... with the inevitable surrender. Maybe nightmareish visions affect their slumbers with the residents of the churchyard rising from their places of eternal rest and stalking the village streets or monstrous beasts descending the hill from Christ Cross. And of course their dreams might just veer towards the fantastical with the church clock melting and sliding down the Tower walls, giant chocolate bars flying over Wyndham road or the landlords of the Lamb, Silverton Inn and Three Tuns standing in the streets dressed only in their underwear, handing out free beer to the passers by.

More likely though the most popular dream of the residents of Silverton as they curl up and slumber under the blankets, aware of approaching winter, is that they have won the lottery and have gone off to somewhere much warmer.

A budding Silvertonian Dylan Thomas would have to take that into account if writing an equivelent to 'Under Milk Wood'.

Street Market AGM.

The street market AGM held at the Lamb Inn shed last night was well attended and it was good to see some of our newer residents wishing to become actively involved in organising next years event. I am sure that a full report of the meeting will appear in the parish magazine in due course but perhaps people would be interested in the amount made by the 2008 event and the sums donated to organisations within the village.

Despite the poor start to the event caused by early rain street market 08 raised £9,364 only £74.00 less then the previous year. When expenses of £3,935 were removed £5, 600 was left for distribution amongst the various community groups and this was distributed thus.

Silverton Scouts £900.00
Silverton PTA £900.00
Silverton Community Hall. £900.00
Silverton Drama Group £900.00
St Marys Church. £900.00
Silverton After School Club. £250.00
Silverton Pre School Playgroup. £250. 00
Silverton Methodist Church. £250.00
Equipment For 09. £350.00

There was a balance left of £68.44.

The chair paid tribute to the work of all who played their part in making the 08 event such a success and appealed for volunteers to continue the good work in 09.

Easy To Slip.

With the wet and windy weather I notice that some of our highways and byways are becoming quite slippery with accumulations of fallen leaves beginning to appear. Time perhaps to remind our older residents to take extra care and for the appropriate authorities to make sure that these hazardous accumulations are regularly removed. Its not a good way to head into autumn and winter with broken wrists or hips.

Song Titles

As I am sure many will have noticed this blog has a fondness for using song titles for titles for posts. That being so, I thought it might be an idea to list the titles I have deliberately used and the artists responsible. They are, in no particular order.

Bus Stop. The Hollies.
How Long. Ace.
Firestarter. The Prodigy.
Surfin Safari Jan and Dean.
Blackberry Way. The Move.
Holiday In The Sun. The Sex Pisto;s.
Autumn Almanac The Kinks.
Wall Street Shuffle. 10cc.
The Way We Were Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Down Where The Drunkards Roll. Richard and Linda Thompson.
Heroes And Villians. The Beach Boys.
Walking After Midnight. Patsy Cline.
Fishermans Blues The Waterboys.
Congratulations. Cliff Richard.
Walking The Dog. Rufus Thomas.
Food, Glorious Food. The Soundtrack Of 'Oliver'.
I walk The Line Johnny Cash.
It Might As Well Rain Until September. Carole King
The Sun Has Got His Hat On. Ambrose and His Orchestra.

Down Where The Drunkards Roll was from the Album 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight' (1974)

There are also two album titles . 'Rumours. The multi million selling album by Fleetwood Mac and 'What We Did On Our Holidays' an early Fairport Convention album.

If anyone can spot any unintentional ones let us know.

Bus Stop

The saga of our new Stagecoach service continues. It appears that Stagecoach drivers are telling passengers in Coach road to await the coming of their bus in the driveway of the Haydons bungalow. Reports that passengers nay be serenaded by Alan on sax and by Maureen serving up coffee and a selection of Mike Howe's pies could not be confirmed at this time. It could also not be confirmed that there is a plan afoot to rotate the bus stop around the route to give everyone in Coach road and Wyndham road the chance to have a bus queue outside their homes with all the potential for a spot of private enterprise that such a move would entail.

How Long

It seems that the situation with the double deckers in Wyndham Road is causing concern amongst residents of the area. Tales are told of passengers having to get off the bus to push car wing mirrors out of the way of the advancing bus, of Polish drivers getting into a muddle and of residents complaining about the ability of upstaiors bus passengers to look into residents bedroom windows. I dont know how much of this is true but I wonder how long it wil be before someones prized pussy meets a grim death under the wheels of one of Stagecoach's finest, or something worse occurs. While mini buses would be ideal for the area, Wyndham road is a god deal less then ideal for anything larger.

Chicken Shack.

Not the 1960s blues band that later provided Fleetwood Mac with a number of prominent members but a new farmgate outlet supplying poultry, meat and a selection of ready meals. Chicken Shack can be found by turning left at Stumpy Cross when coming from the Silverton direction and heading a few hundred yards along the Babylon Road.

Roach Lane

The public part of Roach Lane seems to be getting quite overgrown in parts with brambles and branches sticking out to the point where they are becoming a hazard to pedestrians. I also note that rubbish seems to be coming over the hedge from Prispen View. Its time that one of our more scenic lanes had a clean up.

Firestarter

There is a definate chil in the air. Most will have noticed the drop in temperature this week and many will be putting on extra layers of clothing and turning up the heating. No clearer sign of the coming winter can be found then when Alan at The Lamb lights his fire in the bar and that event took place yesterday. The winter routine will now be established with the call for more logs and chief stoker Frost attending to his duties.

It has to be said though that there is nothing like the sight of a good log fire to make you feel more cheerful at this time of the year. I suppose its in our genes and goes back to when our ancestors sat round the camp fire enjoying a rib of roast mammoth and a drop of whatever beverage they produced back then. I suspect its these ancestral memories that make open fires in pubs so popular. Nightstores and radiators dont have the same effect somehow.

The 'C' Word.

I notice that posters are now appearing for the first christmas bazaar of the season. Oh dear, hardly into October and the 'C' word is coming to the fore again. The older I get the more I am of the opinion that any mention of christmas should be banned until December 1st. Do we really need to be reminded of the deason when everyone spends too much, is forced to spend too much time with friends and family up close and personal, eat and drink unhealthy quantities of nearly everything and usually end up with a particularly nasty version of the flu.

Then of course you have to face new year and the horrors of dark and rain soaked January. Christmas is something to avoid having to face for as long as possible.

Suirfin Surfari ?.

So, the over 60s are off on their autumn break to Newquay on monday. I have a vision of our over 60s spending the weekend waxing down their surfboards and digging out the sunblock to the sound of old Beach Boys and Jan and Dean records.

As its Newquay in october that we are talking about though, I expect the reality is that they will be getting out the raincoats and stocking up with Lemsip. We hope they all have a good break though, whatever the weather.

The Danger Zone.

According to someone I was talking to recently the research has shown that the average blog runs out of steam after about 4 months. We are about to hit the 4 month mark. So far, there seems no danger that this blogger will run out of ideas but should you pay a visit to The Lamb one evening and hear a quiet moaning coming from under one of the tables in the resteraunt you will know that we are well and truly in the danger zone.

Hall Site-Has it Fallen Through Again ?.

I heard a rumour yesterday that the development of the site of the former New Hall has fallen through yet again. One wonders if this site will ever be developed or, and given the current economic climate this seems quite likely, it will continue to fester away like a rotten tooth at the heart of our community for years to come..

If it is never likely to be used for a housing development perhaps an alternative use could be considered for it. A community garden in the heart of the village might be quite an attractive option.

'Silvertonia' and the Parish Council.

The parish council took a decision not to link to this blog at their July meeting. It should bre made clear that there was no approach by this blog to the parish council and that the idea of a link came from a parish councillor who is also one of our regular readers.

After some though, I would consider that the parish council decision on this matter was a correct one. This blog takes a distinctly individual, sometimes humourous and occasionally controversial view of life in Silverton and might, just occasionally, publish material that might be embarrassing to some of our local representitives, or indeed the council as a whole. It has also to be said that this blog values its role as an independent community voice and would not wish to be seen rightly, or otherwise, as part of some village 'establishment'. Therefore, it seems best that this blog and our community representitive body retain fraternal relations where possible but without formal links.

Dog On Wheels

Nice to see our well known Rottie on wheels, Mollie, on the BBC news at lunchtime appearing in connection with her appearence in the rescue dog of the year awards. I was rather surprised though to see that she had been filmed perambulating around in the rec which as everyone knows is a dog free zone.

When is a dog not a dog.
When it has two back wheels, presumably.

Dog waste.

Reading the parish council minutes I am sorry to see that the litter bins in the square are being misused for the dumping of dog waste. I have every sympathy with the staff of D.J Haggets who are now refusing to empty the bins for this reason. Do we have the dog waste bins in the right locations within the village ?.

Parish Council Minutes Updated.

We are happy to report that the parish council minutes have now been updated for July and there is a draft of the September minutes also.

They might not wish to link to us, but we are more then happy to keep people updated on their deliberations.

Better Access To The Village

I hope that now that we have double decker buses running very regularly into, and out of, the village the parish council will be stepping up their efforts to get improvements to Upexe Hil. There is now a very urgent need for this road to be upgraded to the state where two vehicles are able to pass each other in safety throughout the length of the hill. I hope that we are not going to have a serious accident or an endless series of traffic snarl ups on Upexe Hill before the appropriare authorities take some serious remedial action.

Roll Of Honour

Its a funny old world. When I was very young I lived in a house where the toilet was in a shed at the end of the garden and toilet paper was toilet paper pure and simple. Now we live in a world where some have difficulty using a toilet that is not centrally heated and doesnt have lavender smelling toilet pa[per close to hand. Personally, if caught short on a chilly morning the last thigs I am going to be interested in are whether the toilet seat is at the correct temperature and what the loo paper smells like before use.

The way things are going we will all be using yesterdays newspapers anyway. Thats even assuming we still have roofs over our heads, let alone indoor toilets.

Chicken Run

We understand that in order to ensure the safety of their chickens, the chicken co-op are bringing in a specially armoured chicken run from Newton Abbot. According to a spokesperson for the co-op this super run will be strong enough to defeat the best efforts of even the most determined predetors and that the chickens will be delivered to their new abode under the watchful eyes of a crack unit from the SAS. Minefields are being laid and the dogs on the blog are being trained in a whole variety of new and updated counterinsurgency techniques. The message from the chicken co-op to the foxes prowling in the undergrowth is the same as that of the antifacist fighters of the spanish civil war, 'They Shall Not Pass'.

Bus Fares Rise

I understand that, with the new improved bus service, there has been quite a sharp rise in bus fares with a return ticket to Exeter now costing £6.20. Bizarrely, it is now cheaper to get an Explorer ticket to Exeter than to get a return.

At a time when commuters are being urged to ditch their cars and return to public transport I cannot see why they are being financially penalised for using the Buses. I suppose that the explanation will be the rising cost of fuel and the like. Doubtless, the cost of free transport for the elderly and disabled will also get the blame. Surely, the real reasons lie in the endless greed of multinationals like Stagecoach and in the failure of sucessive Governments to make affordable public transport a priority in rural areas.

Whilst on the subject of public transport, while most of us support buses running via Wyndham road during the day when there is an obvious need for them, it is difficult to see why we now have buses running through the evening when no one seems to use them. One hopes this is not a case of Stagecoach creating the circumstances where they can cut services drastically somewhere down the line.

Apologies To Samantha.

A while back, One of our readers, Samantha, left a comment on the BNP issue. Due to a technical problem it got lost. If you can resubmit it I am sure that it wil appear this time.

The Blogging Team

It would seem that most people now know who is responsible for this blogging effort so I suppose its now time to 'come out' in public so to speak. For those who dont know, I do most of the actual writing but with considerable advice from time to time on possible content from Carolyn Frost who also keeps an eye on the spelling and general layout.

The dogs on the blog are there to deter vermin of all kinds and to chase the cat that is demolishing Moorehens at the Prispewn Pond.

Strictly Come Dancing ?.

A suggestion has been made by one of our regular readers that the theme for street market 09 should be strictly come dancing ,after the BBC series of the same name> This could be a definate runner. Perhaps we should just abandon street market altogether next year and have a Silverton dance festival. We could have the tango in Tiverton road, salsa in Silverdale, the conga in Coach road, foxtrot in Fore Street, waltzing in Wyndham road and the Highland Fling in Hillcrest with accompiement from our friends in Clanadonia. The possibilities are endless but whether an outbreak of pole dancing in Parsonage lane would be acceptable may be another matter.