Sunday's Spotlight - Farewell

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE.

Slowly but surely Lincoln is recovering from the unusually harsh spell of weather that it has been experiencing,  The prophets of DOOM - namely the weather forecasters - tell us that the snow is due to return this coming week and we're also informed that if this happens then this December looks like being the worse one for 120 years.  Not the sort of record you really want to be part of!

 

The City Council are in the process of paying back to the stallholders of the cancelled Christmas Market the deposits they paid for their stall pitches.  However the real problem is that the stall holders and shop keepers in the city have bought in stock specifically for the Market - much of it with a Christmas theme as well - and their chances of selling that stock in the foreseeable future are now very small.  In all the city suffered the loss of 100,000 visitors.  Pam and I know two ladies who run a cake and icing shop in the city.  A few years ago they bought  in 1,000 Christmas cakes to sell from their stall and, basically, decorated each one of them.  If they had had a stall this year and it had been cancelled then that could have meant a considerable financial loss and might even have resulted in the end of their small business.

Last Saturday some 30+ "would-be" stall holders hired a hall in the city and for six or seven hours were able to sell some of their stock, even though it was nothing compared to what they would have sold over the four days of the real Christmas Market.  A few stallholders are trying the same thing as I write this blog on Saturday afternoon.

For the past few years Lincoln has had an ice rink in the city centre for the Christmas and New Year period.  I have seen it this year about three times and the most skaters I have seen using it at any one of those times has been only 3!  It's more slippery outside the rink that it is on the rink!

 

The photos this week are non wintery!  They show two of my favourite photographic techniques - kaleidoscopes and Topaz.

 

I have been writing this blog for each Sunday for just over two years now and I feel that the time has come for me to retire my highly temperamental computer and myself from the blog scene of www.insidetheartisan.com .  I have enjoyed this weekly spot recording, mainly, the comings and goings of Lincoln and Lincolnshire.

 

I thank all those who have read this blog and also those readers who have made comments from time to time.  So, I take this opportunity of wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a bright new 2011.  Finally, my thanks go to Ruth for putting up with her dad's ramblings.

Sunday's Spotlight - Lincoln's disaster

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE

As I write this blog on Thursday morning the snow is falling heavily,  This has been the pattern since Monday morning, although a smattering of the white stuff did put in an initial appearance over the weekend.

 

Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (excluding Scotland) have been the worse affected in the UK.  We in England, despite having jokes made pretty continuously about our weather, are not experienced in handling such a downfall of snow.  Roads become blocked - even Lincoln experienced a gridlock one evening during the rush hour - schools close, workers struggle to get to work, owners of four wheel drive vehicles are asked to take nurses into the hospital or on their rounds, the bus company closes down, emergency admissions to hospital is the order of the day and shops begin to run out of everyday essentials.  I estimate that we have had 18 inches of snow - which probably means about 14 inches! - although I haven't taken a ruler outside to measure it.

 

The big disaster to hit Lincoln, though, has been the cancellation of our Christmas market - the first time in its 27 year history.  Well over 100,000 visitors were expected to visit the event; that number being based on the attendance for previous years.  For many of the stall holders and shop keepers in the city centre this will entail real financial hardship, especially hard in the present economical climate.  It is estimated that about £10,000,000 is usually put into the local economy by this Christmastide event.

Stall holders have not yet been informed whether or not they will be reimbursed for payments already made in advance to the City Council.  This morning on Radio Lincolnshire it was suggested that the insurance taken out by the City fathers did not cover the cancellation of the Market.  This has still to be either denied or confirmed.  The official reason being given for the cancellation of the market is concern for the safety of visitors.

 

Lincoln's roads have been and still are badly affected by the snowfall.  In the hope of keeping the market open many resources were devoted to uphill Lincoln for clearing away snow and maintaining access.

Criticism is often heard that other countries always cope with heavy snowfall, such as this, a lot better than we do in the U.K..  Also on Radio Lincolnshire this morning was a report that the Council's snow blower had been used for the first time in 12 years.  Such snow storms as we are experiencing are not the norm for us and even when we get a winter like this one - nothing similar since sometime in the 1980s - the expense of purchasing expensive equipment that will be only be used every other decade or so just can't be justified.

 

The photos for this week's blog are taken on Tuesday afternoon and really do nothing approaching justice to the true situation and depth of snow.  They do, however, show a picture of our car.  That car is a constant deterant to out two grandsons - "Misbehave and I'll give you a lift to school in my car!"

Sunday's spotlight - Goings on in Lincoln

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE.

There are some quite strange things gong on in Lincoln  at the present moment.  I'm not claiming that Lincoln is unique with strange "goings on"; doubtless other urban - and even rural - communities encroach upon the strange and unusual from time to time.

My morning ablutions are invariably accompanied by Radio Lincolnshire.  On weekdays the early morning programmes are, until 9 a.m., devoid of music and instead the listeners are kept up to date with such important things as the cricket test scores from Australia and one or two less important matters!

Photo by Foto43

This week it was announced that the city fathers are introducing a special Christmas Guide to the city. "In what way "special"?" you may ask.  If you didn't ask this then perhaps you'd prefer to ignore the rest of the paragraph and go on to the next one.  Well, in keeping with the Christmas festive season this guide (paper variety rather than human) is being imbibed with the scent of mulled wine!!!!!!!  If you come across any bleary eyed citizens wandering aimlessly around the city then it will probably be a safe bet to assume that they've been reading that new guide and haven't been frequenting any place of adult potential intoxication.

Photo by MiqsPix

Readers of last week's blog (thanks for being there!) will recall that when writing about the Christmas Market and how early the shops begin to sell Christmas goods that I remarked that I wouldn't be surprised to find Easter eggs on sale already somewhere in the city.

Well, on  Tuesday I was sitting on a seat in Lincoln's High Street (pedestrianized so no danger from traffic!) waiting for Pam to finish a spot of shopping (surprise!!!!!) when my eyes were attracted by an unusual poster advertisement.  It was advertising the services of "Western Union" and their ability to transfer funds on behalf of their customers.  All straight forward until your eyes take in some of the detail and then you read "make some one's Easter egg complete"!!!!  There you are.  I told you that there were some strange Easter goings on in the city.

I hesitate to say that Lincoln's Cathedral is the best in the country but I do agree with John Betjman when he remarked. "Lincoln may not be the best Cathedral in the land but its definitely worth any two of the others!".

Photo by chapmankj75

Recently the Dean and Chapter decided that the old - nay, "the very old" -Victorian paving stones that lead visitors to the Cathedral entrance should be raised and reset in a more stable and level fashion.  No need for the expense of new slabs.  The Victorians certainly knew not only how to make them but also how to make them last.

The authorities weren't over surprised to find that there were stone coffins, dating back many centuries, under these slabs.  For some time it has been believed that there was a Christian Church on the site long before the actual Cathedral was built and that much of the present Cathedral Close was part of this Church's graveyard.

Stone coffins unearthed at Cathedral Entrance

Now one of the graves exposed had been cut in half by one of the outside walls of the 10th century Lincoln Cathedral.  That could only point to one thing.  That particular grave was in situ BEFORE the Cathedral was built, thus giving more credence to the possibility of a pre 10th Century Church somewhere under the Cathedral itself.


Makes you think, doesn't it?  Well, it certainly makes me think.  Not that I suppose we'll ever know for sure unless someone demolishes the Cathedral and finds the foundations of that earlier church.


Next week sees the beginning of the annual Lincoln Christmas Market.  Don't know if we'll be going on Thursday evening or not yet.

Sunday's Spotlight - Christmas comes a little early in Lincoln

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE

As I sit down to write this blog -- Thursday afternoon -- I've been down to town this morning and, not for the first time, have seen how the shops anticipate Christmas by so large a margin. I reckon that if you looked around carefully enough you would even be able to find Easter eggs on sale somewhere!

All photos by jig o'dance

Lincoln is preparing itself for its annual Christmas market. This is no small "hole in the wall" affair. It is the largest open-air Christmas market in the country. It begins on a Thursday  evening and ends on the Sunday evening covering the first weekend of December. Special train and bus excursions are run to it from all over the country and Darnstadt, with whom the city is twinned, always exports a goodly number of stalls as well.

The authorities this year have stated that all the stores must have a definite Christmas theme with stall holders dressing in costumes from that period.  In previous years this maxim has been relaxed a little too much but it has now been reintroduced and will add greatly to the atmosphere of the Market.



On Thursday, December 2nd the Dean of the cathedral and the Mayor of Lincoln will formally open the market.  Entertainment throughout the four days of the event is abundant. This year we even have a theatre company presenting various Christmas tales to entertain our visitors. Local choirs will also be in attendance singing various carols and festive songs to add to the atmosphere. If you have a secret longing to appear on BBC television then Lincoln's Christmas market is the place to come to.

 

The first night of the market, Thursday, 2 December, is the time when most of the Lincoln residents who want to attend go. This is done not in the belief that they can snaffle all the bargains on offer but stems from the realisation, through experience, that the first evening is the only time when numbers will be reasonable and you won't have "to go with the flow". The market opens at 10 am on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - closing at 10 pm - and the crowds flock to uphill Lincoln to take part in this event. The locals who live in the vicinity or who are helping with one of the stalls make up the main local attendance for these three days.

 

Father Christmas ( the real one) will be there and he takes up residence in the Judges' Lodgings, which is in Castle Square with the castle at one end and the Cathedral at the other. Father Christmas is really spoilt because he meets his young visitors, and also the not so young visitors, by the fireside in that building.   Everyone else has to freeze in the cold outside. We seem to get dry weather for our Christmas market every year but we never know when that spell will end.

If you live locally and would like to come then do so because I'm sure you will enjoy the experience. If you want more information then log on to www.christmasmarket.lincoln.gov.uk.

Sunday's Spotlight - Chaos and a mistake

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE

Downhill Lincoln is in chaos. It has been so for the past three weeks and it is forecast that the chaos will  become worse before it begins to improve in about seven weeks time.

I would guess that suddenly money has become available for road improvements and the targeted area is,  what was once, the old Lincoln bypass. Tritton Road used to be a fast road to use to get around or into the city. Over the years though various businesses -- mainly supermarkets and large international stores -- have come to the city and have built access roads to their premises off of Tritton Road.

Three roads off of Tritton Road had been, temporarily, blocked off with another main road due to be closed on 10 November. This has brought chaos to the main arterial road into the city and chaos also to the only other main access to the city centre. The supermarket we go to -- Sainsbury's -- lies off of Tritton Road and is at present undergoing a major overhaul. I was chatting with someone who works in Sainsbury's and he reckons that when the two floor new building is opened it will be the largest Sainbury's store in the country. I have to take his word for that but it is a little surprising that Lincoln could attract the biggest Sainsbury's in the UK!

In the meantime, despite all the alterations, Sainsbury's remains open. Parking is rather a headache. I get the impression that many of yesterday's customers just about find a parking space for their car in time for today!!! Once in the shop you discover a new set of changes there.  Everything in a different place each week!  Every week we seem to be looking in different places for what you want. Next month they are due to close for a week in order to get everything finalised. Judging from the state they are in I can't help feeling that this is more than a little optimistic. Perhaps I'm being a pessimist but then a pessimist is a realistic optimist! I just hope that everything is completed before the Christmas rush begins!!!!!!!!!!!!

We put our clocks back one hour this weekend. Last night I suddenly woke up and thought, "I haven't put the clocks back an hour ". This is one of the major weekends of the year; the one where we have an extra hour lay in. Pam couldn't sleep last night and had gone downstairs to make a cup of tea so I put the light on and took an hour off the radio alarm clock. Fortunately, about an hour later I woke up and realised that it was Friday night and not Saturday night! Back on went the light and the alarm radio was returned to its former state. With a bit of luck we'll get an undisturbed sleep tonight and also the bonus of an  extra hour as well.

 

There is no relationship between the photos and the blog this week. Just photos. Until I have a look at my stock I don't even know what they will be.

 

If you live in the UK then I hope you enjoyed your extra hour's sleep.

Sunday's Spotlight - A useful tip and Chaos in Lincoln

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE.

This week I'd like to start off the blog post with a tip. We have a winter jasmine plant outside our house. We've had it for well over 20 years and it covers most of the front of the building. It is just beginning to flower now - small yellow flowers - and lasts for some time giving a nice splash of colour during late autumn. Even in summer, when there are no flowers, its bright green adds to the summery sight.

However, the spiders simply adore this jasmine. They cover it with fine net curtains of web throughout the year. These spiders, who also like the warmth inside the house, from time to time, have managed to get inside and  indulge themselves.

Now here is where conkers come into their own. No health and safety rules apply for this usage of conkers!!!!  Just put a few along a window sill.  "Hey presto !" Your spider problem will be solved. Beware, though, you must change them each year -- conkers not spiders!!!(Editors note: check here for the truth about spiders and conkers!).

Lincoln was in chaos last weekend and the same applies this weekend, although, hopefully, not next weekend. The city has a number of railway level crossings splattered all around it; not least in the very centre itself. Here we have a level crossing going right over the main high street.

This causes quite a bit of chaos but nothing compared to what it was like last weekend and will be like this weekend.

Repairs are being undertaken on the main London to Edinburgh railway line between Peterborough and Doncaster. All the trains that use this busy  line are being diverted at Peterborough to go through Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln before rejoining the main route at Doncaster. This adds about 1 1/2 hours to the normal journey time.  Chaos results in the city centre as the crossing gates close so many more times and traffic causes chaos as it snaking through the city's inadequate streets.

City centre shopkeepers complained last weekend that there was a 40% drop in the number of Saturday shoppers and that is likely to increase this weekend. We are fortunate because we are able to avoid the crossing but not everyone can enjoy this luxury. Other plans in the pipeline are to divert all goods traffic off the main route and run it from Peterborough to Doncaster viaLincoln, thus speeding up the mainline passenger transport. At one time Lincoln had a bridge taking pedestrians over the railway line. Some years ago citizens woke up to find this perfectly good bridge had been taken down. Now half the citizens are cut off from the city centre.  If you are a train spotter there is one bit of good news.  Normally you can gain access to Lincoln Central station only if you are a passenger.  Non passengers are kept off the premises.  For this weekend only, though, train spotters will be allowed on the station without charge providing they sign a note saying they are only there for spotting purposes!!!!!!!!!!!

Pam and I have had a couple of days with our elder daughter in London this week. More about that, though, next week. However the photos this week are from a trip I made to Covent Garden. More news of his trip next week.

Sunday's spotlight - This time of the year

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE


It's about this time of the year that the garden has to be made ready for its winter sleep. It's been rather a mixed year from my garden -- some good features and some not so good.

Our lawns had become very weed and moss ridden over the past few years; so much so that I began to despair of ever being able to rescue them. Earlier in the year a friend of Pam's mentioned a firm who had rescued her garden and we decided to give them a try.

This rescue firm work under the name of "Green Thumb".  They don't cut the grass or dig up the weeds but four times a year they pay a visit and spray the lawn with various mixtures of food and, I suppose, weed killer. The result for us has been the most healthy lawn that we have had here for some years. The weeds and moss have gone and in their place we now have thick rich green grass. Mind you, the grass does grow rather quickly, which means more cutting but then you can't have everything can you!

 A friend of mine, who kindly mowed my lawns whilst Pam and I were in the US this year, mentioned that my garden looked a picture soon after we'd gone away. This was due mainly to the many bedding plants that we had planted in it. Unfortunately for us, but not for our fellow countrymen, we had two or three weeks of hot sun and no rain whilst we were away and so by the time we returned the garden looked a bit parched to say the least. We've just about got it back again now with the annual bedding plants having recovered and doing really well. Pity it has taken so long into the autumn to get it there - frost due pretty soon!!!!!!!!

Just lately there has been a city council, somewhere in the UK, who knocked down all the conkers from horse chestnut trees in case someone injured themselves whilst collecting them. When I was a boy knocking conkers off a tree was regarded as great seasonal fun with the prospect in the future of countless games of conkers with school friends.  Now children aren't allowed to play conkers at school -- another health and safety dictate or just a headteacher feeling it best to play safe?

 

We'll all be required to wear suits of armour soon!
This week's photos are of the beautiful wall tiles in All Saints Church, Lincoln.

Sunday's spotlight - We plough the fields and scatter; well, some do!

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE

It's at this time of the year that harvest festivals take place in the U.K.

The local primary school, of which I am one of the governors, held their harvest festival last Thursday. All the children attended and a good number of parents joined in as well. Each year-group in the school play their individual parts in the service. It is great fun to see the smallest ones looking for their parents and then waving to them. Mind you, I did notice a year six pupil having a discreet wave to her mother and the mother having a discreet wave back!

 

Every child at the school is encouraged to bring some Harvest item as a gift. All the harvest produce collected by the school is given to a local charity known as "The Lincoln Pantry"  This charity, run entirely by volunteers, tries to maintain a stock of food throughout the year so that if an emergency arises for some family or individual then the "Pantry" are able to step in immediately and give some help. "The Lincoln Pantry", for obvious reasons, welcomes tinned goods even more than fresh produce. Quite often it is easier for parents to give their child a tin or something rather than fresh food.

 

For many of the children this is their first experience of harvest festival. At the last governors meeting the head teacher told us that there are 17 foreign languages spoken by pupils as their primary language in the school and only about 60% of the children have English as their main language. With about 240 children in the school the staff have a lot of extra work to undertake trying to bring the children's knowledge of English to a working level. It doesn't help that many of the parents have only a token knowledge of English anyway.

 

Pam and I will have to be up at some ungodly hour this coming Sunday.  I'm preaching at a friend's harvest festival at 9:30 AM on that day.  He is vicar of Burgh le Marsh, which is about 1 1/2 hours from Lincoln. It doesn't look that far on the map but the road is so atrocious that the chances of overtaking even a cyclist are limited for most of the trip!

 

I had been "mucking about" with photos again just lately, trying out something new. I'll be interested to know what you think of the samples I've included with this blog. Be honest!  Pam doesn't think a great deal of them. I like them though.