THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 JOE'S JOTTINGS

Joe’s Jottings

As I mentioned last month about the jet stream. The intensity of the      different temperatures between the polar air and the tropical air from the Caribbean has created a perfect storm generating machine which has pushed the jet stream to a lower latitude so it is now passing over southern  England. It normally passes between Scotland and Iceland. The weather being experienced in the south is the same that is normally endured by the Scots. The problem is that the Scots drainage system is well suited to these conditions and can shift vast amounts of water. The wide plains and rolling countryside is not used to this amount of water, so flooding occurs. The problems have been exacerbated by the Environment Agency not taking care of the rivers properly, e.g. not dredging channels to allow more water to pass. River catchments are complicated affairs and just dredging will not always solve the problems as at times it can cause a greater problem downstream at bottlenecks in the river   system. Usually, where towns are situated, and affords an easily bridged section of the watercourse (think of York). These are the places that need the fastest run off and when it can't all get through somewhere to back up the river and flood farmland, more commonly known as a flood plain. The biggest problem in all this has been the attitude of the Environment Agency to water management. Not the staff on the ground. It is the philosophy which is set from the very top of the   organisation. That ethos can be summed up in five words "Let nature take it's course" Only where there is a threat to life and property will they take action by stopping large areas of population being flooded. They are more interested in birds, water molluscs, voles, newts, badgers and dormice than proper supervision of the landscape. More interested in harassing farmers and business men for minor violations and make up charges against honest people. I don't believe polluters should get away with it and nature is very important but it must be  managed with a view to economic activity. My own personal experience with the Environment Agency and the green fascists has led me to believe they are at best barking mad, or at worst forcing some ill judged socialist agenda on the rest of us. Resulting in more restrictions and higher taxes for their pet projects. Though not in our region, a pipeline route in the northeast had to be diverted because of badgers. It added about one point five million pounds to the cost of the scheme. I think badgers, although shy creatures are quite resilient and would have returned to their sets after the completion of the work. Newts have to be protected on every water job because of European Union law (they are rare on the continent but common here) Thousands of pounds are added to construction costs because of these common amphibians. Again if studies of potential sites show a genuine rare species then caution should prevail.
Due to winter being a fairly miserable place to be in Bradford the Skirt and I decided to take a trip to the Antipodes for this month. In part, to see her sister and family in Melbourne, and on my part to get away from it all at a slack time of year. The Skirt and her sister are already planning to hit downtown Melbourne armed with hard earned savings and a credit card. The chatter is incessant, on the train for 9.00am, after rush hour coffee on Flinders Street before hitting the department stores. Coffee and lunch on the Southbank, with a glass of wine, overlooking the mighty Yarra. Followed by another commando raid on the shops during the afternoon, all done in high heels. Luckily her sister's husband, Colin, is a petrolhead so I can while away some of the time helping him with his classic car collection. My treat will be a trip to Phillip Island to see the superbikes. Backpack full of tinnies, camera and a wedge of cash for souvenirs. The family get together tend to be loud with an array of different characters. The Skirt’s nephews and nieces like chalk and cheese but all with an unmistakable family resemblance. The kids also reflect a wide spectrum of character from over the top to very modest. The Aussies seem particularly bad at Yorkshire accents, or do we sound that bad. I mean I don't go round saying G'day to everyone. Although young Laura is giving me lessons in antipodean and it's correct pronunciation.
Sitting here in Colin and Muriel's garden the temperature is a very pleasant twenty five degrees and not a cloud in the sky, I have time to contemplate what plants to sell next year from seed, bulb and cuttings and work out the best method of propagation.
The bulb boxes should be in full swing by the time I get back as the Daffs were already showing through due to the mild winter.
Talking to Carl the other night in the Bear and he informs me that the Con club in Idle are thinking of           opening the back field up for allotment plots. Membership of the club will be a requirement.
March is really the start of the season as far as work is concerned and I will be getting into that on my return, but in the meantime I will pop the top off another bottle of ice cold VB and contemplate my navel.

THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 THE IDLE LORD

HOW BAZAAR?

From The Idle Lord, Musings From The Padded Cell

Despite public protests and an initial refusal by Bradford planners, a convicted former operator of an indoor market looks about to open a new Asian bazaar on a “trial” six-month basis. Convicted of contravening a Stop Notice issued by the Council, he was fined almost £90,000. Now though, all’s well in the eyes of the Council as they prepare to grant this company, DP Franchising Ltd – of which I can find no record – permission to open despite protests from residents about the parking problems and disruption it might…sorry…will cause.

The licence will be reviewed in six months’ time…pull the other one…before the Council elect to collect another stash of wonga.

Our local Council is staggeringly stupid and inept – we all know that – but just consider the approval comprising 35 stalls with a maximum of 28 traders opening 11am to 7pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The building was a Morrisons supermarket some 30 years ago and the main car-park has since been built on. There is also a roof-top car park which you always felt was about to collapse.

The hair-pin bend on exit certainly livened up the weekly family shop to Morrisons as my Dad’s Ford Capri never seemed to have any brakes that worked all at the same time; most weeks it was like a trip on the Wild Mouse at     Blackpool.

Now they want to plonk 36 cars for customers atop while traders – suitably helmeted indoors no doubt – will have to use 27 spaces behind the building. Unless the traders are turning up in Sinclair C5s this looks disingenuous to say the least.

Then again lets not expect a council to be anything but economical with the truth.

The really “good news” is that a parking steward – doubtless a numerical dyslexic halfwit in a yellow jacket – will “manage” the flow of cars. Could you really make this up?

When the car park is full customers will be directed to on-street parking. Have the Council not noticed that there is none of this? Pity the local residents who will suffer a market nobody, locally, wants and will bring no economic benefit other than to the market operators.

Inevitably, speaking out against this idiotic proposal can get you the convenient tag of “racist”. However, put simply there is as much demand for an Asian bazaar in this area of Bradford as a bier keller across town where they hacked everybody off in the first place.

Ironically, there are several empty and refurbished retail units on the site of the Morrisons that replaced the original, with ample parking – front and back – for customers and traders alike.

Would it be churlish to suggest that they have negotiated a “trouser it fast and leg it” lease, one that they may not have been able to secure on the more suitable retail park?

You can see further Musings From The Padded Cell at http://www.idlelord.com

THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 JOE KING

LAUGH...
 I nearly passed me sweets round !
by Joe King

Waste Not, Want Not

One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub     together.
They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints, and were stuck in the thick head.
The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust.
The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer, and continued drinking it, as if  nothing had happened.
The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink, held it out over the beer, and started yelling, "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT YOU B****RD!!!!"

Texas Tatties

A Scottish farmer was in his field digging up his tatties (a Scots word for potatoes). An American farmer looked over the fence and said "In Texas we grow      potatoes 5 times larger than that!"
The Scotsman replied "Ah but we just grow them for our own mouths!"

Kissing Game

There was an Scotsman, an Englishman and Claudia Schiffer sitting together in a carriage in a train going through Wales. Suddenly the train went through a tunnel and as it was an old style train, there were no lights in the carriages and it went completely dark.
Then there was this kissing noise and the sound of a really loud slap. When the train came out of the tunnel, Claudia Schiffer and the Scotsman were sitting as if nothing had happened and the Englishman had his hand against his face as he had been slapped.
The Englishman was thinking: 'The Scottish fella must have kissed Claudia Schiffer and she missed him and slapped me instead.'
Claudia Schiffer was thinking: 'The English fella must have tried to kiss me and actually kissed the Scotsman and got slapped for it.'
And the Scotsman was thinking: 'This is great. The next time the train goes through a tunnel I'll make that kissing noise and slap that English b*****d again .

Wrong Baptist

A man is standing on top of the safety wall at the edge of a New York       Skyscaper leaning towards certain death. The doorman of the building bravely goes up to try and talk him down.
"Hey... guy...errm, you believe in God don't you?"
The man leans back away from the edge, "yes, yes I do"
"Well so do I!, let's talk this thing..."
The man takes one mini-step away from the edge
The Doorman asks, "So which religion, which church are you?"
"I'm a Christian", he says, "Baptist",
"That's amazing, so am I!" said the doorman, "Which type of Baptist are you?"
"Northern Baptist", said the man     takling a good step back from the roof edge.
"AMAZING!, me too", said the doorman, "So, well, are you with the branch that sided with Pastor Corey?"
"YES! said the man.
"Traitor!" said the doorman pushing him off the roof.

Lady Drivers

This morning on the motorway, I looked over to my right and there was a woman in a brand new VW Golf !! Doing 110km/hr., with her face up next to her rear view mirror
putting on her eyeliner!
I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that makeup.
As a man, I don't scare easily.. but she scared me so much I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the meat pie out of my other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my mobile phone away from my ear which fell Into the   coffee between my legs, which splashed and burned "Big Jim and the Twins", ruined the phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an Important call. BLOODY Women Drivers!!

What Rush

Charles was getting annoyed and shouted upstairs to his wife," Hurry up or we'll be late."
"Oh, be quiet," replied his wife. "Haven't I been telling you for the last hour that I'll be ready in a minute?"

Friendship

An English man and an Irish man are driving head on, at night, on a twisty, dark road. Both are driving too fast for the conditions and collide on a sharp bend in the road. To the amazement of both, they are unscathed, though their cars are both destroyed. In celebration of their luck, both agree to put aside their dislike for the other from that moment on. At this point, the Englishman goes to the boot and fetches a 12 year old bottle of whisky. He hands the bottle to the Irish man, whom exclaims, ''may the Irish and the English live together forever, in peace, and harmony.'' The Irish man then tips the bottle and gulps half of the bottle down. Still flabbergasted over the whole thing, he goes to hand the bottle to the Englishman, whom replies: ''no thanks, I'll just wait till the Police get here!''

That’s Entertainment

It was entertainment night at the senior citizens' centre. After the community sing song led by Alice at the piano, it was time for the Star of the Show- Claude the Hypnotist!
Claude explained that he was going to put the whole audience into a trance. "Yes, each and every one of you and all at the same time." said Claude.
The excited chatter dropped to silence as Claude carefully withdrew from his waistcoat pocket a beautiful antique gold pocket watch and chain.
"I want you to keep your eyes on this watch" said Claude, holding the watch high for all to see. "It is a very special and valuable watch that has been in my family for six generations", said Claude.
He began to swing the watch gently back and forth while quietly chanting, "Watch the watch --- Watch the watch ----Watch the watch".
The audience became mesmerised as the watch swayed back and forth.
The lights twinkling as they were reflected from it's gleaming surfaces. A hundred and fifty pairs of eyes followed the movements of the gently swaying watch.
And then, Suddenly, The chain broke!!!
The beautiful watch fell to the stage and burst apart on impact.
"S***" said Claude.
It took them three days to clean the Senior Citizens' Centre.
And Claude was never invited to entertain again.

THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 FORMERLY OF THIS PARISH

Our intrepid correspondent in Toronto has been on a recent visit to see her family on this side of the pond and posted this special report while she was here.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN REVISITED 

LAST OCTOBER, while visiting family, I was lucky enough to be in Pickering on the very weekend they were holding a "Railway in Wartime" re-enactment.  The Battle of Britain fell on the very same dates, October 11-13, 1940.  Imagine the scene: we arrived at the railway station in heavy rain to be greeted by a group of "soldiers" in khaki pouring out towards us. It was enough to take your breath away and wonder whether you were really in 2013 or had done a "Dr Who" in some timewarp machine!  Entering the Station we came upon men, women and children wearing 1940s outfits: the "snoods" and turbans, the saucy little tilt hats, the skimpy skirts; men in wide-brimmed trilbies; the very shoes of 73 years ago, plus of course the inevitable gas-masks.
The cafeteria staff looked completely authentic, too, (albeit serving coffee in styrofoam cups, and not alas offering 1940s prices). On the opposite platform a man and a young woman sang wartime hits: "Don't sit under the apple-tree" (remember the Andrews Sisters?), "We'll meet again", and suchlike well-remembered Dame Vera classics. (Oh, gosh!  Now I'm really giving my age away, aren't I?) At one point a shady-looking character - undoubtedly a Black-marketeer - was being arrested by two "Bobbies". However, the high point of the day was the arrival of the steam-train - a fully-functioning service run by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Company and operating between Pickering and Grosmont. (I believe it was running to Whitby on that particular day.) They (the NYMR) are fundraising to maintain the most popular engine of all:  Number 3672, the "Dame Vera Lynn", who Christened her in 1985. She (the engine, not Dame Vera by the way)  "...was originally built for the war effort in 1943-44 and was used in Europe and the Middle East following D-Day. Its post-war years were spent in Greece..." ref. "North Riding Chronicle", October 2013, which contains a detailed day-by-day account of events, October 11-13 1940, including Bomber Command reports. Fascinating stuff but rather sad, too; although I have to say that I'm glad and rather proud to have lived through those years. I'm also happy that I grew up with steam travel. One of my earliest memories is of my Grandfather taking me as a toddler in a pushchair to the railway bridge, where steam-snorting monsters huffed and puffed beneath us. No wonder I still get emotional when I see one

WINTER WOES: 

I was going to talk about the terrible winter we here in South-central Ontario are having. Then I learned of the appalling flooding over there in some parts of the country. Now I think how lucky we are! However, as you may have heard, we're having the worst in many years, with weeks of very low temperatures, e.g. -30C with the "windchill factor", plus ice and a goodly dumping of snow. On the night of December 21-22 we had an atrocious    ice-storm. Now, many years ago, before I left the U.K., a    visitor told us about one of these storms which, happily, are not frequent - this being the first in about 50 years - and I recall  an account of the pretty trees sparkling with ice.
Now I've seen this picturesque spectacle with my  own eyes, and it was the only good thing about the phenomenon. Trees hung low, their sturdy branches snapping like twigs, burdened down by heavy layers of ice, and many have had to be felled. Telegraph wires sagged and broke loose, trailing on the ground, and some 300,000 households were left without power. If you were lucky (as was I) the power cut lasted only for a matter of hours, the less fortunate groped and shivered their way through Christmas and New Year. Local government opened "warming centres" around the City, and happy those who had friends and relatives with a warm home and (Oh, bliss!) gas   cooking. Of course, many kilos of frozen food were lost -  a terrible waste and loss of money. And it was no fun chipping about 1/4" of ice off the car, I can tell you!
However, people rallied round, as they so often do in a crisis - total strangers commiserating with one another in the supermarket, exchanging experiences and offering help. A nice hot shower became, for some, the best gift under the tree! We  take so much for granted. When the power goes off everything is dead, and an eerie silence suddenly prevails. It's scary! On a lighter note, every    February 2nd is "Groundhog Day" when a certain furry little creature (namely "Wiarton Willie") is supposed to emerge from his winter sleep, take a look around, and if he sees his shadow on the snow, winter will last another 6 weeks. HE always does and IT always does anyway, so it's just a piece of living folklore I suppose you could say. Well, according to the calendar it's only 32 days to spring. So let's hold that thought!

The following are extracts from the blogs of John Wood, a former youngster in this area, before leaving on his world travels.

Trials of Old Age

The Protestant ethic is a hard shadow to cast off. It invades our life from an early moment when we become faced with the problem of doing something others feel we should.
From making a success at school to succeeding in the work place there is always pressure to be doing something with our time. The urge to fill every   second with something meaningful,  usually someone else's definition of meaningful, provokes a sense of guilt whenever one is chilled out doing   nothing. Of course one is not doing nothing rather one is not doing what someone else thought we should be doing, usually manifesting its self in  actions that are visible. But what of the actions which are invisible, the stuff that goes on between the ears, the mental stuff.
Get up early and be active is the refrain, a healthy body is a healthy mind, don't let the minutes tick away they will be lost forever, make the most of the time you have left and so on and so forth.
To be active and ridicule inactivity is the modern mantra how can one progress, earn a living, or be accepted by society if you don't conform.
Tonight my little grey cells were        vibrating like mad as I watched the film 'Amour'. A brilliantly made poignant film of old age and the tragic journey made by an octogenarian couple who face the trauma of one of the couple struck down with paralysis and dementia. The     classic story of the disintegration of all that pride and reserve holds dear, the ability to control our bodily functions, to communicate, to keep that poise which we attribute to who we were slowly   dissembles. The women suffers the  paralysis, whilst the man, himself old and increasingly feeble tries to meet each stage of the trauma with love and a practicality brought by need.
Life is nothing other than a vale of tears best endured by honesty, love, unremitting work and a frank recognition of its essential tragic nature.              
http://twocents2012.blogspot.com.au/

Tiptoes into   Buddhism

The world is a rich tapestry of events and interrelationships.
The marvellous documentaries put out by the BBC on the Oceans and the myriad organisms living in our seas. A world of breathtaking beauty, and of immeasurable     complexity. The Savannah's of Africa with its multitude of life form evolved to cope with the excesses of living and dying, side by side, moment to moment. The majestic elephant, tied (as we are) to a life long family    relationship which has the pathos of an old age, something many animals don't experience. The pecking order (sic) of the vulture, the organisation and the energy of the ant, the grace and unique evolution of the giraffe, the alert, sensitive springbok and, amongst them all mankind with his hobnailed boot oblivious to the damage he causes, crashing about with a force enhanced by the ability to kill at a distance. As we grow up we are bound by our upbringing to believe that everything serves our purpose as we crash around looking for stimulation.
The need to look under the stone comes later when less sure of our infallibility we turn to            questioning!!  Rich though it all is, what is the purpose, are there any rules and what at the end is the    outcome. For many much of this is simplified by subverting oneself to a faith in a deity where the religious place their hope in a book which gives direction through a set of rules.
I am teetering around on the edge, tiptoeing around the pool, not yet willing to take the plunge. I, like so many people of my age ask questions that a busy life left no room.
The philosophy that Buddhism bases its reasoning on is very attractive being tied to our human condition and not a mystical wish list. The  nature of self analysis through   meditation has a sensible ring to it, it’s practical and can do no harm. The business of rebirth is different and has the ring of a religious   promise to it which boarders on faith, something I find difficult!!

THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 GONE FISHIN with Idle and Thackley Angling Association

Gone Fishin...
with Idle and Thackley Angling Association

Contacts: ‘Phone 01274 615016
  Web: idleandthackaa.supanet.com
  Email: idleandthackaa@supanet.com

2014/15  Rod License Reminder –
Don’t Get Done!!
The Environment Agency Rod License needs to be renewed from 1st April. Anyone aged 12 years or over who fishes for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England and Wales must have a valid Environment Agency Rod Fishing License. 2014/15 fees have not been increased and remain the same for the third year running. 2014/15 licences will therefore be: - Annual Adult Coarse/ Trout £27, Concessionary OAP's £18 and Junior 12 to 16  £5.00. They are obtainable from Idle and all remaining Post Offices and on line via the Environment Agency website. Watch out Bailiff’s about especially in first few weeks of new licence year…..

20014/15  Close Season Information Yorkshire
The close season for all non-migratory trout in rivers, streams, drains and canals and brown trout in all    waters is from 1 October to 24 March inclusive. There is no close season for rainbow trout in any stillwaters. The trout season therefore opens on the 25th March on rivers and sport should improve when temperatures rise and fish get back into full condition.
For Coarse fish it is unlawful to fish for coarse fish from 15 March to 15 June inclusive on any river, stream, drain or waterway (other than canals) and the Aire and Calder Navigation between Castleford and Ferrybridge Lock. There is no statutory close season on any canals, reservoirs, lakes or ponds for coarse fish in the North East Region. However, individual owners may close their fisheries so you should always check before you fish. On waters where the close season for freshwater fish applies including all rivers the only lures or baits that may be used are natural or artificial fly, minnow, worm, shrimp, prawn, sand eel, or artificial lure until 16th June. It is also an offence to fish for salmon by means of other than an artificial fly or artificial lure before the 16th June. On June 16th the Coarse Season opens again and all baits can be used again after that date.

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Apperley Bridge remains open during the Coarse close season with all baits allowed along with many other stillwaters and ponds. Please handle fish with care during this period.

Swainby R. Swale Open Match Result 2.3.14
The River was 2ft up and slightly coloured but the larger chub were not feeding at all so only s few small fish were caught. Mark Allison won with just 1lb 4oz one grayling and a chublet on maggot feeder. Second was Matty Prudhoe with a 14oz grayling on stick float and maggot.
Future Swainby Matches -March 9th, June 22nd, July 6th, July 20th, Aug 3rd, Aug 24th, Sept 7th, Sept 21st, Oct 5th, Oct 19th, Nov 9th, Nov 23rd, Dec 14th and Dec 28th. For Bookings ring Charlie Hardaker 01274 615016.

Contacts- If want any further information or have any reasonably sensible suggestions contact.
Phone 01274 615016.
Web Site - idleandthackaa.supanet.com.
Email idleandthackaa@supanet.com

THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 Bridleways By Christine Hardaker

BRIDLEWAYS
Contact:   Mobile 07739 708 727
Email:       christinehardaker@supanet.com
It’s been officially declared the wettest winter since records began, but we are certainly not surprised about that going by the state of our fields.
There won’t be many yards where there are more than a few horses with mud fever and owners with back ache having to treat it!  It can be tricky if you have a 500 kilo horse that’s handy with its hooves as generally that’s near where the scabs and sores form, and it must be painful and irritating for them when you’re having to pick and poke them. I’ve found with my gelding, the more I told him off for dancing around, the more he dreaded me coming near his legs so I had to change my approach and I stopped telling him off but praised him when he kept still, which at first wasn’t for very long!  But in time the process got less and less stressful and I also learnt to treat the opposite leg to the one I was next to so if he was waiving it around, I   wasn’t likely to get kicked, but of course that meant bending down     under his belly. Nowadays he is better at tolerating me doing it.
It was nineteen years in January since I got my horse so he is about twenty six and has been diagnosed with  Cushings. One of the problems with this condition is their immune system is low and cannot fight infections very well. He has always been prone to mud fever but not too badly in recent winters but this winter he has suffered badly, and as a result he got in infection called cellulitis. This caused  swelling to one of his back legs which was getting worse, even though I firstly got antibiotic cream from the vet to apply and after there was no improvement, the vet came and prescribed antibiotics to put in his feeds. Unfortunately he has always been fussy about medicines in his feeds and wouldn’t eat it so I’d been   having to mix the powder with some liquid in a syringe and squirt it into his mouth! This then put him off eating       altogether and another vets visit later found he had a small ulcer on his tongue which must have been causing some pain too.
So he has ended up in hospital at the vets for a few days so they can monitor him 24/7. I visited him this morning after he’d only been in 24 hours and there is some        improvement already. My main worry was any further swelling can lead to a condition called lymphangitis. I had seen a horse with this condition years ago and I certainly would not have wanted to put my old boy through all that so I was so relieved to see the swelling had gone down quite a bit.
News on the bridleways front has been very busy of late.  There has been news of three stables that are under threat of closure due to developers putting in plans to build vast numbers of houses. We had already heard about and put our objections in on the Councils planning web site regarding the loss of most of the fields from Cote Farm on Leeds Road. I think it was 270 dwellings planned on that site and as a result of losing the grazing land, the proprietors are not going to be able to support as many horses on their land, which is threatening their livelihood.
The next news was that Throstles Nest Farm at Fagley is under threat of closure and the whole farm would be      demolished to make way for approximately 600 dwellings!  There has been a link to a petition circulating on Facebook and on Wednesday 26th February, ten of their horses were ridden from the farm into the centre of Bradford to the Town Hall where they handed in hundreds of letters objecting to the plans. Up to press the petition has attracted 1,157   signatures in only eighteen days since it began. If you haven’t already signed the online petition here’s the link to it https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/future-of-fagley-riding-school.
Another site under threat I believe is off Westfield Lane in the All Alone area where there are horses being kept on the land.
This is going to cause a shortage of places at livery yards and this will all add to the crisis the rescue centres are  having to cope with due to abandoned equines, when some irresponsible people just dump their horses and ponies on private and council land when they find they can’t afford to keep them. Last year we had a Shetland pony turn up loose on our yard and no one came to enquire about it. We did find out from another yard that someone had brought the pony to them asking if someone wanted to buy it as they had to get rid of it within the next few days!
Some good news on the bridleways front is that the development planned for the   Simpson Green area may provide a safer off road route. One of the main dangers of riding out in this area is the heavy traffic on Leeds Road and many of the circular routes you can take only require crossing the busy road. But if you want to go further afield towards Esholt or Woodlands, it will entail either riding up or down Leeds Road and Apperley Road so if a track can be negotiated through or around the edge of the new development there, it would make that journey much safer. This is a route I have proposed for some years now and the Rights of Way officer has been in touch to alert me of the planning application and is on the case! Everyone keep your fingers crossed.
I haven’t heard any more about the “new” routes that were being thought about by Jeanette Sunderland along with other groups in Thackley (I wasn’t invited to the walk around the proposed tracks, I wonder why??) but as soon as I do I will be writing about it here so watch this space. I think a reminder e-mail to our local councillor might bring some news for next month.
The track that was very kindly provided for us in the Wrose parish council over the land between Wrose Brow Road and Carr Lane has inevitably suffered quite badly due to the wettest winter ever, and whilst it has been a great help having the horse stiles installed to allow riders access the land but not the motor bikes, it has had the undesirable effect of concentrating all hoof falls onto one line which has caused much churning up! Unfortunately this has not gone unnoticed by opponents of horse riders and has caused some complaints – we just can’t win can we?! I had been trying to negotiate a track through Wrose rec, which    riders used to use before the knee high barriers were erected some years ago. I used to ride across to the lane by the chicken farm called Childs Lane but the damage on the Carr Lane route has scuppered that( – maybe – I’ll have one last    attempt at persuading them on another track). In the meantime the good news is that they have found funding to improve the  surface at either end so be prepared to find workmen digging there at some point.
I went to this years first WHOA    meeting this week and they reported on their work since the last meet.  They have been very busy and are doing a fantastic job in finding all the bridleways that need to be registered on the official map before the deadline comes, or they will be lost for ever.  Please go onto the web site and at least print off a (free) membership form and join the group (for free). It will at least be a support to them when they are fighting on your behalf,      especially when they meet with        important people like MP’s so they can at least say they are representing so many hundreds of riders in the     Bradford area – please show your  support by just joining!
Here’s the site address again: http://www.rombalds-riding.org.uk/  and click on Wharfedale and Airedale Horse Org or go onto their Facebook page and “like” it to get updates etc., as 268 others have done already.

THACKLEY TRUMPIT MARCH 2014 VIEW FROM MUPPET HILL By Waldorf

I am sure everyone is aware that it has been the wettest January and February, if not ever, definitely for a very long time. This part of the country has been fortunate as far as flooding is    concerned, our friends down south have certainly had to endure the brunt of the major disruptions caused during this period. From a football point of view, the consequences of above average rainfall is the postponement of matches. This leads to a backlog of games, and with a deadline to meet to complete all their matches, teams will have to play at least twice a week, and many three times, for the remainder of the season. Since the beginning of the year, that is throughout January and February, Thackley have managed just four games, only one of which has been possible at Dennyfield. They are not alone in this respect, as most other clubs have suffered similar postponements, and some have fared much worse. It is at times like these that the age old question is asked, 'Should artificial grass be used by football clubs?'
Artificial grass being used for football turf has      always been a controversial subject. Synthetic pitches have been used by some professional clubs in England in the past, Luton Town, Oldham Athletic and QPR have all played on them. However,       because some felt that this sort of surface was    responsible for players collecting injuries, clubs were prohibited from using them in the late 1980's. Times have changed and technology has improve significantly, which has seen a resurgence, particularly on the continent, in the acceptance of synthetic pitches. In the UK, quite a number of clubs in the lower Scottish Leagues now play on artificial       surfaces and the FA have permitted the use of this type of turf for FA Trophy matches. FIFA, also permit artificial surfaces to be used for Champion League ties.
The obvious benefit of using an artificial surface is that very few matches would need to be postponed during a season. There are of course many other pluses, one being that the surface suffers       virtually no damage, it therefore can be used constantly, most are utilised for up to sixteen hours a day. As well as playing matches, players would be able to train on the pitches, they could also be hired out for many different sports, which would bring in extra    revenue for clubs. Add to this, the lower maintenance costs involved and it makes quite a lot of sense for smaller clubs to adopt this sort of synthetic playing surface. The Northern Counties East League will allow matches to be played on this type of turf provided it meets the FIFA standard.
There are some drawbacks of course, the major one being the   capital cost of installation, which is likely to be over £250,000.    Technology has improved the surface and players are much happier playing on it, but many feel that they are more likely to sustain an injury than on a normal grass pitch. I am from the old school, and for me, watching a match on an artificial surface takes something away from the game. Football grounds have a        certain personality, their size, their surroundings and the playing surface. I know I am a bit of a dinosaur, but I say, let us stick with what we have got and suffer a few        postponements.
Although the weather has caused problems with the fixture list over the past couple of months, Thackley suffered a rather embarrassing floodlight failure during the period, for whilst maintenance work was being carried out, contractors dropped one of the pylons as it was being lowered to the ground to replace a bulb. The work needed to be done to enable the floodlights to be tested, a requirement for  Thackley's application for promotion to the Evo-Stik League. Some other minor work needs to be   carried out at the ground, to make sure that the ground meets the required standard for promotion to the higher level. The work has all to be completed by the 31st March, then all the Dennyboys have to do is finish the season as champions.
From the few games that have been played, Thackley have had a reasonably successful opening to the year, with just one defeat and three victories from the four matches that have been possible. The defeat came against local rivals Brighouse Town at their ground, 4-2 seemed to flatter the hosts somewhat, but overall they deserved their victory. Three wins against clubs struggling a bit in the league, Winterton Rangers, Parkgate and Maltby are all in the lower reaches of the table, but all the victories were pretty comfortable. Maltby were in a rather false position, they had twelve points deducted from their total for playing an ineligible player on four occasions.
March is going to be a busy month for the Dennyboys, with ten matches already programmed, which means mid week games throughout the month, normally just one, but two are scheduled for the week commencing 24th March, four games in eight days. Thackley are still in the League Cup, their opponents in the 3rd Round are Heanor Town, this is one of the mid week games programmed for March. The clubs have already met twice this season in the league, and so far the honours are even, both recording home victories. The tie is likely to be a close affair, especially as it is to be played at their ground