Grandsonflower (2)


Water, brush and winter colour
Three year old artist
What will his bigger picture be?



Huddersfield New College Rugby

JOHN ROBINSON

Published: 25/01/2016 (Huddersfield RUFC website)
Sadly, we must advise of the sudden death of John on Monday, 11th January 2016. The funeral service was on 20th January at St Constantine Church, Wetheral, Cumbria where Alan Roberts gave the eulogy.
John and Alan arrived at Huddersfield New College in the same term and played in the successful Huddersfield New College Rugby XV in the early 1960s, which was managed and coached by club and Cheshire player Ron Capper. A number of the team went forward to play club rugby, John and Alan with David Elstone played for Huddersfield, contemporaries John Berry for Gloucester and David Walker at Waterloo.
The camaraderie of the team was exceptional and the New College Rugby Association met annually in Huddersfield until recent years at the George Hotel and then at Lockwood Park.
John qualified as a civil engineer and joined British Rail in York, where he continued his rugby as open side flanker with York RI. In later years his business career took him to Fiji, Somalia, Libya and Houston, Texas.
His children Rebecca and Ben attended the service with their mother Jane, his son-in-law and two grand children.
The club's condolences have been passed to the family.

Another harrowing WW1 story

Huddersfield Historic Society featured the Tolson Memorial story last night down at the university. A sad film of two young men killed in the first war, as told in their letters home and the letters of their commanding officers.
  I lived in Waterloo in the 1950s-70s and Ravensknowle Park was our playground: toddling in the pond then football, cricket, touch rugby, parading with the girls, a spot of courting maybe. We assumed it must have belonged to a rich guy who handed it on when he died, for the use of. Which we did. Little did I know until 50 years later that it was and is a war memorial.
  A memorial garden was opened in 2014 and dedicated in 2015. A Friends of Tolson and Ravensknowle project with Heritage Lottery funding.


New profile picture

For those who are interested, the picture is by Clive Hetherington, one of five. We are hoping to use them to create greetings cards for charity. They still need some editing work, but pretty good eh?






Honley CC pavilion restoration


Rob Moore of Honley CC takes possession of a cheque generated by profits from
It's Not Lord's, a W. Yorkshire cricket book first published in 2011, inspired by Peter Davies, 
creator of www.ckcricketheritage.org.uk, edited by Dave Walker (pictured with Rob above).

Chris Humphries from Honley Cricket Ground Facilities Development Group writes:
At the very start of this project, David Walker, publisher of Shalliley Books in Holmfirth, kindly committed all of the profits of his book on local league cricket, to the pavilion redevelopment. “It’s Not Lord’s” is a fascinating account of how our cricket clubs have progressed, and charts the often turbulent birth and development of our local cricket leagues. At £7.50, it makes a wonderful gift – copies can be obtained by ringing David on Tel: 01484 683196, or from the Holmfirth Tourist Information Centre.


Final cruise on Sapphire

Not a good start - we forgot the boat key. We'd made Greenfield.
Once we got organised, we decided to go to Chester. The log fire was in every day.


Beeston Castle


Parked first night near Barbridge and got lost looking for The Davenport Arms. A 6 mile walk in the dark before I realised I had my phone with me, with maps. Safely back at the boat we strolled 5 minutes to The Barbridge Inn.
  Bunbury staircase is always interesting

The Cheshire Cat

An old scrote occupied the bar as we ventured into The Cheshire Cat. I asked for my usual, pale and hoppy. Wainwright came the barman's reply. 'Squirrel piss' said old Scrote loudly. I touched my ear and suggested he might repeat his description, only with more volume, 'Squirrel piss you deaf bastard'. He'd recently returned from Thailand.


We walked into Chester from our Cheshire Cat mooring. The Boot up on the balcony is a Sam Smith cheap and cheerful. Always full. The Lockeeper was empty and expensive, waiting for Chester's beautiful people to arrive for happy hour.
  The Old Men T-Shirt company sells nothing for women. How sexist is that?
  I bought a retro flower power top from Soho's for Sheila. No idea of the size - rang my daughter who said a 10 (better than an 8 which was my guess). We've been back since for a 14.

Chester Cathedral and Helsby High School in concert.

They have a wide beam restaurant boat next to one of the hotels, clearly unable to turn round travelling east. We asked the question. The skipper had a glint in his eye when he told us they had a tiller and a prop at both ends.
On the way back, around 3.30pm we knocked on the door of The Old Trooper. A lad answered and told us they didn't open 'til 4pm but if we wanted to come in we could have a drink while we waited.


Bunbury staircase where we buddied up with guys from Bury-St-Edmunds

Barbridge Inn


The only reason for going to Chester was, on the way back, to call in The Badger at Church Minshull. Sit in the tap room, play with the fire and talk to the barmaid. 'We're off the boat' 'Oh nice. Wait for the first freezing week and decide to come away'. 



And after 14 years, that was that.

Slit lamps can damage your health


Most people I meet have a horror story about waiting for long periods to see their doctor in the hospital eye outpatients - Halifax and Huddersfield. I've been going regularly since May 2015, seen eight different doctors, swallowed a variety of medications and had my share of falling asleep in the waiting room. The consultations went okay 80% of the time, albeit often followed by an extra queue at pharmacy for yet another change in pills and eye drops.
  My last visit went well until the consultant asked if his medical student could look in my eye using the slit lamp (above). My chin was captured by the jaws of the machine. She remained seated and rolled across, making contact with the slit lamp table, rather robustly. The whole thing shook as did my head and neck. 'You've broke my jaw' I exclaimed. 'Oh no' she cried. I smiled and all was well.
  My eye is better. I've got a bruise just below my left ear.