This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Unit 1 Thorneybank Ind Est Burnley Road, Hapton, Lancs, BB11 5QR


* Blown Vinyls in Stock * 1000’s of Patterned Papers to order * Full Range of Interior & Exterior Decorative Paints


* In House Colour Matching Service * Industrial Paints * Spraying Equipment * Brushes & Rollers * Health & Safety Equipment * Floor Paints


Tales From The Hardware Store Well, what an incredible time we endured in December. The combination of freezing temperatures, thick snow and icy paths and roads meant that just going about one’s normal business was an arduous task, and we had nothing like the problems people in the North East of England and Scotland were experiencing. As many visitors to the Hardware Store, Padiham will know, ours is not the warmest of retail establishments. Sadly, our open door policy doesn’t have the benefit of a heat curtain so there’s no warm gush of air as you enter. There isn’t really a warm gush of air anywhere in the building in actual fact, so we have to resort to ‘layers’ to keep the shivers at bay. Yes, layers and layers of clothes to keep out the chill. It’s funny isn’t it, you get to a stage where you don’t really care what you look like as long as you’re warm. The fashion police were threatening to visit on a number of occasions I can tell you. Our ‘maximum’ layers were certainly put to the test and at the end of each cold day the only way to warm up was in a hot bath! We were certainly kept busy though and during the snowy weather had record sales of sledges and snow shovels. Many of our older and wiser customers assured us that this adverse weather was nothing to that experienced in 1963 and 1947. Deep snow was a real problem in 1947, and customer Brian who was aged 10 at that time, recalled how he and his family lived near Standish Street in Burnley and they had to dig a tunnel, yes, that’s right a tunnel not a path, to the outside toilet in the back yard. The only way to get rid of the snow which they had dug into was to take it back into the house and out through the front door! He also told us how he opened the sash window in his bedroom and stepped onto the top of the snow! Amazing times indeed. It really does make you sit and think, doesn’t it. Our ancestors really had it tough because if Brian’s experience in the town centre was so dramatic what on earth was it like in the rural more remote parts of the area? I imagine common sense and a strong survival instinct were essential wherever you lived. My late maternal grandmother had an artificial leg after being involved in a farming accident aged 14. In 1947 she would have been in her forties and a mother of 5 children. Life must have been difficult anyway, but to cope with the added burden of such adverse weather must have tested all of our ancestors to the limit. Back to 2010 though, and the challenges we face to keep warm. Hot water bottles were once again a very popular Christmas gift, as were hats and gloves. Those lucky enough to have the benefit of an open fire or wood burning stove positively glowed when they told of the excitement of rushing home to snuggle up in front of the fire. Although we have an open fire in our front room, we’ve been toying with the idea of putting a wood burning stove in our back room. We never got around to it in 2010 but the sub zero temperatures experienced for days on end in December have spurred me into action. I’m determined to get things moving in 2011. I have to say that one of the things that appeals to me about keeping warm from an open fire or wood burner is that you know how much it has cost before you light it. Electricity and gas costs are expensive anyway, but often you don’t really know how expensive until you get the bill. It’s not easy for people to budget their household heating bills anymore and often fuel direct debits seem to be higher than they ought to be due to ‘estimated’ meter readings. Finally, we knew that 2010 was never going to be an easy year, and it wasn’t….unfortunately 2011 looks as though it will be even more of a challenge! As we slip and slide into a year of rising prices and general unease please remember your local independent retailers need your support more than ever if this part of community life is to be maintained. Wishing you and your family peace and good health in 2011 Carol Broadbelt. Ps - Dishwasher Update – now been without one for 2 months…not missed it at all!


Tel: 01282 777607 Fax: 01282 779111 Web: www.mj-supplies.com Email: sales@mj-supplies.com


5. Last of The Summer Wine Whit's fur ye'll no go by ye! - What's meant to happen will happen.


It Never Rains ! Frank Whittaker is a keen, local meteorologist and keeps monthly records and readings of everything to do with the weather. So, seeing as this is probably the most talked about subject outside of sex, and maybe football, and possibly fishing, we thought we would let Frank keep us up to date. Weather Report for November 2010 With all this cold weather around, I was surprised to see at my local jobs recruitment office this week that there were no vacancies for brass welders this month! The anticyclone that has been sitting over Europe for the past 2 weeks has been dragging in cold northerly air from the continent, causing us untold misery. From the beginning of the month we had almost 75mm of rain in the first week alone, but that was just the start of it. During the second week the air pressure fell quite low to 977mb, causing gale force winds up to 57mph to batter us around the 11th. & 12th. Things settled down a little after this, until the last week of the month, when temperatures barely rose above freezing during the day, and plummeted to a low of -7.2c overnight on the 27th. With high pressure now in charge we had an inordinate amount of sunny days, and this led to November 2010 being the second sunniest on record (Met. Office). Now as winter is really approaching early this year, and we are constantly having to fork out more and more money to pay our fuel bills, tell me again about this global warming!, maybe it doesn’t apply to Lancashire. I see also that some Bewick’s Swans have arrived 2 weeks earlier than last year at the bird reserve at Slimbridge Gloucestershire, having travelled 2500 miles from Russia. There is folklore that says that the earlier they arrive, the harsher our winter, do the swans know something we don’t! ........watch this space. Keep warm. Frank is a keen supporter of MacMillan Cancer Care of which you can find more details at:www.macmillan.org.uk


Mony a mickle maks a muckle! - Saving a small amount soon builds up to a large amount.


21.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48