York blogs - featuring posts from a local people - brought to you by The Press newspaper in York

My wife Sylvia and I are 78years old. We have 3 children, 6 grandchildren, 7 great grand children, the last born January 14th 2007, Ella Grace. Sylvia is in remission from a terminal lung cancer
diagnosis but we are, thankfully, both well and able to get about.

We enjoy family, meeting friends, people, gardening, short breaks away, getting out around our beautiful county to the coast, the dales, markets and favourite places like York, Castle Howard and
Harrogate. Events like the Yorkshire Show, smaller ones and Opera in the Park at Temple Newsome too attract us.

I thoroughly enjoyed and am retired from a working lifetime in sales, selling greengrocery first; then biscuits, soup, corsetry, lingerie, swimwear, franking and mailroom equipment to retail,
wholesale and mailing organisations. My work took me all over the UK and we have lived in 12 different homes, since being married, in Yorkshire, the Midlands and Reading. After returning to York in
1980 until retirement, I worked as an Accounts Executive for RR Donnelley, (formerly Ben Johnsons), looking after customers' print jobs at the factory.

Since then, I researched our family history, made a story of it. Printed copies are in the libraries at Northallerton, Museum Street, York and Tang Hall. I finished it just year and created PDF files
of it on CDs for family and friends. I am interested in current affairs and enjoy making my views known, hense my involvement here.

Religions should not have government power in this country.

Religions should not have government power in this country. There is too much conflict around the world, stemming from religious zealots.

National unity.

Ed Milliband and his brother David are persuading me that the Labour Party in Opposition, Ed as Leader and both as potential future PMs, can create a fairer balance in government for the deserted millions of the nations’ needy and the workforce who keep daily life working 24/7 for us all.

Wonderful English from around the World.

Wonderful English from around the World.

What we haven't.

Vince Cable is the nearest to realising it.

Faiths and Politics.

He said religion should have a stronger voice in public life and for christians to speak up about their faiths.

Eric Pickles and referendum about Council tax.

There is far too much of "it's not what you know but who you know" and organised tendering for exorbitant prices from the bottomless pit of the public purse.

Have a smile.

And for those of you who thought it would be dirty, Say two Hail Marys! and.. of course - forward this mail!

Derwentthorpe.

Farmer Herbert on Baggy Lane had a job Keeping the kids on Tang Hall and Burnholme off this land. He went round on his bike twice a day.

Fair for all?

I am neither Labour or Tory by birth or party loyalty and, like millions of others, I am never properly represented. I am always a moderate in the middle of two extremes as they fight to keep their exclusive shared power, enjoyed by them for six decades and four generations in my lifetime.

Beware, the wolves are about!!

Like all public services, private sector, politicians, professions, financial advisers, bankers and the markets, there has been years of reckless financial mismanagement which could not last. It is changing now as WE pay the inevitable price with our savings, pensions and inflation yet again.