Mandy4Welwyn

The Clock, Welwyn

2009-02-07T00:17:00.012Z

I was really sad to learn this week that the Clock Hotel in Welwyn had closed. This hotel (located at junction 6 of the A1M) has been called the Quality Hotel Welwyn in recent years, but most people still refer to it as "The Clock".

I only hope that this iconic landmark can be bought by someone who has the resources and is prepared to bring it back as a going concern.

If there is any possibility of it being saved, let's hope it happens soon - the fabric of an empty building deteriorates very quickly, and it would be very depressing to see it fall into disrepair. However, I realise that this may be a forlorn hope in the current economic situation.

North vs South, Past vs Present

2009-02-04T13:04:00.007Z

Two very different events took me back to my childhood this week.

First I saw a headline in yesterday's London Evening Standard - "Boroughs blame icy playgrounds for school closures".

This took me back to the winter I was 9, when I slipped on ice in the school playground and broke my nose (and I'd been the only one in the family with a petite nasal organ!). My parents didn't sue the school or education authority - it was just an accident, and certainly I've never wished that they had.

Then I heard that in Rothbury in Northumberland, 1,000 homes lost their gas supply on Monday. Heaters were distributed to people who needed them - but that resulted in the electricity supply being overloaded, so that also failed!! Did the affected residents complain; are they going to claim compensation from their gas and/or electricity supplier? No, they just got on with their lives. When the electrical supply was restored, people turned off the television to boil a kettle, or turned the heating off before using the washing machine. The councillor who was interviewed by the BBC intimated that namby pamby southerners wouldn't be able to cope with this!

This made me remember one very cold Christmas morning when I was a child. We didn't have central heating, so put the electric fires on in all the bedrooms, as well as in the downstairs rooms until the coal fires got going. And guess what - we blew all the fuses in the house. We had to wait, but Midlands Electricity did come out, even though it was Christmas Day. Lunch was rather late, and Mum had probably had one too many sherries; I think that may have been the year that she dropped the (cooked) sprouts on the floor - we just picked them up and boiled a kettle to pour hot water through them, and no one noticed.

When these two events in my life took place I lived in the Midlands, and although I've lived in the south since I was 10 I still think of myself as being a Midlander! Certainly I can relate to the people in Rothbury.

One other thing happened this week that I don't think would have happened in times gone by, or in the Midlands or North today, was the behaviour of the London bus drivers. I can understand their reluctance to drive in the weather conditions, particularly driving "bendy buses" which seem to have a mind of their own at the best of times. However, I could not condone them playing snowballs rather than clearing the snow outside their bus stations.

Strictly Controversial Dancing 2

2008-11-19T12:30:00.002Z

John Sergeant's decided to quit Strictly - he'll dance one last time on Saturday. In a statement he said "The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far." I'm sure that many people will be very sad indeed to see him go.

Strictly Controversial Dancing

2008-11-19T08:30:00.000Z

What about all this fuss over John Sergeant? Are you voting for him? Are you voting because you think he's good? Or because you think he's entertaining (and it is an entertainment show after all)? Do you vote for him because the comments of the judges hack you off? Or is it really Kristina Rihanoff that you wanted to keep in?

There have been reports this morning that the BBC will introduce a new rule for the next series, that will mean that any contestant who finishes bottom of the leader board three weeks in a row will be ejected without even taking part in a dance-off! I'm not sure this is a good idea. Part of me feels it's going against the whole concept of the programme. I know it's a dance competition, and I was disappointed last year when Gaby Roslin was dismissed as I was on Sunday when Cherie Lunghi went, but it is broadcast at what must be considered the prime family entertainment slot of the week. Is the BBC cutting its nose to spite its face? Is it killing the golden goose - all this controversy surely must boost ratings?

Welwyn Garden City has a good history in Strictly - both Alesha Dixon and Lisa Snowden hail from here.

I must need my head testing ...

2008-11-18T00:04:00.007Z

A few weeks ago I went into the local petshop to buy new collars for my three cats. What a mistake! In a cage was one extremely noisy tabby and white kitten, demanding that I take notice of her. I fell under her spell, and two days later she came home. In recognition of the current economic situation, we called her Crunch! Since that time she has totally ruled the roost in our house. The big cats were not impressed, but have got used to (if not accepted) being chased, having their tails used like a swingball and her running through the house in a frenzy!

Blogging for Beginners

2008-11-17T19:07:00.007Z

Hi - I'm Mandy (fly me!) and I'm a blogging virgin. As a borough councillor, I'll be using this to keep everyone up to date about issues affecting Welwyn West specifically and Welwyn Hatfield in general, as well as a miscelleny of musings, and hope to get loads of views and opinions from fellow bloggers. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Some other councillors in Welwyn Hatfield have set up their blogs today - these are their blog addresses:
Hatfield West - Kim Morris
Peartree - Louise Lotz
Handside - Fiona Thomson
Panshanger - Roger Trigg