WAIT AND SEE The people near the proposed development beside the “Cherry Tree” on Fordham Road have finally been sent notification of what the developer intends to do, build 126 “dwellings.”
Unlike their last application for the allotments on the eastern side of the road they are not promising any sweeteners this time, no retail premises, no start up business premises, no care home, just houses for profit which is all that the development turned out to be in the end anyway. The one out of the ordinary feature of this application is the provision for six “self build” homes. We’ll wait and see what happens there.
BIG PRESENTS
Jake the spaniel is fascinated by the things that people give each other. He’s noticed that they can vary from the tiny, like a piece of jewellery, to the one he noticed at the bottom of St Andrews School drive. Jake had never seen a gift-wrapped house before and he’s surprised that it hasn’t been totally unwrapped yet. He reckons that this might be a trend that may catch on as there is another house on Staples Lane that is in the process of being wrapped up. He wonders if this is going to be a Valentine’s Day gift as it would probably be cheaper than a dozen red roses.
GOOD NEWS
So the whingers of OFSTED have decided that our Village College is on the right track. I think we all knew that, anyway and a bit of encouragement and sharing of expertise would go a lot further than moans and groans about imagined shortcomings in relation to strange benchmarks imposed by bureaucrats from their ivory towers. The current report mentions disadvantaged pupils several times. It they keep finding problems where there are none there could well be many more disadvantaged children about because their teachers have become dispirited. Don’t let them get you down, we all value you and your hard work.
WRONG VEHICLE?
I almost felt I was in an old TV program recently. A friend decided that the liked the sound of a newly announced Harley Davidson motorcycle and wanted to go over to the dealer’s in Newmarket for a closer look. Consequently the three of us, all pensioners, trooped over to investigate. After we had analysed Harley’s new offering it occurred to me that we were looking at the wrong type of vehicle. Before when three men just past the first flush of youth had been seen with a vehicle it wasn’t a motorcycle, but where would you get hold of a bathtub on wheels around here?
SURPRISE
One thing I’ve noticed since I changed my method of transport or had it changed for me) is the new perspective it gives you on the world. For a start, whenever you stop for a chat, and this tends to happen much more often on an electric scooter than in a Honda Jazz, you tend to find yourself conversing with the person’s waistband. Also, being lower, you get a better look at many things you may have overlooked before. For instance there is a motorcycle parked on the road in Sand Street, a bike inspired by the classic American V-twin but built by one of the giant Japanese companies. When driving past I never noticed the model name on the tank, but chugging past on the scooter I can see that it is a “Drag Star,” which came as a bit of a surprise. The last people I would expect to see in leathers and helmets would have been Danny LaRue and Lily Savage!
NIGHT OUT
If jumping about, getting hot, holding hands with people of the same sex and eating pork is your idea of a good night out then Soham Young Farmers may just have the ideal event for you. On Saturday 30th the newly resurrected club will be holding their first event of the year at Hiam’s club in Prickwillow in the form of a Ceilidh (pronounced “barn dance”) and hog roast. Several years ago the various PTAs attached to the schools of Soham would organise these dances on a fairly regular basis. We were all much younger then, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to fold ourselves down far enough to sit on the chairs at the infants’ school. I seem to remember that the pint glasses were normal sized, though. If you feel the urge to try such favourites as the Norfolk Long Dance and the like give Harry a ring on 07899 006777 to book a ticket. Given the content of the evening the price of £20 isn’t really expensive and any profit will go towards the East Anglian Air Ambulance and you’ve still got a week to save up!
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