Your letters
To the EditorI would like to thank everybody who supported my fund-raising effort by purchasing my Christmas cards ‘Views of The Lee in Winter’. I was able to send a cheque for £150 to the treasurer of St John the Baptist Church towards the restoration fund thanks to everyone’s generous support.
May I please ask for your continued support next time you visit The Lee Village Shop by taking a look at the seasonal notelets: ‘Winter Hedgerows at The Lee’.
If anybody has a suggestion for another local project or charity which would benefit from a modest donation from the sale of the notelets, I would be pleased to hear from them.
Anthea Hartley (837372)
Lee Common
Hail the Village Shop
To the Editor
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by our shop at the Lee. And as Browning has it “because a man has shop to mind in time and place, since flesh must live...”
In wintry January:
“When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail;
When blood is nipt, and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring owl
Tu-whoo!
Tu-whit! tu-whoo! A merry note!
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.”
(thus the Bard demeans the name).
Hats off and hurrah for gallantry to all who keep the shop on the road. The car park an ice rink. Heroic treks through snow and ice on foot. Collections of bread and milk and provisions. All this when even taxis were not forthcoming.
A huge thank you from customers for distinguished service to us all.
John Glanfield
The Lee
To the Editor
Snow, cold hands, unable to drive, supplies low – later...
...warm welcome, within walking distance, delicious pain au chocolat, pretty daffs, lovely bread, even salt tablets (to keep us soft) – where are these found?
All at our local shop of course. Many, many thanks to you all and a very happy and successful New Year.
Pat and Dick Chinnery
Swan Bottom
In search of the lost gritter
To the Editor
I have for several years made contact with the County Council over the gritting of the roads in Lee Common.
The assurances I was given were but hollow promises, and continue to be so, even though I was recently reassured that we were on a priority route because we have a school and are on a bus route.
At the same time Buckinghamshire has a poor record in repairing roads. The potholes and damage to the road surfaces are appalling and extremely dangerous.
As a result of the recent snow they will deteriorate. I appreciate that the whole country is in the grip of the worst winter for over 20 years, but some of the problems which are being experienced are due to the dysfunctional nature of central and local government.
Too low a priority has been given to gritting and road repairs compared with other areas of expenditure.
Is it too much to hope that the County Council will start planning now for next winter so that we do not see a repeat of the present situation?
Jacqui Burnett
Lee Common
To the Editor
Buckinghamshire County Council assured us in a recent edition of the Buckinghamshire Times that they were fully prepared for winter and had invested in new gritter lorries to keep the roads clear.
Looking at the atrocious state of the lanes around us I wonder if Bucks ‘gritter lorries’ are of the same breed as the Loch Ness Monster.
As with Nessie most people have heard of them and if asked may be able to describe them, but no one has actually seen one.
Gilbert Nockles
Potter Row
Howzat!
To the Editor
My slow response to the content of Mike Senior’s letter in November matches the funereal pace of the batting of the Yorkshire hero Boycott.
I wonder if some of your readers would be interested to hear of a personal encounter with the great man.
Some years ago I played cricket for Chesham, who had a tour organised for the Leeds area. I travelled up to play for the day and arrived before the real tourists, who were sleeping off the previous evening’s debriefing.
Arriving at the picturesque Pudsey Congs ground, I was surprised to see a lone figure lapping the ground, clearly warming up. A faint suspicion that it looked like the great man was soon confirmed. It was he. Recovered from a broken finger, and (as ever) looking for net practice, he informed the Congs’ captain (an acolyte) that he would play against us.
Now, touring club sides look for a good natured game, played in the Corinthian spirit.
The match unfolded thus: there was no toss-up permitted, for Geoffrey was to bat. Our opening bowlers (both left-armers: never a favourite of the great man) gave him some anxious moments. It being Yorkshire, it began to rain. Never mind, we were there to play, so we carried on, even though the ball became like a bar of soap.
One of my deliveries slipped down the leg side, and was hit by the great man for four. “Ah could’ve ’it that wi’ me moother’s coal shovel wi’ ’er pinny on” was his verdict. No one laughed. On and on we went in t’rain, Geoffrey delighting in hitting our hapless bowlers and the bar of soap to all parts.
50, 100, 150 came and went. Wickets fell; and a young lad trooped out for his partnership with the great man, and a lesson in running between t’wickets. “When you’re facing, wait for my call, when I’m facing, run like bl***y ’ell.” Cricket lovers will recognise the symptoms, and sure enough the young lad was soon back in t’pavilion, run out.
On and on went Geoffrey, and by the end of the Congs’ innings, he had accumulated 195 not out. The closest we came to dismissing him were a few ‘played and missed’ and one confident shout for ‘caught behind’ at the start and, to my eternal regret, a dropped caught and bowled when the bar of soap squirmed out from between my fingers.
His parting shot was to march over to the score box and remonstrate at length with our scorer: “I got two ‘undred lad, you missed some of ma’ runs”.
After tea, Chesham went out to bat. 10 Congs went out to field. Geoffrey went home. The Congs’ captain, the great man’s acolyte, don’t forget, popped his head into our changing room. “Could we have a sub fielder?” I’ve run out of ****s to record our response.
Test cricket is much better now that GB is in the commentary box. He is far more entertaining in that role. A great commentator, and a dedicated professional cricketer for sure. A flawed man though.
Jon Swain
Swan Bottom