June 2021
Litter is a scourge for which there is no quick fix. Everyone will have their own litter story and many go on personal crusades to keep the village tidy. At our end we have been contending with a litter problem of a slightly unusual variety – a nocturnal…
May 2021
When the Boar’s Head was a pub in Piccotts End it was indeed our local. These days you have to go a bit further to find one that’s worthy of the name. My favourite is the Crown & Sceptre at Briden’s Camp and I’ll often call by for a pint of IPA…
April 2021
How’s your weight? Lockdown has had at least one beneficial effect for me. I’ve been doing a lot more walking and have a lost a few pounds as a result. I’ve never covered so many miles, traipsing along the picturesque towpaths of the Grand Union Canal…
February 2021
Once upon a time Hemel Old Town was bustling with people and alive with shops selling everything from fruit and veg to furniture. Today it’s a ghost town, empty, desolate and looking like something out of The War of the Worlds or The Day of the Triffids. But on our daily walk this week I espied a glimmer of light. Up ahead was a colourful stall displaying apples, oranges, carrots and tomatoes to name a few.
December 2020
Happy new year everyone. 2020 has given everyone plenty of time for reflection. What have we learned to value from such a dreadful year? Counting our blessings might be one. Sue Leach and her husband Michael, pictured here, have lived in the village for nearly 20 years. I was chatting to Sue last week about the community spirit she and her Riverbank neighbours showed in ringing bells on Christmas Eve. ‘We do have a great sense of community here and lovely neighbours at Riverbank. After our Christmas celebrations Michael said to me “why would we ever think about moving away from here?”
October 2020
Like the great travellers who introduced exotic plants such as the Fuchsia to these shores, I love the idea of seeing them flourish here, even if my easyJet flights hardly qualify as great. My latest imports are now to be seen flowering prolifically as far afield as Cornwall, France and Dorset, as well as here in Piccotts End!
It’s the beautifully scented yellow Brugmansia, also known as Datura. The one pictured here in our conservatory originated in the gardens of the Grand Timeo Hotel in Taormina in Sicily. Last year I brought back few tiny cuttings and put them in a propagator. A year on they are producing an abundance of flowers which fill the house with perfume in the evenings.
August 2020
Most celebs and rock stars hang out in fashionable areas like the Cotswolds or Surrey. But not Ronnie Wood, the Rolling Stone who has come to rest in our part of the world, at Little Gaddesden. One of his favourite haunts is the Alford Arms where he’s a regular patron.
July 2020
After 17 years of missing deliveries and confused delivery drivers I have finally taken some action. I’ve changed our postcode! I didn’t realise you could do this until I noticed that several places I go to have a unique postcode identifying their exact location. Why would I need this? Well it’s because our current postcode HP1 3AT directs drivers into Piccotts End village whereas we are marooned the other section of the road leading into Hemel Old Town. The problem was caused when the road was cut in two by the building of Link Road back in the 1980s.
April 2020
The village may look dead to the world but behind the walls and doors of lockdown a veritable hive of activity is going on! It’s great to see that community minded residents Holly Cross, Maggie Chandler and Sue Leach have set up a facebook page and a WhatsApp group dedicated to helping anyone who can’t get out for shopping, prescriptions or just need some words of comfort and support.
January 2020
The Daily Mail’s letters column is always crammed full of readers’ views on current affairs. As a regular reader, dating back to when I worked there back in the 70s, I’ve noticed one scribe’s name appearing more regularly than anyone else. Step forward Piccotts End’s very own veteran epistolarian Mary Wiedman! Mary has had her views published on a wide range of topics, ranging from early departing swifts foreboding a harsh winter to her latest suggestion to make Prince Harry our US Ambassador.