January 2013
Happy New Year! Apart from resolving to eat less bread and more rice, this year I plan to go about and about in the Dacorum area, picking out examples of the good, the bad and the ugly. One building that constantly catches my eye, and for all the wrong reasons, is the cricket pavilion in Hemel. First of all it’s out of all proportion to its setting. How did that get past the planners?
December 2012
Enjoying a cappucino and a croissant at Hemel station (top marks to the ladies from Puccinos on Platform 4) my ears pricked up at the following exchange. Lady customer: ‘Where do you live?’ Puccinos lady: ‘Harrow. Where do you live, Hemel Hempstead?’ Customer: ‘No, Boxmoor’. It was only when we moved to Hemel that we realised the important
November 2012
One of the perks of running a fireworks company is that every year I get to put on a display for the village. This has become a regular feature since we moved here in 2003 and every year it attracts a large audience. Everyone chips in with offers of help, from hot soup and hot dogs to delicious pork and apple rolls. This year is another big success.
October 2012
Seeing that Harry Hill was coming to the Old Town Theatre we quickly booked the last remaining few tickets. Our guests included our friend and neighbour Val Corbett. Unfortunately Val broke her ankle only a few days before the show and the only way she could make it was if the theatre had wheelchair accommodation. This was duly arranged but Val would have to sit in the front row. You can guess what’s coming next!
September 2012
I have got a bit behind with my blog as of late. Quite often I’ll think of something or see something which would make a good post, only to forget it. Quite often these come to mind whilst driving so you can’t write them down. And as I write this I’m imediately reminded of something I have observed among the driving
July 2012
Reports of BT engineers installing large green cabinets in the village and surrounding areas turn out to be the advent of high speed broadband. Good news for all. Broadband speeds have been pretty poor around here and for me it can’t come fast enough. One evening the phone rings and it’s BT telling me the service is here and would I like to upgrade for the same price I am currently paying. Yes please! The results are noticeably better, not so much in how fast programs take to load but very much when you are downloading files. I’d transfer all my Sky Sports subs to BT Vision as well but for all its lightning speed broadband delivery, BT doesn’t yet offer HD.
July 2012
What a lousy month! It’s hard to know where to begin. Well I suppose the rather depressing new signboards on the Link Road roundabout are a good place. I know that sponsorship is a useful source of income for Dacorum Council but do we local residents really want to be reminded of funeral directors everytime we drive to work? I’m sure J. Worley Funeral Directors do a fine job but in a village where we only recently lost our chairman, the timing could have been better.
May 2012
I thought there was something different about the Attic Cafe in Berkhamsted’s Home & Colonial store when I didn’t recognise any of the serving staff. The menu was also different, down from 4 pages to just 2, on a hard-to-read laminated sheet of A5.
More disappointment was to follow when I couldn’t find my favourite, croissant filled with smoked salmon and
March 2012
Will Dell has been building brick walls man and boy so he seemed an ideal choice to repair the wall which borders Piccotts End Road down to the Link Road roundabout. The brick and flint wall dates back around 200 years but has been allowed to fall into disrepair. Knowing that our cash-strapped local authority wouldn’t be interested in restoring it, I
February 2012
Very sad to learn of the death of PERA chairman Robin Corbett. As Lord Corbett of Castlevale and Hemel’s former MP he was one of politics’ most influential characters but to all of us in Piccotts End he was plain Robin, always friendly, helpful and concerned. When we first moved here nearly 10 years ago he was among the first to give us a warm