Today's Thought

Good friends are like stars, you can't always see them, but you know they are always there.

The New Stable Block - Blankney Hall

Pictured above is the entrance to the new stable block built by Henry Chaplin in the 1870's. The green door, that can be seen in the picture, is the door leading into the coach house where the carriages were housed. Behind this new block there were many more older stables, covering a much larger area. There was once a house standing on the site of the old stables, presumably, lived in by the head groom.

During World War Two the Royal Air Force commandeered the Hall and used it, under the direction of RAF Digby, as a secret operations room. During this time many of the male RAF personnel were billeted in the old stables (pictured left). The old stables were designed by E.J. Willson in 1825 and built around this time. Reginald Williams in his article 'Return To Blankney',written for Lincolnshire Life magazine, and billeted there himself, said of the old stables 'they were well built and we made them very comfortable'.

Brainteaser

Today's brainteaser is a mathematical one. The six clues given contain the numbers you are looking for and also the instructions for using them.

01 Take the number of fingers on both hands.
02 Add the number of blackbirds baked in a pie.
03 Times by one little duck.
04 Deduct the number of partridges in a pear tree.
05 Divide by the 'Wonders of the World'.
06 Add a baker's dozen.

What is the final total?

Poem - Blankney In Spring

What a wonderful sight the snowdrops are this year. The wet winter has obviously helped them to thrive and they seem bigger and better than ever. Snowdrops are the first flowers to herald Spring and provide a welcome boost at the end of long hard winter.

Blankney In Spring

White clouds sail a sky of blue
Hastened by the breeze
That blows through Blankney village
And gently sways the trees
Little cottage gardens
Their neat and tidy beds
Home to hosts of daffodils
That gently nod their heads
Hedgerows coming into leaf
Following winters rest
Provide the perfect cover
As the blackbird builds his nest
Land turned brown by Autumn plough
Now begins to yield
Adding different shades of green
To each and every field
In the meadow by the farm
Lambs race around the pond
And jackdaws perch precariously
In Becks wood just beyond
Buds begin to open
Warmed by springtime sun
Amidst great anticipation
A new cycle has begun

Rodney Garlant

Could You Sleep At Night Living Here (Part 5)

Got a little problem with dampness at your house?