Thought For Today

A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.
Mark Twain

Straw Houses

As long ago as the 10 January I did an article on houses built with straw. At that time North Kesteven District Council were seeking planning permission to build these types of houses in the villages of Martin and Waddington. Now I see in the Spring 2009 edition of 'newsnk' that planning has been granted for a pair of semi-detached houses to be built in West Grove, Martin. The three bedroom family homes will look like conventional brick built properties and be the first 'typical affordable council houses' to be built by a local authority using straw bale construction. Designed by West Yorkshire company AMAZONAILS. the properties will have straw bales as their structural element. The straw bale walls will be plastered with lime and have conventional windows and roofs. The properties will be three times better insulated than regulations require and will not therefore require heating systems. However, wood burning stoves will be installed for very cold weather. Construction work is expected to start very soon and once underway people will be able to go and watch it take place. This is a very exciting project and we shall continue to follow its progress.

(Artist impression by kind permission of amazonails info@amazonails.org.uk ).

Stockwith Mill

Stockwith Mill

As you travel along the A158 road from Horncastle to Skegness, near the village of Hagworthingham, you will come across a sign, on the left hand side, saying Stockwith Mill. You are now about half a mile from the sheer peace and tranquility of one of Lincolnshire's finest little gems. From the moment you leave your car in the grassy car park, it is like stepping back in time nearly 200 years, to when Alfred Lord Tennyson walked this beautiful rolling countryside gaining inspiration for his poetry. Take the short woodland path that leads you over a wooden bridge, turn left out of the glade and there before you stands Stockwith Mill. The renovated watermill cascades water down into the large pond below, where you can watch and hear fish plopping at its surface. The old mill house is home to a Tennyson Exhibition, whilst along side, the main building is a delightful small tea room, complete with restaurant licence, where you can get anything from a scone to a full lunch. Alternatively, on nice summer days, you can eat outside sat under a parasol by the edge of the pond. There is also a craft shop selling all manner of both useful and decorative items. If you happen to be travelling to Skegness on the Horncastle road, make a trip to Stockwith Mill a part of your journey and let your imagination take you back through the centuries to when life was lived at a much more gentle and leisurely pace.

Today's Smile

Three Italian nuns die and go to heaven. At the pearly gates they are met by St Peter . He says "Sisters, you all led such exemplary lives that the Lord is granting you six months to go back to earth and be any one you wish to be"

The first nun says, "I want to be Angelina Jolie"

And 'poof'' she was gone.

The second nun says "I want to be Madonna"

And 'poof'' she was gone.

The third nun says "I want to be Sarah Pipalini"

St Peter looked perplexed "Who?" he asks.

"Sarah Pipalini" replies the nun.

St Peter shakes his head and says "I'm sorry that name does not ring a bell"

The nun then takes a newspaper out of her habit and hands it to St Peter.

St Peter reads it and starts laughing. Handing it back to the nun he says

"No sister, the paper says it was the 'Sahara Pipeline' that was laid by 1,400

men in 6 months."

If you laugh, you are going straight to hell!

Looking Back - Sir Winston Churchill Resigns

On this day in 1955, Sir Winston Churchill resigned as prime minister of Britain due to his failing health. The resignation, announced from Buckingham Palace, followed a dinner party at 10 Downing Street the previous evening, which was attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Also present were a number of past prime ministers and government colleagues. The 80-year-old premier was replaced by Sir Anthony Eden, the day following the announcement. Having started his political career as a Conservative in 1900, by 1906 he had defected to the Liberal party. By the time he became prime minister in 1940 he was back in the Conservative party, and led the wartime Coalition Government during the second world war. Sir Winston Churchill, remembered as Britain's greatest wartime leader, remained a backbencher until 1964. He died on 24 January 1965, aged 90, at his London home at Hyde Park Gate.