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Chris from Nailsea
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« on: August 22, 2009, 22:05:20 » |
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From The Guardian: Glorious Herefordshire, an island of old England undesecrated by developers. This is the land I love and long for when away: woodland carpeted with bluebells, the scent of roses and lavender and butterfly bushes in bloom, rivers clean and sparkling as Perrier water. We don't do satanic mills. Gastropubs are for the home counties. Herefordshire serves great grub in a green and pleasant land. Distances are small, so there's no need for cars. Pedal or paddle power are perfect, or a gentle stroll along a hedgerow ripe with blackberries. Look carefully and you'll discover tiny violets and geraniums in the shade, perhaps a wild orchid or wild strawberries. Pause a moment and listen to the birdsong. These are the pleasures Herefordshire offers the visitor ^ and a gentleness of pace far removed from the scurry and bustle of more populous counties.
We are protected from those in a hurry by a blessed paucity of transport links. The M50 briefly enters the southern corner of the county en route for Wales and the county is served by only four working railway stations: Leominster, Colwall, Ledbury and Hereford. True romantics should unload their bikes from First Great Western at Great Malvern station in Worcestershire, puff and pant up the Malvern Hills and cross into Herefordshire at the Wyche Cutting. Herefordshire lies below ^ a gentle landscape of wooded hills and valleys, small paddocks and narrow lanes, a land of hidden treasures, of black and white villages and of redbrick Georgian, aglow in evening sunshine.
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Mookiemoo
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« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2009, 22:40:05 » |
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From The Guardian: Glorious Herefordshire, an island of old England undesecrated by developers. This is the land I love and long for when away: woodland carpeted with bluebells, the scent of roses and lavender and butterfly bushes in bloom, rivers clean and sparkling as Perrier water. We don't do satanic mills. Gastropubs are for the home counties. Herefordshire serves great grub in a green and pleasant land. Distances are small, so there's no need for cars. Pedal or paddle power are perfect, or a gentle stroll along a hedgerow ripe with blackberries. Look carefully and you'll discover tiny violets and geraniums in the shade, perhaps a wild orchid or wild strawberries. Pause a moment and listen to the birdsong. These are the pleasures Herefordshire offers the visitor ^ and a gentleness of pace far removed from the scurry and bustle of more populous counties.
We are protected from those in a hurry by a blessed paucity of transport links. The M50 briefly enters the southern corner of the county en route for Wales and the county is served by only four working railway stations: Leominster, Colwall, Ledbury and Hereford. True romantics should unload their bikes from First Great Western at Great Malvern station in Worcestershire, puff and pant up the Malvern Hills and cross into Herefordshire at the Wyche Cutting. Herefordshire lies below ^ a gentle landscape of wooded hills and valleys, small paddocks and narrow lanes, a land of hidden treasures, of black and white villages and of redbrick Georgian, aglow in evening sunshine.
here here! Herefordshire is a wonderful county - I am lucky enough to be located in shropshire but a few scant miles from the worcestershire and herefordshire border! |
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Ditched former sig - now I need to think of something amusing - brain hurts -I'll steal from the master himself - Einstein:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love"
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Phil
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« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2009, 09:32:14 » |
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No mention of the social problems caused by the massive influx of Eastern Europeans looking for seasonal work, then?
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JayMac
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« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2009, 10:00:46 » |
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No mention of the social problems caused by the massive influx of Eastern Europeans looking for seasonal work, then?
Of course not. The article was in The Guardian, not the Daily Mail. That's why it didn't mention the cost of property in the area either! Could you be a little more specific on the 'social problems' these workers (contributing taxes, by the way) cause. |
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Btline
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« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2009, 20:42:47 » |
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The good thing about Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire is that they have no/few London motorway links like other counties, so they stay quiet.
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Mookiemoo
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« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2009, 21:12:29 » |
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The good thing about Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire is that they have no/few London motorway links like other counties, so they stay quiet.
Or even fast train links........ |
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Ditched former sig - now I need to think of something amusing - brain hurts -I'll steal from the master himself - Einstein:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love"
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Phil
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« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2009, 21:21:08 » |
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Could you be a little more specific on the 'social problems' these workers (contributing taxes, by the way) cause.
Sorry, BNM - I only just saw this. I was only really going by comments made by good friends of mine who work in social services and the teaching service respectively in Leominster, both of whom regularly report having a terrible time of it during the summer months when their workloads go through the roof with seasonal workers, often with very little command of English, making significant demands on their time and already over-stretched budgets. It's really kind of you to offer to take an interest though. Thanks for that! Although as I say I'm not personally involved, if you'd like to contact me off-line I'm sure I could get you the more specific details you request, or at least an idea of the numbers involved if not actual names. Thanks again! P. |
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Mookiemoo
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« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2009, 22:54:14 » |
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Could you be a little more specific on the 'social problems' these workers (contributing taxes, by the way) cause.
Sorry, BNM - I only just saw this. I was only really going by comments made by good friends of mine who work in social services and the teaching service respectively in Leominster, both of whom regularly report having a terrible time of it during the summer months when their workloads go through the roof with seasonal workers, often with very little command of English, making significant demands on their time and already over-stretched budgets. It's really kind of you to offer to take an interest though. Thanks for that! Although as I say I'm not personally involved, if you'd like to contact me off-line I'm sure I could get you the more specific details you request, or at least an idea of the numbers involved if not actual names. Thanks again! P. And I can also comment about a friend of mines daughter - who found 10 non English speaking children in her year 5 class this spring - of course they were only there for one term..........or the fact tht - and this may sound ittle England but Ludlow would be the last place you would expect it - So many non-English speaking people in Tesco that the polish car washers were acting as interpreters at the check outs.... Cities can cope with large(ish) influxes - rural communities cannot |
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Ditched former sig - now I need to think of something amusing - brain hurts -I'll steal from the master himself - Einstein:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love"
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JayMac
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« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2009, 23:56:27 » |
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Could you be a little more specific on the 'social problems' these workers (contributing taxes, by the way) cause.
Sorry, BNM - I only just saw this. I was only really going by comments made by good friends of mine who work in social services and the teaching service respectively in Leominster, both of whom regularly report having a terrible time of it during the summer months when their workloads go through the roof with seasonal workers, often with very little command of English, making significant demands on their time and already over-stretched budgets. It's really kind of you to offer to take an interest though. Thanks for that! Although as I say I'm not personally involved, if you'd like to contact me off-line I'm sure I could get you the more specific details you request, or at least an idea of the numbers involved if not actual names. Thanks again! P. And I can also comment about a friend of mines daughter - who found 10 non English speaking children in her year 5 class this spring - of course they were only there for one term..........or the fact tht - and this may sound ittle England but Ludlow would be the last place you would expect it - So many non-English speaking people in Tesco that the polish car washers were acting as interpreters at the check outs.... Cities can cope with large(ish) influxes - rural communities cannot So the answer is what? Only allow migrant workers to live in cities? The main reason migrant workers are in these 'rural communities' is because that is where the work is. These workers contribute to the local economy by paying tax, so therefore they should have access to schooling and other local services. I agree that the language barrier can be an issue, but children are quick learners and all local authorities have access to interpreters through schemes such as 'LanguageLine'. The same pressures would be brought to bear on local services if the 'migrants' were from other parts of the British Isles......language is a relatively minor issue, whereas xenophobia and NIMBYism...... |
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Btline
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« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2009, 00:03:24 » |
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Local governments should make efforts to encourage migrants to learn English and integrate.
That's why I get a little annoyed when signs and leaflets are translated all the time. It hinders integration and thus helps no-one in the long term.
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JayMac
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« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2009, 00:08:07 » |
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Local governments should make efforts to encourage migrants to learn English and integrate.
That's why I get a little annoyed when signs and leaflets are translated all the time. It hinders integration and thus helps no-one in the long term.
Does that apply to local authorities in Wales as well?  |
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Phil
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« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2009, 08:38:58 » |
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Local governments should make efforts to encourage migrants to learn English and integrate.
That's why I get a little annoyed when signs and leaflets are translated all the time. It hinders integration and thus helps no-one in the long term.
Does that apply to local authorities in Wales as well? Not necessary, since "Even among the Welsh speakers, very few people speak only Welsh, with nearly all being bilingual in English." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_people |
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Btline
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« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2009, 17:03:32 » |
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Since when were Welsh people classed as immigrants?  And I doubt there are ANY people who speak Welsh and not English! |
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JayMac
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« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2009, 18:12:05 » |
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Aww darn it to heck. Did neither of you see the wink after my comment re: Wales?
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Btline
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« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2009, 18:24:16 » |
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Ah, you should have used the tongue in cheek or simle/grin one! Wink indicates "that was obvious" or suchlike to me!  Oh dear, I can't believe I'm analysing similes!  Perhaps we should write a pinned thread called "Guidelines for smilies and their use"...  |
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