Yesterday’s blog enthused greatly about this weekend’s “Winter Wonderland” flower festival at Tow Law parish church. Before it was even posted there’d been an email from David Walsh.
“I know your favourite obsession is the weather in Tow Law and I came across a picture which shows you’re spot on” he wrote.
“It’s not of the WW2 Russian front , it’s a picket line at the opencast coal depot near the town during the 1984/85 miners’ strike.”
The reproduction isn’t great, but you know what – trembling – they say about every picture, don’t you?
*Yesterday’s blog also revealed that Sunderland – unusually these days – had demanded their £710 .50 share of the gate following Wednesday’s Durham Challenge Cup defeat at Crook Town. Newcastle United the previous evening had not only given Ashington the lot but brought their own stewards and ambulance, too.
It provoked much comment on Twttter, ranging from “disappointed” through “disgusted” to “disgraceful”. Very few – not even Sunderland fans – were defensive, though someone suggested it might be an oversight and someone else wrote: “At least we don’t chop up journalists and cook meat to hide the rotten smell.”
Goodness only knows what that one was all about. A load of cannibals, perhaps.
Others assume that the former Bank of England club must be fearfully hard up (or to use the 2021 vernacular, not have a pot to p*** in.)
To date the visit of those Christmas spirits appears not to have moved hardened hearts in the Stadium of Light counting house – not even to waiving the ten bob.
There’s a lovely follow-up, nonetheless – a suggestion that there really is nothing new under the sun, as they might never say in Tow Law – and that’ll be in Grass Routes tomorrow.
*Today’s plan was to see our way to the West Auckland-Bishop Auckland derby, an idea aborted at 2pm when West secretary Dave Bussey rings to report the game’s postponement because of fog.
Instead, with thanks to Mr Harvey Harris, we head swiftly east to Billingham Town, hosting Crook – another coincidence – in similarly obscure circumstances.
Like many others, Billy Town were badly hit by Storm Arwen, destroyed fencing still very evident. Like many others in turn, they’ve had cause to be very grateful for the speedy reaction of the Football Foundaton, who’ve donated £25,000 to fix it.
“They’ve been brilliant” says club secretary Ray Morton.
They’ve also spent £65,000 resurfacing that cratermas car park and acquired a great many picnic tables. The former is very welcome, the latter perhaps strictly seasonal. It’s perishing.
After an hour or so, with no score and with visibility seemingly no worse than when the game started, the ref abandons it. “We want our money back” chants a small section of the crowd, with wonderful optimism.
There’s also been a call from Tow Law secretary Steve Moralee who himself had groped his way through the murk to West Auckland, headed straight back up the A68 to Consett and not only reports a lovely winter’s afternoon inTow Law but sends the picture below to prove it.
As they might never have said on that perishing picket line, there really is something new under the sun.
Grass Routes 