What are you all up to

 A )  Very Best Wishes for the Biopsy, OP

B ) I get confused with these various store closures!  In Crewe we have B & Q , Wickes, Toolstation, Screwfix plus various sellers of building supplies.  Around the usual retail parks there are pound shops of various names ( seem to change titles every 6 months !! ) Where the heck do their customers come from  ??

All the best for the biopsy OP

Very best wishes OP, hope it all goes well next week.

Talking of shops our town will be very changed if Beales closes down although M&S has survived so far. We lost our Home Base awhile back, recently the Range group set up there. We still have B&Q, Wickes etc. If I'm in Crewkerne I visit the nice old Ironmongers/DIY shop, an Aladdin's Cave! The original one inspired Ronnie Barker and his 4 candles.  

OH is off out to see Steve Knightley this evening, an xmas present from one of the family.

Other than that I've counted a lot of birds and think this is a better year for us, possibly the milder weather?

I'm envious of your OH's Steve Knightley gig. We've seen him a lot on his own (as well as with Show of Hands and duos with Phil Beer), but this tour is not coming near enough for us to go (without staying over).

Maybe next  time!

And we also have a Beales. It's gone through various owners in the years I've shopped there. They had wonderful sales back in the 70's. I remember queueing outside to buy a pram and cot in 1972. And the wonderful haberdashery section. 

Steve K originally taught at the school where one of our family works and so he's with many of his local faithful followers tonight! 

PS Happy Burns Night for anyone partaking of the Great Chieftan o the puddin-race! 

Beales had some shops in quite small places, I remember seeing one in Beccles last year so closure will probably have a bigger impact on the smaller towns than the larger where there might be an alternative. Even here in MK we are losing the House of Fraser store after 40 years. That will leave JL and Debenhams but I wonder how secure the latter is? This is not the first time there has been a shakeout of such stores, think back to the sixties in London and names like Derry and Toms, Gamages, Marshall and Snellgrove  and Whitleys.

David

Just been to Kendal. It’s really sad to see Beales  being emptied with things being sold at a knockdown price. It was a good shop, selling quality clothes, shoes and household goods. Will certainly be missed if it does close. One or two of the staff were hopeful that a buyer would be found as apparently the building is owned and not rented.

On the way back I stopped at Low Sizergh Farm for lunch. Spotted what looks to be a small CL type site below the car park. Anyone know anything about this? Would be great for a short hop weekend if it was !

Been to our neighbour’s funeral this morning. Must have been five hundred people there, he was a much loved and popular man. Lovely humanist service, very personal, lots of family and friends, work colleagues and political pals. First time I have ever sung the Red Flag and the Internationale. He was buried after in a tranquil woodland cemetery. Trees will be planted, and he can rest amongst his beloved birds. Strange seeing all the local children from our street back together, all grown up now. Lots of old neighbours came back as well, good to catch up.

We have been priming our garden to do the count tomorrow brue, we have one looking in front garden, one looking in back.

Same for me too, OP.