Musings from the Merse
Monday, December 19, 2011
WHAT GOES ROUND......
I see from the recent Berwickshire-Minutes of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council that the hoary old chestnut of Devdlopment at Hutton Castle Barns has raised its hoary old head again. Ironically all this could have been settled years ago when the Castle Barns highheidyins put in an application to build 4 new houses without consulting the people most affected by their application. It has been bad blood every since with every application blocked by the local community-and being subsequently withdrawn by HCB. Huttonian earnestly suggests that the two parties talk to each other instead of exchanging legal opinions.
I see from the recent Berwickshire-Minutes of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council that the hoary old chestnut of Devdlopment at Hutton Castle Barns has raised its hoary old head again. Ironically all this could have been settled years ago when the Castle Barns highheidyins put in an application to build 4 new houses without consulting the people most affected by their application. It has been bad blood every since with every application blocked by the local community-and being subsequently withdrawn by HCB. Huttonian earnestly suggests that the two parties talk to each other instead of exchanging legal opinions.
Labels: Hutton and Paxton Community Council, Hutton Castle Barns
Monday, May 25, 2009
Aye Be Cee
There should be a local pop group called something like 'Aye Be and the Incomers'
'Aye Be here for McYonks and can't stand the bloody incomers, telling us all what to do'
Echoes of this in Greenlaw apparently
SIR, - In response to the anonymous letter which refers to “incomers” contributing to the organisation of the Greenlaw Festival, one feels compelled to ask, if there are to be no incomers, what is the option for growth in the community: inbreeders?
It is sad that in difficult times the Borders small town mentality persists at just such a time when we need inward investment and skills to help us through the depression we are in.
One distinctly hears a tone of neo-Nazi sentiment in the first letter, which is most worrying, and it is no wonder it was sent anonymously.
There appears to have been a misunderstaning over the Slaters incident.
What it has uncovered, though, is an extremely worrying attitude which I thought we had moved-on from. Sadly, it appears not.
To be fair we did not find too much antagonism when we first came to the Borders in 1997. Having the Post office on our kitchen table helped.But you had to watch it a bit. Of the five Community Councils closest to Hutton and Paxton four had incomer Chairs (Worse: English) and at one time on the H&PCC there was never more than two menbers out of 8 who were locally born and bred. There was a fine balance to strike: too involved you were pushy, keep away from loal matters and you were stand offish.
Here in Norn Iron my grandparents bought this house in 1921-now belongs jointly to the three daughters: 4 generations and five coming up. And the bigger house, next door, was continously occupied by the family for 40 years, this cottage off and on for 85! But I suspect that most people around here would assume that I was not an incomer but
A Blow In.
(The image is of a County Down Sea Pink. Not an incomer but could be a blow in. Killard Nature Reserve near Strangford)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Council of Perfection
As a former chair of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council Huttonian keeps an eye on the proceedings of this august body via the very full minutes published in the Berwickshire News In my time the business of the council varied from the frantic (as when fighting off the Laird and his development plans or trying to keep the village school-the first a success the second a failure)to the soporific when we had little more to do than give a hearing to the local fuzz-no crime to report- and approve the minutes of the previous meeting. Accordingly I am impressed by the range of business being transacted by the present council and I am glad to note that some thing we initiated-the repairing of all the benches in both villages (13 apparently) have at last been completed. How many years? But no doubt worth the wait although I can think of a couple which have probably not supported a bum for decade or more.
Its also interesting to see that projects we ignored-indeed actively so-years ago have now come to fruition: Floral Gateways being a case in point, if only in Paxton. Me, I don't like this wee village beautification as it often results in particularly inappropriate garish flower beds and worse still, equally over stuffed baskets which require considerable maintenance-which if not done conscientiously results in a series of Hanging Jungles of Babylon.A particularily horrid example of a 'Floral Gateway' can be seen in Newtown Street Duns.
I like the idea of information boards indicating the points of interest for visitors to Paxton and Hutton-something which has been discussed before but with no outcome. A cynic might suggest that the boards would be mostly blank. But take Hutton, with the Old Manse, the less Old one, the striking village hall, the walk to the Mill and the Pheasant's pre slaughter pens, some distinctive village buildings:Old Smiddy, Old Pub, the 19th century church, a description of Hutton Castle of Burrell Collection fame (albeit not open to the public) there is a lot to see and some excitement if your visit coincides with the arrival of the 32 Bus and/or the mobile post office
As for Paxton there is also a lot to see apart from the walk to Paxton House and one hopes the connection to Robin Adair is mentioned (See reference here But I suspect most visitors will really only want to know one thing:
Where is the Pub?
And others, having been around the sights, might echo the famous line from the lyric:
You are welcome to Paxton, Sweet Robin Adair
As a former chair of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council Huttonian keeps an eye on the proceedings of this august body via the very full minutes published in the Berwickshire News In my time the business of the council varied from the frantic (as when fighting off the Laird and his development plans or trying to keep the village school-the first a success the second a failure)to the soporific when we had little more to do than give a hearing to the local fuzz-no crime to report- and approve the minutes of the previous meeting. Accordingly I am impressed by the range of business being transacted by the present council and I am glad to note that some thing we initiated-the repairing of all the benches in both villages (13 apparently) have at last been completed. How many years? But no doubt worth the wait although I can think of a couple which have probably not supported a bum for decade or more.
Its also interesting to see that projects we ignored-indeed actively so-years ago have now come to fruition: Floral Gateways being a case in point, if only in Paxton. Me, I don't like this wee village beautification as it often results in particularly inappropriate garish flower beds and worse still, equally over stuffed baskets which require considerable maintenance-which if not done conscientiously results in a series of Hanging Jungles of Babylon.A particularily horrid example of a 'Floral Gateway' can be seen in Newtown Street Duns.
I like the idea of information boards indicating the points of interest for visitors to Paxton and Hutton-something which has been discussed before but with no outcome. A cynic might suggest that the boards would be mostly blank. But take Hutton, with the Old Manse, the less Old one, the striking village hall, the walk to the Mill and the Pheasant's pre slaughter pens, some distinctive village buildings:Old Smiddy, Old Pub, the 19th century church, a description of Hutton Castle of Burrell Collection fame (albeit not open to the public) there is a lot to see and some excitement if your visit coincides with the arrival of the 32 Bus and/or the mobile post office
As for Paxton there is also a lot to see apart from the walk to Paxton House and one hopes the connection to Robin Adair is mentioned (See reference here But I suspect most visitors will really only want to know one thing:
Where is the Pub?
And others, having been around the sights, might echo the famous line from the lyric:
You are welcome to Paxton, Sweet Robin Adair
Labels: FLORAL GATEWAYS, Hutton and Paxton Community Council, Robin Adair
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Road of (Slow) Death
The Blog's newly acquired (we could not get Jeremy Clarkson for contractural reasons) motoring correspondent writes:
Comment has been made previously about strange driving practices along the B6461, particularly along the stretch around Hutton and Paxton. Early last evening I was poodling in the Berwick direction at my standard 55 when behold (or did when he eventually doused his full-beam headlights) a black van man, someone having evidently resprayed a vintage Bedford . Every time the driver hit a pothole, the lights blared up again. He covered the ground between me and him as fast as if he were delivering a human kidney – hopefully not mine. He then overtook (without signalling) and veered (without signalling) into the Paxton cut-off then reduced his speed to normal. Is there something about the Paxton area which makes it into what sounds like the latest Alexander McCall Smith – the Resort of Needful Drivers?
There is certainly something about the B6461-a highway of (near if not sudden) death which used to feature regularly in the proceedings of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council when ever the Fuzz were in attendance. The first Paxton turn off (coming from England, as they do), on a bad corner is a very nasty accident waiting to happen. So many drivers seem to remember urgent business in Paxton at the very last moment or that the Cross has a particularly good Beer of the Month and veer off with no warning. And others seem so desperate to flee the village that they shoot out without observing the traffic on the mainer road.
And at the second turn off- to Paxton and eventually (if you are spared)Greenlaw) you have a choice of turning suddenly towards the village or an equally dramatic hand brake turn to the left into Paxton House with a good chance of marginally reducing the number of local dog walkers which remain in season even when PH is not.
Or of course you can control your instincts and carry on straight to Kelso.
But that would be a pity as you would miss the better Hutton turn off. And that would be a crying shame
(The image is apparently to do with a vehicle test conducted recently on the Fishwick Bypass)
Labels: B6461, bad driving, Hutton, Hutton and Paxton Community Council
Friday, October 31, 2008
Jim (Probably won't) Fix It
A regular Bloggee reports as follows:
Big Jim was discussing on Radio Borders this morning, the problems we have in our region for the funding of affordable housing. The main problem he sees is our "rurality"!
Big Jim is, as regulars will know,one of the three East Berwickshire's local councillors, a regular attendee at the meetings of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council where he was supposed to keep us informed of the bigger picture in the Borders' scheme of things. Willing: certainly, verbose:definitely, informative: rarely. Clear: Well put it this way,
he suffered from verbal rurality. Or as a great Borders Philosopher, a friend of Duns Scrotus, once put it :
Vos animadverto nemus pro nemus
: You can't see the trees for the trees'
A regular Bloggee reports as follows:
Big Jim was discussing on Radio Borders this morning, the problems we have in our region for the funding of affordable housing. The main problem he sees is our "rurality"!
Big Jim is, as regulars will know,one of the three East Berwickshire's local councillors, a regular attendee at the meetings of the Hutton and Paxton Community Council where he was supposed to keep us informed of the bigger picture in the Borders' scheme of things. Willing: certainly, verbose:definitely, informative: rarely. Clear: Well put it this way,
he suffered from verbal rurality. Or as a great Borders Philosopher, a friend of Duns Scrotus, once put it :
Vos animadverto nemus pro nemus
: You can't see the trees for the trees'
Labels: Big Jim Fullarton, Hutton and Paxton Community Council
