Clare Teal: Long and winding roads in a week of many diversions

I’m probably wrong but I have a distinct feeling that whoever makes the decision as to which road is to be closed on which day has direct access to my calendar.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Oct 2013, 12:22 BST

Four times this week unexpected night-time road closures have added loads of extra time to already long journeys. It’s especially annoying when there’s not a single flashing light or “hi-vis” jacket to be seen for miles. There’s also the panic that sets in when it’s a particularly long diversion: “What if the imperative ‘turn left here’ diversion sign has blown over or been nicked, or worse moved, by kids?”

In these situations I always think of the much-loved and much-missed drummer Chris Dagley who when faced with a diversion would ring me and shout; “Where am I?” He knew I was initially suspicious of sat-navs and for years always travelled with an atlas on my knee just in case it took a turn I didn’t agree with. (Muddy was driving incidentally).

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In other news the badgers have been trashing the lawn digging for leather jackets which are the tasty soil-dwelling larvae of the daddy long legs or crane flies.

Neither Muddy nor myself are huge fans of the daddy long legs but, that said, we are not fans of whacking great holes in the lawn either.

Our neighbour, Adrian, told us that a woman up the road deters the badgers using large white objects. Worth a go.

Di leant us a load of big white plastic chairs, which Muddy strategically placed and now the orchard has 
an air of abandoned garden party about it. That 
said it does appear to be working

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Our tomato season is now officially over. Sadly I didn’t get to make green tomato chutney as I left said picked fruits too long in the bucket – they all grew beards and turned from green to brown.

Thanks for all the recipes I have carefully filed them – well there’s always next year.

Finally those of you who have been to our big band summer events will have had the pleasure of seeing talented young Yorkshire-born singer /saxophonist AJ Brown. His new record Now and Again is out now and it might still be possible to grab a ticket to see AJ with his Signature Show Band at his homecoming gig at the Viaduct Theatre, Dean Clough, Halifax.

Related topics:YorkshireHalifax