THIS month Elspeth Griffiths and I are working our socks off to finish our book about the history of our local village hall. Yes, it‘s a lot more work than first anticipated. The more folk I interview, the more interesting stories I uncover and the more there is to write. It’s to be ready for October; I’m wishing it was October 2012. Having said that I always seem to work better under pressure, or perhaps it just ends up that way. Memories differ as to how the People’s Hall got its name. But perhaps in the 1950s the ideals of socialism were popular enough to encourage the locals to adopt this ‘People’s Republic’ type name. The hall has served the community extremely well over the years. The trouble now is that there is not enough space to accommodate all the events that take place there. The new plans are magnificent but I suspect grant bodies could be hard to please. Never mind, it’s Sedbergh’s Gala this weekend, plus St John’s Church, Cautley is hosting a festival of flowers and music. If this is not enough to cheer you then read on...

My husband Keith is a good cook and often makes curries, hot pots and spag bols. The other day he decided to treat himself to a steak with all the trimmings, augmented with two large buttered rolls, plus his own recipe salad dressing and a lovely fresh salad. All of which he placed on a tray and with a smile of anticipation on his face he set off up the stairs to our top floor sitting room to enjoy his meal. Suddenly the whole lot went up in the air as he tripped on the stair. Curious B and B guests came out of their rooms to see what the commotion was to be greeted by the sight of Keith on his hands and knees with bits of lettuce and onion decorating his jumper, and sighing with disappointment as he collected his evening meal off the carpet, despondently scooping it back on to his plate. He then somewhat moodily ate the lot. Carpet fluff ’n’ all. Waste not want not.