On the walk tonight near Bwlchgwyn

 

Found one of these tonight under a plank of wood. It's a common grass snake. It was about a foot long, darker brown than this one. It was all curled up but hung around long enough for Lisa to tie the dog up and have a look. The yellow band around the neck was very striking. 

Where we walk also plays host to the adder or viper. Black zig zags on the back. Best not to stand on one as their bite is poisonous and painful

Garden in Penyffordd, near Mold, to open to the public

Dove Cottage, Penyffordd, near Mold, will be open from 2-5pm on Sunday (July 31) as part of the National Gardens Scheme (NGS).

Link Cheshireonline

postscript. Apparently David Butler of Butler TV was on the gate, over 70 cars in the car park.

Perhaps yet another accident?

Dobshill main rd closed 4.15 pm today.
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And here we are, fast A road traffic and bicycles don't mix.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/07/30/road-closed-after-car-and-cyclist-accident-at-dobshill-55578-29145425/ 

postscript: Outside Dobshill garage where there are numerous accidents. Cllr Hinds has been trying to get this 60 mph speed limit reduced to 30 mph. As usual Flintshire foot dragging on speed limit reduction. It needs to be 20 mph for the muppets.

Road closed at Penyffordd after crash

also in The Daily Post

Speed limits to be slashed on Flintshire death roads

in The Daily Post

The question is who will enforce speed limits? North Wales Police and Gosafe have no idea, don't want to have any idea.
NWP have effectively retired from traffic policing but none of the media will report it. ( backed by county cllrs may I add)
We have a rat run every work day morning. There seems to be this god given right that workers can hammer through Chester Rd and many other places in Flintshire.

Why is this? Votes over safety and environment?

The A5104 between Penyffordd and Pontblyddyn is a deadly road. How many deaths do you have to have before Tony appears in the local paper. Flintshire Highways policy with regards dangerous roads needs seriously upgrading and who is going to police the idiots?

Also to be noted that you can't speed in and out of Northop Hall where Cllr Tony Sharps is in charge due to the speed bumps..............
HGV are also banned in Northop Hall where Chester Rd, Penyffordd is now a short cut for A55 Warren Bank.
I get the distinct impression Penyffordd has been shat upon by WAG and FCC over through traffic.

Roll on the local county elections.

Places where I fear to tread

The main letter in The Chron today is written by a friend. He discusses a subject I leave to others. He is very brave dealing with people whose values are medieval.

Cllr Arnold Woolley v Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh edition)

Press Complaints Commission - Read below.

http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzI1Nw==

A view of Hanson Cement

 

From outside the Spa. Quality of phone camera something of an issue. It's two houses on The Forge development with a car at the bottom.

Flintshire tea party raises £354 for Access to Counselling Wales

FUNDRAISERS put the kettle on to raise funds for a counselling charity.

Access to Counselling Wales (ACW) held a tea party at the Penyffordd and Penymynydd War Memorial Institute on Saturday.

Read the rest in The Flintshire Chronicle

Biker killed on Kinnerton Rd

in The Daily Post and The Flintshire Chronicle.

Leisure Facilities for Penyffordd

There was a special meeting held on 18th May 2011 by Penyffordd Community Council to discuss the erection of 234 dwellings at Wood Lane Farm.

During which Cllr David Williams stated that according to an Open Space Survey we should have a recommended minimum requirement of 5.9 hectacres for Penyffordd area. We currently had, he stated 0.85 hectacres.

Further in the meeting Cllr Tom Jones suggested  that the community council should not seem to be too greedy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These two items taken from the meeting minutes suggest that Penyffordd community has for years been short changed by landowners and developers. Football is a main sporting activity in the village that has over 5000 residents that will soon rise to near 7000. As far as I am aware we do not even have a full size football pitch, never mind full size all weather pitches with illumination.

There seems to have been a long term trend for us to rely on other communities such as Hope, Broughton or Buckley for our requirements whether we are talking sport or medical care. It would be fair to say that if we only have a sixth of that normal for a community of our size that we have been far from greedy Tom.

Time to catch up David. There is pressure on the building trade due to the current economic circumstances which are most probably going to get much worse ( EU). Penyffordd  should take advantage for a change.

Letting the village down

Penyffordd has entered a FCC Environmental Competition 2011. We have entered various competitions inc Under 5000 population best kept village.

My hedges are currently wild and the gable end wall a mess. I presume speeding traffic is not on the menu. So does that make it a draw?

Congratulations to Ruth Purdie

our former village bobby who is now Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire.
Ruth has risen high from humble beginnings.
Previously Ruth was Chief Superintendent for South Flintshire of which Penyffordd was part of until the recent shake up.
Ruth had no interest at all in traffic policing in Chester Rd which was about 2000 vehicles a day in 2007. It would be fair to say that she is not on her own. The list includes
Former Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom*, Chief Constable Mark Polin, Carl Sargeant AM Head of Transport Welsh Assembly Government, Mark Tami MP, Mark Isherwood AM.

* RB managed to do an audit of the village with Penyffordd Cllrs in tow that ignored the 2000 a day speeders. Did any of our cllrs raise the question.............

It may be quiet cllrs on the email front but traffic is still hammering through the village. It does every workday morning and has done for 5 years plus.

Zumba Fitness

at Penyffordd British Legion on Mondays at 6 pm

or Kinnerton Village Hall at 9.30 am.

Contact Laura on 07788120100 for details.

The "Forces of Evil"

as mentioned by Alison in The Daily Post

Penyffordd Air Quality

I have a copy of Hanson Cement Investigation Issue 3. In it a review is mentioned of fine particulate levels in local air undertaken by the Centre for Radiation Chemical and Environment Hazards ( Wales).

Data was analysed between 2001 and 2010 on how Hanson Cement had influenced local fine particulate levels. Fine particles are present everywhere and come from such sources as sea salt, dust from sand storms as well as human activity such as industry and road traffic.

Data shows there is a continual improvement around Penyffordd. The air quality report can be read here.
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/49601


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I think noise pollution of much more import to Penyffordd. Noise from the bypass. Noise from speeding traffic in the village. There is also emissions from traffic on the bypass. These are largely ignored by our older political leaders. Perhaps its because they live in cul de sacs?

Local and National Politics

I've heard it said and at the time agreed the sentiments that local and national politics should be kept apart. I no longer share this view. Chester Rd has reverted to a part time trunk road courtsey of a Labour led National Welsh Assembly and a Labour led Flintshire County Council.

The amount of traffic using Chester Rd as a speedy non policed short cut is depressing. How much has through and HGV traffic increased since the construction of  A55 Warren Bank exits? Our councillors are too scared to ask.

From a Chester Rd perspective

Labour don't deserve a Penyffordd county councillor. They have sold Chester Rd down the river.

Flintshire led Independent County Council do not deserve a county councillor either as they know the score but do nothing.

And Tom Jones' Dad's Army don't deserve one for sitting on their hands whilst all this was happening. They seem incapable of doing anything more than writing letters of protest.

Can the good people of Penyffordd be persuaded of the above? We shall see. A slim chance but so were the differences at the last council elections.

http://www.transportdatacollection.co.uk/

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your e-mail, we were undertaking a traffic count at 4 locations at Penyffordd.

The aim of the survey is to determine to direction vehicles are turning at these location, we were instructed to undertake the survey on behalf of an independent Highways and Transport Planning consultancy.

Regarding speeds through Penyffordd, if you ever wanted to prove you point regarding the high speeds, a week long speed survey would cost £175 +vat

An example of the output is attached,

Kind Regards,

Carl

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder if Chester Rd is on the list?

Traffic Surveillance Penyffordd Bypass

 

This camera is situated on Hawarden Rd looking at the section of road where Penyffordd village traffic joins and leaves the bypass. What is its purpose? There is a telephone number on the lampost to ring, I've emailed instead lol.

http://www.transportdatacollection.co.uk/ 

This is NOT a junction I use in the rush hours and that's before we have 234 extra households on Wood Lane Farm.

I see they do speed surveys. How about an honest one on Chester Rd, councillors? 

keywords: Transport Data Collection Ltd, Arrive Alive, Gosafe.

Hacking comes to Flintshire

Cllr Bernie Attridge's email account has been hacked by Flintshire County Council officers. Big questions here. I work along the lines that everything I do on my computer is monitored. I have 20 meg of data uploaded off my computer everyday without my permission.

You may say why do I not stop it? The question is how? I've worked out the IP address taking the info belongs to Google.

Anyway here's the story. This involves big issues between elected members , county officers and the Welsh Assembly.

Link The Daily Post

Alison blogs on Welsh auditors

and rightly questions their function.

Link Alison Halford

To the hospital yet again

Perhaps we should consider getting a season ticket. The knee is a wonderous mechanism until forced outside its normal parameters. Ask Michael Owen about cruciate ligaments, he must be an expert.

To the Wrexham Maelor A+E this afternoon.
It's into the main drive then immediate left along a narrow road that leads to the entrance. You book in at reception if you are amongst the walking wounded. They book you in after checking your computer file then you have a small time to wait whilst a nurse judges where you should be on the schedule (food poisoning gets you straight in, I found out the hard way). The place is full. Our appointment is about an hour and fifteen minutes away so we sit down and wait patiently.

There is a steady procession of customers. A little Polish lad who has split his head open blood every where on dad and the little lads shirt. A girl crying carried in on a wheelchair with anxious parents. A look at her clothes and I guess correctly that she has fell off her horse. There's a chap whose taking some blood thinning drug and his cut just won't stop bleeding. Lot's of wrist and cut injuries.

We are looked at just over the hour. Expert professional attention, the offending leg X-rayed and bandaged up. Lets hope the swelling goes down before the visit next week to see the physiotherapist.

Me? No, I'm playing golf this week I have an important match! It's wifey again.
Once again Maelor rated 10 out of ten for service.

Further

Since there is nothing much to do whilst you wait your turn you turn your attention to the other similar less fortunates. If you are near the reception you can earwig.
A+E is supposed to be for serious stuff that your doctor can't attend to. You soon notice that that people have taken the time consuming ring up for an appointment at your local surgery out of the equation. A+E has all the specialist people on hand, specialized doctors, nurses, x-ray facility.

Why mess around at your surgery who will refer you to the hospital anyway?

Sunny in Penyffordd

Not much happening

On the local scene Stephanie bites off more than she can chew. Can't understand the expansion due the economic forecast for the next five years.
A lot of businesses are currently hurting.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/07/09/ruthin-hotel-closes-as-crisis-hits-stephanie-booth-s-business-chain-55578-29021047/ 

A further explanation here

Nationally the cesspit continues to swirl
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/andreas-whittam-smith/andreas-whittam-smith-bullies-and-cowards-who-have-killed-a-newspaper-ndash-for-nothing-2309532.html

Peter Odone
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8626421/Phone-hacking-David-Cameron-is-not-out-of-the-sewer-yet.html 

postscript  Alistair Campbell 
further postscript with Twitters from George Michael: Heresy Corner

Village Tea Party

Penyffordd Institute

Sat 16th July 2011

1 pm to 5 pm

In aid of Access Counselling Wales

www.accesscounsellingwales.com

Steely Dan

Safer Routes in Communities

On Wednesday Penyffordd Council at their monthly meeting will discuss correspondence from Flintshire County Council Head of Assets and Transportation Neal Cockerton.

Chester Rd is effectively unpoliced by NWP, we continue to have no effective measures taken by Gosafe, speeding traffic even ignores our new lolly pop man Colin.

Where is Carl Longland, Director of Environment in all this? Does village environment not interest him?

It will be of interest if Chester Rd is mentioned in the correspondence, one does not hold ones breath. 5 plus years on and still traffic hammers through the village every workday morning with increasing numbers including increased HGV because of A55 Warren Bank construction.
We have become one fast convenient short cut due to our geographical position in relation to A55 Warren Bank, Airbus and Broughton Retail Park.

Stuffed by FCC and WAG.

Carboots for Sunday

The Best - Chirk - Free entry for buyers, sellers from £8
Can be dusty or muddy, sheep muck if he's had them on the field........
You can expect near 2000 there tomorrow given the good weather outlook.
How many stalls? What if I said 300?
Takes us 3 hours to walk around.
Good for flowers and plants, children's toys, books, clothes, car parts and accessories, local produce, meat,  antiques, mobile phones, computers, bikes,  golf clubs, anything goes except live stock.
 No trouble there it's very easy going.
It will be getting busy by 8 tomorrow.
Very multi cultural.
Yes dogs are allowed.
We don't take ours as we would never get around.................
A nice English bull terrier brindle puppy there last week
It "mouths" and had teeth like needles.............

Chester Hospital - They have a long list of what can't be sold where Chirk allows everything. Held on concrete

Chester Rugby Club starts 10am , Chirk starts at day light or earlier if you have a torch. You think I'm joking don't you. I'm not, it's keen for some stuff.
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Broughton Carboot Sale at Airbus Carpark

In support of Help for Heroes.
Sunday July 10th 2011 

£10 plot,  can be paid for on the day
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Marchwiel Carboot
When's it on? most Sundays in the summer.
Relaxed
Is "fill a bag for a pound" still there?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chelford Carboot
When we went you had to pay £3  to get in per car.
Not that many there although it was raining.
Brags 2nd biggest carboot in UK
Not these days I think.
Charging to get in a big downer.
No one charges you to get in..................

Things you don't really need to know (stridulation)

We have these in the pond.

In The Telegraph

Martial arts: Schoolboy

PENYFFORDD youngster Matthew Jones has entered the highest ranking class of Korean martial art tae kwon-do, the black belt, at the age of just 10.

read further Flintshire Chronicle