Rick's St Mary's Diary

Tonight is the first Prestwich "Local Area Partnership," the new body set up to replace Area Boards. It's also my first one, since I wasn't elected in the days of the Area Boards. Lots on the agenda tonight, including funding, shaping the agendas of the meetings, and discussing who will be members and how they'll be selected. The meeting is public of course, and everyone is welcome to see the proceedings and to ask questions about anything Prestwich-related. The meeting will be at 18.30 at Prestwich Arts College. I hope to see many of you there!

I am now well and truly back with a bump from my weekend away in the lovely Cumbrian hills. I had a very peaceful stay in a gorgeous country house hotel, and may never experience a more sumptuous collection of meals as I enjoyed in the last two days. On Saturday I was woken by the sound of cows mooing in the field next door, and on Sunday morning it was water trickling over rocks that roused me (we had beef for tea on Saturday, so I don't know if that's where the noisy cows ended up...). We spent hours on a gentle walk to and from Alston, the highest market town in England (with about thirty shops claiming to be the highest of their particular type in England too!), and sat reading books and newspapers all weekend long. It was very relaxing indeed.

On the way home we stopped off in Penrith and Lancaster, and at a birds of prey centre where we saw eagles and kestrels and falcons. It was all very lovely indeed. And the weather held jhust long enough for us - clouds gathered as we approached Manchester and tipped down with gusto as we drove the final few miles.

And now I'm back in work. This morning I was awoken by Nicky Campbell on Five Live talking about Iraq at enormous volume. Maybe the chef from my hotel may want to do to him what I suspect he did with the cows...

Rick