Friday, November 26, 2004

100 years ago: The weather was still affording a fruitful topic of conversation. Some remarkable changes had been experienced, for the county had passed from the severe into quite a humid temperature. The snow had almost entirely disappeared, and had given way to muddy paths and roads. However, the authorities were complimented by a columnist upon the prompt manner in which they set to work to clear the streets; they had shown that in some respects at least they had a regard for the comfort of the citizens, besides giving employment to those who were idle through trade depression. With a return of comparative mildness came news of more "weather" freaks: strawberries were being gathered in the open in Whitby, and sold at the same shop that had displayed strawberries picked from a bed of snow earlier in the week.

50 years ago: "Have you ever broken a hare? Or splatted a pike?" asked Mr Nobody. A full list from an ancient book The Terms and Art of Carving was quoted by the columnist, who was quite taken with these terms once used in carving. He informed readers that rather than just carving all meats, "you sauce a pullet and spoil a hen. When you carve a swan you are lifting it. You mince a plover, unjoin a bittern, unbrace a mallard, thigh a woodcock or pigeon and unlace a coney. Apparently, one strings a lamprey, solays a bream, gobbets a trout, tusks a barbel, fins a chub and trounchens an eel. There seems to be no mention of the turkey... perhaps one merely 'gobbles' it."

25 years ago: Shortly after Ford workers won a 21 per cent pay rise, the parish magazine for Thorganby, Skipwith and North Duffield landed on Pressman's desk. An article in it reminded parishioners that most clergy in the York Diocese received just £67 a week. "The figure is the minimum, but there are very few getting more than the minimum." Although they lived rent-free, there was no option to buy their houses, and on retirement the clergy had to find themselves new accommodation. On April 1 the following year it would be going up to £79, but the increase would have to be met by churchgoers.

Updated: 12:13 Thursday, November 25, 2004