This I Loved As A Kid!

Following on the food theme. I have recently rediscovered a delicacy from my youth that I hadn't eaten for 40 years or more until the other week. Now that I have started eating it again I can't believe that I had gone so long without it.

What is this delicacy? Lemon and Lime Marmalade!!!!

I can't get enough of it to be honest. I have always been partial to it's Orange cousin, has to be thick-cut I am afraid, but for some reason the old lemon and lime slipped out of the picture.

It would appear from recent reports that the consumption of marmalade is diminishing over the years. I cannot understand why that is as it has been a staple of the British breakfast table for years and years.

Toast and marmalade, especially the Lemon and Lime variety is the essence of good eating!!!

That Was Awesome!!!

The Barcelona performance last night is what I am referring to. Watching the skilfull way that they played, set against the rather cumbersome performance of Manchester United, took me back to the late 60s and early 70s when that was what was expected of the Spanish and Italian sides. In the time before the Spain and Italy became cynical in their football, the one-touch, quick movement football that Barca provided last night was the hallmark of European football. I loved watching every minute of it.

Where does it leave football in this country though? Now I am not a Manchester United basher but it has to be said that they are the Premiership Champions and yet they were humbled last night. Could we see any of the other top 4 or 5 clubs in the Premiership doing any better on the evidence of last night?

Are Barca a one-off, or are we to expect that the top Spanish teams are going to match them? If so, we as a footballing nation are in trouble. Can we in this country climb up the hill and match them? It is a big hill to climb. Are we destined for a decade of being also-rans on the European stage? After the successes of the last few years it is a concerning prospect and one which I feel we may need to get used to.

Love It Or Hate It!!

Now you are supposed to either love this Marmite stuff or hate it. There is no in-between. Personally, I loathe it. Can't stand the stuff. Would ban it from my house if my wife would let me!! No chance there then.

Even my hatred of this stuff is surpassed by the country of Denmark. They have done what my good lady would not countenance and have actually banned the stuff from sale within their borders!! Very extreme but true. Apparently this horrible black stuff contravenes one of their food laws and they have given it the big elbow due to that.

Anyone care to see if any of ours have been contravened??????? One lives in hope.

Historic Moment For Skegness.

I believe that the present time is an historic one for Skegness. We now have three Town Councillors who are all Chairmen of different local authorities at the same time. The three are Councillors Neil Cooper, Dick Edgington and Steve Kirk.

Now I may be wrong but I can find no other time in the history of the town that this has happened. Not only is this a great honour for the individuals involved but it is also a great honour for the town of Skegness and proves the calibre of our local politicians. All three have been elected to their posts by the councillors sitting on the relevant authorities, Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council and Skegness Town Council.

Between the three of them they have provided in the region of 50 years, or more, of Public Service to our town and they should be congratulated on their appointments.

Skegness should be rightly proud! 

Below are photographs of the three gentelmen with the roles they have been elected to fulfill.

Dick Edgington - Chairman East Lindsey District Council.



Neil Cooper - Chairman Lincolnshire County Council





Steve Kirk - Mayor of Skegness



£250,000 It Is Just Not True!

There is a story being put about and statements made that those councillors on Lincolnshire County Council are going to have their allowances increased by 22% at a cost of a quarter of a million pounds. This story is, quite simply, not true.

The facts are these. The Independent Remuneration Panel have recommended the rise of 22% which would have cost the tax payers of Lincolnshire £250,000. Because of this the ruling Conservative group prudently allocated this sum in the last budget in case it was agreed upon by the council that this rise should take place. Not to have done this could have led the council into financial difficulties if they had not made an allowance for the possible increase and it had come about.

As it turns out the ruling Conservative group have decided that, in the present economic climate, the rise was not something that was acceptable to them, nor to the tax payers of the county. They have therefore decided that allowances will be frozen for the next two years. A completely sensible decision. I believe that this will mean that allowances will not have been increased for 4 years by 2013 when the next county elections will be held. As far as I am aware all political groupings on the council are in agreement with this decision.

This decision, which will be ratified by the full council this week, means that the £250,000 will not now be allocated to councillors allowances and will therefore be available as "spare monies". I do not know how this money will now be allocated.

Readers may be interested to know that Lincolnshire County Councillors actually and traditionally receive smaller allowances than other councils in the East Midlands, so it could be said that they are good value for money.

So you see, this is really a non-story, with no basis in fact whatsoever.

Mad, Sad Or Just Plain Crazy?

Well which one is it? It must be one or the other or I would not have done it would I? Is it something that a sane person would really do? Not being sure if I am sane when it comes to this, I cannot answer my own question can I? A hundred mile round trip every other week to add to the cost cannot be right can it?

Oops sorry. You obviously have no idea what I am talking about do you? That just goes to show the state that I am in about this. What am I talking about?

Simply put; I have just purchased a season ticket to watch Lincoln City next year at a cost of £300. Lincoln City!! That's right. The team that I have followed all over the country and been completely let down by. The team that I just could not believe could get themselves relegated but managed to do so. The team that has no budget, no players and, if the doom-mongers are to be believed no future.

£300 for a season of Blue Square Premier (non-league) football. So which is it. Mad, sad or just plain crazy?

The New Boy At School!

Do you remember? In you went, into the new school. Everybody is bigger than you. You have no idea where to go, no idea what to do. Everything is brand new and there is just so much to learn. What can you do and what can't you? What can you say and what can't you. Who are the ones that are going to put you in your place and steal your dinner money? What is this feeling of self-consciousness? You have never felt like that before. Is everybody really staring at you all the time?

Do you remember? For some of us that day was an awful long time ago and still if you think about it you can conjure up those old feelings.

Becoming a councillor has raised the same sort of feelings over the past couple of weeks. There is an awful lot to get used to, an awful lot to learn. First thing is sort the wheat from the chaff. Strip away the bumph and identify what is important and what is not.

Above all remember the old saying, "You have two ears and only one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk". That has never been my strong point but I am putting it into practice. Sit, listen and absorb. Plenty of time to have my say once I have an idea what I am talking about. How long will that outlook last? Your guess is as good as mine. I have already had a good couple of chats with officers and have been encouraged by the responses and offers of help on a couple of issues. Perhaps I am finding my feet more quickly than I realise!!!

A Huge Thank You!

Now that the dust has settled and the results have sunk in, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of those people who cast their votes for me in either or both of the elections for East Lindsey District Council and Skegness Town Council. Your support is very much appreciated.

It is a great honour for me to stand as a councillor in my home town and I am looking forward to all of the hard work that is now going to come my way.

My contact details are:

Mobile - 07990 532743
Home - 01754 765425
Email - steveodare@hotmail.co.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any issues that you have that I may be able to help you with.

Many thanks again.

The Highs And Lows Of Life

I think that I have rarely experienced so many soaring highs and diving lows in my life in such a short time as over the last 24 hours.

Firstly, I had a long-time ambition fulfilled by being elected to both East Lindsey District Council and also Skegness Town Council. The last few months of my life have been geared up to this election. I, like my party colleagues, have put so much work and effort into the campaign and the election itself that to be rewarded as we were was fantastic. Personally I was completely blown away by my election and also hugely pleased with the success that my colleagues have also enjoyed. To have been awake most of the time since early Thursday morning until now is a small price to pay, although I am paying it, believe me.

Then we get the low. Off I went to the home of Lincoln City, Sincil Bank, this afternoon, in the knowledge that my beloved Imps needed a win at home against Aldershot to ensure their survival as a Football League team. After not much huffing an puffing by a Lincoln side that only appeared to half-care about the plight they were in, a 3-0 home defeat ensued. Given that Barnet, our main relegation rivals, conjured up a 1-0 home win against Port Vale and thereby eased above us in the league, we have been condemned to a long and cold stay in Non-League football. A huge and despairing thing to happen to such a club with a history such as ours. So now I am as far down in the dumps as I was high in the clouds only 24 hours ago.

Life is nothing if not interesting and at least it is not predictable. Cest La Vie. Onwards and upwards. I will be working for the residents of Skegness whilst at the same time the hierarchy at Lincoln City Football Club are working to get my beloved team back into the football league.

I hope we both have a huge measure of success in our endeavours!!!!!!!

Skegness Pavillion - Renovation (Tower Gardens)

Excellent news that the Skegness Pavillion (Inn On The Park) is in line for a renovation and to be brought back into full use once again. The District Council has been speaking to people who have shown an interest in taking on the building but unless it is upgraded they will not be interested.

The Pavillion, which was built in 1879, has been vacant since the last tenants left in 2007 leaving the building requiring extensive repair.

My understanding is that there will need to be in the region of £200,000 of funding allocated to bring the building up to standard and that a plan is being put together and will be put forward to the council soon after it's formation following the local election this Thursday 5th May.

The present responsible Councillor, Portfolio holder Colin Davie, has stated that he wishes the Pavillion to be returned to full use, as do we all.

To see this wonderful old building back in productive use would be a fantastic fillip for the town.