Gone But Far From Forgotten

Whilst passing the time of day over a cup of tea with Sarah Didsbury's father, he happened to mention that she had only the other day shared an amusing Police type anecdote across the dinner table. Sarah gave me permission to re-tell the sorry tale as she skipped past us both with youthful vigour leaving only a fragrant cloud behind. Click Here to read the tale of how one particular Police Officer got more than he bargained for in exchange for his free bus ride.

News from the Nick

Many of you may remember my friend Sarah's blog: The Slim Blue Line; Sarah described life in the UK cops for girls and also shared some of the lighter moments of her life in the police. I've been meaning to do something with her posts for a while and have now created an archive for them here. Alternatively you can go there from the link further down the left hand side of this page. I intend occasionally, with her permission, to recount some of the tales she still cannot help but share with me and will let you know when I put anything new on the site. In the meantime I've transferred what Sarah likes to call 'News from the Nick' which are tales of some of the embarrassing moments she and her colleagues occasionally have.

Daniel O'Donnell - Good Enough to Take Home to Mother

I noticed in last night's Chron that our local theatre, the Oldham Coliseum is searching for the most dedicated Daniel O'Donnell fan in the area. Their latest production, Women on the Verge, is about two O'Donnell fans and their arduous journey to see their idol perform.

If the O'Donnell phenomena has passed you by, you would do well to speak to my friend Sarah. She told me, a while ago, of the queue that develops outside the Manchester Apollo Theatre in the days before O'Donnell tickets go on sale. Whilst the forming of a queue for tickets is not unusual in itself, the fact that majority of these queuing fans are over fifty, female and sit on deckchairs, with flasks of hot tea knitting gives it a different complexion. Add to the mix that the theatre is situated in the heart of Ardwick, one of Manchester's toughest areas, and you can see that the phenomenon is a little more out of the ordinary. What is additionally interesting, says Sarah, is that although the local, hard pressed, constabulary do their best to keep an eye on these seemingly vulnerable souls, their attentions seem to be unnecessary. The local street robbers are apparently often in evidence, hooded-up on mountain bikes, but they leave the queue of ardent O'Donnellites unmolested - to attack these grandmas would seemingly breach some robbers' code.

Getting Your Fingers Burnt

Blogging requires commitment and time, something I have come to realise after my return to work following three months off. My friend Sarah Didsbury has been a popular newcomer to blogging and partly because of that, the popularity, she has asked me to announce her retirement from blogging rather than have to explain it herself.

Sarah's blog - The Slim Blue Line has provided an insight into the world of modern policing, particularly from the point of view of a female officer. I for one am grateful to her for her posts and I may yet persuade her to allow me to post some features for her; we'll see. For now though she is adamant that she is simply too busy living life to write about it. Sarah is not one for poetry and airy fairy stuff like that but I'm sure she won't mind me quoting this poem by Edna St Vincent Millay that nicely sums up her position:

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah! my foes, and oh, my friends -
It give a lovely light!

Click here to see what you've been missing.