Nether Green Service Station

I see the plans have gone in for the recently demolished Esso garage.

Nether Green Service Station Derby Road Langley Mill Derbyshire NG16 4AA - Demolition of existing Petrol Filling Station, Shop, forecourt,canopy and underground tanks and car wash and erection of new Petrol filling Station, forecourt, two canopies, convenience store with ATM and replacement underground tanks. 24 hours.

From what I've seen of the plans the entrance and exit have been switched, I assume this is because the traffic lights opposite the old exit gave the wrong impression that 'green' is for go. I could be completely wrong though ...

Roadworks Langley Mill January 2013

Just a little warning that from the 7th January next year, there will be roadworks in the area of the Asda roundabout for 3 weeks ... presumably to improve the layout of said roundabout as it's long been established that it's dangerous.

Considering that everyone that uses this roundabout, either falls in the 'oblivious of other road users' category or into the 'second guessing what the first lot are doing' category. This is long overdue.

Of course, I may be totally wrong - who me? - and the promised improvements aren't going to happen at all and they're just making the road ready for McDonalds ...

Update 26th December:

Having been out yesterday via the roundabout at Eastwood - a few yards up the road from Asda roundabout - I noticed the signs there informing us that roadworks to repair the safety barriers start on the same day as the ones in Langley Mill. These will last 12 weeks.

Do neighbouring councils not consult one another about impending roadworks to minimise disruption? ...

Asda's Christmas Lights Event Donation ... For Eastwood

It's well known that I need a rocket up my a**e some mornings to get me out of bed, well this mornings rocket arrived by yet another google alert [Asda Langley Mill] on my android jobby. I actually used a bad swearword whilst emerging from under the duvet.

Asda in LANGLEY MILL have yet again donated £2,000 to Eastwood's Christmas light switch on event. Bearing in mind - as I've mentioned before - that Eastwood is not only a different town - with its own superior supermarket - but also in another county with a different council. Incidentally, I've got absolutely nothing against Eastwood, but I think the needs of Heanor and Langley Mill are greater, as their lights are - in mine and all my friends opinions - abysmal.

Is Langley Mill going to get any Christmas lights this year? We used to have them, I presume that it's up to the parish council, but Asda has such a large footprint in our small town/village that you'd think they'd at least make the offer.

If I find that they have indeed offered to buy us some lights or sponsor any sort of Christmas lights event in Langley Mill [amidst the everlasting roadworks], I will blog accordingly. I may even apologise ... but don't hold your breath, as anything good they may do now will be outweighed by how much they annoy me on a nightly basis - yeah, yeah, when I'm here and not tin hutting by the sea.

I have been made aware that Eastwood possibly asked Asda directly for a donation. So I may pop over later and tell 'em that I need some party stuff for my Christmas lights switch on.

Yes, I know that the donation/sponsorship is for the 'switch-on' event and not for the actual lights, but if Asda give me £2,000 I'll at least make a bit of Langley Mill - OK, just a small part of Bridge Street ... at the top end - look pretty.

Anyway, the upshot is - that my grumpy old man has decided that if our Christmas lights are going to be in Eastwood, then that's where we'll do our shopping.

Morrisons here we come - [and just for Bernard] 'Running Back To You' ...

Langley Mill's Flowers 2011

Before I get carried away with my latest moan I'll just share the latest rumours that a fellow grumpy has passed on:

Apparently some of the businesses at the end of Cromford Road, including an Indian restaurant, a repair/workshop garage and the car park where our council recycling bins disappeared from, have been offered lots of money by a developer, I'm told that these offers were turned down and there have now been larger offers made.

Why doesn't a developer want to offer us even moderate amounts of money? It doesn't seem fair when we're so willing to negotiate.

.....

Anyway on to my latest whinge, 90% of which has been waiting to be published for about three weeks, but having been in a better mood lately [away at the tin hut] and thinking 'hey, give 'em a chance' I put it on hold. Of course, back at home and a few sleepless nights courtesy of Asda's squeaky gates and their annoying deliveries have brought me back to my grumpy senses.

Top of Bridge Street

So:

Asda, isn't it about time you got Grace Landscapes to replace the plants that succumbed to last winter's weather. I mean the plants at the top of Bridge Street. We're not bothered about the ones further down - just past our peasants entrance to Asda - as one thick woman encouraged her children to slide over the snow covered plants and killed them all, but we actually care about them up here.

Several weeks ago now [17th May to be precise], my neighbour told the bark-blower [skilled job, wouldn't mind it myself] that they needed replacing, he made a note to say we needed sixty-odd new plants and said he'd draw a diagram for them back at the office. We've also watered the trees - and the few remaining plants - across from us, because as we all know water goes downhill; so leaving our bit parched and they were at least a month's growth behind their bigger cousins half way down the street.

Update August 27th:
Hmm, Grace Landscapes have said they'll do more planting in the autumn because if they replaced the plants now it would mean they'd have to come and water them - so?

Update January 2012:
It looks a lot like Grace Landscapes were telling lies, they had no intention of replacing any plants whatsoever - another grab the cash and run merchant. Someone new has got the contract for Asda's gardens.

 .....

Spot the Difference - Langley Mill and Eastwood

And now on to my bigger moan - still alas, plant orientated - and yes, I'm still using big words while I can remember what they mean ... and I'm English so will pooh pooh any suggestion that I use 'oriented' rather than 'orientated'.

I know our councils are supposed to be saving money, blah blah, but how come some councils can take the time, effort and a moderate expense to make the places we live, work and shop in look a bit more cheerful, and others, well ... don't.

Heanor's Entire Floral Display

Some councils would rather spend an exorbitant sum on a chunk of metal suffering from some sort of heavy duty metal-worm with a hula hoop stuck through it [yeah, yeah, I know there were art grants, donations blah, blah, blah]. You can tell I don't really like modern art - I like to recognise what it is that I'm looking at, rather than needing it explaining to me.

And if that's the sort of 'art' you're into, I can show you - for an arbitrary fee - an unmade bed [daily], and for no extra charge you can have a peek in my drawer full of excess lotions and potions - I will call this 'artistic' drawer 'Hormonal Imbalance'. I've also got a workmate plus lots of spare mahogany doors and a big drill if you prefer your 'art' with ventilation. Do feel free to call me a grumpy old philistine, because I simply don't care.

Hang on, I'm losing me thread here ... Oh yeah, flowers ... councils ... money:

Expensive Wing Thing

The same council then tell the world at large that they've been working on and improving Heanor. Ahem, we went through Heanor the other day and apart from some unsightly buildings having been demolished, I couldn't see any real improvement.

Now, having only previously seen a photo of this metal 'wing' thing - and the £20,000 price tag - I fully expected it to be on the 'Angel of the North' proportions. Ahem, it wasn't - and any time now it'll probably find itself on the back of one of the many opportunistic and no doubt illegal scrap wagons that turns up at least three times a week.

Eastwood's Flowers

We frequently pass through - and stop to shop in - our neighbouring Eastwood [Broxtowe council] and practically every lamppost has flowers on it, not to mention the troughs and multi-tiered containers. It actually lifts your spirits to see them and puts you in a much better - spending - mood. Or would have, had I not just been through Langley Mill, because Langley Mill's [Amber Valley Borough Council] lampposts are completely bare and our troughs contain grass and weeds - yes, neighbour ... before you gasp for breath in a 'that's the pot calling the kettle black' kind of way, I will admit to giving root room to a few weeds myself.

Eastwood's Flowers

I suppose someone will eventually feel the urge to put me straight about it being our local councils that decide whether or not to pretty up the neighbourhood - Well that's OK, I can blame them too, I'm nothing if not generous.

You know, I'm starting to experience a bit of déjà vu - spooky - or maybe this is a lot like my 2009 Christmas lights moan ...

Getting Excited!!

Oh yes, I'm getting in the Christmas mood ... after the almost total lack of Christmas lights in Langley Mill last year, things are bound to improve this year.

Well, you only have to read about Asda in Langley Mill donating £2,000 to Nottinghamshire's Eastwood switch on - I have to keep reading it because Google kindly sends me alerts whenever 'Asda Langley Mill' is mentioned on t'interweb. Ahem, 4 out of 5 times it's me that mentioned it ... but I digress.

If Asda in Langley Mill, DERBYSHIRE [oh yes it is] was that generous to a nearby town in a different county, just imagine what our Christmas lights and switch on event will be like in Langley Mill itself - where Asda actually is.

Oh I can't wait ...

Eastwood Dipsticks

I went with the grumpy old man to Eastwood at dinner time to buy some Birthday cards, I won't be going again in a hurry.

The zebra crossings in Eastwood are irritating at the best of times, there are four on one short stretch of road. Half the time people cross the road in-between and expect you to stop for them anyway.

Today as always the GOM was doing his usual courteous driving, ie slowing down to a crawl up to the crossing just in case someone 50ft away may arrive there before we do and want to cross the road - believe me, at the speed we're going they've got time.

Three men stepped onto the crossing from our right, they were eating their dinner, chatting and dawdling, even stopping right in front of us to continue their obviously riveting conversation.

Oh bugger, the GOM pipped his hooter, two of them shifted, whilst saluting us with the customary two fingers. The other one carried on acting like a twat, walking backwards and forwards in front of us - not I might add on the crossing at this time, in his enthusiasm for stupidity he'd stepped off it.

'Right, we're entitled to run him over now,' was my opinion, the GOM started edging forward and over the crossing where this tosser was still eating and dancing, he turned his back on us and gave the front of our car a hefty kick with the bottom of his foot, I'm not entirely certain he was sober as he nearly fell over - although he didn't drop his chips. I could see we'd got an audience and people were shaking their heads at him [the tosser, not my chauffeur].

We carried on and parked up and I did a few shops [and one of us went to the bookies]. The same three men were seen - by my GOM going from one bookies to another - to throw their litter in the middle of Eastwood 'market place' while they were talking loudly to one of their buddies in a car/tank, then they went and fetched bottles of lager. A little later when the bottles were emptied, they were thrown at a house.

We honestly weren't trying to follow them to see what they were up to, I'd sooner have given them a very wide berth as I hate confrontation - We're often reading where someone has been kicked to death simply for looking at someone and I wasn't keen on my GOM becoming another victim of this ugly society we've become. It's just that when they threw the bottles they were passing our car that we were going back to at the time [holding our breaths as we spotted them in case they decided to have another go at it as it's a bit distinctive colour-wise].

Why do people behave like this? It's getting more and more that I don't want to leave the house, although I don't particularly feel safe here as last night I could hear the group of about eight or so youths [13-15 year old] that had been drinking at the bottom of Bridge Street at 6.30, jumping up and down and shouting on the bridge steps a few hours later. The GOM was going to go and have a look as they were messing about for so long but I asked him not to as we'd already had a close enough shave with lunacy for one day ...