What a wonderful autumn we have had. The begonias and geraniums are still flowering outside, not a touch of frost yet, the ash trees are turning a lovely pale yellow and the beech, sycamore and chestnut trees are going a beautiful golden shade. Almost November and the grass is still growing. We have been so lucky – it will be Christmas before we know where we are at.
Keith Bateson who died last month was, I believe, the last pupil to attend Whittington school all his school life. He was born at The Malt Kiln where his parents were living with Clara Hodgson. The family moved to Docker Lane when those houses were first built and he has lived there ever since. Keith started work at Whittington Hall as an apprentice gardener after leaving school, first for the Howarth family, then the Greenwoods, and finally for Lord Reay. The gardens were always beautiful, a tribute to all his hard work, and the bedding plants and lawns were always well tended and tidy – a large task for someone working on their own. As Lord Reay said at Keith’s funeral, his will be a hard act to follow, and the gardens will be a legacy to Keith’s memory.
Has no one any pride in our lovely old village? Our road side verges have never been cut this year. Two parish seats are hidden in the long grass, the antique village sign is still laying at a drunken angle in the hedge side, and the bus shelter is slowly filling up with dead leaves. What on earth will people passing through the village think?
Gerald Hodgson
