Three cheers for coffee

Community- the missing jigsaw piece. I loved writing my last blog celebrating the better parts of Barnsley, the new, and old small businesses and independent traders. I loved looking back at the Barnsley I knew and loved growing up. These were fab times, shared with family and friends and some of these friends I'm still in touch with. At the centre of all my memories where I grew up, is also this massive sense of a strong community, a close knit village, intertwined with surrounding villages. I love the above African proverb. Who you are surrounded by, role models and friends, does help shape you. I remember Community centres and village halls spread all over the borough of Barnsley. These were busy, community hubs, stretching across the neighbourhoods like light houses. They were places to go to have fun, learn new things, socislise and be included. All different generations enjoying each other's company over bingo, yoga, crafting, flower arranging and much more. There

Barnsley's far from grim if you look hard at it with the right glasses on! I was saddened yesterday whilst walking through my beloved hometown. There were the usual folk, shouting and people staring at them. Then this woman turned to her daughter and said, "It's like this everyday. I hate coming into Barnsley now." It made me feel very sad. I feel sad to see another ambulance coming to the aid of someone in town. I hate pictures coming up on social media showing parts of Barnsley full of litter and rubbish and worse still, seeing stuff just dumped on the roadside. I have a friend who was so incensed once that she pulled up, threw the stuff in her boot and took it to the tip herself. I have another friend who tends the flowers that surround their Welcome to our village sign. I know which kind of person I'd rather be. The one keeping my lovely hometown, village clean. We don't actually have a Welcome sign to my village. Saying that, I wouldn't want t

You can't take it with you! I grew up hearing this saying. I grew up hearing many fantastic sayings that bring a smile, or a little chuckle to me! This saying though, comes out a lot more as I'm getting older. In fact, I said it yesterday to a friend! My wonderful grandma said this, whilst smiling at me and walking into Thoms store or Martin Raymond's on a Saturday morning. We'd buy multicoloured tights, patterned socks and woollen scarves like there was no tomorrow. Then we'd pop into the market to get our weekly Sid's for Sweets goody bags, which we'd open on the way home! On the way to the bus station, we'd pop into Jack Foultons, then sit happily on the Town Link home, back to Gran's. Such simple, gorgeous weekends. Most times it was mum, my aunty and cousin too. Sometimes, just me and Gran. This next quote is so true. It's not all the trips abroad I had as a child that I remember, because I didn't have any. Didn't need any! It