We much enjoyed reading the April edition of the Broadsheet. It is hard to believe that over eleven years ago we arrived in Cumbria – how tempus fugits!! Reading through the Broadsheet it is remarkable how everyday happenings in Bloxham remain so constant! The Parish Council meetings are a good example. Sessions with little or no outside attendance always made me feel thoughtful and at times concerned. Was it apathy or disinterest? Hopefully, not cynicism. We have a not dissimilar situation, though on a much smaller scale, locally. Nevertheless comments and complaints about various shortcomings in the village are regularly heard, yet few are willing to attend Parish meetings. Admittedly there are questions that are difficult, but discussion and outside views are always useful, and at the best can point the way to a solution. I recall vividly certain regular topics during our years in Bloxham – planning consents and traffic issues were regular “old faithfuls”. Surprise, surprise, we have similar headaches. Planners appear to be a breed apart with limited responses such as “no”, “impossible” or “wait until our next council meeting”! You have difficulties with new development sites in the village – we have windmills!! The “wind farm syndrome” has swept Cumbria in a big way, after just skirting the National Park boundaries, but still impinging upon areas of natural beauty. Such is the case in our village, on a hill with outstanding views in every direction. The battle to squash these windmill monsters is now in its third year! At stake are glorious views over the Solway Firth, the Scottish coastline beyond, the Lakeland fells all around and even, on a clear day, the coast of the Isle of Man. You can imagine the local outcry, not to mention the dismay of local walkers and the impact upon tourists. We shall battle on!

A final observation on your recent History Club article in the Broadsheet – “How you got your name”, may be of interest. It certainly rings bells with us in Cumbria, where the local dialect and origin of words is extensive and intriguing. The vocabulary has been much influenced over the millennia by the marauding Vikings, the Romans and later the Normans, and for newcomers to the area, local “Cumbrian” is difficult to follow.
Word endings are often valuable clues to interpreting dialect and meanings. Take for example ‘Fillsthwaite”. Fill would be the local and “thwaite” denotes a clearing or area of residence. The town of Keswick translates into “cheese and dairy farm”. (The syllable “Kes” is old English deriving from the Scandinavian for “cheese”.) Before the Romans arrived, the spoken word was “Cumbric”, which in turn evolved from the Celtic, “Cymric”. One could continue ad infinitum, but anyone wishing to delve further could do no better than obtain a fascinating booklet entitled “Lake District Place Names” by Robert Gambles.

Enough is enough – our red squirrels are waiting to be fed! We are really fortunate with our local wildlife as many visitors have discovered. So put Cumbria on your visiting list and let us know when you are anywhere near Cockermouth! Hopefully you will not be distracted by the sight or shape of windmills! Time will tell. Jane and David Willmott