NOW I really am going to be a grumpy old man! The English language is one of the most expressive in the world, compared to most languages we have more words than you can shake a stick at. Why oh why then are two of the most useful words seemingly being dropped from general usage? I refer to the definite and indefinite article.
Noticed how TV ads for Banks, DIY Stores and Supermarkets now have things "in store" Well I should jolly well hope they do as after all empty shelves wont help their turnover. Banks now have all sorts of interesting things "in branch" - What the dickens does that mean? Half way up a tree? The absence of the definite article "the" here completely changes the meaning of the sentence. You cant actually have things "in branch" unless of course you are a squirrel and hid your nuts there, you can however have things "in the branch" or even "in a branch"
When a well known DIY chain invites to to see what's in store, are they inviting you to a personal tour of their stock room? I somehow doubt it.
For goodness sake let's bring back those little words that convey the real meaning in a sentence, or are we all doomed to the newspeak of Big Brother? (That's another pet dislike of mine, just don't get me started on that one or I will be blogging all day!)
Friday, 29 June 2007
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Second Homers
Second Home. Now that really is a dirty word in Cornish. To begin with they were welcomed, it enabled the local people to get out of a rather damp, if a somewhat idyllically situated cottage into a new modern house, can you blame them ? Living in period property is OK if you can afford to maintain it. Then a few years ago when interest rates were at their lowest it all kicked off.
With the average income in Cornwall way below the rest of the country more and more houses were bought up as second homes, sometimes just as an investment. No one minds a holiday home if its used for that purpose, if its rented out during the season then it provides an income (of sorts) to the county. Holiday makers spend money whilst they are here. What got up everyone's noses was the fact that most of the second homes just sat there empty for 11 months of the year, paying little council tax and providing no income what so ever, when the occupants came down they brought with them full carrier bags from Waitrose so even the local supermarket lost out. All this demand from upcountry buyers put the housing stock under sever pressure, prices have doubled in the last few years and its not slowing down now. According to one source in the local newspaper the salary to house value ratio in most of the country is 5/1 in Cornwall its twice that. With no salary to sustain a mortgage you have no chance of getting on the property ladder, and fuelled by the proliferation of "house" programs on TV which make it look so easy to make a fortune in property, demand outstripped supply and the inevitable happened. Its not just in Cornwall either its happened all over the country, and abroad, but this county suffered more than most as it is such a poor county. With no chance of young people being able to afford to stay in the county the population will inevitably change to "retirement" with no younger blood things will stagnate.
The worst thing about the second homers it the "trophy resident" I work in the tourist industry and you can spot them a mile off. The conversation usually starts with "We have just moved down here" to which my reply is a somewhat guarded response, either that or "Oh we are locals" Hmmmm for 2 weeks of the year, me thinks. The shiny new 4x4, designer clothes or the big chain store carrier bags usually give it away. Why pretend your local when you are just a second homer?
There is now a huge backlash against it all and graffiti is appearing all over the county but most noticeably in the North Cornwall area, I sincerely hope it wont go as far as it did in Wales a few years ago, only time will tell.
With the average income in Cornwall way below the rest of the country more and more houses were bought up as second homes, sometimes just as an investment. No one minds a holiday home if its used for that purpose, if its rented out during the season then it provides an income (of sorts) to the county. Holiday makers spend money whilst they are here. What got up everyone's noses was the fact that most of the second homes just sat there empty for 11 months of the year, paying little council tax and providing no income what so ever, when the occupants came down they brought with them full carrier bags from Waitrose so even the local supermarket lost out. All this demand from upcountry buyers put the housing stock under sever pressure, prices have doubled in the last few years and its not slowing down now. According to one source in the local newspaper the salary to house value ratio in most of the country is 5/1 in Cornwall its twice that. With no salary to sustain a mortgage you have no chance of getting on the property ladder, and fuelled by the proliferation of "house" programs on TV which make it look so easy to make a fortune in property, demand outstripped supply and the inevitable happened. Its not just in Cornwall either its happened all over the country, and abroad, but this county suffered more than most as it is such a poor county. With no chance of young people being able to afford to stay in the county the population will inevitably change to "retirement" with no younger blood things will stagnate.
The worst thing about the second homers it the "trophy resident" I work in the tourist industry and you can spot them a mile off. The conversation usually starts with "We have just moved down here" to which my reply is a somewhat guarded response, either that or "Oh we are locals" Hmmmm for 2 weeks of the year, me thinks. The shiny new 4x4, designer clothes or the big chain store carrier bags usually give it away. Why pretend your local when you are just a second homer?
There is now a huge backlash against it all and graffiti is appearing all over the county but most noticeably in the North Cornwall area, I sincerely hope it wont go as far as it did in Wales a few years ago, only time will tell.
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
The Cornish
The thing about the Cornish and Cornwall for that matter, is they are so honest. Cornwall doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, its the "upcountry 'oiks" that are turning it into the pretentious place it seems to becoming. The true Cornish call a spade a spade and probably add "me 'ansome" to it too, and thats what I like about them. You cant beat a bit of good old fashioned honesty. Most of the indigenous population might not have two pennies to rub together, but they are the first to put their hand in their pockets for some good cause or other. They welcome you, perhaps somewhat suspiciously at first, but if you stand the test then in about 200 years you could become one of them. They are proud of their roots and their county and rightly so.
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