Ladder Racing & Other News

Man had money worries, inquest told. A 24-YEAR-OLD window cleaner took his own life because he had worries over money, an inquest has heard. His mother, Elsa Jenkinson, told the hearing at Kendal’s County Hall on Monday, that her son had not talked about the extent of his feelings before his death. She said Mr Dugdale had mentioned that he felt depressed and was worried about money, but had never seen a doctor to get help. Consultant Pathologist at the Royal Lancaster Hospital, Dr Deepa Jacob, said Mr Dugdale had nearly three times the legal drink drive limit in his system when he died. Dr Jacob said this amount of alcohol was more than enough to impair Mr Dugdale’s judgement. South Cumbria coroner Ian Smith said the circumstances surrounding Mr Dugdale’s death were “fairly brutal but simple”. He said: “He had no relationship worries, just concerns over money. “Whatever happened, happened because of money.” Mr Smith ruled Mr Dugdale had died as a consequence of his own actions while intoxicated with alcohol. He said: “The amount of alcohol in his system meant that his judgement was impaired and he would not have been acting in the clear light of day.”

Mystery of the monster bloom. A FLOWER which has remained dormant for eight years has mysteriously bloomed and left the experts scatching their heads in bewilderment.
And what’s more, in the past few weeks it’s grown 6ft in a transformation which has amazed Duncan Davies. The 65-year-old, of Calder Grove, Shaw, said the flower was planted by his late brother, Malcolm, in 2000. For years, even though it had a prime spot well away from other plants in the garden, it refused to bloom, but now it has come into its own and nobody knows what on earth it is. The flowers of the plant are three-feet long and pinky-salmon coloured.
Mr Davies, a keen gardener, said: "What is puzzling me, apart from the fact of it suddenly bursting into bloom, is just what it is? "I have consulted experts but no one seems to know. If anyone can identify it I would love to hear from them." The retired window cleaner says that despite the frustrating issue of identification, the plant has given him comfort after the loss of his brother. Duncan is well known in the Duchess Street area of Shaw, where he lives, as he often joined Malcolm and another brother, Ray, helping local pensioners clear snow from their paths in winter and running errands for them. "Malcolm was a smashing lad and is missed by all who knew him," said Duncan. "But to me, he lives on in the shape of the flower now blooming."
If anyone can help Mr Davies identify the bloom they can contact him on 01706 290599.

A persuasive argument for the window cleaner: -
Update Before You Outdate: A cleaner coffeehouse is almost always a better one! In his TV show "No Reservations," Anthony Bourdain encourages travelers to eat and drink like the locals do. Some of the settings featured on the show are dirty and dingy, yet they add to the dining experience and make for great television. Your customers will see your windows, doors, floors, counters, equipment and condiment bars before they ever taste your drink offerings. As much as indies wish to be judged upon the merits of their coffee alone, the reality is that many customers will judge a business for its cleanliness, friendliness and product—and often in that very order. Is your shop as clean as it could be? Windows/doors. Handprints on glass doors and windows are a warning flag for incoming customers that whoever is working is either slammed or lazy. If your staff is extremely busy, customers will grant a certain amount of leeway for handprints on doors and windows. If they are not busy, however, tips may be negatively affected as well as future business, no matter how cute the toddler was who left the prints. Built-up road and weather grime on windows can be kept in check by giving them a good squeegee cleaning at least once a week.

Residents still in the dark over mysterious yellow spots. The cause of a mysterious flourish of yellow spots that plagued a Flintshire town remains a mystery, despite months of meetings and inquiries. And now there are fears the problem could be spreading.In December last year, residents in Garthorpe Avenue, Connah’s Quay, raised concerns after they noticed strange yellow spots appearing all over their cars, windows and washing. Resident Dave Webster was so concerned at the effect that the strange spots could be having on his and his neighbours’ health, he posted questionnaires through all the doors in his street, asking people to confirm whether they had experienced problems. He received responses from almost all of the recipients confirming that they had and contacted both the Environment Agency and Flintshire Council to see if some tests could be carried out. Speaking when the problem was at its worst, Mr Webster said: “It started in early August. We found yellow spots all over our washing that had been drying on the line and they would not come off. There were also yellow spots all over our window sill, which are still there as they have burnt into the PVC, and yellow spots all over a lot of the cars in the street.” But despite holding meeting with county councillors and environmental officers, he has had little success in pinpointing the source of the spots. Speaking to the Leader yesterday, Mr Webster said: “Although we are not finding as many of the spots in our road, neighbours in nearby streets have told me that they have started to discover them.“We still haven’t got a clue what is causing it and I have been told that the exact same thing happened in this area a few years ago. “We seem to have hit a bit of a dead end in finding out the cause but we are still looking into it and are still worried about it and would like the Environment Agency to carry out some more tests.” A spokesman for the Environment Agency Wales said today: “We received complaints of yellow spotting on vehicles around September 2007, which were investigated at the time. “No further complaints have been received to date.”

How quick on ladders are you? A couple of videos for your enjoyment: -