You might have noticed that it's been unseasonally cold lately. The BBC News team certainly did and prepared a piece which they filmed at Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate about the late frosts and the problems they might cause for gardeners. They also came to Out & About and filmed and interviewed Pat about the things we've been selling this month that we wouldn't normally expect our customers to need in May, which included a down jacket the other day. It was scheduled to be shown on the evening news last night "unless Gordon Brown does something dramatic..........." So unfortunately our soon-to-be-ex-Prime Minister prevented Pat from enjoying his few seconds of fame.
In November 1992 we were working hard to get our shop in Peebles opened. We were living in a draughty old shepherd's cottage in the Moorfoot Hills at the time and one day, our landlady remarked that there was a famous mountaineer coming to give a fundraising talk in aid of the village hall. It seemed unlikely but yes, Chris Bonington was coming to Carrington. It proved to be a memorable evening that people still occasionally mention to us today. Standing room only with an eclectic audience of school children, Women's Institute stalwarts, elders of the kirk and a smattering of outdoor enthusiasts. It probably wasn't the kind of gathering Bonington was used to speaking to but his professionalism and communication skills ensured that his stories came alive for everyone in the room. At the end of the presentation we joined the scrum of autograph hunters and got his signature on a poster which we hung in our new shop on the day it opened. It stayed on the wall for quite a few...