Langport's famous deer are back up on the roof of the old Natwest building for Christmas.
The wicker statues had a 'refit' last year which included new bulging illuminated bauble eyes.
"Oh great" said one Langport mother, "that'll be the kids wetting the bed most of December then"
Hers isn't the only complaint.
"Me and the kids go down Whatley and past the library to get to Pendra's fish and chips" said a Garden City father, "anything to get 'round the buggers"
"I looked up at them last night and had the shock of my life" said a Wagg Drove teenager, "Mum thought the mushrooms had kicked in 20 minutes early"
If you and your family know a way of getting past the deer at night, let us know.
Not interested? Scroll to the bottom for What's On this weekend.
Updates to the blogspot.com service mean it's become far easier to include video footage on Carry On Langport. If you get any interesting material - especially things like [local] footage from dashcams, head cams on bikes and motorcycles etc- it would be good to have it. Timelapse is also great.
As well as Facebook, this blog now sends 'new post' alerts to Instagram and as always is available on carryonlangport.blogspot.com
Sharing...
One more thing, as reported a few weeks ago, Facebook is increasingly filtering out what it calls 'spam' and 'fake news' and unfortunately Carry On Langport has been a victim of this. Fake news on this blog? What? What do they mean?
This means that lots of people have said they don't get notifications about the blog anymore. One way to remedy this could be if regular readers click 'share' for a couple of recent or new stories then those not getting it anymore would be brought back in to the mix.
Here's the link to the last post, maybe start with that one.
Or indeed do it with this one to tell friends and family about the What's On section at the bottom.
Of course, the fact that some people don't get Carry On Langport notifications on Facebook anymore may be nothing to do with changes at Facebook....maybe I've been hacked by the Russians working at Levelling Langport magazine.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Carrier Pigeon and the Langport and District Yoghurt pot and string service.
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Stuff to do this weekend...
Lots going on, here's a few of them:
Glastonbury Frost Fair - all day Saturday, High Street pedestrianized. Bars, food, live music, children friendly etc. (Last year's event pictured above)
LadderFest - Sunday morning, starts at Langport Town Hall at 9am. Tea & buscuits followed by helping get the Christmas lights up
Live Music followed by a Magic Act! - Sunday afternoon at the Halfway House Pitney.
Somerton Festive Shopping Day - Sunday, including local school choirs and a flying visit by Father Christmas!
National Grid braces itself as Langport prepares to put up and switch on its Christmas lights...
Residents throughout Langport are being advised to unplug household appliances and hope for the best this Sunday as volunteers turn out to string up and plug in the town's Christmas lights.
Last year a power surge inside an electric egg whisk at the Arms put Malcolm in hospital for 6 weeks and caused chaos on the tills at Travis Perkins where nothing was overpriced for at least 20 minutes.
If you can help this year, turn out for 9am on Sunday at the town hall where tea, coffee and biscuits etc will be available. Organisers, the town council, say there's no need to get up ladders if you don't like heights...having someone to pass the lights up is a great help.
It's also one of the rare chances you'll get to see through the upstairs windows of several town centre businesses. Marvellous. This is what we like.
The lights go on and soon as they are plugged in apparently and the first confused Easyjet pilot is due to try to land on Bow Street at about half past 5.
Not all Carry On Langport readers will remember Dutch Elm disease but there are growing rumours there's been a fresh outbreak of the 1970s botanical virus at the Langport Arms Hotel.
Its Christrmas tree appears to have been the first victim, despite assurances by Weighwatchers that it has nothing to do with the festive display.
Carry On Langport interviewed several locals at the Arms including the Cheese Plant at the fireplace...
But it was also unconscious after sitting in on a rotary club meeting for 7 hours last weekend.
If you think you can help the Langport Arms Christmas tree, dial 999 and quote wheretogobeachcombingthiswinter.org.uk
As hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of homes go up across South Somerset - with greenfield sites being concreted over in places such as Yeovil, Chard, Crewkerne, Somerton and Huish Episcopi - the district council has released a list of 'positive' things it's done and is doing for the people.
Among them is this - pictured - a claim that between 2017 and 2018, 69 of the buildings that went up are 'affordable'.
Absolutely stunning, what an achievement. That's just incredible. What a difference that must make. They must be really proud.
Can't wait to see how many we're getting next year.
Just one thing though...the figure of 69 'affordable' homes is not quite right. Don't forget the new wooden dwelling in the front garden on one of the new houses next to Shires Garage.
Langport needs help getting its Christmas lights up.
Bow Street and North Street's Christmas lights are going up next Sunday (25th Nov) but not without the help of volunteers.
Bring
your own ladder if you have one otherwise use one someone else has
brought. One person's needed to get them up and plug them in with
another at the base of the ladder. Other people are needed as 'runners',
to sort out problems, pass the lights up etc.
Meet at
the town hall at 9am if you can help - tea and biscuits are available including Councillor Val Saunders' limited edition Confidentiality Cakes.
If you can't make that early - no
problem, some people disappear midmorning so a fresh batch is always
useful towards half ten or eleven.
The event is sponsored by Neighbourhood Watch.
"It's
always a great opportunity to get a look at Marti Webb's bedroom
wallpaper on North Street" said a spokeswoman, "and this year we'll be peering inside
the upstairs at the old Natwest building to see what furniture McDonalds
has chosen"
It's finally emerged why the Rose and Crown is now closed on Monday evenings for the rest of the year: the pub is the latest westcountry location being used for hit BBC show Peaky Blinders.
What's known locally as 'God's Waiting Room' is doubling up as a 'dodgy 1920s Birmingham pub' for season 5 of the series.
Eli's rustic locations have proved popular with TV and film in recent months. Just last week the BBC was in the men's toilets filming a new episode of Doctor Who, ' Splashback' featuring the Cidermen.
A Hollywood film crew's also been eyeing up the recent changes in the beer garden. A spokesman said it may prove ideal for the new movie about the Berlin airlift.
Marvellous.
That's it for this evening.
Thanks for your contributions and keep the stories, information, tip-offs and photographs coming in folks.
What are you doing Wednesday after work? How about a peek inside Langport's original stately home?
DIRECTIONS
Lots of people don't know where this is, it's been hidden up there in the trees at the end of Langport for over 150 years.
So head down through the centre of town and over Bow Bridge. Go around the bend and then there's a sign post for Hurds Hill up a steep driveway on the left. If you get to the Wick turning - on the right - you've gone too far!
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Editor's Note:
Carry
On Langport is now on Instagram. We'll be using it to tell you when a new
story has been posted on the main blog plus to publish pictures
'from the scene' when there's not always time to get back to the
newsroom and write up a full report.
Over two months after a man walked into the Langport Arms in broad daylight and walked out with money collected for charity, he still hasn't been caught up with.
The thief took collection tins/boxes for the Air Ambulance, The Royal British Legion and Children with Cancer UK.
It happened at half past ten in the morning on August 29th.
The Arms says any help in tracking him down would be greatly appreciated.
Carry
On Langport is now on Instagram. We'll be using it to tell you a new story has been posted on the main blog plus to publish pictures
'from the scene' when there's not always time to get back to the
newsroom and write up a full report.
Here's a screenshot of some of the comments and messages on the page (you'll have to click on it to zoom in):
- and here's a blog about new housing in the UK including a secret audio recording of site managers at Persimmon talking about potential buyers of the properties:
So if you're thinking about buying one, think hard.
Not that Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn has anything to think about anymore...he's agreed to step down at the end of the year after the public furore over his £110 million pay package. It's now been reduced to...wait for it...£75 million.
Cheers Jeff - why don't you come and live in one of these you're building on the Trial Ground in Huish...
Actually this picture isn't fair, these look nicer than what you're getting away with building at Huish.
Carry On Langport is now on Instagram. We'll be using it to post pictures 'from the scene' when there's not always time to get back to the newsroom and write up a proper blog story.
However, unlike several Instagram addicts we know, what we won't be doing is uploading pictures of a plate of food.
Local farmer's armpit 'sealed off until further notice'
Government health officials investigating an infestation at a Pitney pub say they are still refusing to let anyone "undo their top buttons" until at least 4 local farmers have themselves fumigated.
It follows mass panic last Friday night (pictured) when a visiting scientist from Weymouth Aquarium ordered a seafood platter and said she saw "a crab the size of a beer mat" wave at her from a hairy armpit at the bar.
Several men - and at least 3 women from Othery - stripped in a desperate attempt to find the offending invader.
Nobody was allowed to leave until they'd been taken outside and sprayed under the hanging baskets.
"It was marvellous" said drinker Julian Stamp, "I haven't had a decent swill out under there for months"
A pubic inquiry's now underway and the pub's taken crabs off the menu until further notice.
Here are your weekend plans, hangover or no hangover....get down to Huish war memorial Sunday morning and pay your respects as we mark 100 years since the guns fell silent.
No obligation to attend the church service but let's give our war dead a good turn out for the last post etc at the memorial folks. Be there for a quarter to 11.
A number of contractors have been seen in and outside the building in recent days.
Carry On Langport has contacted the firm's press office today with a number of questions including "where exactly will the overflowing bin be on the pavement outside?"
- and McDonalds isn't the only newcomer in town. Rumour has it the recently closed Pet Shop premises have already been snapped up...
- and that's not all folks...ever since Mary Coombes shut up shop in Huish, we've been pining for another local massage parlour. Well now the wait's over...
Who cares about Brexit, this place is gonna be booming!
That's it for this evening folks, more news as it comes in.
See how governments in the 70s used public information films to put the fear of god in to us in the lead-up to firework night...
Please note: if you consider yourself to be a member of the snowflake generation, you may find several aspects of this footage too horrible to watch.
People used to fall out of trees in the 70s too...shocking isn't it.
Things are at least a bit safer today though eh? Jumpin' jacks...basically an out-of-control repetitive banger that shot off in any direction...were eventually banned and so was the 'aeroplane' which was a roman candle firework with two cardboard (and flammable!) wings sticking out either side...totally non-aerodynamic. You just threw it and hoped it didn't turn nasty.
Here in the 21st century, we no longer put rockets in milk bottles either. It was a common sight to see them shooting through the crowd at ankle level on Garden City green or on the fields behind The Avenue when the bottle fell over while it was launching!
But not everything's changed: hot burnt-out sparklers can still maim, so make sure the kids know not to go back to them.
Now that we've put the frighteners on you....who's looking for a good fireworks display this weekend?
PITNEY - TOMORROW NIGHT(Fri)
If
last year's is anything to go by it wins hands down: just £4 per adult
on the gate and impressive continuous aerial fireworks which lasted at
least half an hour.
Last year's Pitney display
The
gates at Middlefield Road (not the playing fields but up at the back of Pitney) open
at 6.30pm, the fire's lit at 7 and the display begins half an hour after
that.
There's a bar, BBQ and free parking on the land next to the bonfire field.
That's it for this evening, scroll down for a message from Carry On Langport and local advertising including other local events.
Bosses at Facebook have changed a few settings this autumn to reduce the
amount of posts you get from 'dodgy news websites' - this could affect
notifications from Carry On Langport...can't think why ha ha ha.
Anyhow,
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There's also a yoghurt pot and string system and a carrier pigeon system but those are being phased out after Brexit.
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