Greetings, Noble Readers of Whistler-shire. Firstly, an update on my column from the last issue. My friend’s Macmillan Cancer nurse (wonderful people) contacted his mortgage lender, on his behalf, and advised them of his circumstances. His mortgage was approaching the end of its term, and he had been forced to spend his savings – with which he intended to redeem the loan – on other essential expenses. They have agreed to extend his mortgage, on an interest-only basis, allowing time for his treatment, and in the fullness of time, a change to Equity Release. Should things not go as well as hoped, the value of his property is significantly higher than the outstanding debt. A great weight off his mind, he can concentrate now on getting well. Continue reading If We Knew Then . . .
Monthly Archives: July 2017
Tower Block Lessons
The Grenfell Tower disaster has provoked fierce debate on a wide range of issues, one of which is the future of high rise construction itself. It is a topic which is of particular concern to the residents of Brighton & Hove where the council itself owns over forty buildings which are over 18 meters in height. It is also proposed to build further residential towers of up to 40 storeys in many parts of the city. These include the Marina, Preston Park, Lewes Road, Hove Station and the King Alfred site on the sea front. Continue reading Tower Block Lessons
June McCullough MBE
It is some months since long-term resident of Guildford Road, June McCullough, died and we could not let her passing go unmarked in the pages of The Whistler. These memories of June were originally written in 2003 by another West Hill stalwart, Pam Bean.
June grew up in Southsea and always knew that she wanted to work with dogs, helping out at a dogs’ beauty parlour while she was still at school. The business was bombed so the owners moved to Hove. June joined them when she left school. Just before she was 18, June went to the Oddfellows Hall in Queens Road, Brighton, to volunteer to join the RAF, but only if she could be a driver. The recruiting officer said she was too short, and she should come back in 2 years (having grown taller?). However, June’s persistence and enthusiasm persuaded the officer that she had grown three and a half inches, and the next week she as a WAF. Continue reading June McCullough MBE
Wine Scores – should we trust them?
As I write these columns and delve into the intricacies of what makes a wine taste as it does, I am sometimes hit by the thought that I am not answering the reader’s most pressing question; which is, often, where can I find a good wine with character for under (say) £7? I can’t give that sort of recommendation, because I write too far ahead of publication for there to be much chance that the wine will still be on the shelves when The Whistler reaches you. What I can do is use a recent discovery of my own to point to certain principles. Continue reading Wine Scores – should we trust them?
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