More or Bore 3

Posted by Chris:
My third and final More or Bore column has appeared in the Evening Gazette today:
THERE was quite a fuss last week when Gordon Brown met with visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao because the Union flag was displayed upside down. It was pointed out that when flown upside down on a ship this is a sign of distress. So maybe it was appropriate at this time of recession.
There is just as much fuss when the Yorkshire rose is displayed the wrong way round. Football clubs are the worst offenders. Doncaster Rovers, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United all include the white rose in their club badge but only Doncaster displays it the correct way round.
Actually, there is no official way to display the rose but tradition dictates that in the North and West Ridings there should be two sepals (points) at the top and one at the bottom to form a 'Y' for Yorkshire. In Lancashire the red rose flag is displayed the other way round. Legend has it that leading families in the East Riding supported the Duke of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses so the rose is displayed point upwards, the Lancashire way.
The Yorkshire Ridings Society has obtained a stock of the newly registered Yorkshire flag. Details can be found on our web-site www.yorkshire ridings.org
For years I wondered why fish and chips did not taste as good to me as they did when I was growing up in Harrogate. It was only in recent years that I realised why. I never specified the type of fish. In the West Riding you simply asked for one of each and round here you ask for fish and chips. For some strange reason in Leeds and the surrounding area chip shops mainly serve haddock but on the east coast and Sheffield it is cod. Why is this?
When my wife Glynis and I started to go fishing at Woodlands Lakes in Carlton Miniott or at the Oaks in Sessay we used to stop for fish and chips in Thirsk on the way back. These always seem to taste better to me and it was then I noticed that it was haddock not cod.
Glynis has become quite skilled at fishing but will only go if there are decent facilities. That is something we are short of in this area. She always seems to catch bigger fish than me. Her personal bests for chub, carp and bream are better than mine, though I hold the family record for the biggest perch, almost four pounds caught on the Swale.
We have had a number of trips to the famous Royalty Fishery at Christ Church in recent years attempting to capture some of the legendary specimen barbel. So far we have failed to net one over a pound but Glynis caught a chub of five pounds last year. Even if we don't catch anything it is always a nice day out, especially if the day ends with fish and chips.
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