YOU can pick your friends, but you can't pick your relations, it's often said, but sometimes you can't help feeling very glad you're related to someone, and proud of them.

Such was the case for the D&S Times last weekend when the statue of Second World War hero, Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski, was unveiled at Durham Tees Valley Airport, following sterling efforts by our sister paper, The Northern Echo.

There were, however, echoes of another "family", with a strong contingent of visitors from Plt Off Mynarski's home country, Canada. Part of the old British Empire, still in the Commonwealth, Canada, Spectator suspects, is more like one of the family to those in this country than the more recently acquired relatives across the Channel.

Out of the attic

REPRESENTATIVES of another family member who stormed out more than two centuries ago to live independently - the United States - were in the Dales at the weekend. Rural Felicity and Sticks in the Mud, from North Carolina, joined local dance teams for performances in Richmond, Reeth and Middleham.

And what dances did they do? Well, garland, ribbon and border morris dances, which surely came out of a trunk in the attic of the old country family.

Premier league?

SO ASCOT comes to York next week. Forget the sports sections, the eyes of all the fashion pages will be agog to see how the North handles such a premier event in the style stakes.

Come on, ladies. Knock their eyes out. Show 'em that the North can do style and, please, don't give them cause for the major criticism the last time Northern racegoers were the subject of a feature. No VPLs (ask your wives and daughters, gentlemen).