TO a blustery Nidderdale Show at Pateley Bridge on Monday and pleasant reminiscences in the haven of the Press hut with Luke Casey about North of England Newspapers, as Newsquest North-East publishers of the D&S Times, used to be in days of yore.

As gentlemanly and unobtrusive as ever, Luke was covering the show for a future edition of his celebrated Tyne-Tees series Dales Diary. Spectator had last seen him at Newton-le-Willows, near Bedale, reporting on the colourful funeral of traction engine enthusiast Percy Dabbs two years ago.

Luke thought, but couldn't be sure, that Monday marked the exact 45th anniversary of his first day on the D&S Times's sister paper The Northern Echo under its then editor Reginald Gray. Spectator suggested that company files might yield a more exact record.

The melodic Irish voice of Dales Diary, who worked for the Echo on Teesside and still remembers the legendary D&S Times reporter Sidney Staples at Stockton, has never forgotten his journalistic roots. Luke began his career by recording show results in laborious detail and added: "I was terrified of getting something wrong because someone was sure to let you know."

Nice one, Luke, and it was generally agreed that Nidderdale Show, the last one of the season, does reporters proud with coffee, tea, sandwiches and biscuits in return for their labours.

In praise of hunting

AMONG the many chorus songs which threatened the rafters in the Tap and Spile in Darlington on Saturday as a local folk club celebrated its fortieth anniversary was Dido, Bendigo, a timely reminder that a large chunk of the canon of English folk song is about hunting.

Dido and Bendigo are hounds in a pack the song praises for its skill. Most hunting songs laud the sport, while some- notably that in which Reynard lures the pack into the path of an oncoming train - have respect for the skill of the quarry, too.

In this politically correct age, just wait for someone to try to ban their performance though, just as there are really more important issues than hunting facing Parliament at the moment, the PC brigade might do better to start on all the folk songs about seduction of innocent maidens, wife stealing, husband murder and widespread illegal importing of spirituous liquors.

A poor 'A'

ACCORDING to examination board Edexcel, "robust" tests were applied, even though gaining only 45pc in a maths exam could result in a GCSE grade A pass.

Readers old enough to have taken their GCE O-levels when marks came in percentages, rather than letters, may remember things being rather different. Under the then Durham University Examination Board, taken by many local grammar schools, 45pc was the dividing line between pass and fail. In any subject.