NO WONDER the exhibition of Northern quilts, on display on the top floor of the Bowes museum at Barnard Castle, has been extended from its planned January closure to March 4.

It presents richness, colour, craftsmanship and design from the 18th to the 20th centuries, made all the more remarkable by the fact that many of the early exhibits would have been stitched by the light of candles or oil lamps and often stitched, minutely and intricately, by women who had no modern household gadgetry to help them gain free time.

It was just the place for Spectator's colleague to take a visiting needlewoman. She was fascinated, delighted and impressed, but her faith in her own skill was so shaken that retail therapy was in order afterwards. With a quick explanation of the D&S Times market town revival campaign, she was taken down into Barney itself. And that was another revelation. "Much more interesting than the big malls," she said as three hours' parking drew to a close before she'd seen everything. Exactly what we've been saying.

Road warning

A DRIVER stopped for speeding on the A68 got off with a caution and a "producer", documents to be taken to the police office nearest her home.

Setting off again, very careful to observe the speed limit this time, it was unnerving to be stopped again, within half an hour, with the routine: "Who are you? Is this you car? Where are you going?"

Back home in the midlands, documents were duly produced and, in passing, the driver commented on the second event. She was asked two questions: was she on the Durham stretch of the road and was she wearing a baseball cap. Yes, and no. Be warned!

Christmas mystery

THE slow wind down to Christmas meant that Christmas Eve, traditionally a time for the last frantic rush round the shops particularly by men (Spectator pleads guilty here), was strangely quiet in Darlington.

Strange because despite the streets, shops and pubs being relatively empty, the town's car parks were full to bursting.

But where had all the people gone? Truly a mystery worthy of an episode of The X Files