Comments on: Ballardosphere Wrap-Up, Part 3 http://www.ballardian.com/ballardosphere-wrap-up-part-3 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:59:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Anonymous http://www.ballardian.com/ballardosphere-wrap-up-part-3/comment-page-1#comment-734 Anonymous Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:25:12 +0000 http://www.ballardian.com/ballardosphere-wrap-up-part-3/#comment-734 what the hell what the hell

]]> By: Alex http://www.ballardian.com/ballardosphere-wrap-up-part-3/comment-page-1#comment-733 Alex Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:11:18 +0000 http://www.ballardian.com/ballardosphere-wrap-up-part-3/#comment-733 I'm afraid to say that the reality of the last one is deeply un-Ballardian. I've been there, and he would have hardly been less isolated had the M62 never existed - he's a typical Yorkshire sheep farmer on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. There's a local myth that he (or rather the owner in 1971) is a heroic hold-out, an embodiment of Yorkshire grit and self reliance, who stood off the government and the highway engineers, turned down their money with contemptuous pride, and forced them to build around him. But it's a myth. In fact, the road takes the only line where the feet-deep peat will take the weight. I’m afraid to say that the reality of the last one is deeply un-Ballardian. I’ve been there, and he would have hardly been less isolated had the M62 never existed – he’s a typical Yorkshire sheep farmer on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

There’s a local myth that he (or rather the owner in 1971) is a heroic hold-out, an embodiment of Yorkshire grit and self reliance, who stood off the government and the highway engineers, turned down their money with contemptuous pride, and forced them to build around him.

But it’s a myth. In fact, the road takes the only line where the feet-deep peat will take the weight.

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