Hello Listers, You should all know by now that Helen Jones has had to step aside from her role as List Administrator owing to the pressure of personal commitments. The original plan had been that Bernard Meech and I would share the admin. duties, but we have subsequently agreed that (to borrow Bernard's metaphor) two hands on the tiller would be overkill. It would be difficult to improve on the commendable way in which Helen conducted this friendly list, and I shall be adhering to the philosophy of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"! So..... It's business as usual, with my name being substituted for Helen's. Alan Brown has kindly offered the assistance which he gave Helen as Deputy List Admin, so no changes there either. I've been a subscriber to this list since day one, and have noticed that the activity tends to come in flurries, with relatively quiet spells in between. We seem to be in such a lull at the moment, so I would welcome any suggestions for new threads relevant to Dorset of yesteryear. Subjects such as cottage industries, Dorset dialect and food (universally popular!) have generated a lot of interest in the past. How about a county-wide search for the Dorset Oozer? (The what??) Lastly, I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing to thank Helen for the outstanding way in which she has nurtured this list since its inception back in 2001. All the best, Davy Cannon Dorchester, Dorset

The new look Dorset Life online. The website dedicated to the history, culture and people of Dorset. http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/index/index.asp Great stories Cheers Steve

A month or so ago someone alerted us to Dorset Farm Radio. I've enjoyed a number of the interviews drawing out information about farm life in the past and also contemporary issues faced by Dorset Farmers. Although they are recording living memories some of the practices and customs people are recalling from their children I would think go back many generations as they are recording the change from farming with horses to modern machinery. See http://www.farmradio.org.uk/ Worth listening. Cheers, Cathy