THE gloves are off once more in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is a source of some amazement that such a tranquil area can provoke so much antagonism among politicians and bureaucrats.

Planning is once more the blue touchpaper for a dispute between the authority's senior officers and Coun John Blackie, the parish, district and county member for upper Wensleydale. He's also a member of the national park authority to boot.

Boot - as put the boot in - is obviously what the authority's chief executive David Butterworth feels Coun Balckie has been doing with the organisation of the opposition to the authority's controversial Cams House barn conversion proposal.

Following the departure of the excitable Heather Hancock from the top park job a few years ago, Mr Butterworth seemed a safe, reliable pair of hands needed to steer the park authority into calmer waters.

This week, by accusing Coun Blackie of playing politics - in an election year - he has shown he can, as the Americans might say, play hard ball too.

Cool to be cool

IT IS good to know that youth is not entirely wasted on the young. Last week's snowfall showed that Darlington sixth-formers, who normally act so cool that they could give passers-by in Vane Terrace frostbite, can still enjoy themselves without worrying about their image.

They built themselves snowmen and had snowball fights, just as children have done for generations and long before childhood stopped somewhere about the eighth or ninth birthday.

The snow also showed that dog walkers, so conscientious with their poly bags in other weather, seem to believe that snow will remove the evidence. It doesn't, as unwary pedestrians found, come the thaw.

Marathon girl

Spectator was able to celebrate the more conventional achievements of the young at Hummersknott school prize evening on Wednesday night.

The biggest cheer of the night went to star athlete Julia Orr (prizes for high jump, 1500 metres, national and local honours and overall contribution) who made her way to the stage no less than five times.

Mind you after her marathon-like circuits of the school hall she did't appear to be even puffed.