WEEKEND visitors generally arrive bearing gifts (wine, usually) but one of Spectator's colleagues has received from an Easter guest something unusual and bound to be very useful in the looming political shenanigans - a new word. Astroturfing.

It has nothing to do with a proprietary brand of artificial sports ground surfacing and means "simulating a grass roots movement".

Now why did Spectator's colleague immediately think of Coun John Williams and his claim that the general public in Darlington favoured the planned changes to the town's High Row?

When words collide

Queuing for an ice cream in Helmsley market square on Easter bank holiday Monday was an interesting experience.

For a start, why was Spectator and seemingly everyone else determined to eat ice cream when the sun was obstinately staying well behind heavy cloud and the easterly wind was sweeping across that most handsome of gathering places?

A stiff-upper-lip very British determination to enjoy oneself was probably the reason. And there's nothing wrong with that.

However, it was all made worthwhile by the lady customer heard to ask for a "mint choc chick" flavoured ice cream. Well it was Easter.

Stockton's morons

What a wonderful advertisement for Stockton-on-Tees the item on the BBC News at Ten on Tuesday night was.

As part of a series on anti-social behaviour, a camera crew spent the evening with police and paramedics in the town centre observing the typical misbehaviour of drunken young people. Stupid, foul-mouthed and "up for it" as common parlance would have it, the pictured youngsters were depressingly moronic.

A group of more mature members of a local football club were the exception to the rule in that they seemed to be able to enjoy a drink without turning into monsters. Another blow to Teesside's already knocked about image.

Shock news

Spectator loves an optimist but thought the Darlington supermarket that this week sent him a press release about "rolling back" (there's a clue for you) the price of their jeans was trying just a little too hard. They even thought we might like to take a picture.

Post-Easter can be a quiet news week, - but not that quiet.