Remember the fight we had to save A&E at Macclesfield General Hospital? How much effort did we put into that campaign?

I’ve been thinking (indulge me here) about the stand-in chief exec Cheshire East plan to employ in the absence of Erika Wenzel.

Here’s an interesting story (cue smart-ass comments). About 12 months ago I received a phone call from a researcher on Britain’s Got Talent asking what tricks I could perform with dogs.

I do believe Cheshire Police have made significant improvements to their operations over recent years. It’s a ‘fact’ I try to promote in my column.

The campaign by Wilmslow residents against the proposed gypsy caravan off Moor Lane, Wilmslow will, no doubt, attract much criticism (from people who don’t live on Moor Lane). But before casting accusations of racism, nimbyism or any other ‘ism’ let us review the history.

Walking in the park this morning I saw a man ‘playing’ with a young Staffie. This involved tug ‘o’ war with a wooden baton driving the dog into a frenzy before holding the baton chest high.

I don’t know the fine details of the dispute between Coun Murphy and his next-door neighbour. In essence they didn’t want to converse and he did.

At last we can lay all the rumours to rest – Erika Wenzel, Cheshire East’s chief executive, is on sick leave and could be off work ‘a long time.’

Well, I asked you for your feedback on the rag and bone man currently doing the rounds and by Jove you gave it.

Didn’t take long did it? The relaxation of green belt regulations sparked instant development applications. Wilmslow farmers are offering to donate land for a ‘country park’ in exchange for planning approval for a housing estate. Nice one.

I can be found most mornings around 8am with my dogs in Macclesfield’s South Park.  In the evenings we often stroll around Victoria and West Parks.

As the chairman of Animal Support Volunteers I know how important donations are to our work.

Almost everywhere I go people stop me to express their anger at Cheshire East’s profligacy with taxpayers’ money while cutting services and laying off staff.

If you are a Macclesfield Town fan I sympathise. Imagine my plight as a lifelong City supporter. No wonder I’m on blood pressure medication.

So now we know the reasons anarchy spread through our streets during the recent riots were: Bad parenting; Poor teaching; Failure of the Justice System; Materialism.

With the cost of second class stamps rising by 41 per cent to 50p and first class by 34 per cent to 60p the attitude of hard-pressed families to the commercial aspects of Christmas is about to change.

Almost all our community halls and leisure centres need renovating. Roofs need repairing, heating systems servicing, toilet facilities are often appalling and all need decorating either inside, out or both.

We’ve all seen the chaos outside schools during morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups. God forbid those children should have to WALK a few yards.

So, there I was on a lovely sunny day strutting around South Park showing off Little Syd, my exemplary six-month-old Labrador.

I had a lot of driving to do this week so I decided to buy myself a couple of new CDs to play in the car. The tattooed sales girl in HMV was very helpful.

As the author of an international dog-training book I do receive some very generous invitations.

Gay marriage seems to be the topic of much public discussion. Initially I thought I didn’t care. Hey, if Jack loves Jim instead of Jill it’s his business.

CEC’s Tory administration has made one expensive blunder after another. 

I really don’t understand the furore surrounding the government’s work experience scheme.

Today must be my birthday; I thought it was in December but looks like I was wrong. Tell me I wasn’t dreaming when I read that a Macclesfield bobby on a bicycle caught a thief in the act.

What the hell is going on in Wilmslow? Like Macclesfield, the centre of town has been in decline for years. Inspiration doesn’t come easily and when it does, it needs to be nurtured.

Hot on the heels of the £500,000 Lyme Green Waste Transfer station debacle comes news of another expensive blunder from Cheshire East.

If you go down to Market Square you’re in for a BIG surprise.

I nipped into Starbucks for a well-earned break from my exhausting dog work.  A group of well-heeled students wearing the uniform of a private school stood before me at the till.

Developers say they will fix reflective foil to the sides of 13 new houses they plan to build near Jodrell Bank to stop them creating havoc with instruments at the landmark observatory. Why stop there?

‘Lessons have been learned. They have, I assure you, and those mistakes will never be made again, honest.’ These are the magical words you must trot out if ever you get caught wasting gross sums of someone else’s money, ignoring 30 or 40 physical injuries to an at-risk child or responding to a 999 call with the speed of a sloth.

To date more than 5,000 British service personnel have returned from Afghanistan with appalling injuries while 397 have not returned at all.

Stuck in a long queue at the supermarket checkout behind a line of middle-aged men, young mums and a trainee gangsta in a Beastie Boys hoody my mind wandered aimlessly.

The proposed redundancies at AstraZeneca are a wake-up call for all of us. We have relied on AZ for too long.

My heart bled for the family whose spaniel drowned chasing ducks across the ice in South Park.  Imagine the anguish of watching as the poor dog exhausting itself in the freezing water.

There are two stories in today’s news that infuriate me. The first concerns the financial results of the Big Six energy companies.

Do you agree with smacking? Mmm… are you sure? What about really naughty kids? Okay, I’ll take that as a no.

I’ve been observing the political scene in Cheshire for a good few years and have a reasonable grasp of what’s going down. I don’t always agree but, hey-ho, that’s democracy. You get what you vote for, or so I believed; now I’m not so sure.

Right, I’m going to let you into a secret. If you have never been to Cinemac in Macclesfield’s Heritage Centre, go now.

Let’s suppose you apply for planning permission for a 30m square x 12 m high building. The parish council and many of your neighbours object and you offer consultation involving all parties. While this process is taking place, large ground-moving equipment appears on your site.

"You’re always with those damn dogs," said Mrs B in a rare fit of pique. "I like walking too you know. It would be nice if you considered me as much as those dogs."

So, Tesco want a new 100,000 sq ft Macclesfield store built on stilts to provide free parking for 1000 cars. This is more than a superstore, this is Tesco on steroids.

I had a parcel due for delivery yesterday so I hung around the house all day waiting for Royal Mail.

I like the idea of Scottish independence. I like it a lot. If the Highlands and Islands can go it alone why not Cheshire East?

Cheshire East’s declaration that town centre management is to be ‘devolved’ is an interesting concept.

How much more political rhetoric do you want to hear? How many times can David Cameron talk about curbing bonuses for failure?

You really couldn’t make this up. Some conscientious guy doing his best to abide by his bail conditions turned up to report at Macclesfield Police Station on December 27 and found it CLOSED.

Okay, playtime’s over. We’re back in the real world so – can anyone tell me why Coronation Street’s Michael Le Vell (aka Kevin Webster) had his photo plastered across the tabloids amid accusations of sexual assault before the matter was officially dismissed for insufficient evidence?

He’s wormed, groomed, inoculated and ready to meet the world. Little Syd, my 13-week-old labrador is pounding the streets. Well, maybe not pounding, but certainly trotting.

Undoubtedly the most bizarre story I read in 2011 concerned a 33-year-old Congleton man who threw a petrol bomb at his local club then rode away on his bike with his shirt ablaze.

In the year of our Lord 2012 a pestilence descended upon the land fanned by the flames of wrath from a malevolent dragon named Recession.

How’s it going so far? If your party spirit is lagging have a go at this little teaser to see if you are a REAL Cheshire cat ...

How’s the Christmas preparation going? We’re out for lunch Christmas day, other than that no big plans. How about you? Don’t tell me… you’re entertaining the whole family again. Not a lot of ‘sharing’ is there when it comes to looking after ageing relatives?

Right ladies, answer me this: Have you EVER been dressed, groomed and ready to go on a night out before your man?

I don’t really understand the outcry against the public sector strike action. At the very time taxpayers were pouring trillions into the coffers of collapsing banks those responsible were awarding themselves huge bonuses and boosting their pension pots.

I attended the switching-on of the Christmas lights in Macclesfield. I can’t believe how many people turned up, it was a real fun occasion.

We attended a charity event at a Wilmslow restaurant in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.  Top of the bill was an excellent Elvis impersonator: trust me, I’ve seen them all.

Why are folks in Wilmslow getting so worked up about Macclesfield’s plan to build a theatre before them? Macclesfield’s Cocoon was show-cased months ago and looked like a winner. Then… oops…Wilmslow wants one too.

In the run-up to Christmas the big charities will blitz us with emails, letters, leaflets and advertisements urging us to consider those less fortunate than ourselves. But what about those even less fortunate than mainstream charities?

Skip the xenophobia accusations – just tell me where we are putting the 252,000 new immigrants who arrived in Britain during 2010. That’s FIVE towns the size of Macclesfield each year or a new city the size of Bristol every two years.

There is no more telling time for a politician than when the wishes of constituents clash with those of the party leadership. It’s at those times we discover their true ambitions.