This morning as I checked
what was happening on Facebook I was rather shocked to hear the news
from an old friend. I've known Kev for over thirty years. We don't
meet up anywhere near as much as I'd like, but we do catch up a few
times each year. Most recently a month ago at the Hastings bonfire
parade. By trade Kev is a tree surgeon, and earlier this week he had
a very nasty accident with a chain saw. His left arm was severely
lacerated with serious muscle and nerve damage done. He's had
specialist surgery in Brighton and the prognosis for recovery is
good. This news rather put my own worries into proportion.
Having said that I seem
to have developed a really painful knuckle overnight. I wonder what
that's all about.
The national news goes
from ridiculous to farcical with allegations that the late Cyril
Smith was also a kiddy fiddler. Stories of his alleged fiddling
date from 1974. If anyone can give an honest detailed account of what
they were doing thirty eight years ago I would be very surprised.
There can hardly be a celebrity left who isn't absolutely terrified
of such slanders. Being in the public eye seems to have given the
media carte blanche to pursue such stories, and being dead serves
their purpose even more.
I for one am certainly
racking my brains trying to remember anyone remotely famous whom I
encountered as a child. No one springs to mind at the moment, but if
any of my loyal readers could name someone famous who was in the
general vicinity of Hastings in the early 1970s, I am quite happy to
go halves on whatever money I can get out of making up stories of
having been fiddled by them. I can remember that the Wombles opened a
supermarket near my mum's house at one point during those years. I
wonder if I could make out that Orinoco put his hands where he
shouldn't have?
I overheard an
interesting conversation today. One person had apparently just come
back from a holiday in Mexico. She'd been there for two weeks and
spent the entire time in the hotel. When asked what tourist
attractions she'd been to she thought for a bit, and then said that
she'd been to the hotel's pool, and to the hotel's cabaret. She
apparently had no interest in leaving the hotel at all. When asked
what part of Mexico she'd been to she replied "Mexico - by the
airport". And when asked the question of which airport she
replied "Mexico airport". From her tone the "dur!!!"
following the statement was very much implied.
Why do people travel half
way round the world just to sit by a swimming pool.
Today I met up with one
of my ex-students who had just come back from a holiday in India.
Whilst away he'd thought of me, and had brought me a whole load of
Indian fighting kites. I was rather choked up at his thinking of me -
I'd not seen him in over a year.
And a chap I'd known
vaguely for twenty years retired today. He was a good fellow. It's
sad to see him go, and I can't help but wonder how long it will be
before I get to retire myself. It can't come quickly enough. When I'm
at work I rather miss my dog....
That's Wellington, not Orinoco. You've fingered the wrong Womble:-)
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