May Editorial

Ray looks back on a month of unbelievable happenings.

Hello again,

Once more, what a month that was? It was difficult at times to keep up.

First, the death of the Pope which seemed to have a tremendous impact on everyone - regardless of their faith. There is no doubt he had earned the admiration of all by his fantastic travelling regime. The crowds that flocked to Rome to say farewell were unbelievable and I was amazed at the number of local people who flew to Italy to pay their last respects.

Then we had the Royal Wedding. Despite all the grumbling beforehand and the deliberate attempts by some to sabotage the event, it all went off well and received considerable praise and support from the media and the public. What a pity more people tuned in to watch the wedding of Deirdre and Ken from Coronation Street! I read that a Methodist Minister from West Norfolk was one of the first people to greet the new Duchess of Cornwall. The minister had received an invitation, not because of his religious position but, because he was a past Chairman of the British Poultry Association of which the Prince of Wales is Patron. Perhaps that explains some of the ladies hats?

And then the worst kept secret of all. Tony Blair asked Her Majesty to dissolve Parliament so that a General Election could be held on 5th May. And already we are being told of voting fraud, miss-use of party funds and various other under-hand tricks. Gosh, how refreshing! Roll on May 6th when our lives can settle down for a few years. At least we OAP's appear to featuring near the top of all three major parties list of priorities. If I get all the goodies I am being promised I could end up with the Borough Council paying me Council Tax, or am I just daydreaming?

With all the events of the past few weeks it is little wonder that our great national treasure, the good old British weather, has played it's part in hogging the headlines. From glorious, near summer weather, with hours of sunshine and warm breezes to snow, frost and black ice, all in what seemed to be, a few hours. To wake up last week to a garden white with snow was a real shock to the system. Is spring really here this time or must I continue protecting by tender bedding plants from yet more frost?

To more serious matters, the number of lives being lost on our County's roads is beginning to reach alarming proportions. And so many have been the result of single car incidents. Is there a message here? Are local drivers really driving too fast for the conditions or are they just too inexperienced to handle the powerful range of vehicles at their disposal? We have been lucky in our local community but there have been some near misses, particularly related to small children in our village streets where local traffic is still travelling far too fast. Please try to educate people on the dangers of driving too fast in residential areas and if they won't listen, tell the police.

Have a happy election and may the best team win.

Ray Thompson