Editorial

The Editor has a bad hair month.....

Hello again,

Have you ever had one of those months when everything that can go wrong, goes wrong? Well May has been a bit like that for me, which is sad when you read Marion Clarke's delightful eulogy to May on page 4 of this issue.

First, after much debate among friends and family, I decided to exchange my nippy little Nissan Micra for a bigger car in order to provide a more comfortable driving posture. This was becoming necessary because my arthritis was becoming quite painful on long journeys for the simple reason I could not stretch my legs. Naturally, I went back to Swan Street Motors who had served me so well for the past eight years only to be caught up in their filing for receivership! One hefty deposit down the drain.

Then I received the daunting news form Amplivox Ultratone that my hearing aid had been lost in the post! I was advised to institute a search through Royal Mail channels and, if necessary, register a claim for a replacement device through my home Insurance. I dutifully filled in the Request for Search forms and handed them it at Fakenham Post Office, where I had posted the item. Two days exactly after this, I received a call from Amplivox in Norwich to tell me that I had sent the device to the wrong address and it has ended up in Manchester. I pointed out that I had addressed the package to their Norwich office and was totally unaware that they had a n office in Manchester, so I couldn't have sent it there in error. Naturally, no acceptance of blame from Amplivox otherwise I could have sued them for the loss of the hearing aid!

Then came the crunch. Being a reasonably careful chap, I arranged for the annual servicing of my Central heating boiler. Mike Dent, who has looked after it faithfully for the four years since its installation discovered a water leak. Yes, I needed a new shell; nothing simple for yours truly. The good news was that Worcester Bosch were able to make the change in just 48 hours from their initial visit. So if you see an OAP with a begging bowl outside the Corner Shop, don't ignore him; it might just be someone you know!

Those of you with a warped sense of humour will have enjoyed my recent early morning dog walking escapades. Having adopted a third Yorkie, I now have great fun trying to walk them on all together with the result that I usually find at least one lead wrapped round my legs at any time. But, apart from that, the new addition to our family is loving and full of fun and we are delighted to have her. So May hasn't been all bad, after all.

Ray Thompson