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The
Christmas / New Year issue of Wyenot News is late. Sorry
about that. I have seen lots of people trying to access
it before publication by typing in the predicted full Wyenot
URL path but I have just been unable to produce the issue
on time. I think I can safely say that on a family level,
this has been one of the worst Christmas' I can remember.
We did have a very nice Christmas Day and there were other
good periods but in general, very little went right.
It
all began with Tina (along with half the local population)
contracting a sickness bug and having to sleep with 'the
bucket' by the bed just a few days prior to the event. Then
came the dangerous driving lunatic who, on the Saturday
just prior to Christmas day, crashed into Kirsty's (Tina's
son's girlfriend) car, shunting it two metres up the road,
onto the pavement and into the back of mine - totally writing
off both of our vehicles, which were both deemed 'beyond
economical repair' (I just this minute received the call
to say that the 'Wyenot Mobile' is a total 'write-off' as
it has caved in the hatchback and buckled the floor - story
about my car and an idiotic Herefordshire Housing jobsworth
later).
I
felt ill on Christmas day with a cold and 'Tina's' sickness
but still enjoyed the day. Boxing Day however, until going
out to the Prince to watch the Zebras in the evening was
not nice at all. Tina was working and I was home alone with
a cold and the puke bug and it was just a generally miserable
day - right up until the evening.
We
did not publish last week, but that did not mean that we
were not working on the news. I was out filming and photographing
virtually everything that happened locally throughout and
prepping this issue as much as was possible straight after
the events had taken place. I had decided that on the Sunday
after Christmas, I would go for a coffee with friends, Kevin
and Jane then spend the rest of the day prepping the issue.
Of course, that was not to be. A power line fell down and,
with Tina working, I spent the afternoon and evening, home,
alone in the dark, looking at at a television set that I
could not switch on, by the light of a flickering candle.
As
this was the second power failure on a news prep day, I
went to Focus on Monday morning and purchased a 2.4 KVA
electricity generator, so future power failures will be
covered. I tested it during the morning and it works fine.
The
main delay to the news came about on New Year's Eve/Day.
The garage collected my wrecked car at 8:30 am on NYE, so
I was up at 8:00 and worked on the news for the day. During
the evening, I felt tired but went out to cover New Year
at the White Lion, The Prince of Wales and at the Market
House. I needed to drive my 'courtesy car' so that I could
carry the equipment around - consequently, not a drop of
alcohol passed my lips during the whole event and all went
well. Tina had a few drinks and we had a great evening.
I particularly enjoyed the Market House this year.
At
2:00 am, we got home. I had a cup of tea and said to Tina,
'I think I'll have a Jack Daniel's before we go to bed.'
My
mobile phone rang - it was Bernice. 'Sorry - did I get you
out of bed?'
'No. Why? What's the matter?' I could tell from her voice
it was trouble.
'Have you been drinking?' she asked. The bottle and glass
were out so that I could have my first drink of the day
but I had not yet poured it.
'No, not yet,' I replied.
'Good. Chris has had an accident and it needs a specialist,
so they can't deal with it at Ross Hospital. They can get
him there in an ambulance but it will be hours before they
can get one. They have asked if you will drive him to Hereford
Hospital?'
'OK - tell them I'll be there in 5 to 10 minuets . . .'
Chris
(sober) had been at a night club, had leaned on a table,
putting his full body weight onto his hand, having not seen
the broken glass on the table and had severely cut his hand,
down to the bone - severing the tendons.
We
were in Hereford Hospital all night, where they dressed
the wound temporarily and X-rayed his hand. There was some
broken bone in the wound as well and he needed an operation.
We arrived back home the following morning, I had two hours
sleep and then went to film the New Year's Day Fun Run.
As
for poor Chris... His new year's day began with an operation
to remove the bone fragments and stitch the tendons back
together. His arm is in a plaster cast and he is in a lot
of pain and cannot work for six weeks. Being Chris though,
he is taking it as just one of those things that happens
and is reasonably cheerful.
2008
can only get better. We hope you enjoy this issue of the
news and wish all readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
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