Well, Carnival is almost upon us again. As usual, let's hope for a bit of decent weather (but that's probably asking rather a lot of this summer!)
The other day, on the way out of Bradworthy, I caught up with a trailer load of grass. This I followed all the way to Sessacott. The driver made no effort to let anyone pass, even after it had to pull in to make way for an oncoming vehicle - which just happened to be another sillage box. I was later told that the driver had been taken to task for his driving a day or two previously. Whilst not in any particular hurry, it did give me time - about 10 minutes - to reflect upon the reasons behind the lack of public support for the plight of the farming community.
Thanks to Trevor Sillifant, who has - at last - had his typewriter mended!
I was thinking that London's bouncing bridge has been a lot of fun - so perhaps someone (at the Fair?) would care to erect a rope bridge across the River Walden - then Bradworthy would have its own Millennium Bridge!
The WI have also been in the news recently. First there was the topless calendar, then they heckled Tony Blair at their conference. So, I have two questions. When can we expect to see a Bradworthy WI topless calendar? ...and did Bradworthy's WI representative heckle poor old Tony?
I've long since realised that the world is divided into two types of person. The 'early-birds' and the 'night-owls'. I fall into the latter category. The other day I was unpleasantly awoken at quarter to nine in the morning (but I didn't answer it, on principle). My technique is to ring people back who ring me at silly hours of the morning - in the middle of my day - just before midnight, that is. Do they like it? Not a lot!
After my comment last month about the cost of petrol in France (though to be fair, I got more feedback on going to France when the shops were shut) I was amused to receive an item on boycotting petrol on Mondays. I read that in some places petrol has gone up to over £1 a litre - but that in Spain it is currently 53p a litre. I was driving around Barnstaple the other day and one of those pointless queries came into my head How much does it cost to slow down at a roundabout and then get back up to speed again after the roundabout? Anyway, after a bit of calculation... there are 5 roundabouts between the top end of Barnstaple and the Abbotsham turn-off, and I reckon that motorists are wasting about £100,000 a year on each of them. So, next time someone suggests you ought to recycle an empty bottle or two, tell them to build some underpasses instead!
Many thanks to Matron for this months cover. There was actually fierce competition to provide the cover this month, so we've printed the 'other cover' as well. This is titled A Devon bank by Tim from an original idea by Sarah. No, it hasn't been printed sideways!
The deadline for the next issue is, as usual, the 20th July - so get your articles, comments, drawings, photos, or whatever to the editor, Phil Mayhall, Hillcrest, Lower Village at the soonest (tel 241748, fax 241167, e-mail editor@bradworthy.co.uk). Finally, if you've got nothing to do for five minutes, why not visit the Bradworthy News web-site at www.bradworthy.com - it's in full colour, has music, and photos unseen in the magazine!
Disclaimer: This computer month's computer disclaimer computer has computer been disclaimer consumed disclaimer by a disclaimer computer disclaimer virus. But the same disclaimer applies.