OH GOSH!

Now I’m not one for gratuitous bad language, swearing is the sign of a poor vocabulary, but at times things just slip out.

A friend of mine fell on a poorly laid piece of pavement and sprained her ankle. If this had happened on the path between Gidney Lane and St Andrew’s School instead of on the High Street she could have found herself facing a fine of up to £100 under proposed legislation if her immediate reaction had been any stronger than “Oh gosh, how frightfully vexing!”

The paths in Soham are getting into a pretty neglected state these days and when your main means of transport has little tiny solid wheels and no suspension you notice these things.

Even the newly laid paths judder enough to loosen your fillings while the older surfaces have so many holes and patches it is sometimes difficult to find any original pieces.

Sooner or later someone is going to get seriously hurt in a fall on the path and the popular pastime of suing the highways authority for damages, egged on by the parasitic lawyers who advertise on television, will cost the council far more than a barrow-load of blacktop. In the meantime my friend’s ankle is slowly healing.

WILLING

Jake the spaniel is pleased that the Heartbeat Health Walks are still going strong every week. Not that Jake has ever been on one, he’s heard a lot about them and has always been willing to step out if asked. He hears that anyone can join in, even dog walkers, and the only requirement is to be at the Church gate on Fountain Lane at 10 am on Monday and be prepared for a walk of about three miles in the company of between thirty and forty others. During the hour or so walk there is ample time to exchange news and, dare we say, gossip before repairing to a café or the Ship for a coffee and whatever else you fancy. Jake’s not sure about the coffee, but really fancies the walk. He thinks it is an excellent way of making new friends or catching up with existing ones and discovering some of the hidden corners of the town. And he’s available if anyone feels the need of a spaniel on a Monday morning.

NOT TOLD

So the young people of south Soham don’t go to university enough. If someone had told neé

Miss of Soham and of Soham Jnr this they could both have saved themselves from accumulating large student loan debts.

Mind you, there would have been one less qualified accountant and one less radiographer about, but at least they would have proved this statistician from the one time Cambridge tech right. Mind you, a degree isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, a chap I know from Ely where they should go to university, got his degree in art and is now manager of carrots or some such in Tesco. Meanwhile we’ll muddle on in southern Soham without any more veiled insults from Cambridge, thank you very much.

ALL CHANGE

There is a quote from the Bible on the lines of by your deeds shall ye be judged. Some people obviously don’t have confidence in the history of their actions and feel the need for help in pleading their case. One of these insecure organisations appears to be our beloved district council, East Cambs, who are in the process of changing their public relations supremo.

In the past they have used a chap from the county council for three days a week but now they are hiring in a company from Burwell.

At least this lot will be inside the district so will experience first hand the antics that they will be trying to put a favourable spin on. We wish them well and intend to keep a few pinches of salt handy.

OH DEAR!

Several weeks ago now I suggested that some people might like to consider Soham’s Rotary club as a source of friendship, an opportunity to contribute to the local and global communities and a chance to stand outside the Co-op during December and get really cold!

There’s a meal once a week at the Maid’s Head, too. Iain Sutherland, the Rotarian who chairs the membership committee, told me that he hadn’t had a single response to the item. We found out why. I’d got his ‘phone number wrong! So if anyone fancies giving Rotary a trial, be they young or old, male or female call Iain on 01353-624353.

A GOOD NIGHT

If you enjoy live music, especially brass band music, you could do worse than pop over to Wicken village hall on Saturday evening where the village’s band are holding their annual fundraising social. There is a ploughman’s, a desert and one drink at the bar included in the £7 ticket price as well as the sublime music of the band. Tickets are available from Brenda’s Flowers and CE Fuller’s.