Friday 20th May 2022 - Feels Like Friday 13th

Do you ever have days when things just don’t go right? For me, today is one of those days so much so, I just had to check on the calendar that it’s Friday the 20th and not the 13th. Firstly, the car refused to start after we finished our usual Friday morning shop in Mundesley; the battery was flat. We do such little mileage these days, it is not always sufficient to keep the battery fully charged. We have had this happen before but that was in winter when we were using the lights and possibly the windscreen wipers too. Peter rang the company we subscribe to for assistance but they couldn’t be with us for an hour and a half. Normally this would not have presented a problem but today I needed to be back in Overstrand for booked studio time to record my next ‘Then & Now’ programme. I looked up the number for the local taxi and fortunately he was able to fit in a run to Overstrand before setting off with passengers heading to Surrey and Gatwick. It was then, we saw the bus go past – completely forget I could have caught the bus. So, I left Peter in the shopper’s car park to wait for assistance and came home with Barney. I hadn’t been back too long before Peter arrived home; a kindly shopper just happened to have jump leads in their car and started our car. Assistance was cancelled before Peter drove back to Overstrand.

I was joined at Poppyland Radio’s studio by Tim Bennett to talk about his life as the Headmaster of The Belfry School, his involvement with St Martin’s Church and his extensive research into the history of Overstrand. All started well but I must have set the controls up for the CD player incorrectly or pressed the wrong button somewhere along the line. The opening theme track was fine as was the first piece of music, which provided a break from talking, but after this all went awry with the third track. I eventually did get it to play without any glitches, after which I apologised to listeners. Programmes are completely in the hands of the presenters, there are no technicians to insert music or perform edits, it is very much a community radio. I hope when the programme is broadcast, probably towards the end of June, that everyone will see the funny side, as did Tim and me.

So what happened next. Well, I tried to clean limescale build up in a vase with a fabric freshener instead of taking the spray I use for limescale, out of the cupboard. Then I had the joyous job of clearing a part eaten mouse from under the table in the conservatory. Sid assures me it was nothing to do with him and that Lunar, our part feral, was behind the dismembering. An online seller sent us the wrong products, so these had to be returned. Finally, for dinner I was making homemade fish fingers, but the breadcrumbs refused to stick to the fish. Hopefully tomorrow I can start afresh and have a better day.

Today’s photo is of a horse chestnut bloom. There are a couple of these trees on the High Street which are currently in full splendour and not to be mistaken with edible chestnuts, an example of which can been see in St Martin’s graveyard on the Cromer Road.