As usual at first I didn't seem to have much material for this month's edition and then things began happening in the village as they always do and there has been plenty to report on.
Thankfully Hethersett Library is due to re-open on September 2nd which is good news for us bibliophiles. The library will have a different look to it though. There will be nowhere to sit and browse and there will be a one-way system in operation. But just to have the building open again is good news. Opening hours have been changed slightly, there will be no open access for out of staffed entry hours and the toilet won't be available. But there will be books (oh glory). I will be popping down early doors to do a report and, in the meantime, you will be able to read exactly what changes will be in place in the next Herald.
Whilst I was away I missed the opportunity to have a look round the new facilities at Hethersett Academy. Maybe I should stop taking holidays. I know our county and district councillor David Bills went along and I'm hopeful he will write something for the next Herald.
I will be working on a major feature on the education revolution for the October edition of Herald with major building work at the Academy and the primary school in Queen's Road and the completely new building for Woodside School. It is the biggest change of education in Hethersett for decades and possibly the biggest revolution since education became compulsory.
Every week when the weather allows I play tennis at Eaton Park and apparently there has been a huge increase in the number of people playing the sport since lockdown restrictions were eased. I know this is true because it's much more difficult to book a court now than it was this time last year when courts always seemed to be available.
I have a love hate relationship with sport which has played a massive part in my life since the age of about six. I think I started playing tennis around the age of seven and still consider myself a proficient player, although I'm forcing myself to slow down a little and not to try to get those little drop shots over the net!
Over the years I have played and enjoyed tennis, football, cricket, rugby, hockey, squash, table tennis, pool and many more and feel that I am either reasonable or above average in most of those.
But that's not the case with snooker, darts and golf which I don't seem able to come to terms with at all. Tried snooker again on holiday and I think you could describe my performance as shambolic. I have tried to work out just why I'm so bad at it and cannot understand why, when I have a ball in front of a pocket, I still manage to miss potting it. Snooker always looks easy to play. Well - believe me it's not. The same goes for darts. People refuse to acknowledge that it is a sport, but just try hitting those treble 20s as the professionals do on television is a virtual impossibility.
Same goes for golf. Over the years I have had numerous lessons and the ball still won't go where I want it to! I've now given golf up on the grounds that 1/ I'm never going to be able to play it to any decent level and 2/ A round takes up too much time when I've got more important things to do like writing blogs and the Hethersett Herald.
I do owe a debt to sport though as for many years in my working life I was a sports editor. It was so nice to turn a hobby into a career. Yes I owe a lot to sport and now it's back to being a hobby again, although I'm very honoured to be a honorary life member of Hethersett Athletic Football Club and an honorary vice-president of Hethersett and Tas Valley Cricket Club, both of whom I served as chairman of and also in a number of other capacities.
Tomorrow I will tell you want I think of Lionel Messi earning £45 million a year and you might be surprised by my response.