On Sunday all I had to do was walk to the Memorial Field to take a presentation photograph and then walk home. A walk of just over a mile at the most.
I got so hot I had to have a second shower, having had the first only three hours earlier. This heat is good for catching up on writing projects. I wanted to go to an open day at a country park that I mentioned a few days ago but I just couldn't face becoming a drippy mess yet again and having to have a third shower.
The presentation at the park I did attend was of a new bench in memory of our mate Steve Walker. I say our mate not to mean me specifically. Steve was everyone's mate whether it was on the side of a football pitch, in the pub sharing a pint (strange phrase that because if there are two of you you technically share two pints although there's no sharing as each person has their own pint) or in the street where he always stopped for a chat.
There was a good gathering of family and friends and I enclose three photos with this blog.
* * *
Good on her. That's what I say. I refer to the verbal attack on the BBC by one of Radio Norfolk's presenters Sophie Little after the last Treasure Quest programme on Sunday.
It's all part of the BBCs ill conceived and frankly stupid plans to cut the number of genuinely local programmes and go regionalised. I have written about this before and it's something I feel strongly about.
I have only listened to Treasure Quest a few times. It's not really my cup of tea but I know many people love it and it has visited Hethersett on numerous occasions. There is no doubt it's a very popular programme with regular listener's, but now it has ended. The basic idea is that Radio Norfolk presenters drive round Norfolk in a car, following clues which lead them to treasure. They often end up at a local event.
Sophie Little had a real go at the BBC. This is what she told the local media:
"These cuts are unbelievably unfair to those who need local public service broadcasting the most. Those who are lonely and isolated or those who are unable to leave their house or unable to use the internet or unable to pay for Broadband. Those who not only take comfort from the company of a familiar voice coming out of their radio, but who truly rely on it to keep going".
I expect Sophie will probably get sacked for expressing those views, but they are the views shared by the vast majority of us and views that should be shared by the BBC. They are the reason the BBC was set up in the first place. Ironically on Sunday night I was listening to the new release from a band entitled Public Service Broadcasting and that included clips from the early days of the BBC when the corporation was trying desperately to find ways of becoming more localised. How things have changed and not for the better I may add.
I had a similar situation many years ago when I was sports editor on local papers. We went through a period of unrest with the printers/compositors working to rule. As a result most of the work we did during the week was wasted and returned to us. It was so frustrating that we were passing off localised papers with very little local content. We all got very frustrated and angry. Mr and Mrs public were looking for news from say Cromer and we're having to read what was going on in Diss, the other side of Norfolk.
It always amazes me at the crap that comes out of mouths of spokesmen for organisations. Here's what the BBC said in response to Sophie's comments.
" local radio is just one of the ways we reach out audiences. We are modernising our local services so that however licence fee payers choose to get their local information, we'll be there across radio, television and online for many years to come."
I had to read this statement about four times in an attempt to understand it. There are more holes in this than the average packet of polos or ring doughnuts. It actually contradicts itself which is what usually happens when someone tries to justify the unjustifiable.
This spokesman (and yes it just had to be a man) suggests that by modernising its service people will be able to get more local news and programmes but in reality they will be getting less. I choose to get my local information by listening to Radio Norfolk and watching Look East television. Now I'm being denied that local information more and more as I'm subjected to news from places over two hours drive away, places I'm never going to visit and places I'm not the slightest bit interested in. And what on earth does the phrase "we'll be there for many years to come" actually mean. The way the BBC is going at the moment I reckon it's future could be in doubt. In another five years I can see there being no local news at all and just extended national news bulletins. Mark my words. Of course it could go the other way and we could get localised news back but that would need a sea change and a lot of pressure from licence payers like us.
Another sign of the times. Yesterday in the post we received a phone directory and on the front it stayed that this is the last one. To be honest I had no idea they were still being produced. I can't remember the last time I used one. Does anyone still use them. Today they are a mere shadow of the old large directories. As I said a definite sign of the times.
Tomorrow I'm going to write about the distinct difference between being alone and being lonely.