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Published: July 21st 2012
Home thoughts from abroad
My apologies, dear readers, for the delay in composing this latest blog entry. The reason for the delay – well a whole range of small things, really. Partly, it will be that the adrenalin flow of doing something extraordinary in a far distant place tends to reduce. In the main, life is as ordinary and everyday here as it would be anywhere – it just feels like 50 years ago which is pretty extraordinary in its own way. There is plenty to record at a mundane level – how wonderful at this phase of life to meet so many new and interesting people, all whom have a tale to tell and a life story to retell.
Well, let’s get the news out of the way. Firstly, Wahoo has not returned home but I regularly see the feline shadow of a creature that once called this house home – I’m being fanciful, of course, as the wretched animal couldn’t wait to get away. However, Owen, the bag of cat litter remains, the cans of South Atlantic animal food remain unopened and uneaten (despite the RMS being away on annual repair and recuperation) and the cat basket lies empty, waiting for its owner to return home shortly – well, either you or Wahoo. If you’re desperate to reclaim the absent animal then, Owen, feel free to camp out in the builder’s yard that I like to call a garden and see what you can do to entice the wretched animal back. Through my eyes he seems happy enough but maybe your welcome arms will entice him back.
Next, of course, is the skittles. I am now an ever present member of the ultimate losing team known as the Alcometers – I’m not sure that anyone can remember the team ever getting close to a victory. However, in keeping with the sporting prowess ever shown by members of the Town and Country squad, I form a key part of this disappointing team. You will not be surprised, following news of all the successes that your correspondent has had on the ballroom dancing and fishing fronts that I am beginning to feature on the lips of all who follow the progress of new skittles talent – I actually had a mention in the ‘Sentinel’ newspaper recently in their understated column entitled ‘Skittles News’ as the Highest Spare recorded by a ‘gentleman’ in the ‘Alcometers’ team that week. Watch out for news of continued and greater success on its way!
Work remains interesting, challenging and fun. The promising news is that the latest assessments (marked overseas) show that twice as many children reached appropriate standards as in previous years. A long way to go but it feels as though the first green shoots of progress are beginning to show and that my training approach of keeping things simple is having an impact of quality of teaching. One small pat on the back or a quiet one cheer for work so far.
Social life is remarkably full. The week in brief: Monday – skittles; Tuesday - dinner with a Saint who wanted some advice on improving his reading; Friday – the usual drink at Donny’s followed by ‘Shipwrecks’ (spiced rum and coke served by Sandie the barmaid/hairdresser who clearly wants to run her fingers through my aged but still glossy hair – not really but I have to keep Di on her toes) at the Consulate with a couple of friends; Saturday – a curry dinner at the house of the DfID man and his wife; tomorrow, Sunday – out to dinner again. Then the week starts again with a live radio broadcast of the Education Committee (even with limited competition from radio and TV services I’m not expecting audience figures to be more than a couple of dozen – but, hey, a broadcasting career has to start somewhere) and late night skittles.
Which brings me to Top 3 – with no news on the new broadcasting empire front I have decided to offer my services to the alternative media camp, Radio Saint FM. This newspaper and broadcasting group is run by an ex-patriot Swede who has rather set his cap at being a thorn in the flesh and to act as a very unofficial opposition to the government, as the various Councils are run with independent elected members rather than ‘parties’. Maybe when he receives my suggestion of a rambling top 3 programme he will think it sufficiently subversive to place on the airwaves when vacancies occur (very soon, I hear).
With no TV in place – so no chance of catching up on the latest edition of ‘The Sweenie’ or ‘The Professionals’ - I am making good use of my i-pod to play favourite music. My current ‘South Atlantic Discs’ I am sure you will want to know consist of the following most played and enjoyed albums:
<!---->1. <!---->‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen
<!---->2. <!---->‘Blonde on Blonde’ by Bob Dylan
<!---->3. <!---->‘Charity of Night’ by Bruce Cockburn
Some of you will not have come across the third artist – Bruce Cockburn is a Canadian singer-songwriter and a magnificent guitarist. Is Top 3 more difficult that Desert Island Discs 8 favourite discs to take away – of course, but I have the advantage of being able to change my mind and nobody will know or care – the Castaway’s selection is there forever – even if they have made a terrible choice!
Although only 4 months into my stint on the island I am already having Home Thoughts from Abroad about my re-entry into Much Wenlock life. Many of you will have realized that I am out here on this extra-ordinary trip because I was not settling into retirement mode. I don’t know what Robert Browning or Clifford T Ward (
a prize for the first respondent who conjures up the connection between the two) were thinking of doing on re-entry but my top 3 (of course) at the moment and in no particular order are:
<!---->· <!---->opening a nano-brewery (smaller than a micro) for Wenlock beer – anyone interested in doing this with me? Should be a fun project
<!---->· <!---->buying a canal boat and setting off – an old and previously rejected idea
<!---->· <!---->writing those (children’s) books I’d always thought about but not got round to.
No thoughts yet, you will have noticed, of becoming a professional ukulele player – I think my one attempt to get to grips with this instrument may have driven away the cat – or professional skittles player as I don’t see a hole in the market for this option. Any ideas for post-Saint Helena would be gratefully received although there is a long way to go.
Congratulations to the match winning duo of the T&C bowls squad who recorded the team’s first ever victory at the recent Olympian games. Reassuring, it is, to see that the photographs of the event showed no recent additions to the posthumously erected benches around the clubhouse – it must have been a mild winter!
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David R Turner
David R Turner
Easy
Michael, you insult your avid readers! Your blog title was either pinched from the title of Robert Browning's poem or from another plagiarist whose popular music disc has been around for nearly forty years. Good to read your news. We shall see Di this week and admire the tropical kit she's bought for the voyage. I also understand that she's stocked up on Werther's Originals to sustain your sweet tooth through the autumn. The weather has (probably briefly) turned here and it's another bright sunny day, so I mustn't waste it. Take care.