Wow, it’s been three months since my last ramble. I keep thinking of things, start them off in my head but never get them written down and so the weeks go by!
There were a couple of Christmas related things I was going to say about, but Christmas seems so last year! I’m starting to think that I may have to try and do a weekly or fortnightly ramble and stick rigidly to it.
My Jury Service came and went rather quickly. For those waiting to hear all the lurid tales of crime and criminals, I’m afraid you will be as disappointed as I am.
Arrived on the Monday morning, filled in a couple of forms, sat around and waited, had an induction to explain what it was all about and how it would work, sat around and waited, just before lunch the first 16 jurors were chosen for a trial after lunch, the rest of us were sent home for the day.
Got a text later telling me I was not needed on the Tuesday but to turn up Wednesday morning. Arrived, sat around until lunchtime as the Judge was sorting out some legal stuff and was then sent to lunch.
When we arrived back we were linked up with the court so as to pick the jury, firstly the judge reads out the names of all the defendants and witnesses, if anyone knows any of the people involved they have to declare it.
The names are read out and yes, I know one of the names, well I know someone with a name on the list. I signal to the jury clerk, I have to write down my name and how I know them.
The name read out was the same as that of someone I knew in Boys’ Brigade, the best part of 40 years ago, I write this down and the note is passed to the Judge, it goes quiet on our end of the link as the note is read out in court.
Then they start to call the names of the Jurors and obviously my name was not called. Whether the person was the person I knew or not, I will never know, but I wasn’t selected.
Later that afternoon I got my text telling me that I was no longer required and that my Jury service was over. I still have a story to tell, but nothing relating to a case or prosecution!
We’ve had a Covid outbreak in our house! My daughter came home from work the other Friday said she thought she’d come down with a cold, felt rough on Saturday so she did a test and tested positive.
The wife and I both did a test and were negative. They ordered PCR tests, which arrived on Sunday morning, so we did those at lunchtime and posted them off.
Our daughter then spent the next 10 days self isolating in her room! Dinners and drinks were left outside the door and on days that we were both working, we left her a tray with breakfast, sandwiches, cold drinks and a flask of tea.
On day 10 she tested negative and the Government then changed the rules to say the double jabbed only needed to self isolate for 7 days! I’m sure it helped (but it was still lonely, frustrating and mind numbing) having a phone, and a laptop to be able to keep in touch with and speak to friends, watch YouTube and ‘Catch up’, as well as being able to text your mum for a cup of tea!
A solid Bond in my heart! So, as you may know if you’ve read my previous posts, I went to see the latest Bond movie when it came out and it got me thinking about reading the novels that Fleming wrote. I asked for and got a copy of Casino Royale, the first Bond story, for Christmas, it’s a modern reprint and in paperback as requested.
I had read it a couple of days into the New Year, so my wife wants to send it back along with the other book I got for Christmas and read before it. It was Bob Mortimer’s Autobiography ‘And Away’ and it is funny and informative, thoroughly enjoyable!
Back to Bond. I’ve read Casino Royale and so I’ve started on the next book in the set, Live and Let Die. Which I remember going to the cinema to watch when it came out in 1973, I went with my friend Michael Downes, who lived round the corner and we sat up in the circle at the Odeon Cinema in Luton.
The copy of the book that I have is an early 1960’s Pan Paperback and the language is obviously that of 1954 when it was written. Today some of the references and terminology used is not only from a different era but also very offensive, so I’m hoping that any modern reprints have been suitably edited. I now need to get a copy of Moonraker, for when I have finished Live and Let Die.
Bake-Off, as it’s now known, has spawned a number of other programmes of a similar ilk, including The Great Pottery Throwdown. I never watched the first 3 series; it was my daughter who asked that we watch it when series 4 came on. It’s something that we watch at my Dad’s when we visit him on a Sunday evening.
Now whether you like pottery or not it’s something to while away a Sunday evening without too much need for concentration and you’re still able to have a conversation at the same time.
What I like however, is the soundtrack. They play a lot of 60’s tunes, the likes of The Small Faces, The Who and many others of a similar ‘mod’ style. On the same theme, I was led to believe that they were going to make a programme to find Britain’s best Amateur cyclist, it was going to be The Great British Bike Off!
And on that note, I think that it's time to do a couple more posts on the Covers page. Long overdue!
I will also wish you a very, very belated New Year and hopefully I will be back soon.