AFTER working in local newspapers for all of my adult life I can honestly say that these great British institutions are populated by some of the most interesting, witty, intelligent and tenacious people you could hope to meet.
I’ve been at the Examiner long enough to have seen many such colleagues come and go. Some have come, gone and re-appeared again, unable to escape the seductive appeal of providing the daily news.
One such colleague, John Avison, finally departed last week – on the third attempt – for a well-earned retirement. We’ll all miss him.
It wasn’t until this week, with his empty desk beside me, that I realised how much I have come to rely upon him as a dictionary, encyclopaedia, sounding board for my crankier ideas and maker of hot drinks.
I wish him and his wife Pip every happiness for the future.
This week, I took Secondborn to visit another colleague of mine who is currently resting in Calderdale Royal Hospital.
We drove round and round the hospital, calling at each of the three car parks, and failed to find a space. In the end we parked a considerable distance from the hospital outside some village shops.
I had exactly the same experience the week before when I was taking my mum for an outpatient appointment.
One suspects that patients are frequently late for such appointments simply because they can’t get parked.
Secondborn suggests that all outpatient appointments should come with a priority parking card. Visitors, after all, have a much wider window of opportunity.
Of course the solution, as ever, is more parking. Planners take note -– you will always need more parking than first estimated.
