That Unknown Person

Thanks for your post on this thread ricardo, that is just the sort of people I was referring too, the ones who are in some way a part of you day, while you do not know who they are, but it feels like you do.

So who are those people in your daily lives?

For many years on Haldon hill there lived an old tramp in a makeshift tent in the lay-by halfway up where many a lorry would stop to cool off a boiling radiator and he lived on the generosity of the drivers for food and fags as he sat by his campfire winter and summer. One day in the 1970s a busybody from the local council made it his business to have old “Smokey Joe”, as we called him, carted off to Exeter hospital for a check-up--——Joe died in there within the week, some say of a broken heart at the loss of his freedom.

I have a couple of unknown people at the football. One is called "on the floor" and the other is called "everybody back!" as this is there in match catchphrase. They both go every week. Me and me brother get rather concerned when they are not in there usual spot at the match!

So soon after writing my opening post on the thread, it goes and happens, this morning I drove to Weymouth on the coast road, slowed right down in the big dip at the place called Swyre and my man was not there to wave to me. Where was he? Was he OK? I drove up the hill the other side on to the high part of the coast road and soon forgot about him as I battled to keep the van in a straight line. The wind coming off the sea was so strong and I had to just concentrate on my driving.

So still a little sad I did not see him, I soon was smiling again as I drove down Abbotsbury Hill into the village. I have always loved Abbotsbury from the first time I ever set eyes on it, mind you on that day I was driving the other way from Weymouth.

Despite the bad weekend weather the villages had got the village all dressed up for Christmas and with the wonderful old stone buildings, Christmas at Abbotsbury has a real old Dickens feel about it.

You go into any town centre and you will see flashing lights of all colours, but not at Abbotsbury. Nearly ever building puts up a sort tube that is bolted to the wall half way up the building. Then a Christmas tree is placed in it at a bout a 45 degree angle and each tree only has white lights put on it, not a single colour one anywhere. I wonder if this is the only village in England that does it this way. After Christmas most take down the poles, but a few get left on the buildings until the next Christmas. I have found a picture that I will add to the bottom of this post, showing a pole still left on a house after Christmas.

I did my calls in Weymouth and drove out past the Wessex stadium; I wondered how much longer that sorry looking football ground would be there, before that side of the road just became an extension to the Gramby industrial estate.

As I drove past the Dorchester football ground I looked up at their modern spotlights, such a difference from the very old ones at the Wessex stadium, I still feel in a few years time, Weymouth’s future may well end up in Dorchester.

So on to Yeovil and what an hour and half that turned out to be, one moment holding a ladies hand to give her some much needed support, followed by a few tears as I drove off in my van, only to end with me in a very angry mood and wanting to punch the young upstarts nose off in PC World.

There is a company in Yeovil, who sharpen saw blades etc, I call there on Mondays and Thursdays to drop off blades and collect the ones they have done for us. For over six years I have dealt with the same lady, she has worked there since she left school. She has always greeted me with the words “Hi handsome”

Hard to say how old she is, but I would guess a round 35 to 40 years old and she has a heart of gold, but is a very big girl and one you felt would be left on the shelve. 18 months ago I saw a bit of a twinkle in her eye, yes she had found a boy friend, well all I will say about him is that he is a real character, but he loves her and she loves him and that is all that really matters.

Before you could blink an eyelid they were getting married, the only problem was she was very upset as she thought she would have no wedding photos, as they could not afford the £1000 fee the professional guys were asking in Yeovil. I had already done half a dozen weddings for family and friends, ones I felt the results were as good as any professional could do.

So I told her I would do it for free and would produce not only around 150 photos, but a video and a DVD that would contain pictures and parts of the video all set to the music of their choice. I had a really great day with her and the family on her wedding day. I think I’ll put one of the pictures on this post as well.

Last year when I found out Carol had got the cancer back, this lady was always there for me to talk too, so important to have someone as it does get hard spending so much of your working day on your own, when you are fighting hard with your own emotions and fears.

Two months ago I learned she had a blood clot in her leg, but it has turned out to be far worse than that, mind you she has been through hell lately as the doctors could not make up their minds if she had it or not. I somehow knew what the news would be that she would eventually be told.

Even last Thursday she still did not know, but she does now and tomorrow she has her first chemo session, I held her hand and talked real positive talk, that’s what she needed, I also asked her about the wig she was getting, seems she has gone for a longer cut than her own.

I know only too well from experience the real pain a lady goes through when she has a bath and hair goes down the plughole, not all at once, but once it starts to fall out its not too long before they are bald. All this happening to her as Christmas is so very close, how different she feels from those excited villagers in Abbotsbury as they turned on their Christmas lights.

I gave her a big hug and wished her well, thoughts of Carol were in my mind as I got back into my van and yes a few tears rolled down my cheeks as I thought about how brave those who have cancer really are. It made me feel a fraud worrying about silly things like the forum, not sure I could ever be as brave as the people I know who do have cancer.

Time to press on and get my work done in Yeovil and on the way out to call into PC World to get a smart new camera for Carols Christmas present and that is where my mood changed for the worse. I checked on line last night that the Yeovil branch had the camera in stock, checked all the details, buy this camera and get a 4gb card for half price, £12 instead of £24. I did not choose to reserve it, as I was unsure last night if I would have had time to stop and get it, anyway the Barnstaple branch had them in stock and I could always get one there on Tuesday.

I had to get the dopey rude young one didn’t I, it took him 10 minutes just to go out the back and get the camera, so “OK can I also have the half price card that I can have when I buy this camera”. He went and fetched the card, scanned it at the till and told me was £24 and not £12.

After a bit of long and now getting heated debate I asked him to check his company’s website. Well he saw the offer himself, but said I could only have it at that price if I had of reserved it for collection in store.” But I am here and I would like to collect and pay for a camera with a £12 card”

He would not let me have, so I said “if I go home to Paignton and reserve it for tomorrow in Barnstaple, I can have the card for £12, but here you want me to pay £24?” That is how it is he said. Now frustrated as hell I wanted to give this upstart a smack. I told him I would buy the camera in Argos, no such problems in a store like that. He said he would go and have a word with his manager, as he walked out of sight near the back of the store, I decided enough was enough and just went out the door, jumped in my van and headed for Weston Super Mare. Well I thought can’t be any worse Mares up there as there are in the PC World branch Yeovil.


You can see a pole still left on one house





A great old shot of Abbotsbury





One of the shots I took for the wedding In Yeovil

Did I laugh this morning, yes I did as my man was where he normally is at 7.30am, only today he had on a Christmas hat. The long one with a bobble on the end, he gave me such a big smile and wave. Had me smiling all the way to Abbotsbury hill where I just had to take a picture on my camera phone. The result is not as good as it looked this morning, still good enough to put up.

My dear lady friend form Yeovil who had her first chemo on Tuesday and expected to be back to work as normal on Wednesday, felt very unwell after the chemo and was not at work on Wednesday or today. I hope to see her on Monday as she should be feeling much better by then

Good to see my man with his Christmas hat on again this morning waving frantically at me. One thing I said before about why I love driving the coast road to Weymouth is the fact it looks different every time.

I put a picture up on Thursday taken from the top of Abbotsbury Hill, this morning I just had to stop and get the camera phone out again as it looked so different from how it did last Thursday. I took the shot just a little bit further down the hill that’s why the view looks slightly different.