The latest news from our girl about town
Angel’s eight-year-old niece is very excited about BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words story competition and is busy penning entries (nephew thought it was a good idea but was FAR too busy with his Spalding Grammar School homework!).
So when Angel popped round the other day, the little one eagerly outlined the plot of her latest epic – Zog vs Torgon.
“It’s good darling, but isn’t that the plot for the Hobbit?” asked Angel.
“Oh yeah,” said niece,” only slightly deflated. “Never mind. I’ll start on Matilda and the Flying Horse.”
* It must be spring – well, nearly. Angel has seen snowdrops in Spalding and aconites on a weekend visit further south. Hurrah!
* And, if further proof is needed that spring is almost definitely in the air, Angel would bring to your attention the birds chirruping cheerily at 5pm the other afternoon (though Angel admits she was queuing a little gloomily for her baked potato on Tuesday’s Spalding market when it felt anything but spring-like!)
* Repair work is being done to one of the bridges over the Welland in Spalding, but why do some people think it amusing to tip a couple of the large barriers down the riverbank? Angel says: “It’s not funny or clever.”
* Neither is it particularly clever, girls, to dodge between cars waiting to turn right from High Street on to High Bridge when the lights are on green, as happened to Angel last week.
* The Gleed School has come under some stick lately but Angel was very impressed yesterday morning when she walked past a group of teenage girls on their way to school, chatting animatedly about World War Two.
Angel has always thought the most important thing about teaching is engaging the kids, and someone at the Gleed is obviously doing that.
* I think we generally accept that working life is harder these days, and that more is expected of all of us, whatever our vocation.
When Angel was a teenager she had several shop jobs and these entailed either a rota of stacking shelves and serving customers.
But she’s noticed lately in many shops that staff have to do both, leaving them flustered and customers frustrated. Oh for the good old days of a five-minute daydream on te tills!
* Angel was pleasantly surprised by the plain, down-to-earth nature of debut author Eva Dolan who visited Spalding to talk about her novel, Long Way Home.
A small but dedicated audience of fans welcomed Eva’s what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach to what was her first author’s evening.
Angel would be surprised if Bookmark is doing a roaring trade in selling her book.