January 2011
Our daily newspaper delivery, which got off to an excellent start last year with 6.30am deliveries, has been a bit patchy of late, even when there was no snow. But I have to take my hat off to Parry’s, the Boxmoor newsagents, and the Daily Mail, for their performance on Friday January 7th. That was the day England sealed an historic 3-1 Ashes win over Australia.

The last Aussie wicket fell at 12.56am and at about 6.25am that same morning the Mail arrived on our doorstep complete with the story and the photo. So in just five and half hours, the news had been sent from Sydney and placed in the sports pages, the paper had been printed and distributed to newsagents throughout the country, and, well done Parry’s, on our doorstep before sun-up. In today’s digital age that’s not bad going.

Good to meet Vikki and Rob, the new managers of the Boars Head at the PERA 12th Night party. Although they expect to be there for less than a year they have ambitious plans to restore the pub to its position as the centre of village life. This will come as a welcome turn of events after four years in which the Boars Head courted controversy with noisy events and a lack of concern for its neighbours. Let’s hope villagers will start going back there again. If the 12th Night party is any indicator Vikki and Rob have made a good first impression. Good luck to them.