409
In this blogposting…
* Serge
* A Word to the Wise
* The Two Wolves
Go ahead - make my day…


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SERGE:  A BULLETIN
First up, a VERY BIG Thankyou to everyone who’s been asking after Serge’s welfare, both here on the blog and via text and email.  We both appreciate it a lot and I’m sure your concern has contributed mightily to the slow but steady improvement in his condition.

For the first couple of days I think he was probably still in a state of shock after his accident.  From what he’s told me, I think he was not only badly winded when he fell but was also knocked out for a few minutes by the impact.  The extent of his other injuries only became apparent later, when he was taken to hospital in Lyon.

The whiplash compression around his neck muscles seems to be easing now; he only needs to wear his neck-brace occasionally for support.

His right wrist and lower arm are now encased in a flashy, and very fetching, velcro-fastening strap.  Bad luck dictated that it was his right arm that he fell on; Serge is right-handed, so the pain and discomfort there are hampering him quite a lot.

The injury to his coccyx, though, is causing him the most trouble and will probably take the longest to heal.  It’s very tricky for him to find a comfortable position to sit or lie in and driving - already difficult from the injury to his wrist - is particularly painful.

Mindful of all this, I’ve decided to buy a nurse’s uniform and return to Beaujolais next week.  I am a hopelessly selfish and inadequate carer and this, coupled with the nurse’s uniform, should have Serge on his feet again and heading for the hills in no time.

Serge’s nickname amongst his family and friends is Pépère; it’s an old-fashioned, ‘street-French’ word that comes close to meaning something like ‘sanguine’ or ‘unflappable’ and it suits him down to the ground.  As long as anyone can remember, he has confronted misfortunes with a smiling - and by no means resigned - c’est la vie and that’s what he’s doing now; he’s getting on with things.

My re-arrival on Wednesday should concentrate his mind wonderfully, if not give him something else to confront. 

Be sure that I’ll give him all your best wishes as soon as I step off the train at St Georges de Reneins.  And thanks again for thinking about him; just knowing that you are has done him the power of good.

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A WORD TO THE WISE
In blogpostings 219 and 221 you can read some ‘Words to the Wise’ that were sent to me by Kev and Dave.  It’s time now to catch up with some more that I’ve just discovered lurking in my email inbox…

* Money can’t buy happiness but somehow it’s much more comfortable crying in a Porsche than on a bicycle.  (There are quite a few versions of this one; Spike Milligan once said that ‘money can't buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery’.)
* Forgive your enemy - but remember the bugger’s name.
* Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.
* Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems.  But neither does milk.
* After thirty, your body has a mind of its own.
* Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you.
And, with the upcoming season in mind, here’s one from Victor Borge…
* Santa Claus has the right idea - visit people only once a year.

Any other Words to the Wise gratefully received.  Get in touch…

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THE TWO WOLVES
I found this amongst the emails I’d preserved from the days of the Blue Bus.  I can’t remember if I quoted it on-air at the time but, even if I did, I think it’s worth a second airing.

It’s an example of incisive Native American wisdom…

An old Cherokee was talking to his grandson.
‘My son, inside each and every one of us there’s a battle going on between two wolves.
One of them is Evil.  It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies and ego.
The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility. kindness and truth.’
The boy thought about this for a moment and then asked ‘Grandfather - which wolf wins?’
The old man quietly replied ‘The one you feed.’

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AND FINALLY...
...thanks to everyone who's pointed out that the Your Car Is German email I received from Peter and quoted in posting 407 had also been sent to me by Dave - and used in posting 394.

I'm getting old...

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CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or email me:  truckshunters@googlemail.com

9 comments:

Bentonbag said...

Words to the Wise:
When I split up with my first 'serious' boyfriend there were plenty of people with helpful comments about the size of marine fish stocks. My mother, on the other hand, came out with "Never mind pet, remember, time wounds all heels."
and
"God's mills grind exceeding slow but they grind exceeding fine"
which she nicked from Thomas Hood's Song of the Shirt.

Best wishes to you and Serge - we can only hope you'll be posting photos of the nurse's uniform soon.

Ellie said...

Oh all the very best for a speedy recovery Serge -

Hildie said...

Over the last few days, Ian and Brenda have been getting me thinking back to what my nana and my mam used to say. Here are a few that I've come up with -

Were you born in a field?

If you eat that, you'll get worms.

If you don't dry your hair properly, you'll get pneumonia.

Your face'll stay like that if the wind changes.

If Margaret Temperley jumped off a bridge, would you?

And .... my favourite ....
Don't eat cucumber late at night, it'll lay on your chest.14ntialiam

Hildie said...

There exists one, and only one, Radio Newcastle programme
that I still listen to. It's Michael Poulter's programme 7 till9 on Sunday evenings. It exists at the minute .... but Sid was in touch with me today to tell me that Radio Newcastle is changing it's weekend schedule at the end of the year ... so I don't know if Michael's programme is safe from the cuts.

Incidentally, in the (almost four) years since our beloved Ian's 'Nightshift' ended, we Truckshunters have used the programme as one of the ways we keep in touch with one another.
Over the years we have sent in little mentions or birthday requests for one another. Not everyone who reads the blog will be aware of this ..... but, anyway, now you know! And if you'd like to do as we have been doing - then you'd better get in quick, before the cuts!

I love how our Truckshunter family (made up purely of Ian's ex-listeners) has stuck together and continued to have fun after all this time.

I'm after some news of Nev - and of J. Arthur Smallpiece - and of Maureen - and of Vivienne if anyone has any.

And still I wait or Truckshunters Martin and Peter to turn up on the blog! Dave Shannon finally did .... so it's never too late, boys!

Hildie said...

Hi Kev .... hope you don't mind - it's just me picking your brains again ....
if I use the HTML tag < b >
my comment appears in bold print
and if I use the < i > tag
the comment appears in italics .....
but can you tell me what happens if I use the < a > tag?

Kev said...

Hildie
The tag is an HTML Anchor. It is primarily used as a hypertext link. The link can be to another page, a part of a page or any other location on the web.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Kev!
Je ne comprend pas .....
except to say I know now
not to use it :-)
and I wouldn't have known that
without you!

Ian Robinson said...

Good grief!

Vivienne said...

Hi Folks!

Yes, I'm still around but have been really busy recently doing extra work for the National Trust and also trying to sort out my cluttered house and new laptop. Cherryburn & George Stephenson's Birthplace have both closed for the winter season so I have more time on my hands to catch up with your news.

I'm very sorry to learn about Serge's accident. You must be in a lot of pain and discomfort, Serge. I wish you a speedy recovery. I'm sure Ian's tender loving care will help...maybe!!!

Lots of love to you all,
Vivienne xxx