Saturday, September 08, 2012

New year resolutions (2)–Doing my bit.

What else should I resolve to do this coming (academic) year.  Keep the boat clean?  Naah, as you can see, I have staff for that.

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How about a bit of do gooding?

One thing does occur to me this week.  I have never ever bought a National Lottery ticket being one of those who has always believed it to be a tax on the daft.  Something tells me that 40 million to one isn’t a good bet.  However, a couple of our brilliant paralympic athletes this week have spoken about what a big help their lottery funding has been, and urged people to keep on buying tickets.  (If you haven’t been watching, you’ve missed a real treat.) So now I look on it in a new light, not as a gamble on winning a fortune, but a good cause worth having a punt on.  So I shall now buy the odd ticket and feel good about it, even knowing that I am unlikely to be funding a new Russell Newbury engine for Herbie out of the winnings.

On a more practical front, I’ve got round to sending of my details to C&RT with a view to volunteering, perhaps as a towpath ranger in the West London area.   Wandering about by the canal chatting to people is something I’m always doing anyway, so I might as well make it official.  If I work alone, can I be called the lone ranger?  Perhaps I should call my bike “Silver” if I get picked. 

Speaking of C&RT, they have now published the winter stoppage programme with the customary maps of lock closures etc.   Interestingly, the Birmingham area map lists the “Stratfordshire canal”   - shall  I tell them or will you?

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