Today was very exciting at the Talking Newspaper. Not the actual recording but outside. No, the recording was very funny but not what you’d call exciting.
Four floors above us, the high winds had caused a panel to come loose and people were worried it was going to fall to the ground and decapitate someone.
Some guy was going to try with his ladder but it was no-way long enough as Ann the next presenter told him. He did what everyone does when it’s something you’re unsure of how to sort out. He called the fire bridge.
They turned up with a very big ladder.
They also turned up with two fire engines. One of them was used to block the road while the other was just parked up. I figured it must have been a slow fire day and they all fancied a bit of a jaunt.
It was all a bit tense as the ladder operator swung the ladder around then lowered the basket for the three operatives to climb aboard. Each of them wore a harness covered in carabiners which they used to connect themselves to the basket. It was then loaded with all the tools they could possibly require.
They then all rose into the sky.
While it took a good 15 minutes to get everything in place, the guys ripped the panel off in about 15 seconds. And suddenly all the excitement was over.
I’d managed to leave the studio before it all started but poor Lindsey, one of my readers, was stuck inside. The poor thing wasn’t having a good day.
Earlier she’d been telling us how she’d been stuck behind a pony and trap all the way down through Crondall. This route features a particularly narrow lane with lots of bends and very tall hedges, making it mightily tricky to overtake.
What made matters worse was the fact that the pony wasn’t trotting but, as Lindsey said “Deliberately dawdling!“
This was rather understandable given it was a Shetland pony.
This had me laughing for the rest of the day. I really wish I’d seen it. A Shetland pony and trap has to be the funniest thing on the road.
