Arena is the local council magazine for the Rushmoor Borough Council area. It is produced four times a year and details the various services supplied by the council as well as new things that are happening. It covers Aldershot and Farnborough. And, four times a year, FATN produces a recorded version for the visually impaired. And that’s what I read this morning.
It’s generally just dull facts and lots of phone numbers with some interesting stories dotted through. And, actually, the best bit is just chatting before and after with the other readers and the engineer.
This edition included Ann, Clive and me reading and Charles recording and repairing.
Poor Clive has been infected with shingles, on his face and hairline. The poor thing was reading with one eye and in some pain. But, as both he and Ann proclaimed, “The show must go on!” And it did.
And, for the first time ever, the normally calm, collected and erudite Clive stumbled a few times and used rather strong swear words to express his irritation. Very unusual and, frankly quite funny. Had I had a mouth of coffee at the time, I’d have spat it all out. It was a good job my microphone was muted because I was in fits of laughter.
Poor Clive. He did manage to see the doctor and has been given medication. Charles said his cleared up pretty quickly because it was caught in time. Let’s hope it’s the case with Clive. Obviously, we all made the right sort of ‘get well soon’ noises at the end of the session.
I then said it was a bit annoying that everyone sympathises when someone has shingles but when I first told people I had gout they just laughed. Which made them all laugh. I said I’d understand the jollity if I was being wheeled around Farnham in a bath chair. Charles said I needed to get one.
Anyway, because of the recording session, I had to shop later in the day than usual.
And, for the first time since arriving in Sweden, I actually worked up a sweat it was so warm. In fact, we were tempted to eat dinner out on the terrace. Then the sun started to dip, the wind sprung up and we decided it was too chilly.
Possibly the most exciting thing that happened today, though, was being able to get a booking time at the Migration Agency where we have to leave our fingerprints and a photograph for our residency cards. I’ve been trying ever since we received the letters confirming our residency but today was the first time there’d been any times.
And so, tomorrow, we are unexpectedly but excitedly, off to Stockholm.
