Today could very easily mark my final recording with the Talking Newspaper. I was undecided whether to say anything at my sign off but, when the time came, I decided against it. I told Janet and Mike before we started and they were a bit sad about it so I figured it was better not to say anything to the listeners. Keep ’em laughing, is what I say!
The reason it might be my last is because the remote recordings are coming to an end – there’s one more, I think – as the team returns to the studio full time. Because I’m flying out to Oz and it was for an undetermined length of time, I told the organisers not to put me down for the September – December roster. And, because we would like to be living in Sweden by the beginning of next year, I can’t see me popping back every six weeks to record an edition.
Mike suggested that I could perhaps return to recording my Letter from Sweden and having it included with the Monthly Magazine. I thought that was a good idea. I’ll check with Anne and see what she thinks.
Anyway, the recording went well, though I did make a mistake, which annoyed me, but, overall, it was an excellent recording with plenty of chat back and forth. Janet was great fun. Unfortunately, Mike didn’t come in with a rather funny story about a Siamese cat.
There was a story about dogs being welcomed at Farnham Heath and Janet wanted to know about cats; if it was okay to bring a cat on a lead. She claimed that you could take a Siamese cat on a lead because they were the one breed that would do it, happily.
After the recording Mike told us that his now wife, back in the 1970’s, had a Siamese cat which she would regularly take for a walk, on a lead. They would end up at a pub where the cat would sit on her lap while they had a drink. It would have made a brilliant interjection.
The recording was all done by 4pm so, after our farewells, I poured myself a drink and lay back on the sun lounger for my reading hour.
I’m going to miss the Talking Newspaper. Mirinda will no doubt say that the Talking Newspaper will miss me. I hope that’s in a nice way.
