Best Informed On Local News.

 No need to read the news.

I can't remember a time where news of all sorts was so prolific and frankly also frightening. Corona, wildfires, wars and recession tend to circle constantly. Often best to switch off except when it comes to real local news...

The end of last week saw a horror scenario come to life. Yes, the first confirmed corona case in our village. Yikes, it didn't make for a good weekend as the mind wandered and spun its various threads of interpretations...as it tends to do.

This particular news was published in a local newspaper and online ( so definitely not hear-say ) but after the initial bombshell nothing further was published. Too soon, too much  or nothing to tell? Those of you who have had the fortune of having lived in a small place know the best way to find out anything...

Without being too obvious, or plain nosy, the best source is of course the local shop but only if there happens to be a gathering of locals exchanging info. Outright questions never gets a good answer but being on the peripheral of a gathering will lead to a lot of info, in fact local info overload. Who was where, with whom and when!

Most mornings on my walk I meet one or two villagers and exchange a quick greeting whilst passing them but naturally, since this corona bombshell everyone takes the time to stop and chat about  this local corona drama. And drama it is! Yesterday I heard of those who were tested and awaiting results and this morning I heard about those results. It seems that luck is on our side as nobody else seems to have contracted the virus.

The beauty of having a village chat is that it never is cut and dried. No, it can navigate many bends and turns to get to the real meat of the story but those bends and turns are really the lifeblood of village life. Only this morning I found out where to get   running shoes with custom made insoles ( at no extra cost ), where to donate money and who is on the mend after a short illness. Those tidbits are rather priceless when it comes to village life and they are never published anywhere but available whenever we take the time to stop and have a chat...

Biggi