Reducing the clutter

 

Typical Cambridge News Headline

We are in the process of trying to reduce our household clutter, not an easy task after 22 years in one place. We are having trips to Charity shops and the tip, filling the paper bin, advertising on GumTree or our local FaceBook page, or simply putting stuff on the verge outside the house with a large sign saying "FREE". We have pulled out a huge number of books filling boxes all down the hall, but even charity shops are reluctant to take them these days for so much is online. Fortunately the local church has said they want them to sell towards the organ fund, so we are taking them there in appreciation of fine music.

One item we unearthed was an old copy of the Cambridge News. This noble journal is famous its missing headlines, and I think we kept this issue as a prime example. Even the strapline to the splash heading reads: "This is a strap over two decks to page here". This paper has another claim to fame: a senior reporter got an anonymous phone call to "to call the American Embassy in London for some big news before the line went dead - just 25 minutes before President John F Kennedy was killed. This was reported to the CIA and MI5, but these organisations couldn't trace the call.

Some time ago, to cope with the Covid crisis, the General Medical Council reinstated all retired doctors to the medical register, including me. Trying to do my bit, I did send two letters to our local GP practice and filled in a form with the Suffolk health council, but was ignored. Yesterday I had a mild fever and productive cough. My Covid test was negative so it is probably a mild case of bronchitis. GPs being a vanishing species these days, I finally used my new registration to issue a private antibiotic prescription - for myself.