Musings of a Muppet

I was perusing the BBC Essex site while at lunch at work today, when I happened upon an article about a crash that happened on Monday night at 10:45 on the A1114, involving a 25 year old woman – well loads of them about – but driving a silver MR2. I instinctively thought “Pam’s got a silver MR2 – and she’s 25″. I immediately texted James as he’d been giving her advice the previous night about domain names. No James hadn’t heard from her. I hadn’t had a reply from the text I’d sent earlier in the morning. How could I find out?
Facebook comes into it’s own at times like these. I visited her profile and sure enough, there were a few RIP messages. “This can’t really be true” I was thinking. An hour or 2 later, James sent a link to another media source that stated the young woman had been named as Pamela Willis.
I have been wavering between crying, anger and disbelief all afternoon and evening and it doesn’t seem to be stopping. James is the same.

I met Pammy “Freckles” Willis last January/February time when she started work at the same place as James and I. James actually became a lot more friendly with her as they were working on projects together, but it didn’t take long for us to start chatting and as we lived just down the road from each other, we started going to see her while she was working at Baroosh, then going out after! It was easy to see why she was so popular. She gave everyone a chance, and never judged anyone and she genuinely didn’t have a bad bone in her body. I have never heard her run anyone down – even when they deserved it. Within months we were close friends and I knew I could trust her with my life.
Her MR2 was her baby and nothing would make her part with it! Her laugh was so infectious (and loud) and I loved hearing it. She single handedly brought back the phrase “pickle”!
Going shopping with her she would make me try on things I would never consider buying, and I would actually like some of them!
Looking at Pam’s Facebook page today, it is full of tributes to this wonderful woman.
To know Pammy was to know a special friend who would always be there for you.

I was missing you already as I haven’t seen you since panto, but I am now missing you so much more. I love you loads and send a big *hug* to you.
I can’t even think about the fact I will never see you again pickle, but I will try and learn a life’s lesson – never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Read James’ thoughts on Pammy.

BBC Report
Evening Star Report
Essex Police
Essex Chronicle

I have now set up a permanent page in tribute to Pammy that will always be accessible on my website.

And so the final curtain looks to be brought down on Portsmouth FC due to the massive debt they have built up. Of course, they’ll get a stay of execution in some form, as you cannot contemplate a big football club going under (did Wimbledon count?).

Fifa look to be considering allowing Portsmouth to sell players now despite the transfer window closing on 1st February, because “their debts have got considerably larger”. Bollocks. The problem is with the massive debt they need to pay to customs and that hasn’t just materialised out of thin air.

I am torn as I have a soft spot for Portsmouth, but at the same time, if clubs are going to be bailed out no matter how bad their financial nounce is, then why should any club be sensible about their spending? An example needs to be made of a club to show that money is not a never ending resource, and a degree of business understanding is needed to successfully run a football club.

Reading supporters have been moaning that John Madejski, chairman of Reading FC, has not been splashing the cash, but he is very aware of the fact that he has limited funds and we are currently in a recession. A chairman cannot expect a return on money he invests in a football club, so he is being frugal. At the same time, we are giving a lot of academy players an extended run out, a lot of whom showed real potential when playing in selected matches last season.

To let a club operate outside of the laws of football is unfair to those that make the effort to run a well organised and financed club, and makes a mockery of the laws it is supposed to abide by.

Read the BBC report here.

At last a voice of reason has spoken up about the ever more suffocating laws regarding those who work with children.

BBC news story

At the Blackmore Players we now have to have a separate changing area for the kids, and I believe that if there are boys and girls, then essentially you need 2 kids changing areas.
This is starting to get silly.
As an amateur group who use a village hall, resources are limited, and we have even talked about hiring a caravan for a show so that can be the kids changing area. We also have to provide a chaperone for the kids during the performances.
However, from April this year, the rules are set to change again, and I believe that anyone who helps out with the kids will have to be CRB checked – that means I couldn’t just pop along to a kids rehearsal and help out unless I have been CRB checked. That puts a strain on an amateur group.

Now, I know a lot of people will say that it’s only right that anyone working with kids should be CRB checked, but we are a small village where a lot of the members are known, the kids all stick together anyway, and none of the parents seem to have a problem leaving their kids with us.

It’s nice that someone in the industry recognises that having kids in amateur groups is important, and hopefully the restrictions can be relaxed in a manner that still provides protection for kids, while at the same time acknowledging the effect these rulings are having on amateur theatre companies.

We ventured into Colchester this morning and mooched around the shops then had something to eat.
On the way back we saw an accident at the lights near Leisureworld on Cowdray Avenue.

James tugged my arm and I looked up to see a man in a motorised wheelchair being hit by a white van. It was a very low speed collision and the man was still in his wheelchair – it was quite shocking to see.
A woman who we presumed was with the wheelchair man came along and was making sure he was OK.
Then I noticed the traffic in the outside lane was moving – it was the white van’s right of way!
The white van man moved away from the lights to let the traffic move more easily, but pulled over and came over to make sure the wheelchair man was OK. James let the white van man know we saw what had happened and we stuck around in case the man and woman caused him any trouble.

The man said nothing, but the woman told us he assumed it was OK to cross as another bloke had just crossed. But what really riled me about it was that there was no apology given to the van driver. The poor guy had done nothing wrong but had nonetheless hit a pedestrian who didn’t seem to have any idea that he was in the wrong.

Today has enforced my reasoning as to why people are just shit.