Tuesday, 14 October 2008

Hertfordshire Council for Voluntary Youth Services (affectionately known as "hickviss) and Hertfordshire Association for Young People have now merged to form a new organisation called pro:action. This morning I was visited by Nicole Williamson who is pro:action's new local development worker for youth services. She has a tough role supporting youth organisations throughout the western part of Hertfordshire but she is very impressive and I hope the CVSs can support her.

In the evening I paid a brief visit to Watford Chess Club. In my youth I played competitive chess and I still enjoy an occasional social game of chess – usually at home or in the garden of some suitable hostelry. I haven’t played regularly for years and thought Watford Chess Club might provide an occasional companionable game. I was wrong. Watford Chess Club is very welcoming but it is a serious chess club. Imagine turning up at Saracens and saying, “I haven’t played for twenty years and thought I’d pop along for a game”. I don’t understand the modern openings and the social etiquette. Picture a lamb off to slaughter and committing some awful faux pas – perhaps wearing “yellow stockings cross garter’d” or something.

I left the Club about 8:00 and my day declined further on the way home. As I navigated the big round-a-bout at the bottom of St Albans, another car missed its exit and performed an emergency stop. The car behind it managed to stop with inches to spare but my reactions weren’t quite quick enough and I tail-ended the car in front of me. The impact was not very violent but sufficient to shatter my headlight and crumple my bumper and bonnet. Thankfully no-one was hurt and there was virtually no damage to the car I hit. The emergency stopping car did a near u-turn on the round-a-bout and shot off to St Albans never to be seen again. In any event my No Claims Bonus is likely to be lost. Jackie took the news remarkably calmly.