Sad sequence has seen three of the first four Fakenham Race meetings of the season abandoned
Fakenham writer Jim Harding pens his first Wensum column of the year...
I turned back to what I had written in the run-up to Christmas in 2022 and was reminded of a cold spell of weather. In fact the snow blanketed everywhere. So much so that in a repeat of earlier days I was able to create a toboggan run from the track beside our house right around the neighbouring care home.
This circuit became a source of delight to our young sons with their dad hauling them round and round until he finally ran out of puff. As we passed into 2024 I would have needed a boat to do something similar with all the rain that had descended. So much so that not even the first Fakenham race meeting of the New Year managed to get going on January 2.
A reasonable crowd had arrived and plenty of bets had been placed on the first race when clerk of the course David Hunter signalled over the loudspeaker that for safety reasons the afternoon’s racing would not proceed. It had been wet all morning and the dangers were obvious. All bets were returned to those who queued up for them, as were entrance fees.
Such a sad sequence this season which has now seen the abandonment of three out of the first four meetings. Those of us who think positive must hope that the next scheduled gathering on Sunday, January 21 will be able to go ahead without interruption.
My 80th birthday gathering at the Hempton Bell a year back somehow survived the ice and snow and gave me a wonderful treat thanks to landlords – can I say that nowadays? – Jason and Rebecca, along with everyone who turned out despite the freeze.
To continue on that theme, the family had booked us all to see a matinee performance of a favourite musical, Les Miserables, in London in mid-January. It coincided with Chinese New Year celebrations to continue the party mood. That was the last time I went down to the big city and I have few desires to travel that way these days.
Recent news of the big earthquake in Japan - a country I lived in and travelled around for about six months - was reawakened by the disaster which hit that country again just recently. I was unfamiliar with the geography of this latest event but on looking back through my 2023 Wensums noted a column in February about two places in Turkey and Syria, Gaziantep and Aleppo, which had both been devastated by an earthquake.
Close to each other though separated by a border, my experiences there whilst making my way overland to Australia were of enduring kindness and generosity. In fact, this rucksack traveller with a Union Flag decorating his pack, was more often than not given a helping hand by numerous passers-by met along the way. Thank goodness the year was 1963 before much of this region and further east was torn apart by conflict. I’ll not be heading down there ever again but will always be reminded of the kindness of these strangers who suddenly became friends, if only for a few hours or a day or so. Over the course of that long journey, I believe their influence on my life and the way I treat others was infinite.
