We have only lived here for 15 years, which makes us residents but not locals, are definitely not social animals being content with living quietly as a family 6 miles outside of Barnstaple but it is surprising how many people we know and how everyone seems to have some sort of connection. (Barnstaple is a big town with a population of 35,000) This was brought home to me the other day when I went shopping on the day that Claire had her baby. I went Brian Ford's a large local discount supermarket, Claire's brother is a floor manager there (connection 1) and though I didn't see him I had a chat with Jenny a checkout supervisor there. During the day Jenny is the lead teaching assistant at a Sticklepath Primary School on that side of town where I worked regularly for years (connection2). Jenny is one of these amazing people who can quell a class of 30 challenging 10 year olds with a few quiet words, she lives on the estate and knows every family, mums, dads and even grandparents. We chatted about Claire's baby ,my job and Chris the other reception teacher in my school who used to go to school at Sticklepath and then worked there as a teaching assistant when I was there, before going on to teacher training. (more connections)
Not quite finished. This is my last old landrover, I always had landrovers till recently and through the advice of the chap who runs the local Games Workshop, where my boys used to help at a Warhammer Club, we started taking the landrover for repairs to a landrover specialist at Bideford. After many happy years of reasonable repairs Barney closed his workshop and moved to Barnstaple. And now his little girl, who I used to see in her playpen, is in my class, (another connection). Not only that but when Granny came to pick up the little girl one afternoon I recognised her from the days when she was a year 6 teacher at Sticklepath. Chris remembers being taught by her as well as later working with her. Full circle I think.Despite having very few people that we could say are friends it is surprising just how many people we know and know us. That will be something we will miss if we move away but if I continue to teach then school automatically brings so many people into your sphere.
