Na ed by the editor
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Take a stroll with us through the little sideroads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange...
Gambling... it's a mugs' game and no mistake. There we were, all set to rake in millions from last weekend's Grand National, when it all fell apart on us like a piece of badly made flat-pack furniture. Worst of all is the provenance of the tip not for us the fevered whisperings round the back of the stable block with a muttering Irishman in a greasy hat who 'knows someone who knows someone'. No, our recommendation came from much closer to home. It was in fact our dear editor, who knows a bit about the gee-gees. Like the fools that we are, we blindly followed his lead and stuck three months' gin money on the blasted nag. And what do we find a few days before the race? Yep, the bloody horse has pulled out due to a touch of asthma or something. To cap it all the 10-1 favourite we garnered in the office sweepstake fell at the fourth fence, so no luck there either. Bah and double bah.
Away from our world of frittering money on three-legged donkeys we'd like to wish a growled 'good luck' to ruddycheeked Scot Phil Flanders, the gravel-voiced head honcho of the Road Haulage Association in Scotland, as he prepares to cycle more than 500 miles in seven days through Vietnam. The reason for this quest, which we're dubbing Apocalypse Noo, is to raise money for the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity dedicated to fighting leukaemia. Phil aims to raise £10,000; pledge cash via the RHA in Scotland. He's up to around £9,000 already, so only needs a last push to beat his target.
Here at On the Margin we're so shameless that we'd sell our own mothers for enough gin. So given that this ploy worked handsomely before we're repeating the process in the hope of free booze. Volvo has apparently sold a new truck to brewers Ringwood who make the finest beer to come out of the New Forest, if not the whole of Hampshire. We've had many a night that's been immeasurably improved by a gallon of delicious 'Old Thumper' or thirst quenching Fortyniner and if they wanted to send us some (buy Ringwood, it's the best) we'd be only too happy to carry on mentioning how good the beer is (mmmm Ringwood) for as long as (Ringwood! Ringwood! Ringwood!) it takes (mmmm).