Family News 

March 2001

Updated 13 April 2001

Contents:
Report
Pic of the Past
Message from John Davidson
Outings
Pictures
Ben Corbyn
Comment

Hi Guys,

I have now started the e-pages to tell you what we have been up to. I am a bit late again, for several reasons or excuses if you want to call them that. We have had Bill and Betty as visitors for 2 weeks, and enjoyed their visit (hope they did too,) and Andrew & Mairead came down for a weekend to see them. As soon as Bill & Betty left, Celia's Mum had a bad turn and was taken into Hospital for observation and tests. All of this has meant that the web site has had to take second place. Well I am putting it together now. Hope all are well, I will give news of you, if I have any. Check it out below.
I am a bit worried that Bill will have seen all the pictures and will not find the site as interesting as normal, but here goes anyway! I enjoy doing it.

Dave Hitchings

This guy is really old, he is from a mosaic at Bignor, the Roman ruins at Pulborough. We visited Fishbourne, which is a similar ruin, as part of our outings with Bill & Betty. Andrew & Mairead joined us.
If you want to know more about the man above, and the ruins at Fishbourne, Bignor, etc. info can be found on www.romansinsussex.co.uk

Pic of the Past

Bill Corbyn at Whitley Bay

Year ?

2 Pictures from John Davidson of my Hurricane - or parts of it! Great Pics!
I will be putting these on the Hurricane web site to put some extra interest onto the page.

Message from John Davidson.
Hope you are all doing well. It was nice to see you last month, thanks for looking after me! I've got a couple of photos of the Hurricane, slightly alternative views - so you can use them on your site if you like them. I've also put one of my car on, and a pic of the bird at Wakehurst Place.
I've been working quite hard, got three out of four of my chapters for my diss. written, so trying to do the fourth this week before getting it all in order in the last couple of weeks. However, I had a bit of an accident playing football last week so my lower right leg is in plaster! It's not broken but I have damaged my ligaments so I've got that on for at least two weeks.
Apart from that I'm doing alright!
Enjoy the pics,
John

Note from your editor - If you want to see John's picture of his car or the bird, send me an e-mail and you can have a copy. The ones shown above are the best ones.

The editor is often reprimanded for ruining pictures. (That's why I prefer being behind the camera,) so here is a good one.
It's a sculpture on Brighton seafront.
No, not the red bit!

Left - Celia on the beach at Brighton.
It was cold and windy.
And Below in the Garden Centre - What is she pointing at?

People - Grandma Corbyn, Bill Corbyn, Andrew & Mairead, Katy.

Snippets. 

Bill and Betty came from Canada for a visit, to see us and Grandma Corbyn (Bill & Celia's Mam.) Good times were had by most, but Grandma Corbyn found it hard to get about much and was easily tired by her visitors. This made it difficult to go out with her and we had visits out in between visits to see her.
Katy came to Haywards Heath and was able to join us for a couple of occasions, including tea at Caburn - see picture. Katy is working hard at Newcastle Uni - we think.
A new family member - Ben Corbyn, born just before Bill & Betty left Canada. I guess that makes his Birthday 18th March. Well done Richard and Wendy. See pictures below.
Grandma Corbyn is in Hospital at the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath. Although she has been rather unwell, she is now improving. This is April news, as she went in on 4th April, but I thought it should be included here. You will get an update in the April e-news.

A very young Ben Corbyn

Proud Dad and Ben waving - good for one day old!

One of the latest pictures - Ben at about 31/2 weeks and looking well.

Links
Family News Index

Main Site Index

Main Site Home page

Jill Little's site, on Canadian flag

John Davidson's site on the Scottish Flag

e-mail to your editor

Comments.
Car Parking
The Princess Royal Hospital has introduced car park charges. This seems quite harmless really, why not charge people, parking is a normal thing to charge for. Anyway, I thought a bit more about it ………………..
Sainsbury's is the local supermarket and they state that they only charge for long periods, i. e. over 2 hours. So do car parks on motorway service stations, (why - where are you going to go from there?) and most other similar establishments.
The Hospital charges are 60p for the first hour, £1.20 for 2 hours up to £5.00 for all day.
The supermarkets and other outlets let you park because they are taking your money in a way which you are happy to go along with, because you are buying things. They are providing and you are getting a service. Great!
The Hospital has no way of getting money out of it's 'customers' and has a car parking problem. This is mainly due to staff who all drive in early and fill the car parks around the Hospital. There is little room left for visitors. So the decision came to charge for parking. Who does this help? I think it is to make the Hospital Management feel in control of their 'customers,' especially in financial terms, by restricting what they can do in Hospital grounds. It's a way of subconsciously demonstrating your attitude to 'customers.' When you go into the Hospital, say to take someone in to Casualty or for tests, you have to pre-pay - for how long? At those rates? Casualty can take hours, so can other tests etc. Why not a free car park near the buildings for short term parking? Why not staff car parks further away? Why not patients first?
I have asked staff what they think. 'Oh,' they say, 'it's all right, I'm staff and we get a free pass.'   
When there was a television report on kids pinching cars in Geordieland, playing handbrake turns and setting them on fire, watched by a crowd of onlookers. The TV reporter asked a local woman what she thought of the vandalism.
'It doesn't bother me,' she said, 'I haven't got a car.'