Tuesday 15 April 2008

Early start

I'm not an early riser.

Indeed some ask the question whether I'm actually fully with it for any part of the day. A little harsh but today I can assure you I am wide awake. Why? Well oddly enough because I've been up since 4.30am.

Any other day 4.30am means in bed, sound asleep, dreaming of scoring the 30 yard wonder goal that will secure Bournemouth a League One spot, secure them a sound financial future and begin the enivitable march on into Europe.

Today 4.30am meant grabbing cameras and tripods and heading off into the depths of the New Forest to film the Dawn Chorus for a BBC project later this year. For all my grumbling I'm so glad I did as the sunrise this morning was truly beautiful.

We all forget from time to time how lucky we are to live here on the South Coast. Once every now and again a gentle reminder makes you realise just quite how blessed we are. So here's the thing - set your alarm clock extra early one day soon.

Get up when it's still dark - go to a safe spot on your own and watch the sunrise.

Life just got a little better.

So here's the joke ...

A farmer and his wife went to a fair. The farmer was fascinated by the airplanes and asked a pilot how much a ride would cost.

"£10 for 3 minutes," replied the pilot.

"That's too much," said the farmer.

The pilot thought for a second and then said, "I'll make you a deal. If you and your wife ride for 3 minutes without uttering a sound, the ride will be free. But if you make a sound, you'll have to pay £10."

The farmer and his wife agreed and went for a wild ride. After they landed, the pilot said to the farmer, "I want to congratulate you for not making a sound. You are a brave man."

"Maybe so," said the farmer, "But I gotta tell ya, I almost screamed when my wife fell out."
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Jon Cuthill is a presenter on BBC Radio Solent. You can listen to him every weekday from 9am-12.30pm, or listen again online at his website

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