Happy New Year!

With the inevitability of night following day, the holiday season is over…

Heatonians – and indeed people the world over – breathe a sigh of acceptance and return to work, Christmas once again a rapidly diminishing memory.  Time to rev up the Old Heatonian again.

Christmas was a fairly subdued time last year for most people, no doubt as the credit crunch begins to bite and the stark reality of potential redundancy begins to dawn.  However, Heatonians in particular are rarely daunted and business has been fairly brisk in the village, as we collectively braved the sub arctic temperatures to huddle together in the hostelries to swap stories and gifts and share the communal warmth that typifies this wonderful community.

Even Donald ‘Hutchy’ Hutchinson, the original ‘grumpy old man’ of the village managed to cheer us all up a bit, making all too rare visits to the pub to dispense some of his sage, idiosyncratic wisdom, and tease us all with the prospect of a jar of his famous homemade picalilli.  I’m sure I speak for us all when I wish him the very very best for 2009.

Moving forward into a new year where the people of Palestine face calamity at the hands of an occupying force, the staff of countless high street stores face an uncertain future and shoppers face a distinct lack of places to shop, rest assured that Old Heatonian  will continue as it always has, observing the comedic and tragic alike and reporting here for your entertainment and enlightenment.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas, and good luck for 2009!

Phil