2025 03Nympton News Autumn final with bleed - Flipbook - Page 9
As Sam mentioned in his eulogy, one of Roland9s creations was the old
couple Burt and Mary-Anne. During lock-down Roland recorded sessions
in his conservatory of him recounting tales of the old couple, which you
can revisit on the video pages of the community website. Here9s one of
his stories, which you have to imagine being recounted in a thick North
Devon burr!
Old Bert was fond of the drink but
he's a crafty old sod as well. I
remember about three months ago
a young couple moved into the
village - they bought themselves
their 昀椀rst cottage, and they settled
in, made themselves popular, and
met up the pub with Burt. One
Sunday in the morning the young man was in bed reading
The Telegraph over the toast and marmalade and cup of
coffee his wife had brought up to him, and his wife had
gone for a shower. And as she was just stepping out from
the shower the doorbell rang. So she said to her husband
`I'll go and get that.' She wrapped a towel round her and
went down, opened the front door and there was Burt
standing there. She said `hello Bert' - he said `cor hello,
how are you?' She said `昀椀ne, thank you. What can I do for
you?' He said `well there is something, my dear.' She said
`what's that?’ He said `I'll give you £800 if you just drop
the towel - just for a minute, that's all.’ So she looked
around. There was nobody else looking at all, and she
thought `£800 is £800, isn't it?' So she smiled,
dropped the towel, stood there for a minute, then picked
it up again. Burt then passed her £800. Cor, she went
indoors happy as a cricket, and she was halfway up the
stairs (because she wasn't gonna tell her husband what
had happened, obviously not) - and her husband shouted
out `who's that?' She said `it was only Burt’ He said `oh
good, has he brought that £800 he owes me?’ Crafty
devil, eh?
To read online—www.kingsnymptononline.com/latest-edition
9
