LEIGH
REP: Emma Harris emma.harris27@btinternet.com DISTRIBUTOR: Judy Tuke
Morag Orchard – Bounds Lane in Spring
It’s hard to see the weeks and months slip by without the many pre-planned events taking place – in the village and further afield. In my diary I have all the GCSE and A level exam dates for which I was supposed to be invigilating at the Gryphon School. Although a little part of us has heaved a sigh of relief that they are not going ahead, I think the majority of students (and staff alike) are feeling a huge sense of anti-climax as they see their important year come to a close without the Final Test. For the students, this is mixed with a sense of anxiety as to what life holds in store for them in the next academic year; whether they are hoping to start their A level courses, head off to university (online?) or make up for lost time as they enter their GCSE or A level year in September. While I was “growing up” with my teenage boys in the noughties, the DVD craze was The Matrix, and all its sequels. We had the whole lot – bought year after year with Christmas and birthday money. I found myself watching 22
these films with them in bits and pieces and, at the time, never understood what on earth was going on. What little I did gather was that the protagonist, Neo, (played by Keanu Reeves) experienced the real world only by plugging himself into a computer (using a slot in the back of his neck!) Through this portal he entered the “Matrix” and was able to do everything heroes do, including falling in love with a beautiful woman. In this virtual “real” world we saw him challenge his adversaries with superhuman powers, only to discover that – spoiler alert – in the end he was actually just sitting at a screen in a dark room! Although spooky to say, I sometimes feel as if my sons are actually living this life for real in 2020. My 18 year-old spends a good deal of time at a screen either gaming or having lessons from school via Microsoft Teams; all from the comfort of his bedroom (often in his pyjamas!) The rest of the time he’s in the fake world – the one where he’s asleep or can’t go anywhere due to the COVID 19 lockdown. Luckily I am able to send a real dog or two up to his room to remind him that outside the beautiful countryside beckons for a walk and so he plods off in his wellies around the fields! Who knows? By the time you read this it’ll be nearly 4th July, and isn’t that a significant date for some of the restrictions being lifted? Anyone out there who can do this job? Goodbye! Emma Harris emma.harris27@btinternet.com
