I hope this message finds you well and that you are managing to enjoy some of this beautiful sunshine!A big, heartfelt “Thank You” to all of you who have sent emails and messages of support and encouragement in the past three weeks, it means a great deal to me and the team, and I have made sure to share your messages with them.  I signed-off the last email with an “In Other News…” piece, so I thought I would dedicate this email entirely to “other news”.  Understandably, the Coronavirus pandemic is front and centre in everyone’s mind, but life is carrying on around the globe and there are other light-hearted stories that are perhaps being overlooked by mainstream media. Enjoy… The Miracle of Settecani. Villagers in Italy enjoyed a “miracle” recently as water from their taps turned to wine. Residents of Settacani, near Bologna, found the sparkling Lambrusco pouring from their taps following a mix-up at the local winery, which is connected to mains public water supply.  A valve malfunction meant that instead of water being pumped into the plant, the sparkling red flowed out, to the bemusement and delight of local residents! Saving the Bacon. A  large fire broke out in Bramham, near Leeds recently after a pig swallowed a pedometer. The device, which is used to prove that the animals are free-range, was eaten and then excreted; the battery reacted with the pig’s excrement and dry hay in the pig-pen.  North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service was called to put out the 75 sq.metre blaze, a spokesperson confirming that they had successfully managed to “save the bacon”. Yeh for Yoshi! A loggerhead turtle that spent 20-years living in an aquarium tank in South Africa has swum more than 22,000 miles since being released into the wild two years ago.  Yoshi, a female loggerhead, was released off the coast of Cape Town in December 2017.  Despite experts being doubtful about her ability to survive in the wild, Yoshi has defied the odds by swimming up the west coast of Africa to a feeding ground off the coast of Angola; she then swam back down the west coast, around the Cape of Good Hope, heading across the Pacific to northwestern Australia. Ancient Mariners. With a combined age of 257, four Britons have become the oldest crew to row across the Atlantic, beating the previous team by 33 years.  Mike Winn, Guy Munnoch, Steve Hughes and John Moorhouse (who call themselves The Ancient Mariners after Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner) reached Antigua from La Gomera, Tenerife (a journey of 3,000 miles) after just 49 days at sea.  The team – a retired accountant, a businessman, a former soldier and a dentist – raised £20,000 for charity, including Blind Veterans UK. Covering Up During COVID. The Czech Republic has made wearing face masks compulsory in public, with no exceptions allowed. Police were called to enforce the ban at Lazne Bohdanec Spa recently after reports that nudists without masks were enjoying the spring weather. “Citizens can be without clothes in places designated for this purpose,” a spokesperson said, “but they must have their mouths covered.” Daleks Enforce Social Distancing Measures. A Dalek has been spotted patrolling the street of a Yorkshire village instructing residents to stick to social distancing rules.  “All humans must keep indoors! All humans must self-isolate! By order of the Daleks!” the Doctor Who villain screeched as it zoomed along the streets of Robin Hood’s Bay near Whitby.  Local B&B owner Louise Parker said it was a “relief” to have the extraterrestrials on the community’s side. And finally… Two martial arts experts have been running around Stockport in Spider-Man suits to entertain local children during the COVID lockdown.  The Stockport Spider-Men (aka Jason Baird and his colleague Andrew Baldock) have been taking requests via Facebook.  Meanwhile, in South Tyneside, a postman has been doing his rounds in fancy dress (including Little Bo Peep and Cleopatra) to cheer up residents in lockdown. In Liverpool a policeman stopped-off to help a four-year old boy celebrate his birthday. Dexter’s mum had put out a request on social media for a police patrol car to wave at him. Instead, Sgt. Mark Wilson visited Dexter with a goodie bag and a birthday card from the Chief Constable.  And in Norfolk, a paramedic who headed to Lidl after a night shift was given a round of applause by fellow shoppers, one of whom offered to pay for the paramedic’s shopping. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading those little nuggets of “other news” and that they’ve brought a smile to your face!  My thanks to The Week and The Happy News magazines as the source for these stories! Stay safe and keep well. Best Wishes Anthony & The C&R Team