A TALE OF THE UNEXPECTED
When Not Just Sheep & Rugby was forced to down tools five months ago, it's a fair bet few tears were shed. Apparently, we've been a thorn in the side of some, and a waste of space in the view of many.
An unpaid staff member who had been churning out hundreds of articles for our blog over the course of a decade was suddenly struck down by a crippling but mysterious illness which left the individual concerned wondering if they would survive.
A stay in hospital coupled with virtually every test available to the medical profession failed to come up with a diagnosis. Meanwhile, rapid weight loss, consistent lack of energy, and a sense of frustration meant our scribe was unable to write a shopping list, let alone the purple prose our readership had grown accustomed to.
Our aged newshound lost touch with the outside world, and firmly believed a long, undistinguished career at the ink face had come to a shuddering halt. It was going to take something special to turn around months of suffering and misfortune.
Just as well our once intrepid reporter believes in unconventional miracles. For a gradual recovery since the turn of the year is attributed to.....a long lost silver Canadian dollar bearing an image of a totem pole.
It seems that back in the 1950s a close relative of our colleague went to work as a nanny for a wealthy family in Vancouver, British Columbia.
During her stay the Canadian province celebrated its centenary (1858-1958). A centennial $1 coin was struck to mark the event.
According to the coins unlimited website: "To commemorate the gold rush centenary and the establishment of British Columbia as an English Crown colony, a special reverse coin design was employed. British Columbia is the only area in Canada where the Indians constructed totem poles, so the design is very appropriate. It was rumoured that this issue was unpopular with the coastal Indians because it contained an element which to them signified death."
The children's nurse acquired several of the coins and gifted one of them to the school pupil who would later strive unsuccessfully to hit the heights of journalistic stardom.
According to the recipient, who kept the shiny dollar [80% silver] on their person for several years, the coin immediately brought good luck. Acceptable grades were achieved in school exams despite low expectations: runs flowed from the bat at cricket: and there were successes at job interviews with the Canadian currency present on each occasion.
We are told there was considerable consternation when the nanny's gift was misplaced during a move from a rural idyll to a bustling city sometime in the late 1960s.
The much-treasured dollar was never seen again. Or at least not until a few weeks ago when fingers searching the back of a very deep drawer for a packet of Kleenex made contact with its milled edge. Its recovery from the darkness was accompanied by an excited yelp.
And almost from that moment the health of our hero was on an upward spiral. Other significant bits of good fortune have followed although there's still no sign of that elusive lottery jackpot!
So, does a 1958 British Columbia centennial dollar complete with totem pole motif hold mystical powers? Who knows.
At least it has allowed Not Just Sheep & Rugby to make a comeback of sorts. Whether our return is temporary or permanent remains to be seen.
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