philmayfield

Maybe the temptations would be less. Who knows?

No Christmas tree goes up in this house until Christmas Eve and comes down as soon as possible after that. Christmas is a pain in the backside!

Intellect can be tested by examination. How do you measure altruism though? From my own experience of the parish and county councillors I’ve known they haven’t been the sharpest tools in the box. My local MP is Robert Jenrick. Need I say more?

They have to have a sense of altruism and public duty but there’s nothing like cash to attract the best brains.

Politicians pay, although high compared with the average, is considerably lower than able people can get in business and the professions. The problem is that to give the existing MP’s a substantial increase wouldn’t make them any cleverer or abler. The system has got to change to attract competent people into politics and that has to include rewards comparable with the private sector.

I still have the Fender Stratocaster I bought many years ago from Papworths. I restrung it last week and it sounds wonderful. If the third finger on my left hand ever grows back again from the horticultural accident I could play it again.

Good to see old Barton Hart revived again. I’ve already gone on at some length about him previously. Many’s the beers we’ve enjoyed in the Waggon. He was always generous when proffering his snuff but that never appealed to me. When he died I took over his seat in the public bar. You can see his and his wife’s grave in Bleasby churchyard. Apparently he was at one time the organist at the Parish Church in Loughborough and that is mentioned on his tombstone. Coincidently he’s buried close to my father whom he once had taught at Trent Bridge School.

I think of Labour had a credible, moderate leader at the time then the Tory majority would not have been as great. Even now they are a party of nonentities as indeed are the Liberals.

He wasn’t up against any serious opposition though. It was more that Corbyn lost it rather than Boris won it.

I also remember those songs. We sang them at Arno Vale School. I'm sure Margie will confirm it.

.....and you could always get an idea of the result by the inflection of his voice!

We had an an experiment in the U.K. in the 60’s where we could fit a resistor to ‘dim-dip’ our headlamps for daytime driving. I fitted one in my Healey Sprite but the experiment didn’t seem to last for long.

I believe Saab latterly had a showroom on Haydn Rd. now occupied by a Subaru dealership. It’s never been a make I lusted over but they did have considerable rally successes. Went I used to go to Sweden it was either Saab or Volvo, not much else and I was intrigued to see them driving with dipped headlamps during daylight. The Swedes used to drive on the left but changed over to driving on the right in 1967. That must have been interesting! It will even more interesting if the southern Irish ever decide to do that to keep in step with their EEC friends!

Saabs were sold by Natrass on Woodborough Rd. I never had one but one of my co- directors was an avid enthusiast. Eric Carlson drove them successfully in the Monte Carlo Rally.

We eat out infrequently these days. When you compare the prices, you could eat almost for a week at home. I realise you’re paying for the service and the ambiance but I feel that eating out has got to be an extra special culinary experience. I want proper portions though, not an overpriced, fancy, so called ‘tasting menu’. There’s nowhere in our area that meets my expectations and, because a meal isn’t a meal without wine, there’s the problem of someone in the party having to stay ‘dry’ for the evening.

The Tech College fronted onto Burton St. Just round the corner from Trinity Square

I thought the 'cave one' was the El Toreador on Burton St

An oxymoron perhaps?

Good to see you in your country tweeds in the garden of your stately pile BK. I suppose you'll be going to stay at Sandringham for the rest of the festive season. I'll think of you when I'm queueing at the Netherfield food bank for our annual tin of spam.

I've got a ratting cap but I prefer my tweed baseball cap, with a peak at the front, when I'm working around the estate. Obviously I wouldn't desport myself in public whilst wearing it!

I have a Musto baseball cap I used to wear when I was seafaring. It has a strip down the back with a clip that goes onto the collar. Stops it blowing away in the wind!

Exodus, Deuteronomy and Numbers, to name just a few. Quite a popular saying!

The children could also suffer by living under the same roof as an unvaccinated parent. It is, in the main, those people who choose not to be vaccinated that are taking up the hospital beds and, in many cases, dying for their principles. A lot of people just don’t realise the seriousness of the situation. They don’t listen to Radio 4 in the morning or read a newspaper. Many don’t even comprehend English. ‘The sins of the fathers are to be laid upon the children.’ As it says in the Bible.

The Queen does have a certain amount of public support. She has maintained dignity during her reign and has not espoused any controversial causes. When the next batch come along I think the popularity of the monarchy will wane. We’re there to be a succession of freak yachting accidents we might even have Andrew on the throne!

Online voting will definitely happen in years to come. When you look at the logistics involved in getting boxes to the polling stations, sending out the tellers, collecting the boxes, counting the votes. What a shocking waste of time and resources.