man o' the year

Is that Betjemen? Come friendly bombs ... The earth exhales.

I know TS Eliot tends to go on somehwat but your selections tend to reveal you are indeed feeling your age, with retirement now beckoning. Where do you know these from? I recognise many poems and extracts but can recite precisely nothing - my mind jumbles them unless they are organised for me. I prefer to read and ponder.

A good month for us - £75 for me and £125 for the wife each from max holdings. Together with a more modest £50 and £75 respectively last month it takes the prizes for our first12 months of draws to £725 for me and £850 for her so 1.45% and 1.7%. Still hoping for something more substantial than highest of £100 prize. Only the one month for me with no win at all.

He seems to be the only one prepares to work over Christmas.

You are under somewhat of a misapprehension on both counts.

I would love to know why. I struggle to see myself as middle class but I guess I must be. Still could n't bring myself to vote Tory though!

Just for info Survival rate of first class passengers = 61% Survival rate of Second class passengers = 42% Survival rate of Third class passengers = 24%

Perhaps it was what he did just before which meant that he needed air freshener which caused the problem!

The contrast for me was being left in the rain unable to travel. If we had been picked up by any one of those 20 or so cabs that passed by me as I waved then I would still be using black cabs, paying £40 a chuck, and leaving a tip. But They did not stop. And in future I will not use them as first preference.

Most likely. The first was asian, the second west indian and the third east european.

Previously anti uber seeing it as doing the same to black cabs as Air BNB has done to our hotel trade but our experience in London this weekend has been sufficient to persuade me otherwise. My previous experience of cabs in London was that they were very expensive. This is based on occasional use going back many years but the most recent being about 1 year ago with extrotionate charge from london city airport to Victoria bus station. Anyway on Saturday we left 90 mins to get to a wedding in Shoreditch from Islington (about a 20 minute journey). We went out and tried to flag down a cab reconcile to parting with the best part of £50 as seems to have been the way in the past. After 45 mins of both busy and empty cabs passing us by we installed the Uber app and ordered a ride. It was soon there and got us to St Leonards church with no fuss and in quick time. Charge for the journey? £12-79. I gave him £5 tip. Then further journeys later from the church to reception and then from the reception back to Islington. Each time they arrived promptly,they were courteous, cars were clean and warm and efficient. I cannot believe how little they cost and I have never been more happy to give a £5 tip. All the charges were similar amounts. Good bye black cabs. If Uber is available I will always use tem now. Incidentally taxi journeys for us in Bath still very expensive at £25 for the 6miles into Bath and £60 for a 35 minute ride to Bristol airport.

I am just listening to O'brian and feel the way so many on there do. I did not vote. As a lad from a mining village I could not bring myself to vote Tory although it came very close. The Labour party is the Muslim and hard left party to me. The "working man" had nowhere to go. My daughter at university was aware that I had said I would not vote. She had not sent for a postal vote and so was unable to vote so I volunteered that I would vote on her behalf if she wished. I then realised what this may mean and so added that I would not vote Labour for her. It felt like the shadow of death standing over me when I realised I had potentially committed to voting for Corbyn. I know now what we are in for in terms of a Tory majority. We can forget new hopistals and more money for education. Back to the same route for money as ever under them but the trickle down is a proven fallacy. Listening to Labour reaction this morning I know they cannot go back to what they should be. The change of voting system means the left now hold sway and can put in their candidate and will not compromise on principle. Even if they did there is noone there to lead. Even Mrs Balls refused to rule herself out of leadership when interviewed. For goodness sake she is one of the main reasons they are where they are - sabotaging Brexit repeatedly. And yet she survives. I was born in Worksop and John Mann's interview on BBc was spot on for me. My God what have we come to when Bassetlaw is Tory. And Mansfield and Ashfield with Anderson there probably the stupidest politician I have ever seen as revealed by Michael Crick just a couple of days ago still gets elected. As a small business and close to retiremnt and comfortable pension I am more likely to benefit from Tory policies than so many. But those I have left behind in the East Midlands will be in real trouble in the near future.

Just to follow up - I recommend one of these for any one buying the Rioja I recommended : Glugger

Would love to see Mrs Balls go but unfortunately she looks unassailable with a majority of 14.5k.