The newspapers in the UK are full of accusations that the exam system has become a farce as the questions are now so easy that even your average Member of Parliament could probably get a couple of half decent A levels.

The news then, of a proposed policy on swearing ...   more »

I used to send these out by e-mail and in fact have a huge Word document full of the best ones which I recieved regularly... they seemed to have waned of late, which is a shame. This one has been around for ages (I'm sure Word Perfect went phut eons ...   more »

I don't do chain letters, ever. This came to me from Brixton Boy - and I could care less if you send it on to anyone or not. But it is funny and worth sharing:

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak.

After ...   more »

I cannot believe we have so much stuff. The house was starting to fill up with a few new things we needed - a couple of wardrobes for a start as we had none in Hong Kong - but when the shipment arrived.... well, the helpful chaps from the moving ...   more »

I've only been at the blog game for a few months now, but have very much enjoyed the chance to post a few posts.

The only thing I do regret is the freedom to write what I damn well please that is not afforded to me due a certain amount ...   more »

The 911 has been here a month now and I finally got round to taking her to the local Porsche Centre to have a couple of things done post shipping. The windscreen has a slight leak - supposedly fixed in Hong Kong but not - and the central locking is ...   more »

Whilst the BA baggage handlers come out in support of the Gate Gourmet (now that's an oxymoron) staff, protesting nuns are picketing Lincoln Cathedral during the filming of the Da Vinci Code.

The nuns allege the film breaks cathedral code and, standing at the security cordon with her wimple and placard Sister Mary Michael, 61 said: "I just don't think it is right that they are filming this story here. I know the Bishop and Dean argue it is fiction - and it might even be brilliant fiction - but it is against the very essence of what we believe."

Dean of Lincoln, the Very Rev Alec Knight, has described the book by Dan Brown, which has sold 18 million copies worldwide, as "a load of old tosh" but, tosh or not, a £100,000 donation from the film-makers and the chance to publicise the cathedral was too good to turn down.

"We thought about the film company's offer very carefully” said the Dean, “both from the point of view of disruption and also because of the text of the book itself.”

In the end he was unable to resist temptation and took the money. A sound and pragmatic commercial approach. Values out of the window, but still a sound commercial approach. I have a quote for him:

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

A bit below the belt I know, but I couldn't resist the temptation.

I am reminded of an old joke which, as with all good jokes, starts with two men in a pub:

Fred: I bought the wife a jaguar last week...
Bill: Really? Bet that was expensive, was it worth it?
Fred: Oh yes, it bit her head off.

This is of course incredibly unkind - I will suffer for it later - but is a neat introduction to our latest sensible car acquisition. OK, make that only sensible car acquisition.. well apart from the LandRover that is.   more »

This weekends activities were defined by visits with friends. Not UK friends, but ones from Hong Kong.

First, on Sunday afternoon we met up with our neighbours from Wong Keng Tei who, quite by chance, had planned to spend part of their summer holiday in Wiltshire. We were only half ...   more »

Our efforts to explore the culinary hotspots of Wiltshire continued on Saturday with a visit to The Bell in Ramsbury. Ramsbury is apparently famous as it is the location of the start of the Band of Brothers TV series. Apparently. Have to say it is a very attractive old village with a great deal of character.

The Bell was very good. A pleasant ambience, a short and interesting menu with a wine list to match. Somehow you always know you are in safe hands when you spot a few favourites and a the odd unusual bottle.....

So it was that we started with a bottle of Cave de Ribeauville, Gewurztranimer, 2003 and followed it with a Hochar Pere et Fils wine made by Chateau Musar. This is what attracted my attention as it is not something you see very often. Chateau Musar is famous for two reasons. One, it produces some damn fine wines and two, it is in the Lebanon.

The Hochar family own and run the estate and what we drank was, in Bordeaux speak, the second wine of the Chateau. It was excellent. Clearly Cabernet based but with the more exotic (!) blend of Carigan and Cinsault, not a combination widely available from France (OK Fisherman, correct me if I'm wrong!). It really is a joy to go find a restaurant where both menu and wine list are short and focussed, offering something you don't see every day.

We'll be back.   more »

Another thing has rattled my cage this week - the proposals to allow 24 hour drinking. Now, don't get me wrong, as you well know I am somewhat partial to a glass of wine, but for a government hell bent on controlling us all as if it were 1984, the ...   more »

There's a lot of fuss in the papers this week about extremist Muslim clerics and whether or not they should be deported or have operations on the NHS. Well to me they are either entitled or not, their religious views are not really the issue. If they break the law ...   more »

Summer was on her best behaviour this weekend. This was especially pleasing as I had taken Friday and Monday off to spend on the farm en famille, avec mes amis et mes voitures. Pourqoi le franglais, je hear vous demanding? Well, because we need to practice our francais in advance ...   more »

Work has progressed well on the shoot and with the pheasant pen now basically complete and with the doors on, we are on the downhill run. The job list is not short, but manageable in the month remaining before the poults arrive.

I took Ash down there on Sunday and ...   more »

It is said that “to err is human, to forgive, divine”.

It is also said that “to err is human, but to completely stuff things up requires a computer”.

I am pleased to now add:

To err is human, but to create a total cluster-fudge of ...   more »