[A New Life in the Sun]

One person's dream is another's nightmare. Some of the people on these programmes are just the sort of nightmares from which I prefer to escape. But each to his or her own, of course.

[Oh Donaldddd, they are coming for youu.....]

Perhaps one day the real truth will come out. Meanwhile, I tend to agree with Idun - Pence and others close to Trump seem even more scary.

[Article 50 Petition]

Good article but I doubt Daily Mail or Express fans will bother to read it. It has more words than pictures.

[Article 50 Petition]

She has apparently now agreed that we will leave when the DFS sale ends

[Article 50 Petition]

What use is democracy if voters are not allowed to make informed decisions?

May is being totally disingenuous.

[Why do foods you enjoy NEVER seem to live up to expection?]

I think sometimes it as much to do with the circumstances surrounding the previous tastings as the food itself. Nostalgia may be a thing of the past but it's a powerful emotion.

[Moles]

Am I the only person on here who likes moles?

[Vote for sale]

Sinking lower and lower....

[Storms]

And now I've got thunder and torrential rain in Cheltenham.

[Storms]

Drove up to Calais via Arras this morning in my trusty old LDV van. The vague steering, high centre of gravity and farm cart "suspension" made for an interesting trip - in strong wind, it's like a snake on roller skates. Sorry if you were on the road and got side-swiped by me.

[Whats odd about a second vote?]

After last night's "who's got the best deal?" competition, I think the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant has summed it up pretty well:

"The MPs are unable to agree about much and were making more noise than the proponents and opponents of Brexit who were protesting outside. The Scots do not want a Brexit at all, Labour wants to keep one leg in the EU, the Brexiteers want to go into battle against the EU like Don Quixote, and the Northern Irish unionists want to drag as much money out of London as possible."

[Funerals]

Fortunately, I have not so far had any direct involvement with funerals in France but, having spent about 30 years dealing with probate in the UK, I have had a lot of experience with undertakers. Invariably, the small private firms were less expensive than the big nationals who seemed to sell bereaved families more than they probably required, and more than they would have agreed to if not in such a vulnerable position.

Another noticeable thing was that families with modest resources often went for, or were persuaded to choose, more lavish, more expensive options than did wealthier (cannier) clients.

And those whose dearly departed had paid in advance invariably found that there were a lot of "extras" that were not covered by the prepayment plan and which the national firms were very adept at selling to the bereaved.

[Whats odd about a second vote?]

Democracy is dependent on individuals making informed decisions. However confused the situation remains, the electorate is surely better informed now than at the time of the referendum.

[Kenneth Clarke]

Rodda Thomas post on Facebook

18 January

BREXIT; THE STORY SO FAR.

David Cameron made a promise he didn't think he'd have to keep to have a referendum he didn't think he would lose. Boris Johnson decided to back the side he didn't believe in because he didn't think it would win. Then Gove, who said he wouldn't run, did, and Boris who said he would run, didn’t, and Theresa May who didn't vote for Brexit got the job of making it happen. She called the election she said she wouldn't and lost the majority David Cameron hadn't expected to win in the first place. She stayed in power by paying the DUP to agree with her. The DUP wanted to leave the EU but the people of NI wanted to remain. She triggered Article 50 when we didn't need to and said we would talk about trade at the same time as the divorce deal and the EU said they wouldn't so we didn't.

People thought she wouldn't get the divorce settled but she did, but only by agreeing to things she had promised the DUP she wouldn't. Then the Cabinet agreed a deal but they hadn't, and David Davis who was Brexit Secretary but wasn't, said it wasn't what people had voted for and he couldn't support what he had just supported and left. Boris Johnson who hadn't left then wished that he had and did, but it was a bit late for that. Dominic Raab become the new Brexit secretary.

People thought Theresa May wouldn't get a withdrawal agreement negotiated, but once she had they wished that she hadn't, because hardly anybody liked it whether they wanted to leave or not. Jacob Rees-Mogg kept threatening a vote of no confidence in her but not enough people were confident enough people would not have confidence in her to confidently call a no confidence vote. Dominic Raab said he hadn't really been Brexit Secretary either and resigned, and somebody else took the job but it probably isn't worth remembering who they are as they're not really doing the job either as Olly Robbins is.

Then she said she would call a vote and didn't, that she wouldn't release some legal advice but had to, that she would get some concessions but didn't, and got cross that Juncker was calling her nebulous when he wasn't but probably should have been.

At some point Jacob Rees Mogg and others called a vote of no confidence in her, which she won by promising to leave, so she can stay. But they said she had really lost it and should go, at the same time as saying that people who voted Leave knew what they were voting for which they couldn't possibly have because we still don't know now, and that we should leave the vote to Leave vote alone but have no confidence in the no confidence vote which won by more. The government also argued in court against us being able to say we didn't want to leave after all but it turned out we could. She named a date for the vote on her agreement which nobody expected to pass, while pretending that no deal which nobody wants is still possible (even though we know we can just say we are not leaving), and that we can't have a second referendum because having a democratic vote is undemocratic. And of course as expected she lost.

Some people are talking about a managed no-deal which is not a deal but is not managed either. When asked, our MP’s voted that they had confidence in her when they haven’t and said that we can’t have a Corbyn government because it would be chaotic and be bad for the country. Corbyn complained that May hadn’t asked for his views but when she did he said he wouldn’t talk because she is intransigent. There are 10 weeks left before it will all be sorted at the last minute. Or not......

[Brits bearing gifts]

He seems to eat very well, drinks like a fish (but not much water) and still manages to stay as thin as I would like to be. But then again, apart from the occasional siesta, he is on his feet from 6am till chucking out time, 7 days a week. He used to close on Mondays but stays open 7/7 now. I don't know how he does it.

[Brits bearing gifts]

I have combined suggestions to put together a UK package. The Irish cheddar I like, Scottish shortbread, Welsh bara brith and my wife's lemon drizzle cake (don't know if that's strictly English but she is - and I will happily eat it, if my French friends don't)

Ooops. Don't tell my Irish son-in-law that I have moved his country to the UK.

[Some say old people are a burden .......]

This brings to mind an old client of mine who had a loathing for farmers. As well as accusing them of profiteering from the war, she still resented that farm children had "eaten like kings" while she and others had to survive on wartime rations.

[Brits bearing gifts]

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. I was initially undecided about posting this on the forum but am glad I did as the responses have been very helpful. Marmite aside, they have also made me hungry.

[Boris]

Do you ever see Donald and Boris in the same room? Just askin'

[Brits bearing gifts]

You have given me an idea Pat. Mrs Zoff has been known to make a mean tea bread (bara brith)

[Brits bearing gifts]

I might take some piccalilli just to see the reaction :) I had thought about some cheddar, not least because we have recently discovered, at Aldi of all places, an Irish extra mature cheddar that, to our taste, is as good as any we have bought from the specialist cheese shop in Cheltenham.

[Brits bearing gifts]

I would welcome suggestions on English food that goes down well with French people.

A generous French friend owns the local shop and bar and is forever treating me to local delicacies. He has never ventured outside France so it is difficult to establish foreign stuff that he likes. But if I buy in France, he already has a shop filled with food and wine so it's "coals to Newcastle". He drinks only one brand of whisky which he seems to have "on tap".

So I wondered if any forum members have experience of British produce which is generally appreciated by French people when they visit the UK.

[Kenneth Clarke]

Incredible how many Brits seem to think that Brexit means we will get back The British Empire. All other countries will roll over and kow tow to us like they did in the good old days. "Rule Britannia".

Americans are often accused of being insular and not understanding what goes on outside their own borders but Brexit has really shown up the same weakness in a large part of the UK population.

[Garden hedging]

As a softy who hates anything with thorns, I am a big fan of beech for hedges. Kept trimmed, it makes a good strong boundary with year-round colour. Birds seem to like it, too. I am gradually replacing miles of leylandii with beech and wish I had done so years ago.

[If it were my home...]

Halleluyah