stereforth

Yes, Huncamunca, American Tabloid is a great read. Do try the follow-up The Cold Six Thousand. I agree his style is disjointed. I read somewhere this was to get more action in fewer words. The publisher told him to cut one down by several hundred pages and that style was his answer.

Sorry Sean. Quite right.After uploading I realised I had left out the attribution. BTW they taste splendid. It's very easy to OD on them. For Horsebox: HTW refers to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

For crumpets unlike the factory specimen try this: Hugely satisfying to make. Makes 12. (Crumpet rings are those things some cafes use in which to fry eggs) 450g plain white flour 350ml warm milk 350ml warm water (approximately) 5g powdered dried yeast 10g salt 1 tsp baking powder A little sunflower or vegetable oil In a bowl, whisk the flour, milk, water and yeast into a rather runny batter the consistency of single cream. Cover with cling-film and leave for an hour until really bubbly (or three to four hours, if need be). Heat a heavy-based frying pan or flat griddle over a medium-high heat. Whisk the salt and baking powder into the batter. Lightly grease the crumpet rings and pan. Put one ring in the pan, fill to just below the top ? the batter should stay in the ring and lots of holes should appear on the surface after a minute or two. (If it dribbles out underneath, it is too thin, so whisk a little more flour into your batter mix. If lots of holes don't form, it's too thick, so whisk in some water.) Assuming your test crumpet is OK, after five minutes or so, when the surface is just set, flip it over, ring and all. (If the cooked base seems too dark, turn down the heat.) Cook for two to three minutes, until golden on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter in batches. Butter and eat at once, or cool on a wire rack for toasting later.

White Jazz by James Ellroy. His style in the later books is strange but makes Hammett and Chandler seem soft-boiled. Got about three quarters through Hugo's Les Miserable. Great for social background of 19th century France, but very exhausting. Live From Golgotha by Gore Vidal. Excellent satire for all atheists.

Have to give Bob Monkhouse credit here. " I want to die quietly in my bed, like my father. Not kicking and screaming like his passengers".

Well said PR.I did jury service in the mid eighties.It was a great experience,despite the many hours of boredom over the basic two weeks. The jury system, like voting, is a cornerstone of democracy and should be taken seriously.

Delilah

Pudding

Blue Moon - Ella Fitzgerald

Face/Faces(?) I think not

Everybody Loves You Babe - Billy Brag

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter - Billy williams

According to National Audit Office figures, in 2007/8 tax relief on pension contributions was ?37.6 billion. 60% goes to those on the higher tax rate and a quarter, nearly ?10 billion a year, goes to just 1 percent of the population on over ?150,000 a year(of DECLARED income). Just reducing that allowance to a flat rate of 25% for all would save billions. Things may have changed over the years but ten years ago a friend of mine, director of a small company, had the bulk of his salary paid into a private pension scheme. He then borrowed, at a very low interest rate, from the fund. It worked out that he paid little or no tax.

Muffin78 said "I told her I had an underlying health condition and a supressed immune system. Has anyone else heard this from their own GPs i.e. that they couldnt have the jab yet??" My GP receptionist gave the impression that they encouraged all to have the jab. When I told my GP that I was on immuno suppressants she strongly advised that I have it. Incidentally, she assured me that there were no side effects. Apparently it is not like most vaccines in that it does not give you a mild hit of the disease. If they make it difficult for you, complain strongly.

Over You - Velvet Underground

Not quite Dorset. Just a bit to the left on the coast and you come to Beer. West of Lyme Regis. I have stayed there several times at varying times of year. Friendly little fishing town with plenty of cottages/houses to rent. Look it up on google. Plenty of websites advertising accommodation. Nice town. Not stuffy, but not cheap and tacky either. Some nice pubs, fresh caught fish each morning on the quay. We were driving past some years ago and had heard good things about the place so we made a detour. Loved it almost immediately. Admittedly the last time was five years ago, and things change, but it was the kind of place where you allow an extra 20 minutes when buying an early morning paper because people will want to stop and talk.

Mean Old World - Aynsley Dunbar

Out of Time - Chris Farlowe

There She Goes Again - Velvet Underground

Howlin? At The Moon - Hank Williams

Thanks, Dulwichmum, for the info on that old fraud Padre Pio. Sorry if you felt offended by my mentioning De Valera, but for decades he was probably the most prominent figure keeping Ireland in cultural backwardness. It is not enough to condemn the Catholic church for its criminal acts. One needs to understand why this came about. It is sad how far some people will go to lift their own children out of poverty. Yesterday's Guardian has a good article on abuse at boys' schools run by the Christian Brothers: see By the way, I am not biased against the Catholic Church. I detest all religions and all state funding of faith schools. Long live Richard Dawkins I say.

Cape

Blue Skies - Al Jolson

About five years ago I was having a quiet drink a local pub in Nunhead. A customer at the bar was leading off about people being able to come to this country and get housed by the local council etc. His main objection was that he, a single man, was living with his parents and not in his own home. He went on about "If I was a different colour" when the assistant manager (a woman half his size) stood up from a nearby table and asked him to drink up and leave. He asked if she was a "nigger lover". She then walked up to him, took the glass out of his hand and told him to get out. He complained about losing a pound's worth of beer. She took 10p from her pocket and threw it on the floor, saying "That's all you're worth for using that language in my pub". I was, to say the least, impressed, and gave her a job when I had the chance.

Please Don't pass Me by - Leonard Cohen