bridge too far

Just been to the inaugural meeting and I'm very excited! My grandchildren don't live near me, so they won't visit the museum that much but at least it will be there for when they're staying with me and that was my selfish reason for volunteering. The museum will actually be more of an 'experience', teaching all sorts of people about gardening, food production, the environment and history but it will be very hands-on. Very much a community project with stalls selling local produce and opportunities for children to understand where food comes from. I hope I'm going to be doing 'front of house' stuff because I can talk for England!

I was a Principal Auditor specialising in procurement, contracts and construction projects. I am now retired, but I do look after my grandchildren two days a week and I'm about to start working as a volunteer for a local farm museum that was threatened with closure. I trust I won't be milking cows or mucking out pigs

And hacking the phones of the families of service personnel killed in Afghanistan.

This is beyond political point scoring now.

Spent a happy week on holiday near Ledbury a couple of years ago. House prices seems lower than here (and, I suppose, rents too). Very pretty and lots of good places to visit on your days off. Good for cider!

Tip-offs are OK I suppose but the very thought of the gutter press paying the police really sticks in my craw. I think this whole saga is going to be a real Pandora's box.

Mr TF informs me that, according to Skate forums, they're after Jason Puncheon!!!! Oh and it's in the Echo and it's on the main bored http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/9123626.Saints__winger_eyed_up_by_Pompey/

What is now bothering me almost as much as the news about hacking is the fact that the NOTW paid police for information. How can there be a transparent police investigation if the investigators employ those who've been paid?

No it doesn't. At least the women's team wins matches.

I think it unlikely that the Guardian has been 'at it' TBH

Awesome goal by Ellen White! SCDAJFU!

Ford Motor Company and NPower 'reviewing their advertising' with NOTW

It's now being reported that the phones of the families of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were targeted! Dear God

Worse I think http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/has-cameron-done-a-deal-with-murdoch-1819010.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cameron-murdoch-and-a-greek-island-freebie-971470.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/20/david-cameron-speech-at-rupert-murdoch-hq http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/28/why-is-cameron-so-deferential-to-murdoch

I would put it in a Trust for my grandchildren to pay for their University fees in years to come. It will probably cost that much for all three of them to go.

Jamie - I'd defend freedom of the press to the hilt, even if a lot of what it prints is unpalatable. But put aside any feelings of revulsion about this phone hacking for a minute. It was, quite simply, ILLEGAL. I wouldn't buy the Sun, NOTW, or the Times. I'm very seriously thinking about cancelling my Sky subscribtion now. We all have to vote with our feet.

And to think, the powers that be want to allow Murdoch to increase his control of the British media.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/04/milly-dowler-voicemail-hacked-news-of-world Dreadful.

Timely piece in today's Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/03/bananas-spanish-children-rationing Rationing was over when I was little (apart from sweets - I remember trotting round to the sweetshop in South East Road with my ration book!) but it must have been tough.

True and house prices didn't start rising to 'unaffordable' until about the 80s when they exploded and that's when it became necessary for both to work. There used to be an old rule of thumb that the average house should be affordable to the tradespeople who built it. I'm sure that's not the case now.

Yes, I know. I already said that. Although it wasn't THAT easy to buy a house. You had to have a deposit and could only borrow 3 times the breadwinner's wage (usually the man's wage).

And a free pension

TDD does like to remind us on a regular basis about the free laptops

I'm sure I read recently that my generation and younger have only just repaid the final instalment of loans given to our country resulting from WW2?

Isn't a relative of one of the families a wedding planner? Rumour has it it has all been done for publicity. Nooooooooo! Surely not