Whitey Grandad

Oooh Turkish, you tease!

25860 Very respectable, all things considered.

On BBC1 very late tonight. I would expect extended highlights.

Look out for 'Quizzical Bob'. Next year we're doing 12 nights on Aurora to the Baltic in May, 16 nights to Venice with my daughter and her family and 10 nights in November to Casablanca on Oceana. Now we have to find time to go away in the caravan. The only concern I have is that I play fixture chicken because I book them before I know who we're playing. I've been lucky this autumn in that the cruise is for 24 nights and I only miss one home fixture. I suppose that's the benefit of international weekends.

Great fun! You'd pay money for that at Alton Towers. We were on Aurora out of Piraeus last December in what must have been a force 12 of the starboard beam. Green water was landing on our balcony on deck 10, but there wasn't too much movement. Apparently some people had put their suitcases on their balconies to make more space in the cabin and their clothes got soaked. There's something majestic about sitting down to eat and seeing great bigwaves outside your window.

I spent 10 days in San Francisco in 1983 and another week in 1984 when I was doing some work for Dolby. I took my wife on the first trip and after a couple of days in the office we drove 1800 miles even doing one day trip into Nevada via Carson City and Reno and back. You might also like to consider Muir Woods ( http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm ). Pebble Beach and Carmel are also beautiful places. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_Beach,_California I'm jealous.

I'm not surprised that you enjoyed it, but be warned! Cruising is highly addictive. We have made a few cruises with P&O, mainly on Aurora, and we are sailing on her to New York, Quebec and back in September. We've also got three cruises booked for next year. You may find the forum useful for any tips: http://www.pocruises.com/en/Community/Forum/ , or just send me a PM if there's any questions you'd like answered. Happy cruising!

I'm always pleased to read contributions from any poster. I can't say that I dislike anyone.

Daily Mail's round-up here: http://flblog.dailymail.co.uk/ Shaun Derry's comments here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2022114/Championship-kick-Shaun-Derrys-expert-verdict.html He has us down as play-off candidates.

Au contraire, mon ami. In my experience that was where you were most likely to find it. It tends to rise to the top.

Indeed, we are all getting a bit previous. I was just getting my retaliation in first.

Increase prices, remove concessions, impose ticket tax so what do you expect? Add to that the game on television at silly kick-off times and in the middle of the school holidays and it's no surpise, really.

First call is where you bought it.

+1. Not exactly my choice of words, but I agree with the sentiment.

It's the number of chances he needs to score each goal.

I went there many times in the early 1980s and took the family over for a week on my last visit so I'll ask them what they remember the best. Here's something to be going on with: http://www.blackcreek.ca/

Just as we had hoped. Well done Mike, and all those who made it possible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

20 fluid ounces. HTH

Would you prefer 'PI number'? I have seen a reference to Human HIV virus.

Well I said it was 'open to debate'. That there is a deficit is not disputed.

The real scum are those who steal the charity boxes. The other annoyance is when you try to put money in the box and it is crammed full.

LGPS, actually. Your post arrived just before mine. USS deficit £17bn in March 2010?

That would be because they are older?

At the moment it is in deficit but with a positive cash flow, which comes, of course, from public taxation. It is the only one of the main public sector pension schemes which is funded in any way. There are now more civil servants on pensions than there are working and the number of retired teachers rose from 445,000 in 2004 to 567,000 in 2010 whilst the number of teachers paying in has remained steady at about 600,000. The teachers' scheme is unfunded so present contributions are paying the pensions of those already retired so, in effect, if the teachers increase their current contributions it will be a pay cut whose savings will help to pay for those currently retired. http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2010/12/latest-lgps-deficit-forecast-challenged/