Fish

What a splendid day. Betty and Barney Rubble came down to see us and the day followed a familiar pattern with the four standing in the kitchen drinking coffee until it was time to head off for lunch. Recent stories began to emerge, and family gossip was exchanged.

Lunch was fun affair, in this case at the Arun View, with some great fish (possibly the thickest skate wings the Gorse Fox has ever eaten).

Back home we lit the fire and sat an chatted well into the evening. The world was put to right, with discussions and solutions to:

• Benefits culture
• The horror of the events in Mumbai
• The pure "Empire" response of the Maitre d' in the Mumbai hotel who demanded that the correct champagne flutes were used when the hostages were breaking open some bubbly.
• The government demands that the banks lend money to get us out of the crises caused by the banks lending money.
• The danger of the "cult of celebrity" where clebrity sponsorship is enough to convince the masses that black is white - and the damage this is doing... and how Prince Charles has been named the second most dangerous "celebrity" on the planet for his baseless position on numerous scientific topics.

Perfect. Time spent with friends is always valuable.