This item has had me scouring the property pages for a place in Norfolk. Beautiful place actually. Even better now that the Horror of Hull says he hates it. Many, many years ago I was taken to a Clapham pub where the entire NUS (Seamen not Students) leadership were gathered. Big blokes in Cunard tee-shirts. I was shocked (and it takes much to shock me) that they spent the afternoon on the phone laying huge bets on horses rather than discussing the welfare of seafarers.

I've been absorbed in Kumiko Kakehashi's Letters from Iwo Jima (Phoenix 2007) about General Kuribayashi's last stand, his family, and uncompleted DIY.....terrific book. Ditto the Russian film about Afghanistan I mentioned recently despite the echoes of Rambo 'we woz never defeated comrades'.