* A lot of playing of instruments, drinking of booze and consumption of exotic tobacco took place and a couple split up. Apparently the relationship had been over for sometime but neither of them bothered mentioning it to the other. Both claimed to have been dumped, which was unusual as the fight is usually over who dumped who first. This lack of cohesion bummed the last two days as the activities were punctuated by some bitter criticism from both sides. I was much amused but others regarded it as bad form and eventually the guy left leaving his ex-partner stranded. Mr Mandolin offered her a lift which she took despite my shaking my head furiously.
We set off back and I gallantly offered her the front passenger seat. Sure enough Clark Kent mutated into Mr Road-rage. She arrived back home white faced and fuming.

* The Chancellor has pulled a classic New labour move and made those on low wages without children worse off and the well off, better off. This typical tory measure is a fitting farewell to Tony Blair the thatcherite as he exits from number 10 and hopefully disappears into obscurity in the USA.
This measure is just what the low paid need to incentivise them to study for degrees, set up their own businesses, move to other areas of the country where better paid work is available, buy a house, well maybe not but a least afford a bed sitter and leave all minimum wage work to the never ending influx of Polish people. This is what we expect from a government deeply routed in such heroes as Bevan, sorry I mean Thatcher. Here we see the measures that have brought social mobillity to a standstill, a sound labour principle