Reportage
Yesterday I picked up my old mate Bert and we went out for lunch at "The Hardy Pick" which is a "Hungry Horse" chain pub. He hadn't drunk any beer since the last time I took him out. Bert always orders fish, chips and peas because of his ill-fitting false teeth. It's a meal he can chew and swallow with confidence. It was nice to watch him clearing his plate and he drank three pints of "John Smith's" bitter brewed here in Yorkshire. He is steadily approaching his eighty seventh birthday but he remains cheerful, upbeat and keenly interested in the state of British politics. He despises the Tories and what they stand for, saving much of his venom for Johnson and his legacy. We both wonder how this great nation could be hoodwinked by such a duplicitous blaggard. Bert Little Phoebe is currently sleeping upstairs. We have looked after her all day and it's the same tomorrow. Her mum is down in London effectively waving goodbye to the job s...