A Hit Before Your Mother Was Born

We celebrated our wedding anniversary and Ailz's birthday by opening a bottle of champagne .I was surprised at how quickly it went. My mother kept asking what we were drinking and why.

I found a recording of Champagne Charlie and played it for the company's edification. Every time the intro to the verse came round Ailz signalled her displeasure. I told her it was real working class music and part of her heritage.

And she calls herself a folkie.

1867 - wery good year, that was.  I miss it.

Opinions On Issues Of The Day- In Brief

Rotherham: Everyone who had anything to do with not protecting children should resign. It's the least they can do. Some of them should face prosecution.

Islamic State: Totally vile- but so is just about every other political group and government in the Middle East (including those we're allied with). The idea that we should curtail our liberties to guard ourselves against them is preposterous and pernicious.

UKIP: What a shower!

The EU: Looks like it's going to implode.

Boris Johnson: With any luck he'll be undone by his own irresponsibility and incompetence.

Scottish Independence: Bring it on. Anything that disrupts politics as usual has got to be a good thing.