Hair products

I recently had my neat bob cut into short layers to achieve that gamine look. Obviously this needs a cupboard full of pots, tubes and sprays to maintain its style and - to be fair - many of these are cheap and effective. Yesterday, however, I sanitised my hands with antibacterial gel and then absent-mindedly ran my fingers through my mop. Result? Choppy, beachy, sexy, urchin, effortless - and very clean!

SPF

We are constantly told that exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer and that we should use creams to avoid it. I have found that this vital advice is not easy to follow as the preparations are not always clear in their instructions. For example, one facial brand, even recommended by dermatologists, says it is for 'daily' usage but does not say if that means that it lasts all day (unlikely) or that it can be applied each morning. Also I have wondered if, having rubbed in one colourless version with a SPF of 15 and then another as make-up, that adds up to 30. Surely manufacturers should be forced to be transparent over this.

BBC reporting

I have long noticed that weather forecasts often tell us what we have just had. In reverse, I found that post-election coverage concentrated on guessing the future rather than giving the facts and films of the night itself.  Please, BBC, think what your viewers need and give us just that.

Grass Routes

                           

Although puns usually make me groan, this title is a good one as the name suits the flexible bus service operating in Monmouthshire where users can phone and book a journey convenient to them, free if they have a bus pass and costing a mere £5:00 to join the scheme for life. The bus can pick passengers up from their door and rambles through lovely countryside to do so. The helpful driver lifts shopping and trolleys on and off and there is a friendly community spirit on board, a particular regular favourite being the one to Abergavenny on market day. I do hope such an institution is preserved despite budget cuts as it is a life-line to many elderly people, providing a socially welcoming morning out to a lively destination and laughs en route. 

Weeping willows

I love these trees in any weather but when they are blown in a wind they are so dramatic that I wonder how they remain upright against the blast.

Politicspeke

What is the opposite of "hard-working families"? All real words and phrases have antonyms: hard/soft; hot/cold; early rise/lie in. BUT all I can say in answer to my own question is: "idle celibates". How many of them are there to raise tax revenue?

Surveys

A couple of weeks ago I bought a perfectly ordinary bottle of red wine from my local Co-op in my usual perfectly ordinary fashion. A few days later I was asked to complete a survey which went something like this with ratings of 1 to 5 depending on my valuations:
1) How would you rate the wine you bought?
2) How would you rate the experience of buying your wine?
3) Did the experience of buying your wine fill you with radiant warmth?
4) Did the experience of drinking your wine fill you with warm radiance?
5) Was the smile on the face of the assistant who served you your wine warm and radiant?
6) Did the dog often chained outside your shop wag its tail in a radiant and warm manner?
7) Please rate your memories of your wine according to the totality of the satisfaction the whole experience gave you.
8) Would you recommend us to your circle of friends for our warmth and radiance?
9) After you had drunk your wine could you even remember what kind it was and where you had bought it?
10) Will you be returning to our local inquisitive shop for your next fulfilling experience of buying wine?

The answer to the last is that I am turning teetotal as a result of this overall life-changing event but I have one question to put to you.
When can I expect a survey to rate my experience of filling in your survey?