Wine, sex and a red breast in blackpropaganda

A night away from home is a great break. There was a very good wine tasting in the city on Tuesday evening - but there was no way we could drive (alcohol!) and not sure about the train back - and we had already booked for another event on Wednesday some time ago. So the obvious thing was to book in to a hotel for the night (Premier Inn which guarantees a quiet night) - and we had a good time.
The tasting was excellent with a young woman (early 30s) who is already a Master of Wine - who was beautiful, articulate and unmarried! Her organisation of the tasting of French wines was superb - and so came away really satisfied.

Staying over meant there was time for looking at the shops - and one thing that is often missing these days from towns and cities is a second-hand bookshop. I am glad to say there are a couple (even though I am banned from buying books). There is nothing wrong with looking though - as the bishop...... - and I found a book of cartoons by Glen Baxter I had not seen before - well worth £2. Baxter is an acquired taste - off the wall cartoons in the style of illustrations from books from the 1920s. How could I resist ‘The Wonder Book of Sex’.

Here are a couple I like

And then of course you find that the media are full of PR for Fifty Shades… - and what a great publicity thing for B&Q (hardware store) to warn their staff that there may be a run on cable ties (no doubt from ladies not used to being in B&Q). It looks like the film is being universally panned - and if there was an exploitative movie this is it.

And a picture of a bird I was pleased with - last week in walking along a river this robin presented itself on a branch above me - and stayed while I whipped out my I Phone and took this photo.