Scribe

Thank you for breaking the immature trend, LadyDeliah. I have investigated some of the low-land estates in Scotland online, solely for deer stalking with a group of friends. But it seems that the general rule is that the estate retains the venison to be sold to restaurants and the likes of Franklins. This doesn't appeal to me, as my sole concern is the harvesting of edible game. Besides, I prefer to hunt with either a primitive or compound bow (which, thanks to the animal-rights vigilantes, is no longer legal in the UK); not a full-bore rifle. Oh and, yes, a big deer certainly lasts a long time. But, alas, I don't own a trunk freezer, so distribute what won't fit to friends and family. And besides, I usually stalk doe. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

You called...

What more is there to discuss, Ladymuck? It's a contractual agreement between two private parties. It's not as though they're subsidised by the taxpayer. Their astronomical wages are a result of football having been transformed by businessmen into an almost gladiatorial spectacle, that thanks to all of the added publicity and media attention, has a global following. And let's not forget that the players' lives are now a kind of extended soap opera once they're off the pitch. Lump it, or move on.

I think "that" would make me sick.

I can't say I've seen a specimen quite like that wagging their fingers on Lordship Lane. But I regularly see posers of this ilk being relieved of the contents of their purse by the traders/highwaymen of North Cross Road Market. http://www.absurdintellectual.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/hipster.jpg

I can't say that I've noticed. But then again, I rarely pay any attention to pedestrian busy-bodies. Just ignore them in future, which will infuriate them further.

I've never seen a ghost, nor would I want to. But I'm not ashamed to admit that if I found myself in your situation, confronted by a glowing old woman perched at the end of my bed, I would quite literally shit myself into next week. I did once have Mick Hucknall come to me in a dream and warn me about thermal cracking in the front right-hand brake disc in the Fiat Tipo I was driving in the late '90s. It turned-out there was nothing wrong with the brake disc, but I thought it was a pretty decent thing for him to do, all the same.

No, I'm only interested in hunting animals that you can eat, and they are nigh on impossible to hunt conventionally, due to them having a vastly superior sensory advantage. Besides, wolves are a protected species in most of the European countries within my reach.

Well, that depends, Ms Lileth. If you're referring to the stalking and subsequent killing of an unteathered Cougar, then I'm afraid not, there's no material gain, only ego inflating destruction. Besides, I've already stated that I vehemently oppose trophy hunting. If, on the other hand, you're alluding to the possibility of tracking and snaring a woman of advancing, yet so far uncruel, years with a view to possibly ravishing the comely vixen, then yes, that's prey I'm willing to consider.

I have access to land in Kent where I have permission to rough shoot small game with an .22 air rifle. I mainly bag pigeons and rabbits. I also hunt deer and wild boar on the continent with a bow and on occasion a crossbow. Taste wise, nothing beats the taste of young, tender venison. I do not hold a firearms license; too lengthy a process and I prefer to take large game the old fashioned way. I'm also fully insured with the BASC and I never trophy hunt; it's a pointless and an irredeemably disrespectful waste of meat. So, if anyone wants to swap details on available hunting grounds in the south-east, or can recommend some good estates where they accomodate bow hunters abroad, drop me a message or post the details on this thread. Happy hunting.

Ha! In my book, the words 'pub' and 'Lordship lane' are no longer compatible. No, most of the licensed establishments that line Lordship lane can only be best described as refurbished bistros that serve a variety of seaweed ales. My guess is that this new policy of booking tables is a fad that's been imported from Battersea and Clapham, and is being trialed in ED. Worry not, I'm certain it will fizzle-out in due course.

Are the ever-increasing, eye watering amounts of money paid to premiership footballers justified? Perhaps, perhaps not. Whilst I agree that what they do to actually earn a wage - however largese - isn't a profession that demands a great deal of talent (cue the cavalcade of footie fans jumping to defend their idols). But what you have to bear in mind is that after Murdoch contractually monopolised the viewing of premiership matches, footballers were no longer sportsmen. They became international celebrities with their enviable lifestyles being fueled by the cash Murdoch drowned the game in. This brings me to my point: celebrities trade whatever privacy they once enjoyed for a huge price. They're plastered all over the world's media and their value, talent and contribution to the progress of the team they're signed to is picked apart by indifferent sports columnists. Nearly everything they do is paraded in front of the baying mob, so to speak. Now, for the purposes of fairness, I'm obliged to note that they'll be aware of this new elevated status, so they do really have themselves to blame if they suffer scorn in tabloids and broadsheets alike. They're the ones putting their heads over the parapet, and essentially doing a deal with the devil. But by putting themselves in this position, they're entitled to demmand more than the minimum wage. Personally speaking, if someone offered me millions of pounds a year to do my job, I'd accept their offer and put ny fingers in my ears whenever discussions such as this arise.