1. Yes, it’s been a while. And many of you will already know the sort of things I’ve been up to in that while – and thanks for the kind words. It’s good, and me like.

2. Not a fan of the death penalty, so haven’t been joining in with the frankly unseemly hand-rubbing and grins of glee about Saddam Hussein being executed. And I think that the recent ‘outcry’ about how he was mocked as he was led to the gallows is just weaselling by politicians who were involved in the whole thing and may be experiencing a twinge of conscience. Maybe it’s just me, but if I knew I was about to be killed, someone calling me nasty names would be a side issue.

3. And let’s remember, the avowed reason for Gulf War 2 was because Saddam allegedly had ‘weapons of mass destruction’, not because he was a brutal leader and killed people and so on. It was because he had bombs… which he didn’t. I know history will probably be rewritten to suggest it was all about liberating Iraq, but that wasn’t the premise given, and let’s try to bear that in mind, eh ?

4. Do any of you know much about rugby? If so, and you’re willing for look at some digital photos, please drop me a line at oddlyshapedballs@johnsoanes.co.uk , as I have a signed England rugby shirt which a friend won in a raffle, but we can’t identify the signatures. Ta.

5. The usual paucity of Christmas television, as far as I’m concerned; The specials of The Thick Of It and Doctor Who didn’t really capture my attention, though I did enjoy the Vicar of Dibley finale(s). Not cutting edge by any stretch of the imagination, and overly reliant on Dawn French’s likeability, but pleasant and amusing enough.

6. This may well be one of the greatest items I’ve ever seen. What a fab idea.