In all fairness, we do technically have one fjord. So I'm told.

Aah, Belgian cheese cubes. Only one step down from Dutch supermarket carpaccio.

I think this is a picture-desk failure. I'm not seeing anything wrong with the report, which sounds genuinely alarming.

And maybe deprioritises conservation while it's at it.

Finally ordered after a fruitless search in Dublin, and really looking forward to it.

Richard Robinson for the sheer exuberance of the Rs. Had a colleague years ago called John Rice, who'd probably rather enjoy this - and likely pick a different name.

Hah! I thought of you.

He really was. A dear friend of mine had a Sunday Stammtisch at Mulligan's when we were in college: Noel would assess whether enough of us had showed up to be afforded the privilege of getting back room. In later years when my friend reconvened Stammtisch on annual visits it became near automatic.

A very thoughtful thread, thank you. I agree that many people who most want to dominate are exactly the ones who should never be given the opportunity. It's not confined to physical domination, though obviously dangerous in that sphere.

Nollaig shona to you and yours!

Please do let me know. It's been far too long! Happy Christmas to you and yours.

Will you be in Ireland in next couple of weeks? Would be very happy to see you if you're around.

And to you, with thanks for brightening up the dark times, and the occasional earworm.

I saw your show in Dublin. You were brilliant! Wishing you a quick recovery and a lovely Christmas.

I love both. Pictures of a disdainful Pickle would also be very welcome!

It's lovely to see that the follow up is an upgrade! Sounds fab

And tragically, he will almost certainly never be held answerable for this. The biggest risk periods for those babies can be quite a few years into the future, depending on the vaccine. He'll be long gone, and they may suffer lifelong consequences or die prematurely. It's appalling.

Never knew the details but I think there may have been goody bags too. Audience reaction shots were more of a thing then.

Was in Gaybo's day, and l think for at least some goodies they were telling the audience to reach under their seats!

No, but friends of my parents did sometime around the mid 1980s. I gather Santa was particularly flaithiúlacht that year.

Boo! Also, always read the small(er) print.

I remember being really surprised when you complained about the unreliability of German trains. A week staying in Bonn back in September and making several days trips cured that *thoroughly*.

That one has rails for wusses.

Oh yeah. I love the Netherlands but they are evil on staircases. You think we're flat? Mwahaha.

I have the faintest of hopes the current young adults may save us, as a species, by having read some of the right books.

Notwithstanding Iain's interesting reply, I suspect the weird cohabiting vs cohabitating usages might have influenced that. (I don't like "cohabitating" at all, but it's used a fair bit.) Or pill colours.

That doesn't sound quite right. Are 1 million really fully used up daily? (Also, hi!)

I have a customised autocorrect for pubic to public, and always recommend that to my team. There are approximately no circumstances where that can go wrong for us.

That station is amazing. Does that mean it's absurdly far from anywhere useful?

Mmph. I think infers is ok in context. Also: plblb