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Merci bien, Swans: tres gentil

You don’t often get anyone who’ll translate stuff for nothing into French – which is what Swans Paul did with my last piece without being asked. Thank you! My French is a joke, but not such a good joke that …

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Irony – and your comments

Just for the benefit of anyone who’s had an irreversible sense of humour bypass operation, an explanation. Much of what goes on in the world today is far too serious to be treated seriously, so many of these pieces are …

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What about the poor bloody workers?

I suspect this line was usd by Peter Sellers as Mr. Kite, the shop steward in “I’m alright Jack”. It certainly used to produce guffaws years ago whenever quoted as a parody of the average trades union moaner. But when …

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“Blood and stomach pills!”

My father sometimes used this phrase when feeling a trifle heated about one thing or another – which was pretty often, starting with the choice of tunes on the Light Service, which is what they called radio 1 in medieval …

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My secret bodybuilding past

Well, I never knew so many people were so seriously fed up with gyms. This confirmed my maxim: “Nothing fails like success” (© Drayton Bird) – which I find applies to most industries and people. Before enlarging on that, I …

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More sweaty armpits and addled brains

I am really thinking there is a market for books about the topsy-turvy world of gyms. Last week my partner and her sister went to one called KX which was wonderful. It is an absolute snip at £300 a month …

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