Just had my car road tax reminder. Increase of 22.6%
How the hell can anyone justify this? (without going down the politics road, please)

You've put them in that 'safe place', haven't you?
Have you tried your 'man drawer'? You know, the one with keys for unknown items, odd batteries, extinct mobile phones etc.

Does anybody else find their stuff keeps disappearing? Mine had got in a right old muddle so I've been having a sort-out and I can't help thinking there isn't as much as there should be. I have far less stock than many fellow Forumites, so it should be easier to keep track (sorry!) of, but for instance, I'm sure I bought at least 3 Minitrix teak coaches and now I only seem to have one. Ages ago I bought a Farish 4P to use the chassis for a project - there is no sign now of the chassis or tender, only the loco body. Which is the bit I don't want. Ditto a Minitrix Class 27 which I was going to repair - the body is still in the To Be Repaired box but the chassis is nowhere to be seen. Likewise I'm sure I bought some points for a previous layout but they vanished and I had to buy more. Where do they go? I don't belong to a club, so nothing leaves the house. I can't blame Mrs Papyrus - she doesn't have a clandestine layout, to the best of my knowledge. Nor the dogs... I keep looking in boxes I have looked in 5 times before but they never seem to come back from the Space-Time Continuum. Does anyone else have this sort of problem, or am I the only one with this level of incompetence?

Cheers,

Chris

Plenty old enough to appreciate decent moosic

Just for the record (boom-boom) I was only 13 years old in 1970!

Cheers,

Tim

Ooh, fighting words.

When we first moved into a posh new council house in 1964, the next door neighbour's son played the Animals over and over.

I think at the time, it was the longest single ever played on radio!

Anyway, ever budding guitarist learns to play that, even today. I know I still play it!

And as for Led Zeppelin's Whole lotta love being the best, I ain't even going there.

I guess that if you really like the original version Mike @Newportnobby , a cover version may or may not work for you. My very first single was "House of the Rising Sun" by Frijid Pink and I had never heard The Animal's version. Likewise, I had CCS's version of "Whole Lotta Love" as a single before I heard Led Zeppelin's original version and for a while preferred it! This might split opinions but I thought it was pretty good. Here is Gov't Mule's cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman", featuring Grace Potter...

https://youtu.be/A13tUxH09SI?feature=shared

Not so sure about Grace Potter's other work though.

Cheers,

Tim

As Sylvia stood amidst the polished mahogany shelves with their orderly lines of varicoloured books, her heart fluttered like a fragile moth drawn to the flickering flame of destiny. The library held secrets—state and personal. She glanced at Jeremy, his uniform crisp, his gaze steady. Seemingly a stranger, yet intuition told her, already not quite, their destinies intertwined by tradition, duty, and perhaps something more intimate.

Sylvia's hope bloomed like the roses in the garden beyond. She yearned for love—a love that transcended family customs and annual affirmations. Jeremy's presence had ignited a spark within her, a longing for the same profound partnership that her parents shared, one that went beyond customary aristocratic expectations.

The weight of tradition pressed upon her youthful shoulders, but anticipation danced in her dark brown eyes. What lay beyond? What adventures awaited her once she completed her education in Switzerland? Sylvia's mind raced, eager to explore the wide world.

The annual affirmations hung on a delicate thread. Would Jeremy agree? Would their hearts align? Sylvia feared rejection—the unravelling of dreams woven over the years to come. And yet, she could not help but steal glances at him, wondering if he felt the same magnetic pull that tugged at her excited heart.

Lady Isadora's words echoed in Sylvia's ears. "The 'Great and the Good' as well as the 'Not so Good and not so Great'!" What challenges awaited? Sylvia's pulse quickened; her shoulders straightened. She would be ready—whatever the future bought them, together or apart.

Sir George's assessment of Jeremy settled upon her. A naval officer with duties and capabilities, yes, but, she felt, dreams too. He stood before her as something more personal—a promise of shared sunsets and whispered confidences, of stolen moments to come, of grown-up freedoms and drawn-out kisses.

She vowed to honour tradition, complete her education, and wait for Jeremy. Her heart whispered, 'Patience, my dear.' She would, she asserted, learn, grow, and become the refined, capable woman worthy of his love. Her godparents bore solemn witness to her eager commitment.

Zuma and Harvest are my two favourite Neil
Young albums.

Interesting, Tim @Moonglum 
That's one of my all time favourite Neil Young tracks. It's different but, as I often say about music, unless it's a radically different version, I always prefer the 'originals'..
Witness 'House of the rising sun' from the Animals to the Frijid Pink effort, and Melanie's 'Ruby Tuesday' as opposed to the Stones