Peace, Bread, Land

Having eulogised of late about the reasonable price being charged by Sainsbury’s for Dove’s Farm Organic Wholemeal Flour, it came as something of a shock when I went to stock up on supplies this evening.

After months perfecting my artisan bread-making techniques, I’d grown accustomed to paying just 60p for 1.5kg of the stuff, pleased to be able to make a decent loaf of bread for little more than 25p a go. I was hardly prepared, therefore, for the price-hike that faced me tonight. The same product has all but doubled in price, and now retails at £1.19 for a 1.5kg bag.

That’s why I’ve dusted the flour off my Bill Blunt Blast accolade, to award it to whoever it was at Sainsbury’s who has sanctioned this crippling price increase. Did they give a moment’s thought to the poor pensioner, eking out their pittance of an income, when they authorised this calamitous price rise? I doubt it.

If I were Gordon Brown, I’d be sleeping a little more uneasily in my bed tonight (and it’s worth stressing that no earthquakes are anticipated). His Government has failed to deliver peace in Iraq, and now the price of home-made bread has doubled. As for land, that’s a subject we might want to studiously avoid, lest we re-awaken Bolshevik instincts in the British population.

I’ll be writing to Sainsbury’s about this outrageous matter, I can tell you. Anyone tempted to add their voice to my campaign can do so by e-mailing their Customer Services people, here.

Brandon Got Branded

The task of awarding my first Blast was always going to be a difficult one.

There's so much in the world that is worthy of a 'thumbs down', that I could easily spend my every waking hour dishing Blasts out here, there and everywhere.

It was made easier thanks to the fine people at the Daventry Voice Forum, who devote their days to scouring the media and the internet for any and every reference to their wonderful town.

Thanks to them, I came across the story of young Brandon Hart-Caunt, which was highlighted in the Daventry Weekly Express this week.



I'm not familiar with the Hart-Caunt family, so can't know whether that's their real name, or whether it represents a proof-reading error on the part of some unfortunate sub-editor at the Express.

What I do know is that any mother who would allow their son to sport a quiff like that is irresponsible beyond measure. No doubt there are solicitors queuing to represent her as she defends the human rights of young Brandon to have his hair cut however he damn-well pleases.

Well, Mrs Hard-Caunt gets Bill's first Blast. I'm happy to supply it in tattoo format, if it helps.

Sorting Out The Wheat From The Chaff

I think it may have been Johnny Mathis who once said 'There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood leads on to fortune'.

As a leading columnist of my generation, the mantle of sorting out the wheat from the chaff is not one that I wear lightly. I am profoundly aware of my responsibilities as a commentator, and know that my words are eagerly devoured by readers as far afield as Daventry and Kettering.

I'm conscious, too, that in the crowded world of the blogosphere, readers need a quick and snappy way of assessing whether something's worth their time, or whether they should simply pass by, perhaps with a gracious nod. My quandary has always been how to best guide my readers through the jungle, not just of blogs, but of the wider world at large?

Not for the first time, it fell to young Jasper Blunt to suggest a solution to the dilemma. "Pa," he said, "what you need is a widget or two - and I've got just the thing!"

Far be it for me to cavil at the excess of youth. Bill Blunt will try anything once, and - if he likes it - he may well try it again. It's a philosophy that has steered Mrs Blunt and I through some rocky passages, whether in the bedroom or elsewhere, I can tell you.

Let me introduce to you, therefore the Bill Blunt Bigged Me Up! Widget.

At-a-glance, you'll be able to see that Bill has given his seal of approval to something - whether it be a blog, a website or something more tangible - a service received from a shop, the decor and ambiance of a pub, perhaps.

In a busy world, you'll know that someone - Bill Blunt - has taken time out to assess and pass comment on something that might well be worthy of your attention. It's a service I'm happy to provide freely, without expectation of reward or favour in return.

At the same time, look out for the widget's evil twin, as you travel, and you'll know that Bill has gone on record about some dismal showing, some poorly executed website, or some convoluted piece of fiction that might best be described as derivative drivel, were it not for the author's sensitive portrayal of the work's central character, a provincial journalist.

When you see the Bill Blunt Blasted Me! Widget, it's a signal not to go there, not to buy and not to waste your time. Human nature being what it is, I am sure there will be the odd reader who will ignore my recommendations. That is their business. But the rest of us can get on with our lives, saving time, money and energy by 'not going there'.

I already have one or two ideas for my first Big Up! As for my Blasts, I shall keep my powder dry, for the time being. Let's just say that I shall be watching the development of certain stories with close and extreme interest, and leave it at that, shall we?