It is indeed Kev, the same as Christianity as shown itself to be over the centuries.

I’m not religious but I have no beef with the tenets of Christianity/Islam etc of do unto others/look after your fellow man; it’s just that when nut jobs get a hold of the message and distort it that religion goes pear shaped.

I’m of the admittably uneducated opinion that most of the bile that you hear in the West about Islam isn’t actually about Islam but about cultures that are backwards that happen to be Islamic.

You can’t make a culture that has been feudal and mysoginistic for centuries into a forward thinking tree hugging society overnight.

I can’t remember now who said it, might have been an Iraqi diplomat but as he said; you want us to become democratic and liberal in a month when you have had centuries of strife to attain that, it’s not going to happen.

Reminds us of what heights (and depths) humans are capable of. RIP Mr Lomax and thank you for what you did.

Flew from Lincolshire Showground in a balloon about 15 years ago. Glad I did it but didn’t interest me as a way of getting around, more a tick in the box type thing. Highly recommended though for a one off.

I used to have a building set as well called Bayko. You pushed metal rods into a plastic base and slid bricks in between the rods. Had hours of fun with that.

I grew up in the late 50’s/60’s with Corgi and Airfix. I always wanted a Johnny 7 one man army. Never got one…:( Had a look at second hand one’s on e bay etc a couple of years ago and they are bonkers prices now.

As for todays kids, I think if we had what they have we would be just the same, head in a Nintendo or whatever for hours on end. I teach primary school kids and TBH they aren’t any different to how we were. Same kids, different times.

I’ve read The Hobbit which I found quite engrossing. I started LOTR but gave up, found it boring.

I must have read all of them. Don’t know if I would find then as entertaining now but I lapped them up as a teenager. RIP Sven.