Hi, Peter here.  What a wintery weekend…..  Do you like to go out in the snow 
or perhaps you prefer to stay in by the fire?  I really did feel the cold snap 
and it reminded me of winters gone by.  

What about ‘Strictly’?  John Sergeant managed to leave the competition like a 
hero on Saturday night and last week I mentioned a Scottish cabinet minister, 
Jim Murphy, has called for the judges of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ to be sacked 
following John’s decision to quit the show.   Mr Murphy said the 
ex-journalist's dance performances had been "entertainment and good fun".   
John had repeatedly been given the lowest mark of all the Strictly Come Dancing 
contestants by the judges, who were often scathing of his performances.   But 
the 64-year-old had been kept in the show by the public vote.   Mr Sergeant 
quit the show on Wednesday, saying there was a chance he might win the series, 
which would be "a joke too far".   But Mr Murphy said: "The fact is the judges 
don't know what this programme is all about.  I watch the programme with my 
family and it is family entertainment and good fun and John is emblematic of 
that, rather than taking himself so seriously".   John said “the time!
  to leave a party was just before the fight starts”.  Do you think John did 
the right thing?

Jodie Kidd also left the programme after jiving her way through a week with flu 
symptoms and Rachel Stevens managed a perfect score of 40 with her partner, 
Vincent.  Looks like we will have to tune into the bad tempered bunch in the 
jungle to see a bit of a punch up from now on!

Paws for Thought

A cat with big paws and 26 toes could be looking for a new home after being 
taken in by Stroud Cats Protection. Coco, a middle-aged jet black cat, was 
taken in as a stray in nearby Dursley. If her owner cannot be found she will 
have to be re-homed.   Susie Jones, from the charity, said it had also had a 
polydactyl kitten (an animal or person with more than the usual number of hand 
or foot digits).   It sounds very pre-historic.  I wonder if it is extra lucky? 
 I certainly feel sorry for the cat that starts a fight with Coco!

Calling all ‘Nonliners’

With broadband available on a monthly basis for less than £10 and laptops being 
given away free with some packages, there seems little reason for people not to 
be online.   But 17 million people in the UK are not and the digital divide is 
increasingly cutting people off both socially and financially.  Recent research 
from regulator Ofcom found that 42% of the UK population had no access to the 
net, which is a statistic that appears to have changed little in five years.  
It found that an average household could make annual savings of £840 simply by 
doing their shopping online in a broad range of categories including utility 
bills, clothing, travel and home entertainment.   Martin Moran, head of 
telecoms at the Post Office thinks people are missing out.   "Many have the 
false impression that broadband is a luxury item but we are seeing how 
increasingly it is actually a money-saving utility- critical in times of 
economic uncertainty.  Have you found a way to save extra cash by !
 using the internet – I would like to hear about it if you have.

There was a young woman from ..

I hope you will be able to join me on BBC Humberside this week.  I will be 
chatting to Pam Ayres on Wednesday.   The Government are in the process of 
selecting this year’s Poet Laureate who is often expected to compose poems for 
State occasions and other government events. In England, the term has for 
centuries been the title of the official poet of the monarch, appointed for 
life since the time of Charles II. Poets laureate are appointed by many 
countries. In Britain there is also a Children's Laureate.  Do you think Pam 
will be a contender for this year’s appointment?

That’s it for now.

Take care,

Peter

And for the latest news and more where you live, go to:
http://bbc.co.uk/humber and http://bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire

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