And, of course, every single contractor apart from one has kept completely silent about their work on the project. This is unsurprising as such long-term secrecy and efficiency is the hallmark of democratic* governments.

(*allegedly)

What can I say? I'm a bit strange.

Nah, it was the 'little English' to be fair.

Garden centre.

Twelve quid, as near as damnit. And, in fairness, I declined the beans and fried tomato as I don't like them with breakfast.

£11.99. So, no.

Edit: it also came with beans and a fried tomato, which I didn't want, so not as bad as all that.

I'm just a cynical Brit (with Canadian blood) but my initial reaction was: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss".

Thank you!

Dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant. It was an incredible experience and one I frequently look back on with fondness.

The back story: for our 25th wedding anniversary, nearly a decade ago now, my wife found a B&B deal at this wonderful hotel which was simply too good to pass up; the only catch was we'd have to pay separately for our evening meal. Well, how expensive could that be, I wondered, especially if we were careful. Reader, we were not careful!

It was wonderful, from the petit-fours, amuse-bouche and starter (a salad, the likes of which I've never eaten before or since), into the main course ("how did they do that to a carrot?") through to dessert and the cheese trolley ("please have as much as you like!" we were told), and finally the petit fours, coffee and port from an ancient dusty bottle. The wine (we chose the second cheapest from the massive wine list, not that this saved us much) was similarly fantastic. I enjoyed every bite and happily signed off the bill with a smile using our emergency credit card.

It was a once in a lifetime treat but one I've never regretted.

Indeed. I was very, very annoyed about that.

Netflix's DARK. Best thing they ever made.

True, but given that Trump has put tariffs on uninhabited islands in the Arctic (I believe), it's still an interesting point to make.

Edit: spelling.

I am proudly batting zero.

Yep, same here.

I think it might simply be that Quasi wants to swap to a quiet office job!

Good evening!

DARK is a Netflix original show, so one can't buy the DVD, sadly. The only spoiler I'd give you is that it's a German time travel show, only 26 episodes long, and simply the best thing I've ever seen on telly. The plot is riveting, the acting and casting superb and the soundtrack is my go-to playlist. We watched it with English dubbing as my wife is dyslexic and hates subtitles. If you can find someone with a Netflix login and a spare TV, I'd heartily recommend it!

I read Julian May's 'Saga of Pliocene Exile' and her linked 'Galactic Milieu' series in the '90s and loved them, but quickly moved on to other novels. When we were visiting the States for a friend's wedding in 2016, we found ourselves very near the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire, which is a major location for the books in the GM series, so we diverted there and I spent several hours roaming around the hotel. It re-sparked my interest in the novels so I re-read them and even ran a Twitter feed for 18 months, telling the SPE story on a day-by-day basis. I ended up with nearly 30 followers! 😁 I also love Terry Pratchett, as well as Douglas Adams and my all-time favourite, Roger Zelazny. (My grandsons - who I don't get to see - are named after two characters in Roger's 'Amber' series of books.) I don't watch terrestrial telly but still stream series I like. I've never got into podcasts but I do love YouTube!

Titanic ... where to start? As a teenager, I read Clive Cussler's 'Raise The Titanic' which got me into the story. I then discovered other less famous wrecks, such as the Empress of Ireland, the Morrow Castle and the Britannic (Titanic's second sister). However, it's the Titanic that still grabs me the most. She took nearly 3 hours to sink and went down with minimal listing; this allowed many cameos to be played out, showing the full range of human emotions: bravery, sacrifice, cowardice and stupidity amongst others. The setting and time frame allows us to ponder how we would have behaved in that situation. There is still so much to learn about the ship itself as well: we still don't know if her centre propeller had 3 or 4 blades; what was the true identity of the 'mystery ship' that ignored her calls for help; exactly how did the collision (technically an allision) occur and what is the true extent of the damage, now hidden below the sea bed. All of this on top of her stellar passenger list, the technological marvel of the ship itself, the ridiculous weather that night ... I could, of course, go on. I hope this gives you a taste! If you wanted a really good book that explores the story in depth, I'd recommend 'Report Into the Loss of the SS Titanic - A Centennial Reappraisal' by Sam Halpern and others.

We may only get one life but I am ambivalent about losing our experiences when we die. Rarely do I see the younger generations refer to their elders' experience, assuming we are all outdated and have nothing to offer. And truly I feel my brain is getting full ... I'm not sure I can fit many more experiences in! As I age, I feel more and more useless to those around me and I doubt I'll be terribly sad when my time comes. I just hope my wife dies first so she doesn't have to be alone. If I were god, I'd ensure that couples die simultaneously.

Good afternoon! Fellow Boomer / Gen Jones here, born in the early '60s in the UK. I am an atheist, socialist and sci-fi addict. Never went to Uni, worked 43 years (both employed and self-employed) in financial services, and have recently retired and moved with my wife to the Welsh Marches. I have three children, one of whom still speaks to me.

My wife says there are three topics I am not allowed to discuss with visitors for fear of driving them to boredom, so here's my chance! They are:

• The Titanic (and other early C20 ocean liners)
• Julian May's sci-fi / fantasy novels
• Netflix's DARK.

Ha! If you're going to serve up Yorkshire Tea, I ain't coming.

It's Tetley Tea or nothing.