Hi folks, I want to begin today by saying a big thank you to Bluemonday. I hope bluemonday reads the blog. If he doesn't then I will have to find some other way of saying thank you to him. Last night I wasted a couple of hours in a debate as to whether Jaffa cakes were biscuits or cakes. This morning I extended the debate to the forum, and Bluemonday gave me a much defined definition of whether the Jaffa is a cake or biscuit. It seems the court decided back in 1991 that the makers of Jaffa cakes didn't want to pay vat on their products, and so it was left for a court to decide on the true definition of a Jaffa cake. If you wish to wise yourself up on the matter, go to the forum topics and click on Jaffa cake biscuit or cake. Now then my reason for thanking Bluemonday through the blog is that I have now worked out how to follow topics on the blog. However, I haven't yet fathomed out how to reply to someone. Every time I click on reply my Braille display goes back to the front page. Well I shall bash on trying and hopefully I will resolve the problem in a few days. Now then, Bluemnondays response to my query has set me thinking. Back in 1991 the court hearing on the definition of a Jaffa cake generated many, many words. The winner of that case made and continues to make a fortune from those words. Those words have probably generated millions, and millions of pounds. It struck me that words are making a fortune for people and business every day. There is probably more money generated in this World from words than from anything else. Well I don't know any lawyers, broadcasters, judges, film stars or best selling authors that live in council houses. I have just done a quick calculation. I began writing this blog back in February. I have now posted 131 posts and written around 100,000 words. The trouble is, I haven't made a bloody penny. What am I doing wrong, or am I no bloody good? I have made absolutely sod all from banging on and on about the weather, the police, our politicians, the state of the health service, and yet a biscuit factory or her Majesty's Government make a flippin' fortune from deciding whether a little round sweet thing is a biscuit or a cake.

I remember an occasion back in the early 70's, when I worked at Davis Charlton. An argument began one day as to whether rhubarb was a fruit or a vegetable. The argument and I say argument rather than debate, as argument it definitely was, began between two old boys at one end of the line. Before long it had engulfed the entire factory. Someone had entered his rhubarb as a fruit in some flower and produce show. He had been turned down on the grounds that the rhubarb was a vegetable. When he took his rhubarb to the veg section, they it seems turned him down on the grounds that the rhubarb was a fruit. Anyway I can't remember if we ever got it sorted. Are you reading Bluemonday! I don't think the two chaps spoke for about a week afterwards. The blogs very special friend, Elizabeth Wittmann in Milwaukee Wiscosin, has emailed me some very useful tips which I am more than happy to pass on to you.

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.

Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies.Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper.Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze

Well, that's me for today folks. This is of course Tom Glassey with News where time doesn't matter. On the banks of the Silverburn River, or is it a stream!