Much, Margi and More

They two of 'em went out for an evening lately, getting together with some of their mates. 'Er what was the 'ostess sent a message saying 'is there anything you don't eat'?

Blooming stupid question, I said, there's loads of things they don't eat. Buckets, bricks, buttons, boots, plates, their mates and garden gates. Shut up, Much, says 'er, you know perfectly well what it means. What it comes down to is that 'er's vegetarian, 'er eats fish but not shellfish. Tony's no problem, eats what you put in front of 'im.

Much is trying to wind me up. I've never taken solemn vows about being veggie, but I feel it's they way I have to be. I don't think it's necessarily wrong to eat meat, but I do think t's wrong to eat it without taking into account

(a) the standards of animal welfare involved, and

(b) the amount of land, food, medicines, etc, used to rear an animal for food instead of feeding them for people.

Most of us in the developed world could eat a lot less meat and pay more for it. It's hard for small farmers to keep up high standards of production and still make a decent living. I feel a 'hug a farmer day' coming on.

On a completely different subject - I was telling you a little while ago about the church Jane Austen went to when she was a child. Here it is -

Can you picture her chasing her brothers round the churchyard? Sitting in the front pew swinging her feet?