This is my last post on this blog because I've now moved to devonandcornwallviewpoint.blogspot.com. Thanks to anyone who has looked in on this blog.

Workers at a factory at the Restormel Estate in Lostwithiel have received the worst possible Christmas message: the business of Darley Therapy Equipment Limited has gone bust. It is one of those small firms in Devon and Cornwall of which there are hundreds which help to maintain the viability of our small historic towns such as Lostwithiel. Maybe they only employed a dozen or so people but on an individual level the closure is just as bad as that of a factory with 1000 workers closing. To compound their problems they are owed money as well as losing their livelihood.

As one who has worked in a factory which similarly closed I can empathise with them and I wish them all the best.

I've just caught up with a story in the North Devon Gazette: apparently fund-raisers in Torrington have recently raised £1200 for the North Devon Hospice through selling cakes in The Square. To add spice to the occasion teams of men and women competed against each other to see who could bake the most cakes and raise the most money! One of the organisers was quoted as saying "With a bit of cheating, the men won by about £100!". So well done the men!

This event was part of a project to raise £10,000 in memory of the landlady of a local pub who sadly died of lung cancer. It once again shows how brilliant our small local communities are when asked to dip into their pockets for a noble cause and to enjoy some fun in the process.

Two days ago the bipartisan Iraq Study Group brought out a hard hitting report about the mess that Iraq is in and included 79 recommendations to the crisis. Its opening words "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating" set the tone of what was to follow. Yesterday chief cheerleader Tony Blair joined George Bush in a news conference; gone were the usual swaggers, instead they looked ill at ease and I was pleased to see the camera come in close when they were subjected to some uncomfortable questioning from the BBC's Nick Robinson. This has been well reported in Nick's own blog (there's a surprise!) and in the "Blairwatch" blog. Plenty of comments on these two blogs with the great majority praising Robinson's efforts.

Unsurprisingly although broadly supportive of the ISG report - they couldn't do much else - they are presently stalling for time. One of the report's more controversial suggestions is to have some sort of dialogue with Syria and Iran. I wouldn't be surprised if the UK got involved with some quiet diplomacy with Syria at least. We shall see!

It was only 3 days ago that I wrote an entry about the weather and I thought that was a subject I might avoid for a week or two. Not a bit of it! There was a mini tornado in NW London this morning which barely lasted a minute but has done a good deal of damage. Luckily there were no fatalities but some people were injured. I don't know that this one was as extensive in affected area as the one in Birmingham but certainly from the pictures I've seen the damage was considerable. It seems that one or more houses will have to be demolished.

By contrast we have escaped the worst of the severe weather today although we have had some squally showers; the next two days promise to be somewhat calmer thank goodness.

I was able to do some research at the village archive which is proving a treasure trove of information.

There was an interesting property auction today at the Salcombe Yacht Club in Devon's South Hams. Up for bidding was a boatstore with slipway to Shadycombe Creek which in turn leads out to Salcombe Harbour. Said building is 80 feet by 13 feet with a corrugated iron roof. The creek is tidal and I doubt that you could get a boat in or out of the building for more than half the day. The guide price (bear in mind that this is Salcombe!) was £250,000.

So what was the eventual selling price? Evidently there were a number of bidders and the hammer dropped at £402,000! Nice commission for estate agents Charles Head & Son and I imagine a very contented vendor.

I notice that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are making a big deal of the option we now have of buying car tax online or by phone. In my case I've obtained my new tax from the post office in the usual way. Although my main reason is to assist in maintaining the viability of my local post office there are financial incentives as well. To guarantee that you will be able to display a tax disc by the start of the month you have to go online or phone at least 5 days in advance, I can get my tax at the last moment from the PO. Payment on line or by phone is by credit card (for which privilege you have to pay an extra £2.50!) or by debit card. Phoning involves an 0870 number, normally these are expensive but, significantly, they dont say what the phone rate is. I accept of course that electronic transfer of money has to be cheaper than other means but is this best for the customer? The first paragraph on their leaflet is headed "What's the easiest way to renew my tax disc?". Once again they are intent on taking custom away from the post office!