Hero of the week

No, not George Alexander Louis Cambridge, third in line to the throne, who made his overdue and over-hyped entry onto the world stage but Christine McGrail from Manchester. Having been refused service at a McDonalds Drive-thru on account that she was on horseback she allowed her 9 year old daughter, Olivia, to enter the store as instructed by the staff, together with her pony, Minnie, while mum waited outside on her mount, Dancer.

Previously the couple had been served at the drive-thru though on this occasion they were informed that they were not allowed to queue up with the other cars. Minnie, who has a fondness for Mcflurrys duly did what horses do and the police were called.

9 out of 10 to the Store Manager for spotting that the presence of animals with so many cars in close proximity might pose a health and safety risk, 0 out of 10 for failing to recognise the health and safety concerns of bringing an animal inside the store. (then what is a pony among 100 or so hungry kids?)

It speaks volumes that the horse-riding community can see no issue with taking their steeds into a restaurant then they have a long history of flouting the law. The only participant to come out of this incident with any distinction is Minnie, who 'performed' admirably. The nutritional value of her droppings were probably higher that most of the dishes on the McDonalds menu.

Mrs. McGrail was fined £90 for the 'alarm and distress' caused to customers though I suspect that this was considerably less than that on Minnie coming face to face with her ancestors.

Wonky Willie and the chocolate swindle

As a confirmed chocaholic there is nothing more that I enjoy than a bar of the sweet stuff so I was delighted to find a large bar of Aero on offer for £1 at the supermarket. This was particularly attractive as I had not tasted that particular brand for some considerable time, I had not eaten since lunchtime and it was now past 10 o'clock.

Bar sizes have altered over the years, with prices rising proportionately, though invariably spiralling upwards, as most things tend to (apart from one's waistline). On this occasion my joy at tasting once more an old favourite was tempered not only by the fact that the bar was larger but so were the bubbles. How do they do that? Even more of the percentage of the cost is paying for the air in the bubble.

I have never been a great advocate of changing the size of the original product. I am not so stupid to think that inevitably prices will rise due to inflation or manufacturing costs. I am satisfied to know that I am getting what I paid for and don't need to be bamboozled by mini bars and maxi bars, re-branding or re-packaging as a cunning means of increasing the companies profit.

Not being a crisp lover I have not suffered the indignities that those people have (and I don't mean Gary Lineker waggling his ears on TV at alternating ad breaks). There was a time when purchasing a bag of crisps meant exactly that, not a handful of crisps in a bag capable of containing 4 times their number.

In today's eco-friendly climate is it right that manufacturers should create these massive bags of air in a shabby pretence that the purchaser is getting more value for their money?