Ron Forthehills

You are spot on. Throw the lumber overboard, and let it go the way of spats, typewriters, and motor-car starting handles. People used to like it, now they don't, and no marketing/relaunch/ revised pricing will make a jot of difference.

Maybe the way ahead is to invest in tangible assets, which in almost any economic scenario will still be in demand because they address an enduring human requirement, ie shelter, food, heat, and some way down the line, entertainment. Thus even in a falling market, maybe there IS a margin in a cheapish back-to basics victorian terrace, say £175K and with a rental yield of maybe £800 per month. For HPC this is a contrarian strategy, but it does have its merits. Alternatively, get hold of maybe 10 acres of good agricultural land, perhaps with a bit of woodland, and there is plenty of potential to make that work for you ( so long as you do the work ). With the price of fresh veg going ballistic at present, it may be a good fall-back position. Pigs are not too difficult to keep, and during WW2 many factories had 'pig-clubs' where the work, and the pork (off ration) was shared. The nightmare scenario, of course ,is to see your once-substantial paper assetts drain away like sand in an hourglass. I have a friend who sold-to-rent in 07, is sitting on £800k in various bank accounts, and who couldn't be more nervous if he had invested it all in ice-sculptures and the power was beginning to flicker !

The other phrase that seems hard-wired into their speech patterns is 'lets be clear', or 'let me be absolutely clear' , or ''we have always been quite clear about....' . Even Cameron is at it as well. With all this clarity, it seems strange that we are surrounded by so much confusion. As an aside, is there any BBC outside-broadcaster who does not start their report with 'Well, ......blah blah blah' ? The answer is no.

Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.

There is a high likelihood of being branded a 'spelling Nazi', but sometimes it is worth understanding that 'of' does not mean the same as 'off'. Much confusion may ensue.

Now you really have wandered off into some personal fantasy. It is a point of fact that nobody on HPC has got a girlfriend

I AWAYS misinterpret the tone as a point of principle. So what exactly are you trying to say? Are you saying I am gay ??

Blockbuster Video is rumoured to be shakey, prob because many people are getting a digital TV package, and can buy films on demand.

Why so? One guy has a business idea, founds a company which goes country-wide, employs many people, gives work to numerous sub-contracting suppliers and consequently enjoys a lifestyle of some opulence. He realised that people like to sit on comfy things- What do you sit on at home, an orange box? The chemist mixes chemicals, just as he was trained. He does not 'create life' unless he is also some sort of deity on the quiet.

Could be a double-bluff........

He (or his father) would have been unlucky to have been 'wiped out' by recent downfalls, as a balanced portfolio would have probably lost around 35% in 2008. If it it has lost about a third, then it started at around £4.5 million, so I dont think we will need to oranise a HPC Car Boot Sale for his benefit just yet. I will sit here and try to muster up some sympathy for the near-destitute fellow. Sorry......................................................nothing yet.

Can't say i am surprised. Peope don't want to pay the monthly fees these days. Why not just run round the park and get some free exercise, instead of paying to use those running machines, and weights. Also, if the establishment is losing that kind of money, it may not be alble to survive many months. Which town is it in ?

Just another example of the shift towards 'soft news', offering personality and emotion as a substitute for hard facts and in-depth analysis. All the 'facts' and difficult concepts have to go through the News Liquidiser to to be spoon-fed to the neurologically-challenged masses. See also the national News at 10.00 yesterday (ITV) interviewing mother of gun-victim Rheese Jones. ''So how did you feel to see your sun mortally wounded, and lying in a pool of blood?'' What place does this sort of waffle have in contemporary news coverages ? It is an extension of the 'Diana Effect, just recreational grieving for the Great British Public.

Yes, the format has experienced recession. Can we have full-screen back please?

Perhaps we are on the brink of some sort of cultural/social revelation whereby people will come to see that they do not need (or maybe even want ) all this 'stuff'. Most of our houses are jammed with all this crap for which we simply have no real use. If you go to the local tip, the stacks of TV's, washing machines, monitor are wasteful evidence of the quantity of 'consumer goods' which we churn our way through. But still, come Christmas, we rack our brains to work out what to give people, knowing full well they have no actual need for anything at all. Children already have their TV's, DVD players, mobile phone, X-Box, I-pods, what the hell else could they possibly require? This year give them an empty box, and tell them it is an Action Man Deserter! Then, just when you think you might be able to tolerade a quick mission up the High Street, you find that some self-propelled French Market has rolled up in town, to flog their Euro-Tat, and stink the place out with their ghastly toxic cheeses, which they have been banned from selling back home by the Chemical Weapons Commision. Then you get deafened by some leering, beret-wearing misfit, who is attempting to strangle an accordian, and blinded by the smoke from the carbonised chestnuts. Stay at home. Read a book.

£12,000 per annum, according to their Tax Return

I have struck up an acquaintance with my neighbour, and having found out his various hobbies and shopping habits I have taken up exactly the same ones myself. Now, whenever he goes off in his car, I get him to tow mine, and consequently am making huge savings on petrol.

Chesham is not bad at all, and prices rise with the topology, with the exception of Pond-Park estate which is the scrubbiest bit, in a great location. For my money, the prime position is Pednor, though Chartridge and Bellingdon are pretty good, with a decent rural feel to them, if you can keep off the faster roads. The agents in the town seem to be suffering, and we have lost George David, Chiltern Estates and Savills, the latter will not be missed, nor their overly glossy brochures and shameless ramping. I sense that many of the agents have yet to mentally capitulate, and finally abandon the fanciful and unsustainable prices of the unlamented peaks of 2007; in Latimer ( picture postcard village - 4 miles ) we still see a 2 bedroom cottage (with land) for £720,000 !!. The agent I last spoke to was of the opinion that we are seeing a 'blip' at present, and seems confident prices will return back to their rightful place next year! Even the most elementary economic reasoning is brushed aside, and it seems pretty fruitless to try to enlighten these people about the way things are, and the way they are likely to go. There appears to be some sort of vanity in play which will not allow a (ahem) 'property professional' to take any sort of advice from a mere punter. However, two bed victorian town terraces are now back below £200 K, and my hope is that we will see semi-rural 3/4 beedrooms back below £300 k before long. The town has an intimate small-town feel, and is pretty trouble free. Though dubbed 'Banglachesh' there is no particular tension between the cultures either on the streets or in the schools, and I would live there in preference to the ghastly enclaves of Gerrards Cross or Beaconsfield with their gated estates, and all the McMansions with triple garages and PVC doric columns at the front door. Every one seems to be inhabited by an orange woman, driving a black BMW!. There are quite a number of empty units in the high street, and December has seen two more charity shops open making about 7 in total now, and all the pubs are struggling , with many closing at 9.00 pm apart from Fri/Sat. There is little feel-good feeling around, and I think the real property falls will finally begin early 2009

Perhaps it will end up like the LoCo airlines, where you have a whole bunch of people on board, and none of them have paid the same rate. Some would be higher than the average, some lower, but at a figure they found to be acceptable in their circumstances. Most private schools are doing their assessments about now for the Sept 09 intake. I bet there will not be many candidates who are deemed 'not to have made the grade', this year. ' Can you write your name?. That looks very promising- you're in ! That will be £100,000 please''

Interesting and disturbing chat yesterday with a friend who is making arrangements to pull his son out of private school near Hemel Hempstead after Christmas. He is a well-paid self-employed contactor (near 6 figures £££) but seemingly is one of 5/6 parent making a similar move in Year 8 alone. No doubt other Years are feeling the same effect. The school, firmly battened up in their ivory tower, have recently announced a fee increase of 20%, to £6k per term........ Sounds like extra Economics tuition might be required !

McDonalds introduce the Credit-busting 'Mc-Crunchy Meal' - Tough Nuts Hard Cheese Small Potatoes Sour Grapes Chips ( On Shoulder ) Very Fishy Sauce

Grant Bovey gets a very long paper round ( enormous potential profits )

Shome mishtake surely.

Computer says ''no'' ie ,won't let me vote Anyway, No, not contained.

That was the same thread which stated that HMRC staff shortages negated the probability of pursuing individuals owing less than £20K. Probably like the TV Licence campaign, ie send out some scary messages and hope that the 'only slightly fraudulent' fall into line.