SINCE I’ve retired I have invested in a rocking chair and I can thoroughly recommend this indulgence.

I ponder a great deal as I rock and the Government hasn’t yet found a way to tax this particular activity. I could whittle but, with my past record in DIY and woodworking, I’d be lucky to have any fingers left.

No, for me; I prefer to muse on the curious and intriguing.

Whatever happened to Hazy Fantayzee? Does anyone still remember Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth murdering “We’ll Gather Lilacs”? Why do supermarkets shrink-wrap turnips and swedes? Why do farmers always put their gates in the muddiest part of the field?

I know a lot of these questions are not of the weightiest importance but I do think it’s important to remain curious. I certainly intend to do so.

VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland.