Second post of the day . . . .

Stopping off for what our American cousins call “ a comfort break” on the way down from Leeds to London today, I decided to eschew the 4 quid sandwiches and buy myself a couple of Snackers bars at 65p each. Happily, there was a double pack for only 89p but the checkout girl then told me a special promotion would allow me to get two of these for only 1.30. The numerate among you will have realised this makes the unit cost of 4 bars only 32.5p, or half the usual price. Given there's a plague of obesity in the UK, this says something not only about the margins of the manufacturer and retailer but also their morality. But - as I’ve asked before - in a free society how on earth do you stop capitalism morphing into rampant consumerism? Perhaps via regular recessions. Meanwhile, is it any wonder that members of my daughters’ generation eat and drink to excess and regard 5 pounds as ‘only the price of a drink or a sandwich”? And that one of the joys of my niece’s wedding last weekend was the sight of so many “well-fed” young women bulging out of their tightly-fitting Sunday best?

In more positive mode, here’s another unsolicited testimonial. This time for PurpleParking, who offer a remarkably efficient service for leaving your car near Heathrow airport at what has to be considered a very reasonable price these days. If anyone knows of a better way to take a car to London and to park it outside the congestion charge area, I’d be delighted to hear it.

Which reminds me . . . As you approach London, there are huge signs saying you're entering a Low Emissions zone. Which should worry you if you have a diesel-powered commercial vehicle, apparently.

Finally . . . I guess I’m not so odd in being a nervous flier. But I do wonder how many people feel tense just approaching Heathrow in order to get the Tube into London. Pathetic, really.