IN CONVERSATION

Les bemoans the lowering of "dress standards" and thinks more care should be taken of our appearances.

I was talking to a very dear friend of mine the other day, no it wasn't the one who goes to Sheringham on holiday with a dog and wife, his dog but someone else's wife, no I'm sorry you have heard all of that before. Yes I digress.

We were discussing an article in one of our national newspapers and it would seem that Carla Stent is the Chief Operating Officer of Barclays Asset and Sales Finance. Our dear Carla has decided she is fed up to her back teeth with this business of "dressing down"; people turning up for work with a shirt with no tie, jeans, flip flops, t-shirts, and trainers. In fact she wonders if all of this could effect the financial performance of her Bank. Well bully for Carla; I'm with her all the way.

I'm not suggesting for one moment that if you work on a farm and I've been there, how well I remember my carrot digging days, how can I forget, it left an indelible mark in my mind, I've never been the same since. No if you work on a farm you dress accordingly, but when the days work is over and you feel like popping out for a quick half, well smarten your darn self up.

I'm not surprised that "Strictly Come Dancing" on TV proved to be so popular. The contestants were the "Epitome of Sartorial Elegance" and one of these days, if I'm around long enough, I shall probably find out what that means in the meantime not bad for a former chaff attender cum carrot digger.

If all of this is too much for you can I suggest you switch on your TV for "Deal or No Deal." My God what drivel, I thought "Home and Away" was bad enough. Talking of TV no doubt you like me have been watching the world cup and have been overcome with excitement? Well I might have been had I managed to stay awake long enough. Again it was all drivel, why watch it then? I was hoping against hope that it would improve, that I might see just one defence splitting pass but no, sideways, backwards, and again sideways, but that's how it is nowadays.

I remember the days of yesteryear, please no violins, saxophones by all means, but spare us the violins, when football was football and men were men. Now if the poor dears, you know the ones, those earning thousands of pounds every week, if they lose a match they burst into tears.

Recently I read that Fred Trueman had passed away and a letter to a newspaper posed the question "Did Fred ever burst into tears if his team lost a cricket match" well hardly, Fred was a real man. And I'm reminded that Fred's daughter married Racquel Welch's son, and just thinking of Racquel well now that really has cheered be up. She's such a fine actress you know, and she has other qualities.

Still if I didn't like the football, something years ago I loved, well I could have switched over my TV to the tennis at Wimbledon.

Help, I just don't deserve this, please, please, not tennis.

Les Lawrence