WELL! I've made my lists and torn them up and then written a lot of new ones.

Over the years I could paper a room with the resolutions I have made and which have been broken with astonishing regularity. Oh yes!

Was I going to be good, was I going to behave, was I going to be slim?

I was even going to be tolerant, heaven forbid! Now, I am beginning to wonder, to imagine that somewhere there is a home for broken resolutions, a little place where they sit in corners, shaking their heads and weeping at the futility of it all.

For, if we really and truly wanted to do these things why would we wait till New Year? No, we would do it anyway, but we kid ourselves.

Every Monday morning my intention is so strong.

Yes, today I am definitely going to eat nothing but nuts and fruit.

But by eleven o'clock the bacon butty blues kick in and all is lost. But I definitely will, next Monday.

Now, I don't know what you think but the television over the last two weeks has been dismal.

Is television going down the tube? (sorry). I started to watch a programme the other night that described itself as a collection of amusing out-takes.' As it turned out it was clips of well-known television personalities swearing and cursing as they made mistakes or forgot their lines.

Why do TV producers think that people swearing will amuse us?

Is that how they see us as morons, satisfied with any rubbish they decide to put out as entertainment?

Most of these so-called fly on the wall' programmes portray people in a rather bad light, or even take a delight in humiliating them.

It seems a poor reflection on society and it's not what I call entertainment.

I like programmes that don't make me feel uncomfortable, programmes we can watch as a family and that leave at least something to the imagination. But then I suppose that's why I'm a big Radio Four listener.

A phrase caught my eye the other day there is no school equal to a decent home and no teachers equal to honest virtuous parents' and I thought that would make a great theme for a political manifesto.

It would be a great aim and objective for any government. They should promote that objective and help people to aspire to it. In fact, it should be the aim of all of us.

Now, if you will just wait a minute I'll get off my soap box and I'll tell you that this year is going to be the best ever.

We are the lucky ones, we are here telling the tale, better off than most.

Oh, I know we grumble and moan but it's not a bad old life really.

So why not do as the poet says "come link three arm in mine and lithe along with me, for dus't not know lads, the best has yet to be."

Love, Margo