Britain is apparently reaching a crisis point on obesity.

A new pill promises to help by controlling appetite - but should fat people really be turned into patients? Should they just eat less and exercise more?

The launch of a new weight-loss pill has been hailed as a breakthrough by health campaigners wringing their hands over what can be done about Britain's "obesity crisis".

The once-a-day pill, sold under the trade name Accomplia, controls appetite by blocking activity in the part of the brain that generates cravings.

As a nation we are steadily eating ourselves to death; 23 per cent of adults in Britain are obese. Are you?

But - beware of the pill!

(Courtesy of The Daily Telegraph and Matt)

Did you know?

French weather forecasters consistently announce that wet or poor weather in France is being "sent from the British Isles" !

What else do we want to send to them?

It is cheaper to put up a poster.

THE EYES HAVE IT

The feeling of being watched makes people act more honestly, even if the eyes are not real, a study suggests.

A Newcastle University team monitored how much money people put in a canteen "honesty box" when buying a drink.

They found people put nearly three times as much in when a poster of a pair of eyes was put above the box than when the poster showed flowers.

The brain responds to images of eyes and faces and the poster may have given the feeling of being watched, they say.

It does raise the possibility that you could get people to behave more co-operatively or pro-socially by putting up pictures of eyes.

Watch for those posters in your local store !

But you can an iguana!

A giant green iguana has become a familiar sight walking along the streets of an Essex town.

Antiques restorer Robert Garnett, 34, and his wife Heidi, 30, regularly take their pet iguana, Rocky, for a stroll in Manningtree after breakfast.

Nine-year-old Rocky weighs about 19lbs (7kg) and measures 4ft 6in and has been with Mr Garnett for a year.

Mr Garnett said Rocky "scampered" along the pavements, which helped keep his claws tidy.

"I don't suppose it's that different from taking a dog for a walk," he said.

"He gets a bit dirty when he's out and about so we also put him in the bath once a week," added Mrs Garnett.

"We spoil him really."

(BBC News item)

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.

("The Tempest")

Last week seven hot-air balloons fitted with loudspeakers drifted through the English sky above Stratford-on-Avon in a novel musical attempt to inspire the sleeping earthbound masses below to dream.

Some were not amused at having their slumbers disturbed.

Specially-composed works, inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, filled the early-morning air.

Event organiser Luke Jerram said the musical hot-air balloons were part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's ongoing Complete Works Festival.

"We wanted to place people in a space somewhere on the edge of sleep in a meditative waking state and then to inspire their imagination, sculpting dreams with music and spatial sound," he said.

That was the idea, anyway. The reality was hovering sometimes as little as 150ft up, and provoked a rush of pyjama and dressing gown-clad men, women and children into their gardens to get a better look.

Bleary eyes peered from behind curtains, cameras were quickly produced, children waved. One man hung out of his car window while driving, while a crew member was able to conduct a conversation with someone leaning out of their bedroom window.

Meaning - Unambiguously and unequivocally dead.

Origin -The dodo was a flightless bird somewhat like a turkey. It was native to Mauritius and the last live specimen was seen in 1681.

The extinction of the species is attributed to the introduction of domestic animals to Mauritius and excessive hunting by Eueopean settlers.

Mind you biologists thought that coelacanths had been extinct for 70 million years until 1938, when fishermen of South Africa were found to have been regularly catching and eating them.

Scientists last week discovered part of the skeleton of a dodo in Mauritius.

One of the team said it was the first discovery of fully preserved bones which could give clues as to how the bird became extinct more than 300 years ago.

No complete skeleton has ever been found in Mauritius, and the last full set of bones was destroyed in a fire at a museum in Oxford in 1755.

Suggestions that the United States poses the greatest threat to world peace have infuriated President George W Bush at an EU-US summit overshadowed by criticism of Guantanamo Bay and US foreign policy.

A June 13 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press showed that people in Great Britain, France and Spain say the U.S.-led war in Iraq is a greater threat to world peace than Iran's government and its nuclear program.

The President attributed Europeans' negative feelings to differences over the Iraq war and U.S. anti-terrorism efforts since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"For Europe, September the 11th was a moment," Bush said. "For us, it was a change of thinking.

Commenting on the poll, he said "I thought it was absurd for people to think that we're more dangerous than Iran," His irritation grew when an Austrian reporter read him some specific poll numbers.

"Look, people didn't agree with my decision on Iraq, and I understand that. ... People can say what they want to say. But leadership requires making hard choices based upon principle," he said during a news conference in historic Hofburg Palace.

(Source "The Seattle Times")

You need to inspect thoroughly before you drive away.

Lift up the front and have a good hard look.

Check the spare tyre and any handles.

Make sure the top can come down and look good in the summer.

Are the bodywork and lines to your liking?

Ensure it responds well when you are in the driving seat.

Make sure any unusual noises can be safely ignored.

Ensure sole ownership.

If possible test drive several times before committing to ownership.

Make sure that there is a proper response when you put your foot down….

and that it is easy to control.

Ensure that no joy rider can get their hands on it.

Watch out for any nasty emissions.

Keep all leather accessories in order.

For your own safety never attempt to handle when drunk.

Never let your friends have a go.

A safari park in Merseyside is urging patriotic football fans to remove England flags from their vehicles to stop gangs of baboons pinching them.

Bosses at Knowsley Safari Park say the 120-strong troop of baboons usually swipe windscreen wipers but have turned to stealing World Cup flags instead.

Safari Park general manager David Ross said: "Many people are wisely removing them before going on the safari drive.

"If they forget the baboons usually take them."

He added: "Visitors are certainly enjoying their antics with the flags as it does look like they are showing their support for the efforts of the England team.

"The baboons have always been great fun but they are the vandals of the animal world.

"Our advice to England fans is to remove their flags before they arrive or to use the alternative car-friendly route around the outside of the monkey jungle."

(From a Daily Telegraph article)

Tony Blair and the Queen are to have two dedicated aircraft to fly them on official visits at a cost of £12.3 million-a-year, Downing Street announced last night.

The prospect of a dedicated aircraft for the Prime Minister has been the source of debate since the 1980s and No 10, under successive premiers, has viewed with envy other leaders' well-fitted planes.

Mr Blair has arrived abroad recently in foreign-chartered aircraft - in one case bearing an Austrian flag.

Downing Street said: "It's not at all good to see leading British politicians, including the Prime Minister, going to foreign events in planes hired from foreign countries.

"It's inefficient, it's insecure and the cost of the present system rises all the time."

Officials said the Queen would have first call on the planes, but stressed that Buckingham Palace, No 10 and other government departments would be charged the equivalent cost of chartering the plane, not just fuel and staffing costs.

(Courtesy of the Daily Telegraph and Matt)

French shop assistants are among the least helpful, least knowledgeable and most surly in Europe, a new study shows today.

German stores, in contrast, top the poll for efficiency, knowledge and customer service.

Despite our love of whingeing about appalling service and lengthy queues, Britain comes second in the poll.

The German shop staff were said to be extremely knowledgeable and were best at closing sales.

"The French scored second lowest and lowest in every category, from the environment and the waiting time to the smiling and greeting customers," said Mr Cover. "We don't want these things to support our stereotypes, but in a strange way they do.

"If this had been an Englishman's perception of France, that would be one thing. But these were based on French shoppers' perception of the country. The French would like it to be better."

British shop staff scored well on the way they greeted customers. But they fell down on their lack of knowledge about goods they sold.

(From a Daily Telegraph article)

To motorists, the petrol pump is a means of refuelling their tanks. But for a lonely peacock at a service station in Brierly, Gloucestershire, it is an object of romance and desire.

Mr. P, a proud peacock fuelled with passion, is spending 18 hours a day strutting his stuff at a petrol station trying to turn on one of the pumps.

The randy animal puts on a dazzling display of mating prowess at the service station for three months a year, in the vain hope of getting some high-octane action with the pumps.

But after three years of petrol station prowling, the bird-brained romeo's antics have been brought to the attention of the local authorities who are now plotting to capture Mr. P and put an end to his preening there.

Ornithologists reckon he is attracted by the clicking sound of the pumps, which resemble the mating calls of a broody peahen, "The Times" said.

His owner Shirley Horsman said: "In spring he gets his tail feathers and he gets frisky. Then he goes looking for love.

"He gets very amorous and the clicking of the petrol pumps makes the same noise as a peahen crying, 'Come on, I'm ready!'. Every time he hears someone filling up, he thinks he's on to a good thing.

"It must be so hard for him listening to these pumps giving him the come-on all day long but with no way of relieving that pent-up frustration."

His two brothers are similarly dim-witted when it comes to love. One appears to have a crush on a cat while the other has been spotted attempting to mate with a garden light.

An Iranian woman plays rugby at Tehran's Azadi stadium, conforming to the Islamic republic's strict sporting dress code for women.

I have just been watching on BBC TV the service of thanksgiving from St Paul's Cathedral in London to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday.

I was struck by the fact that so many of the congregation did not join in the singing of the hymns. Not even Her Majesty!

Sir Cliff Richard and Dame Vera Lynn seemed in good voice though.

And the cathedral looked magnificent after its recent interior cleaning and restoration.

What a pity that it costs £9 (US $16.50) to go inside - although there is free entrance to a small chapel for those who wish to pray.

P.S. It was nice to see so many ladies wearing hats.

In the heat of their first World Cup encounter, England's footballers started well but faded fast.

But on Monday, their wives and girlfriends put on a performance of stamina and spending power that showed England have a team to take on the world - at shopping.

Six of them went on a spree in Baden-Baden, where the England squad is based, buying more than £3,000 worth of designer clothes in an hour.

Coleen McLoughlin, 20, the girlfriend of Wayne Rooney, led the charge, buying Gucci shoes and a Dolce and Gabbana shirt from Monika Scholz, the most expensive boutique in the German spa town.

Five others, including Ellen Rives, 29, the wife of Frank Lampard, and Carly Zucker, the girlfriend of Joe Cole, followed, splashing out on sunglasses next door. They then paid a further £1,500 for shoes and shirts in 10 minutes.

After a jewellery shop visit they retired to the Garibaldi bar for a drink with Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand. "We are just here to support the boys," said Miss Rives. "We are having a great time."

(Richard Alleyne - The Daily Telegraph)

And Matt had a word for it:

NEWS ITEM

Police in Florida have tracked down three elderly tourists, a man and two women from Ontario, who spent three days drving around Miami looking for the hotel that they had already checked into.

A police spokesman said the women took turns driving.

He added: "The gentleman does have Alzheimer's, so he didn't even know he was lost."

I wrote on my "Grumpy" blog yesterday about schoolchildren who, in future, will not have to give written answers to the questions on their GCSE science examination papers.

That is a great pity, as we shall be unable to read interesting comments such as these:

"Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin.Hydrogin is gin and water."

"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire."

"H20 is hot water, and CO2 is cold water."

"When you smell an odourless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide"

"Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes, and caterpillars."

"Blood flows down one leg and up the other."

"Respiration is composed of two acts, first inspiration, and then expectoration."

"The moon is a planet just like the earth, only it is even deader"

"Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them perspire."

"A super-saturated solution is one that holds more than it can hold."

"Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas."

"The body consists of three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abominable cavity contains the bowels, of which there are five - A, E, I, O and U."

"Momentum: What you give a person when they are going away."

"Planet: A body of earth surrounded by sky."

"Rhubarb: a kind of celery gone bloodshot."

"Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives."

"Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative."

"To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose."

"For a nosebleed: put the nose much lower than the body until the heart stops."

"For drowning: climb on top of the person and move up and down to make Artificial Perspiration."

"For Fainting: Rub the person's chest or, if a lady, rub her arm above the hand instead. Or put the head between the knees of the nearest medical doctor."

"To prevent contraception: wear a condominium."

"For head cold: use an agonizer to spray the nose until it drops in your throat."

"To keep milk from turning sour: keep it in the cow."

"The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects."

"The alimentary canal is located in the northern part of Indiana."

"The skeleton is what is left after the insides have been taken out and the outsides have been taken off. The purpose of the skeleton is something to hitch meat to."

"A permanent set of teeth consists of eight canines, eight cuspids, two molars,and eight cuspidors."

"The tides are a fight between the Earth and Moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight."

"A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is."

"Germinate: To become a naturalized German."

"Magnets: Something you find crawling all over a dead cat."

Questions about love, marriage and sex were posed to kids ages 5 to 10. Their answers below are enlightening:

WHAT IS THE PROPER AGE TO GET MARRIED??

"Eighty-four! Because at that age, you don't have to work any more, and you can spend all your time loving each other in your bedroom." (Judy, 8)

"Once I'm done with kindergarten, I'm going to find me a wife!" (Tom, 5)

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE??

"On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date." (Mike, 10)

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE??

"You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough money to buy her a big ring and her own camcorder, 'cause she'll want to have videos of the wedding." (Jim, 10)

"Never kiss in front of other people. It's a big embarrassing thing if anybody sees you. But if nobody sees you, I might be willing to try it with a handsome boy, but just for a few hours." (Kally, 9)

THE GREAT DEBATE: IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED??

"It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need somebody to clean up after them!" (Lynette, 9)

"It gives me a headache to think about that stuff. I'm just a kid. I don't need that kind of trouble." (Kenny, 7)

CONCERNING WHY LOVE HAPPENS BETWEEN TWO PARTICULAR PEOPLE

"No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That's why perfume and deodorant are so popular." (Jan, 9)

"I think you're supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful." (Harlen, 8)

ON WHAT FALLING IN LOVE IS LIKE

"Like an avalanche where you have to run for your life." (Roger, 9)

"If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don't want to do it. It takes too long." (Leo, 7)

ON THE ROLE OF GOOD LOOKS IN LOVE

"If you want to be loved by somebody who isn't already in your family, it doesn't hurt to be beautiful." (Jeanne, 8)

"It isn't always just how you look. Look at me. I'm handsome like anything and I haven't got anybody to marry me yet." (Gary, 7)

"Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time." (Christine, 9)

CONCERNING WHY LOVERS OFTEN HOLD HANDS

"They want to make sure their rings don't fall off because they paid good money for them." (Dave, 8)

CONFIDENTIAL OPINIONS ABOUT LOVE

"I'm in favour of love as long as it doesn't happen when 'The Simpsons' is on television." (Anita, 6)

"Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I have been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me." (Bobby, 8)

"I'm not rushing into being in love. I'm finding fourth grade hard enough." (Regina, 10)

THE PERSONAL QUALITIES NECESSARY TO BE A GOOD LOVER

"One of you should know how to write a cheque. Because, even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills." (Ava, 8)

SOME SUREFIRE WAYS TO MAKE A PERSON FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU

"Tell them that you own a whole bunch of candy stores." (Del, 6)

"Don't do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might get attention, but attention ain't the same thing as love." (Alonzo, 9)

"One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it's something she likes to eat. French fries usually works for me." (Bart, 9)

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF TWO ADULTS EATING DINNER AT A RESTAURANT ARE IN LOVE?

"Just see if the man picks up the bill. That's how you can tell if he's in love." (John, 9)

"Lovers will just be staring at each other and their food will get cold. Other people care more about the food." (Brad, 8)

"It's love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it's just like how their hearts are...on fire." (Christine, 9)

WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE THINKING WHEN THEY SAY "I LOVE YOU"

"The person is thinking: Yeah, I really do love him. But I hope he showers at least once a day." (Michelle, 9)

HOW A PERSON LEARNS TO KISS

"You learn it right on the spot when the gooshy feelings get the best of you." (Doug, 7)

"It might help to watch soap operas all day." (Carin, 9)

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

"It's never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you...That's why I stopped doing it." (Jean, 10)

HOW TO MAKE LOVE ENDURE

"Spend most of your time loving instead of going to work." (Tom, 7)

"Don't forget your wife's name...That will mess up the love." (Roger, 8)

"Be a good kisser. It might make your wife forget that you never take out the trash." (Randy, 8)

Portsmouth is about to introduce a 20mph traffic speed limit on ALL residential roads in the city, with just five exceptions , including the seafront.

The city council will spend £475,000 introducing the scheme over the next two years.

Approving the decision, Portsmouth City Council's road chief, Councillor Alex Bentley, said the move would reduce the risk of accidents and pollution.

He said: "I cannot think that any right-minded person would have a problem with this proposal... " And (I like this), "particularly as on a great number of our roads it's actually quite difficult to drive at more than 20mph anyway."

But the decision has been criticised by the Association of British Drivers as being reactive rather than proactive.

There is no doubt that traffic will be slowed down, but frustration will increase.

How many police officers will be needed to enforce the scheme.

And how many drivers will ignore the new limit?

Have you read my other blogs?

http://poemsandprose.blog.co.uk/

http://grumpy.blog.co.uk/

The centuries old question of whether God exists has been answered for us once and for all by a brave Ukrainian man.

This unnamed 45 year-old philosopher took a rope to Kiev Zoo last Sunday and used it to lower himself into the lions' den, where he proclaimed "God will save me, if he exists."

Then one of the lions reached over and grabbed him by the throat, instantly killing him.

DID MARIJUANA FUEL SHAKESPEARE'S GENIUS?

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon allowed South African research scientists from the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria to analyze twenty-four pipe fragments found on the grounds of William Shakespeare's home.

The findings, published in the South African Journal of Science, show that eight of the pipes tested contain traces of cannabis and two of the pipes contain traces of cocaine. Others appear to be laced with tobacco, camphor, and hallucinogenic nutmeg extracts high in myristic acid.

The pipes date to the seventeenth century when hemp was used widely in the production of rope, clothing, and paper, and when marijuana was used to treat certain medical conditions. However, the discovery of the pipes laced with several narcotics lends credibility to the theory that people in Renaissance England used drugs for pleasure.

It has been a long-standing but highly unconventional assumption that Shakespeare alludes to drugs and drug use in his works, particularly in his non-dramatic poetry.

Sonnet 27 begins:

Weary with toil I haste me to my bed
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey to my head
To work my mind when body's work's expired.

Even more conspicuous is Sonnet 76, which contains Shakespeare's references to a 'noted weed' and 'compounds strange' -- 'compound' known as early as 1530 to mean a substance formed by a chemical union of two or more ingredients:

Why is my verse so barren of new pride,
So far from variation or quick change?
Why with the time do I not glance aside
To new-found methods and to compounds strange?
Why write I still all one, ever the same,
And keep invention in a noted weed,
That every word doth almost tell my name,
Showing their birth and where they did proceed?

And Sonnet 118 divulges:

Like as, to make our appetites more keen,
With eager compounds we our palate urge.

There is little doubt that this combination of the findings by South African researchers and the possible references to psychotropic drugs in Shakespeare's writings will prompt many more to hypothesize that Shakespeare used narcotics as a source of inspiration.

We will never know for sure, but if Shakespeare did use drugs as a tool to spark his creativity he certainly would not be the only literary genius to have done so!

(From: http://shakespeare.about.com)

'MONARCH' SOUGHT FOR SMALL ISLAND

Do you fancy being a King! Or I suppose a Queen would do.

A vacancy has arisen and you could be crowned the new ruler.

Your kingdom?

Here it is, Piel Island - a tiny island off the coast of Cumbria with a 14th Century castle, six former coastguard cottages, and a Grade II listed inn.

The licensee of the Ship Inn is traditionally known as the "King of Piel" and manages the island under formal lease.

The post is now vacant, and Barrow Borough Council is inviting applicants to take up the unique role.

Why don't you apply?

The 20-acre island is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and was donated as a war memorial to the people of Barrow by the Duke of Buccleuch in 1920.

Until recently it was managed by the licensee of the Ship Inn, but when the holder of the honorary royal title abdicated it reverted to the care of the council.

There are now hopes to refurbish the inn for re-occupation in early 2007.

Would-be monarchs are invited to outline their proposals for the future of the island.

Go on! Why don't you?

The European Union commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as "EuroEnglish".

In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c".

Sivil servants will sertainly resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard "c" will be replaced with "k". Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced by "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20 per sent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go.

By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by z" and "w" by v.

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou", and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer.

Ze drem vil finali kum tru!

Britain's best known sauce will, in future, be made abroad - far away from the Houses of Parliament.

The Heinz Company are closing their factory in Birmingham and transferring production to the Netherlands.

Hundreds of people turned out in Birmingham to march against the closure of the factory.

MPs and community leaders were joined by workers for a rally at Aston Park before a march to the factory gates in nearby Aston Cross.

Deputy general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union Jack Dromey said the US firm had broken promises.

"This march is not just about the sauce and the 125 workers whose jobs are at risk, it is about the local community, a prime British brand and keeping manufacturing jobs in the UK."

"Heinz gave promises to keep production of HP in Birmingham, but those commitments are as thin as the sauce's imitations," he said

Speaking to workers at the gates of the factory building, he added: "HP is a British icon."

"The workers of HP are the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of other HP workers.

"They have worked at this factory which has put that bottle of sauce on our teatime tables for 100 years and we must ensure it's there for the next 100 years."

Go to: http://grumpy.blog.co.uk/ for a pig story

When Elaine Richards decided to bake a birthday cake for an elderly friend, she thought she was doing him a good deed.

But when she tried to deliver the Madeira cake, made with the best natural ingredients, to the 96-year-old at a day-care centre, she was told they could not accept it because of health and safety rules.

Officials said a cake that contained unknown ingredients could not be allowed in case it caused illness in those who ate it. Age Concern, which runs the centre, could be sued, they added.

The retired district nurse was told that she could only bring a cake which had been bought from a shop.

But Mrs Richards, whose sponge contained only flour, butter, sugar, eggs and lemon rind, said the rule was 'nonsensical'.

The 75-year-old, of Braunton, North Devon, is a lifelong member of the Women's Institute. She added: "My cakes are perfectly healthy, baked with the finest natural ingredients.

"I wanted to make one for a former patient of mine who was going to be 96, but when I got there the manager said no. I couldn't believe it. I've been making cakes for 60 years and have fed a family of four on my cooking. The worst they've had is a bit of indigestion from eating too much."

But Andrea Scott, regional director of Age Concern, said food regulation guidelines had to be followed.

She said: "We have very many elderly and frail people that attend day care and some are diabetic.

"If I let one person do this, it will open the floodgates.

"We don't know where these cakes come from but if something went wrong then we could be sued.'

She added: "It's not about ingredients, it's about having things from a shop. It was the first time this has happened and I had to act for the organisation to protect the trustees and clients that are with us.

"The people we look after are often elderly and frail and we like to be sure where all our food is coming from. Our policy is no reflection on Mrs Richards' cake-making ability."

Mrs Scott said the day club, in Barnstaple, was a private meeting place. She advised Mrs Richards to give her friend the cake at home.

"I did apologise and I am very sorry for her but I had to abide by the rules," she added.

But Michelin-starred chef John Burton Race said concerns over health and safety had made us 'paranoid'. Speaking from The New Angel restaurant in Dartmouth, he said: "This is a prime example of rules and regulations going far too far.

"We are the only country that abides by these stupid rules. We are living in a litigious and paranoid society."

(From the "Daily Mail" 02/06/06)