daveydave

I finally got round to hitting the countryside and going for a walk. OK, it wasn't a big walk by any stretch, but it was a start. I headed up to the Simonside Hills, just south of Rothbury and ambled around for a couple of hours. You know what, it was great. I'd forgotten how much I like hill and fell walking, and how fantastic the scenery is in Northumberland. I'd also forgotten how curiously satisfying it is to sit in the boot of a 4x4 and just look out at the scenery. It's a comfy place to change out of your walking boots and, should it rain, the tailgate will keep you dry. There was also a slightly geeky side to the walk. Having a mobile that is equipped with GPS enables me to figure out where I am, but it also allows me let everyone else know where I am too. I tried the system for the last 10 minutes of my walk today and, sure enough, the route appears on the website . Had you been looking at around 3.30 today, you could have followed my progress as I walked down t

You probably don't know, I certainly don't. So few of our receipts list VAT and none list other taxes such as fuel or alcohol duty. You know how much income tax, national insurance and council tax you pay, but you don't know how much you pay in indirect taxation. Personally, I'm in favour of transparency in such matters. If the government is going to take my money off me, I want to know how much. So I was interested to see that Nigel Evans , Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, introduced a Private Members' Bill on the 1st of July this year. The Transparent Taxation (Receipts) Bill aims to make it a legal requirement that receipts list the total amount of tax paid. Its second reading is on the 17th October and while Private Members' Bills hardly ever make it onto the statue books, it should be an interesting debate. I'm sure, like me, you'll be eager for the publication of Hansard on the 18th. No? Just me then.