Peter Rhodes on a village fete, a doomed politician and a regrettable lack of Irish blood
Predictions I wish I hadn't made. This, based on a single encounter with Peter Mandelson: “He charmed us that day and I wouldn't be surprised if he charms the Yanks, too.”
Off to our local village fete, an event celebrating its 120-something anniversary. Obviously, much has changed over those years, notably prices. Back in 1905, £7 was a farm labourer's pay for a month. Today, £7 buys a beefburger.
I was immensely proud of Mrs Rhodes who, with a graceful, darts-throwing motion, knocked a coconut clean off the shy and claimed her prize, another coconut. The prize coconut was cracked but the stallholder swapped it jovially for another coconut which we hammered open at home and found to be full of stinking grey mould. By now in a coconutty-fixated frame of mind we bought a third one from the grocer's. It came with a label warning us not to drink the contents. I'm sure coconuts used to be more fun than this.
