Evil Diaries: Harvesting Wine In London

The DTel keeps on advising us all to prepare for war. I can see how they fear such a development – most forty year olds do not know the longstanding advice that, if you wish to avoid war, openly prepare for it. I have three grandsons; it would be a pity if they were conscribed for street to street fighting.

French farmers are, I read, committing suicide at the rate of circa 5 a week. They cannot face the destruction of their businesses by grotesquely unfair EU taxation and massive mind-numbing bureaucracy. We are well out of the EU madhouse.

My colleague, Mark Watson-Mitchell, has highlighted the attractions of Scholium (SCHO) capitalised at 40p at five eighths its tangible net asset value. Welcome to the club, Mark. For I alighted upon this gem getting on for ten years ago since inflation seemed to me to be on its way and fine art would be the perfect hedge. And the share price has gone nowhere. However, the Swedish small cap investor, Peter Gyllenhammar has taken a disclosable stake and one day this price goes up. Perhaps sooner rather than later.

Keep your eyes on the prize: one of my relations was tripping down the Gloucester Road a few weeks ago and noticed some discarded rubbish by the side of the road including as it turned out a handsome wooden presentation box suitable for one bottle of wine. He supposed that the box was empty and reckoning that it would be useful if converted to a holder of shoe brushes and polish etc. leant down to take it. Which he did. Curiously there was a full bottle of wine inside which. even more curiously, proved to be worth £150.

Finally, I am still offering investment tuition sessions and welcome enquiries from old and young, possibly, even, family groups. I tailor these sessions to the tutees’ existing knowledge. Please email me on cawkwell@btinternet.com.