[Ann Drysdale]

Thank you, John.

I too enjoyed all the poems and was glad I wasn't the sole judge. I found my favourites fluctuated according to my mood, but I kept coming back to The News... and Happy Birthday.

Thanks to everyone who said nice things about my innards; though I was surprised nobody mentioned Longfellow, from whom I nicked the form. A E Housman did it better. It was, as Susan twigged, an occasional poem, written in a state of extreme terror as an attempt to make common ground with the charming stranger who was about to tell me more about my insides than I actually wanted to know. And Martin was right about the spelling error.

Mary, I was delighted to share a line with you, too. This has been fun - roll on the next one!