[Ann Drysdale]

But if you do win, they'll ask for your bank details so that if you become a regular contender they can pay by bank transfer.

[Matt Q]

Thanks, Jerome. Much appreciated.

Ann, thanks too. And there I was thinking it'd be book tokens for some reason

[Chris O'Carroll]

Originally Posted by Douglas G. Brown

Does Microsoft offer a UK version of spell check?

Microsoft Word comes with a variety of Spellcheck alternatives built in. Try opening a Word document on your computer and selecting "Options" from the Tools menu. Then select "Choose a Dictionary" from the Options menu.

[Jerome Betts]

Ah, thanks for the reminder Ann. I seem to remember filling in some Spectator form once.

Matt, the New Statesman sometimes awarded book tokens, for e.g. £5, for winning small entries, one liners etc. Chris O'Carroll is more likely to know whether they still do.

[Brian Allgar]

They do indeed, Jerome. I've got a couple of the little buggers sitting quite uselessly in my flat in Paris.

But it's also a problem on those occasions when I hit the big time. There's no Tesco here, either.

[Matt Q]

Since I've already asked two questions in this thread, perhaps I'll push my luck and ask a third. Apologies for going off topic

Deep drills: Am I right in thinking that's for competitions where having one's poem visible on the web beforehand disqualifies one from entering said competitions? If so, can I play, and who should I ask for the password?

Brian, what sort of book tokens do you have? Some can be used to buy books online. For example, I know that National Book Tokens can be spent at hive.co.uk.

Thanks Jerome, I wasn't specifically looking for book tokens; I just somehow had it in my mind that that's what they'd send out, I'm really not sure why.

Many thanks,

Matt

[Jayne Osborn]

Hi Matt,

You are right in your thinking, re Deep Drills. I'll PM the password to you.
Good luck with The Speccie!

Jayne

PS. Brian, you can send me your Tesco vouchers if you like

[Matt Q]

Many thanks Jayne, and also to Chris, for PMing me the password.

[basil ransome-davies]

Originally Posted by Ann Drysdale

I like this, Douglas (done it, in fact; poor folk have poor ways) but I think you need a tweak or two to make it fit the Speccie. Lucy is well aware that she has US entrants but the readership of the magazine is basically Brit. and some of your turns of phrase would sit oddly with them. I suggest you swap your z’s for s’s to make minimise and utilise, swap your hunting license for a shotgun certificate and make all the game singular – hare and duck in line with deer and grouse. And there are a few too many commas for the British taste.

Do others agree?

I'm charmed by the way that competitors here, notionally in opposition, will try to help others win. A good deed in a naughty world, Ann. On the other hand, few posts on this thread seem very interested in the set topic - symptomatic.

[Martin Parker]

Bazza, you can still order your own complete flea circus .....

I have deleted the rest of this post. Age, ever cruel, led me to believe I was on a totally different thread. Once I lived in a parallel universe. Today the boundaries seem to be increasingly difficult to define. By next year, God only knows what my problem may be.

But I remain delighted to hear that one can still buy a flea circus.- even though it has nothing to do with this particular thread.