pumpkinstrokemarrow

A not very good snap of a singular beech tree at Claremont, from last week. Singular not because of its girth which was substantial but not unusual, but for the length - maybe 10m - of straight clean trunk, which is unusual in beech in my experience.

Visit enhanced by quite a decent sausage roll. The wrapping was the usual rather fatty puff pastry favored by our sausage roll makers, but the inside was unusually tasty sausage meat, served warm which is how I like sausage rolls best. Neither hot nor cold. Plus the minced meat was not cut with all kinds of exotic fruits, vegetables and spices. Whoever, for example, thought of the strange idea of putting leeks in sausages?

Moving on to the tea party, I want to record my contribution to not paying tax for the UK Chapter of this illustrious organisation.

We deploy what is known in the taxing trade as the surviving partner concession. So rich person (1) marries a younger person (2) sufficiently before death. All assets then transfer without tax to person (2) on the death of person (1). Person (2) then marries a younger person (3) sufficiently before death. All assets then transfer without tax to person (3) on the death of person (2). I see no reason why this process should not continue ad infinitum or at least until the Ides of March. It might come to an untimely end if the last person fails to remarry before expiring him or her self, but taking care with medical matters and employing the services of a specialised matrimonial agency should mitigate this risk.

If we all do it, the inheritance tax take would fall to pretty much zero, which is where, of course, it ought to be.

And gays are OK because the concession has recently been tweaked to include their marriages.