Hello, Ireland

"Hi, how are ya?"

You'll soon learn to respond with a similar greeting but whatever you do don't answer the question; if you do, you'll quickly get used to the spot-the-tourist smirk and you'll never be able to quite escape the feeling that 10% has just been added to your bill or the suspicion that a carrier bag can't really cost 70 cents. But you can't question it and you were the one who answered the question that is never answered.

Ryder Cup (horse to Banbury Cross)

I really really want to like golf. That's perhaps an exaggeration. I really really want to be able to appreciate golf to have a conversation about it, not necessarily like it, but enough interest to not switch off whenever it comes on TV or up in conversation.