Ever had those phone calls where as soon as you answer the caller hangs up? Well over the past couple of months I’ve been getting a lot of them on my mobile.

My car insurance was due for renewal end the end of July so I was expecting the occasional letter, email or one-off phone call. I was not, however, expecting the harassment I received from Kwik Fit Insurance.

Ok, by now you are all probably aware of my feelings about Wokingham Borough Council’s ludicrous and extremely short-sighted decision to close Ryeish Green Secondary School, my former school, just south of Reading. Ryeish closed its doors for the last time yesterday.

Earlier today I read an article in The Grocer that highlighted the findings of an online survey saying that 73% of supermarket customers are shunning self-service checkouts.

Really? That many people really don't like them? Why?!

Admittedly, a few years ago when the technology was relatively young, self-service checkouts were temperamental to say the least. Items not recognised by the scanners, scales not registering items in the bagging area, or interfaces that were just too difficult for customers to use.

Just an update on my previous post regarding Ryeish Green School and my comment on John Redwood's website.

My comment was indeed published and a reply from Mr Redwood was also given as follows:

Reply: The number of children applying halved, and most of those who did apply came from Reading, not Wokingham. For that reason WBC decided on closure. I saw both sides of the argument. There was then a Council election in the local area, where Lib Dems and Labour withdrew their candidate in favour of a Keep open the School candidate. The electorate voted in a close the school Conservative, so there was a democratic judgement on the policy. If the Save the School candidate had won I would have added my voice to those wanting the School to remain open. I supported the majority view, which I think was the right answer. If the community had wanted to keep the school more would have sought places there for their children and more would have voted for it when that was the key election issue.

There is so many things that are wrong with this response that I'm not even going to attempt to put my feelings in to words.

One hundred years ago, in April 1910, the Shinfield Three Mile Cross Council School opened in the hamlet of Ryeish Green just outside Reading. Over the years this school developed, changed roles, and eventually became Ryeish Green School, a comprehensive secondary school.

I consider myself lucky enough to have gone to Ryeish and enjoyed practically every day there and come rain or shine I'd be trudging my way up the Hyde End Lane hill to school.

I gained some good friends and have many great memories of my seven years there. It was through working in the school's library that I went on to study in the field of librarianship at Aberystwyth University. It was also because of those happy memories that I was excited about going to an open day there last Sunday to celebrate the school's centenary - the first time I'd been back in almost 10 years.

However it wasn't a complete day for celebrating as the local authority, Wokingham Borough Council, has made the decision to close the school.