Kent police have started "an exciting new venture" announced Simon Redman, their Director of Support Services. The project, which cost £10,000 to set up, is an online shop expected "to meet demand for new police themed products" and "hopefully raise money to put back into [the] community".

One resident from a crime ridden estate in Ramsgate said "We never seem to see a proper copper round our way", a sentiment shared by other residents. But spending £10K on a shop rather than policing isn't the thing that disturbs me about the story. I'm sure the £10K will be recouped in time and the amount, considering historical spending levels on public sector IT projects, is a drop.

The disturbing thing in this story for me is the message being sent out on some of the merchandise. Take the bib below with the slogan "I've been inside for 9 months". Not only is this destined to become the latest chav baby accessory but it completely trivialises the prison experience. Is this the message the police should be sending out?

By the way, the bib is already out of stock, but you could buy the hip flask. Fill it with your favorite tipple, bring it with you in the car (??).

Gordon Brown at the CBI conference yesterday delivering his "In the old days ..... In the new world" speech. It all sounded a bit like.....

I often wondered why I would see queues of people in line outside Planet Hollywood or am I mistaking it with the Hard Rock Cafe? I'm not sure, I had never been there either. Planet Hollywood opened in 1991 with the backing of a bunch of Hollywood biggies such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. It still seeks the endorsement of A list celebrities, and promises "distinctive dining" in its themed surrounds. 

The mission statement suggests a passion for their guests, no compromise on high standards and a continuous striving to improve. 

Still feeling deprived from lunch I ordered a club sandwich from the menu. Jayne ordered sizzling Fajitas.......... The food arrived. The club sandwich, despite the price, was made with processed turkey and the fries were cold. As for the sizzling fajitas of beef and chicken, the beef tasted as though it came straight from the refrigerator having been cooked the day before. Sizzling my arse!

A passion for guests? I don't think so. I'd have have felt more satisfied had I paid £50 for a happy meal in McDonalds. 

Lazy or just plain ignorant? This visitor to my next door neighbour parks partly across my driveway, blocking my exit, even though there was plenty space to pull up without blocking me in, and there wasn't any emergency. Did they do so because it was a shorter distance to walk to the front door or was it out of a complete lack of awareness or sense of good behaviour?

Wasn't man supposed to have developed in the theory of evolution?

When I arrived at Disney's Newport Bay Club it was lunch time. Having checked in and made it to the room  I was tempted by the club sandwich on the room service menu. What arrived was so awful I had to ask for a refund and was only able to take a single bite. The sandwich, at €11.50, was halved rather than quartered. The bread, which was brown wasn't toasted. It was, however, hard and dry to the touch, as if the slices had been left out in the kitchen overnight. It was made with processed ham rather than chicken or turkey. 

Disney magic clearly didn't extend to the kitchens of the Newport Bay Club and the room service menu. The chef didn't clap his hands over this dreary bad ham sandwich  and utter a triumphant incantation - a puff of smoke ("Eh Voila!") - a club sandwich....

The traditional club sandwich is quartered, usually double-deckered and held together with toothpicks. The bread is toasted, crusts removed and the ingredients include bacon, chicken or turkey, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise, not what they serve at the Newport Bay. Needless to say, I didn't order room service again.

Oh..... and I almost forgot, the sandwich came with a cold pot of tea.

Normally you can leave a pushchair at the aircraft steps. At the Air France check in desk at Charles de Gaulle the clerk looked down at the pushchair and shook his head. Not tonight, evidently. 

As the three year old was fast asleep, and there was still almost an hour before boarding, this seemed quite monstrous and I queried why the pushchair had to be checked in now. This certainly wasn't the case when we flew out, we left it at the aircraft steps. 

Visibly annoyed at us he looked about for someone else to confirm the check in. He came around to our side and walked across the floor, had a brief conversation with another AF clerk and returned. The pushchair had to be checked in. 

I lifted E out, still sound asleep, and struggled to fold the pushchair with one hand and one leg while the check in clerk watched, un-amused. He then produced a large plastic bag and started to pack the pushchair into it, advising us it had to be taken to Area 8. It couldn't be checked in at Area 10 with the rest of the luggage. 

Go to Area 8? Whatever about having to check the pushchair in, you would at least think we could have pushed it to Area 8, with E asleep, rather than trying to walk a high wire, balancing a sleeping child, a folded up pushchair and the hand baggage. What customer service!

A day later I hear about poor Jean-Jacques Jauffret, a French scriptwriter who was called "enormous!" by the check in clerk. Imagine, they actually came around from behind the check in desk and very publicly  measured his waist. Incredible!