G’DAY, I’m back...with news after spending some time away from the glare of the big city - and, from far away!

It is no wonder the welfare bill in this country is so high when my brother continually receives his winter fuel allowance - despite living in Australia for the best part of 45 years! He has tried over the years to stop it and has been assured by the appropriate welfare department that it would stop.

However, every year an envelope drops onto the mat at our front door with notification of his allowance (obviously to keep his house COOL). So it doesn't surprise me that this country's welfare bill is out of control. There must be thousands of people in this country who are receiving benefits which they are not entitled to.

And I wonder how many people are committing fraud and receiving payments which they should not be getting.

• ONE of my pet-hates has always been tailgating and I believe it's a problem which is getting worse, not just on motorways but in the town, too.

It happened to me three times one afternoon in Wellington when I was travelling from my home near Wellesley Park School to Tonedale and back. Why are drivers in such a hurry? I usually try not to take any notice and drive just within the speed limit.

Driving so close can be intimidating - they definitely know they are doing it. In the past if it has really annoyed me, I have reduced my speed to such a pace that the driver behind becomes really annoyed. Now I know I shouldn't do this, but I admit I have done it.

Drivers can get into a rage if they suddenly find themselves down to two or three miles an hour, so I've wisely stopped.

• I’M already fed up with Christmas. Mainly because garden centres and shops have been filling their shelves with Christmas decorations and gifts since September. Christmas has become so commercialised. And it must put pressure on many families who find Christmas to be a financial headache.

They want their children to have nice presents but it often means getting into debt. As a child getting older, my father used to give us money and we would buy something we wanted. It was not a lot of money but we were pleased with what we bought.

But today children want electronic gifts costing the earth. No board game for them. And while the build-up to Christmas these days is long, the day itself passes quickly. What was it all about. Certainly not a religious event for many...

• WHAT’S happening with our top British tennis players. Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper are both only 23 years old and yet seem to be injured more often than they play. Raducanu won the US singles title in 2021- one of the sporting shocks of the past decade - but has since spent more time on the treatment table and has pulled out of countless matches. Draper is the current British No 1 but has not played for about three months through injury. So how do the likes of Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slams, manage to keep playing when he’s now 38?

• STILL on the sporting theme, Wiveliscombe are set to stage the annual Boxing Day rugby match against Wellington this year. They drew at Wellington last year but they are firm favourites to record a win on home soil. It must be a long time since Wivey went into the Boxing Day fixture such firm favourites.

The game, which normally attracts more than 1,000, kicks off at 2.30 pm.