It's still early, I'm at my desk but I've had contrasting experiences already today. And I'm in a bad mood.

There were, as usual, a fair few youngsters on the 49. Contrary to popular opinion, they weren't all leaping around like hooligans, they were even fairly quiet (admittedly the members of the group who could be Town Criers were absent), and they all took their turn getting on and off the bus. No anti-social youth to fuel the Mail readers' terrified fantasies there.

Before the bus, I went to the market to get some fruit. There are, as you know, good deals there. So I went to one stall, and waited my turn. The blokes were already serving people; retired people who'd got all day to shop, but they were there first. Then another couple of elderly women arrived after me. I know that they knew that I was before them in the queue. But this didn't stop them being happy to barge in before me. The outcome was that I had to forego my fruit to avoid missing the bus. Perhaps the bile that oozes from parts of our press is right: the problem with society today is that too many people have no manners or consideration for others. But it's not always the kids.