IT was a laid-back, good-humoured and civilised crowd which gathered to watch the Beautiful South on the lawns of Castle Howard last weekend.

Not much sign of a "mosh-pit" at this particular festival of music, more a case of sitting back in chairs and quaffing wine.

But our Chief Reporter Mike Laycock still managed to come back sporting a massive bruise on his arm, after falling over sideways in the picnic area and landing straight on a neighbouring party's wooden chair.

"I was not drunk," insists Mike, who was attending his first such concert at the stately home.

"I had only had one glass of wine. It was dark and the grass was slippery after the rain. It could have been worse - I thought at first I'd landed on someone and squashed them!"

Mike says the evening's civilised veneer became a little tarnished after the concert was over and several thousand cars tried to depart all at once.

"Traffic was basically funnelled into two different lanes across the fields, with little posts and ropes used to create the roads.' But the problem was that while one lane was moving, albeit slowly, the other one ground to a complete standstill. It seemed completely gridlocked.

"People's patience was wearing a little thin and eventually, someone decided it was time for direct action. He got out his penknife, and cut straight through the ropes. Cars were then charging across the field to join the moving lane of traffic."

Mike admits that after waiting to ensure no one was driving into a ditch, he joined the great escape.


AIRLINE safety has been in the spotlight again lately. So Press reporter Gavin Aitchison was a little taken aback by the security arrangements, or lack thereof, on a recent trip to the former Yugoslavia.

While enduring a lengthy delay at Gatwick, Gavin went for a bite of lunch. But on ordering a steak, he was dismayed to find he had to try to tuck into it using nothing stronger than flimsy, light plastic cutlery.

His frustration turned to utter bemusement however when he took to the skies, heading for Croatia.

For as the in-flight meal was served up, Gav and hundreds of other passengers were handed shining metal knives and forks, with which to eat their mixed green salad!