WAR. When we consider it we mainly think of our soldiers, but a war has many more casualties — civilians, women and children, property and homes.

This week we have also had the heroic and tragic deaths of war reporters, people we take for granted.

We see them on the news giving us the latest update, talking often above the noise of gunshot, but do we ever think of the risk and danger they face in order to give us that ‘up close’ reporting?

I must say until this week that I didn’t and I suppose many others had taken it for granted, too.

Well, I won’t in future; I will give them the admiration and credit they deserve.

On the subject of the Press, do you think it is being fair and unbiased on the subject of bank bonus schemes?

I am led to believe that the bonuses that have been paid out recently have been paid to the section of the bank that has made profit and is recovering.

It’s so easy to say ‘why give any bonus?’ but in the world of high finance and fierce competition the best people for the job have to be head-hunted and tempted, and at the moment the RBS and we, the owners, certainly need the best people.

Folk, me included, often grumble and knock the National Health Service, but when it comes to the crunch, we always find that it’s there for us.

This week I have been very much gratified by the care and attention that has been shown both by Doctor Phillips, his Brownhill Surgery staff and also by the staff at the Royal Blackburn Hospital when Bill was taken ill.

All have been most caring and professional.

I’ve been sick abroad, so can compare, and the treatment here is second to none.

Bill is improving and should, hopefully, be back home soon and up to aggravating us all, as usual.

I was up soon on Sunday morning to do Radio Lancashire’s version of ‘What the papers say’.

Fortunately my fellow panellist was the very charming Sir Bill Taylor, so I had a nice time.