Went to see off the Ross Harriers hunt on Boxing Day. Am no fan of fox hunting per se, but I'll defend their right to hunt to the hilt.

The hunt met outside a pub in a small village in south Herefordshire. About 20 on horseback, with an eager but elderly-looking pack. Around 100 saw the hunt off, braving a bitter wind. I'm glad my kids may harbour fractured memories of horse & hound.

The experience left me unexpectedly & ambiguously moved. I was inspired to re-read my mother's 1930 edition of Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon.

Edwardian manners. The hunt. Homoeroticism within the officer classes. The effects of high explosive shells on the human form. Courage, both in trench and back in Blighty.

Beautiful writing.