[bluejak]

I should like to wish everyone a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.

I hope the provision of these forums has been useful. Of course there are always people who want to use the forums for other purposes than which they are designed. Nevertheless, I believe these forums have kept closer to the original idea than some alternatives.

I am beginning to worry about how much longer I shall continue. At the moment I post here, on Australian and New Zealand forums, and on rec.games.bridge. Of course the last is not just for the Laws but I am skipping a lot of non-Laws related threads. I abandoned BLML when I found people [to be fair, especially a small few] to be exceptionally and frequently rude.

Sadly, I have found posting has become more tiresome, and I have reacted to the rudeness of a minority of people by getting stronger and stronger in my approach, which means sometime I find myself too annoyed to be polite, and, very sadly, sometimes I am impolite in reply to polite posts which frustrate me.

I think the first step will be to abandon rec.games.bridge which I expect to do soon. However I am not entirely sure that I shall continue here for ever.

If I compare my answers to people who email me and my posts, I make an extraordinary effort with emails to be courteous and polite. That effort was lost some time ago with posts to forums.

I look forward to next year, to speaking to my friends here, and long may it continue. But it may not be that long, and after that I shall content myself with queries by email and phone. There are plenty of those!

Again, Merry Xmas: Happy New Year.

[gnasher]

I think it would be a shame if you stopped posting here. Even though I sometimes disagree with your opinions, I still want to be able to read them.

[blackshoe]

I echo David's holiday greetings.

I think it would be a shame, David, if you were to leave here. You started these forums, and we would sorely miss your counsel. If you need to take a break, that's understandable, but if you do, please be sure to come back, and soon!