More 'City' Views

Reading expat @pollypissypants (Clare Auchterlonie) writes a guestpost for Smitten By Britain from the comfort of her Californian abode.

She gives an excellent travelguide recounting several of the major identifying features of the area (including an impressively artistic photo album).

But she also tells the (mainly American) readers: "Surprisingly, given its size, Reading is not yet officially a city."

Meanwhile the Disco Vigilante makes his first 'real foray' for some time into the centre to sample the nightlife of the town.

He is not particularly impressed by the suffocating un-cosmopolitan and unwelcoming air suffusing the attitudes of at least some of the inhabitants and vents about how they easily ruined an evening of average entertainment.