About two years ago a rather curious story appeared in the Western Telegraph.
It recorded that Mr Edward Setterfield, former Mayor of Milford Haven, ex-Chairman of the County Council Planning and Highways committees, ex-Chairman of the Dyfed Road Safety Council, and of the Post Office Users Committee, and his sister Barbara had attended a polo match at Cardiff Castle as guests of Viscount St Davids and his son, the Hon Rhodri Philipps.
As far as I know, the Telegraph doesn't have a polo correspondent so I can only assume that this piece of "news" was planted by an inveterate name-dropper, intent on puffing up his own sense of self-importance.
Not that you can really blame the Viscount and the Hon Rhodri for wanting it to be known that they kept such exalted company.
But the dog barks and the caravan moves on.
Old Grumpy notices that the Hon Eddie and Mr Philipps have made another joint appearance in a local newspaper, albeit in connection with the rather unhappy circumstances surrounding the demise of Mr Philipps company Crownridge Steel Ltd.
Looking through the list of creditors I came across the name of one E G Setterfield who, it appears, has lost £800 as result of Crownridge's sudden, but not unexpected, collapse.
Quite by coincidence, I'm sure, the list of creditors reveals that the St Davids Polo and Racing Club of Cathedral Road Cardiff have also caught a cold to the tune of £4,865.
Must have been the cost of all those cucumber sandwiches, washed down with the best Krug, that Eddie and Babs consumed as they observed the chukka on the immaculately manicured lawns of Cardiff Castle.
But Old Grumpy also remembers that, in the days before the electorate consigned him to the dustbin of history, Eddie was an enthusiastic cheerleader for Crownridge Ltd whenever its affairs were discussed by the Council.
Though I don't recall him declaring that he had a pecuniary
interest in the firm's survival.
To mark this unfortunate turn of events I penned a little limerick.
Eddie's Lament.
I thought it was all very pukka,
Went to Cardiff to witness a chukka,
With Viscount St D,
and the Hon Rhodri,
Cost me 800 quid - what a sucker!
And shame on all of you who thought of an alternative ending.