Among them has been one of our regular correspondents from the past and anti-Council Tax campaigner, Bernard Jones, from Bettws Cedewain, who said he is "disgusted" by their larger wage packets and the council's massive wage costs for all its employees.

Let us know what you think.

Do you think that as we have all felt the pinch of rising inflation they deserve a bit extra to help them carry out their duties, or do you think they should tighten their belts?

***

I'VE been brought to task over my shot at Powys Council last week for switching off our streetlights just as the hour changes.

Reader Fran Gluck tells me: "With regards to turning the clocks back I think you must be at least as old as I am – late 50s (if only!) – so you must have a very short memory! I remember very well in the late 60s early 70s when for several years the clocks were not put back for an hour as an experiment, and it proved to be very unpopular.

"Mainly because it didn't get light (in the depths of winter) until gone 9am, which meant that children were walking to school in the dark, which made parents very nervous for their children.

"I sincerely hope that we will always keep to British Summer Time in the spring/summer, and GMT in the winter."

Thank you for that Mrs Gluck.

***

WELL I hope you observed a couple of minutes' silence as we reached the 90th year since the end of the First World War.

Articles like our feature on Pages 10 and 11 make you realise how close to home the slaughter of that conflict was to us here in Mid Wales. The young age of so many of the people who gave their lives so bravely always shocks me.

It was particularly gratifying to see so many young people from all over Powys joining in the various acts of Remembrance.
Dougie Bancroft, of Carno, sent me this poem, entitled Just Five Minutes, which sums up many of our feelings:

11 hour, 11 day, 11month,
Standing in the rain, on a November day,
Waiting for silence to fall that day,

The traffic stops, no revving cars
No dogs barking in the park.
The rain starts to fall the brollies go up...

Five minutes to go, we all just look,
We stand and stare, wondering what stories we can tell, about families and friends who served us so well?

Men, children and women standing proud, gripping flowers in their hands.
Berets are worn, medals are bright, we all should be proud of this wonderful sight.

The time has come, to show some respect.
Two minutes' silence is all around, not a movement or a sound.
We all stand with heads so quite,

Just five minutes that's all it takes to respect the fallen with their sacrifice.

***

NICE to see a little bit of sense prevailing in Europe! EU governments are to scrap the ban on many fruit and vegetables of the wrong shape, which can mean up to 20 per cent of farm crops being wasted. Shops will no longer face the threat of legal action for selling lanky leeks, curvy cucumbers or wonky carrots.

Plaid MEP Jill Evans quite sensible says: "We've heard more than enough about Europe banning curvy cucumbers, square strawberries and wonky carrots. A few years ago they even brought in rules on the thickness of leeks – and on St David's Day at that!"