Gems

My decluttering exercise - in anticipation of moving house - turned up some real beauties today.

There was the letter inviting me to phone about a job in Kidderminster back in 1980. I ended up getting the post, which was my first in journalism.

There was all sorts of paraphernalia related to my time as a football writer, including my pass to Northampton Town's ground back in 1984.

And there was even a letter from Sunday Sport about doing freelance shifts for them. Don't worry, it was sports subbing, not the other stuff, although you might be interested to know that in terms of editing standards (ie. quality of the copy, snappiness of the headline and the 'fit' of a headline) I have had few more demanding employers.

It was a great trip down memory lane and there was no way most of it could go anywhere near the many black sacks lined up in my sitting room.