Behind closed doors ...

1 Pound equalled 20 shillings up until U.K. decimalisation in 1971. Then it became 100p.
1 Guinea used to be 21 shillings and today is £1.05. Some auction houses still use Guineas and it is also used with reference to the historic prize money in some famous horse races.

We went walking round the lagoons at Musselburgh on this bright chilly New Year’s Day and I was thinking of ‘20 becoming ‘21 and then I remembered the difference between Pounds and Guineas. As we returned by the race course with its high vis stewards ensuring that the races remained behind closed doors (and empty stands) I hoped that ‘21 will turn out to have that little extra that will make this new year the winner we all wish for (but the stakes are still very high!)