Readers of this column will no doubt appreciate that the copy has to be produced a few days in advance of publication.

So last week's comments about the observation of the true Armistice Day as opposed to Remembrance Sunday were written before November 11. It was therefore very heartening to find so many people had observed the true Armistice tribute of two minutes' silence on the Saturday, especially as so many of them were young people.

I am happy to be proved wrong in my predictions that the previous year had been a one-off. Apparently people do find it possible, even in this world of rush and tear, to spare a few moments to remember those whose voices are stilled forever. I also got a letter from a reader who felt I had not looked hard enough for a poppy! I got one in the end - I promise you!

Some pensioners obviously felt Gordon Brown was out of line when he promised a substantial rise in the State pension in his pre-Budget statement but then told us it would not come into force until next April.

By that time we shall have had our demand from Brighton and Hove Council for next year's council tax. If previous years are anything to go by, there won't be much of the pension rise left after paying that. Then there will be the water rate, which will no doubt get a hefty hike to pay for the flood damage to the pipes, not to mention the cost of flood insurance.

I must admit I find it a bit baffling that if you live at the top of a hill you can get flood insurance even though it is unlikely, short of an amazing Act of God, that you will ever need it. But if you live anywhere near a source of water it becomes almost impossible for anyone short of a millionaire to afford it. What is more, even if you don't claim, it is unlikely that your premiums will remain unchanged (and you can bet that doesn't mean they will go down).

It seems astonishing that the main road into Brighton was still closed a week after the worst of the floods had receded. Carden Avenue became a race track with all the diverted traffic and anyone who was still in doubt as to the benefits of the bypass probably became a convert overnight.

I drove back from Hove just before the London Road became impassable and became an unwilling player in a game of 'chicken' as everyone drove in the centre of the road to escape the floods - and I do mean in both directions at once on the same piece of road.

The good thing which has come out of the watery horrors has been the neighbourly spirit which has sprung up everywhere that has been involved in the disaster. Offers of hot food, showers and help with children have been part of everyday life.

Even the insurance assessors have been behaving like human beings, a role with which they are not usually credited, and have been slogging it out in wellies and macs like their victims. One can only hope that such a friendly spirit remains after the floods are but a memory.

The saddest thing for many older folk has been the loss of personal treasures such as photographs and papers which have anchored their lives. Perhaps that is the true tragedy of this sad country-wide disaster.