Me and My Special Friend have just been lucky enough to spend a wonderful fortnight in a remote and picturesque cottage in the mountains of Andalucia.

But sleeping in your own bed, enjoying a decent cup of tea and catching up on all the news from The ET are simple pleasures that, for most of the year, I take for granted.

This year, I was just grateful to come back to find I still had a home. In fact, I was just relieved to see there was a plane waiting on the tarmac at Malaga airport.

Our cottage may have been so remote that we saw more circling eagles than we did people, but it still had all mod cons, including the now ubiquitous satellite TV.

Being a news junkie, I couldn't resist to tuning into Sky News.

I wish I hadn't.

It was a tale of unrelenting misery. From the collapse of XL Holidays and Lehman Brothers, to the HBOS crisis and subsequent sale and feared huge job losses, the bad news just kept coming.

I think I now understand what "short-selling'' is, and as that great philosopher Shania Twain said "that don't impress me much''.

My heart went out to those people whose holidays were ruined.

But even their plight is nothing to those who face losing their jobs, and then, perhaps, their homes.

Naturally, such situations spark anger, much of it directed at the big bosses and the sharks in the City, who never seem to suffer like ordinary folk.

I have no problem with entrepreneurs making and enjoying their millions, but when things go wrong, they seem to be able to walk away without any of the pain that we little people who are left behind have to deal with.

We live in a capitalist society, so we must expect that businesses will go bust. Sometimes it's nobody's fault.

But much of the current crisis has been caused by sheer greed. We need regulators with powers to impose financial penalties on those who make irresponsible deals

If someone knows he might lose his mansion if, for instance, he takes on so-called "toxic debt'', he will think twice. And then again.

As the pilots of our economy, society's wealth creators should reap the benefits of their work.

But they shouldn't be able to walk away without a scratch when it crashes and burns.

Benny is an inspiration

My favourite ET story of the year so far is the one celebrating the 70th birthday of Peterborough Rugby Club stalwart Benny Lee.

Now in his eighth decade, Benny is still putting on his boots and scrumming down. I thought I was doing well still playing five-a-side at 49, but Benny, you are an inspiration.

His achievement has been recognised by his club and the Rugby Football Union, which presented him with a VIP tie.

But I think the RFU ought to go a step further and make him guest of honour at Twickers for an England international.

I'm working even when I'm on holiday

The things I do for the people of Peterborough . . .

There I am, on holiday in Spain, but I'm still thinking about all of you.