Some years ago I was stranded at Minneapolis-St Paul airport for 24 hours on route from Portland, Oregon back to the UK.  Unfortunately, and admittedly completely unfairly — as I did not see anything of the Twin Cities themselves — I acquired a distinctly jaundiced view of the area, assaulted as I was by the sound of miniature, furry, mechanical pigs and cows that barked (the only word I can think of to describe the odd yapping sound they made) and Holstein patterned tee shirts extolling the virtues of Mooonnesota. 

All that changed, though, when a colleague introduced me to the wonders and joys of The Rake a year or so ago, which despite dealing with the cultural goings on in a city (sorry, cities) six time zones away, has come to be a regular must read.  In no small part that has been due to Oliver's column [2], and I look forward avidly each month to my next fix of erudition, wit, and wine — not to mention the pleasure of simply wondering how, for example, he is going to leap from King Arthur to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and by what route.

Imagine, therefore, my dismay to discover a gaping hole in the March edition [3] — an Oliver shaped absence.  I hope that this is no more than a temporary omission and that he will be back in the April issue (and subsequent editions as well) ... please!

Great mag, by the way, but all the better taken with a sip of wine!