SUCH A REFRESHING TALE.

Occasionally, the press will throw up a worthwhile human story. In the supplement of today's MoS, is an account of how a substantial lottery winner could not come to terms with having it all. In late 2002, Ron Ullah and his wife won £5 million on the lottery. In the few years leading up to this stroke of good fortune, they had been struggling with failing businesses, but eventually settled on catering (sandwiches) and subsequently cake baking and retailing; a long way from his earlier business, a construction firm. Following this win, they purchased all the trappings that this amount of money entices these very successful punters to acquire. These acquisitions meant big cars, yachts and properties around the world. This, however, was not rewarding enough for Mr. Ullah, who, having given the original cake business away following their big win, has created another, which keeps him occupied for 12 hours a day, and I'm sure he has got this about right.

Although I haven't won anything on the lottery, or anything else, in approaching my 75th. birthday, I look forward every day to making or producing something, just to satisfy my sense of achievement: these include the two blogs, a weekly community radio programme, and I'm an enthusiastic DIY freak. None of these activities earn me any money, but the sense of motivation is in itself most satisfying.

This ethos compares dramatically with a number of colleagues and acquaintances, almost exclusively from the public sector, who seem to spend much of their time on cruises.

IT'S A DIFFERENT WORK ETHIC, ME THINKS.