There are NO tracking cookies on this site!

The Cookie policy is straightforward. This site only uses cookies that are required to make your experience of using this site better, and only uses session cookies (see exceptions below). Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser.

These cookies are used to create the breadcrumb trail you see in the trace bar beneath the site name, and to aid in protecting the site from attacks.

Perversely (and ironically), an additional cookie is now required to inform the site that you have agreed to accept cookies, so the site remains (with regard to cookies) compliant with GDPR. This particular cookie remains on your machine after the session has expired so you aren't requested to accept cookies each time you visit.

If you register, and check the box “remember me”, it needs to store a cookie on your machine in order to do so.

There are no tracking cookies used on this site.

Information stored about you when you browse this site is dependent on whether you merely browse, join a discussion or subscribe either to the blog or to a discussion.

When you browse, the following information is stored:

• your IP address
• the referrer (where you came from)
• your browser identification (Chrome, Edge, Firefox etc)

This information is stored to protect the site from harm, and is usually cleaned after 14 days unless there is an ongoing investigation due to suspected criminal activity.

Your name (as given by you, which could be a handle), is stored along with your comment(s) and your email address.

Your name and email address are retained in order to send you update notifications. Your email address will never appear on any page on the website (unless you put it in a comment when joining a discussion - even then, it will normally be removed).

This requires you to create an account - to register - and therefore your name and email address will be stored in order to send you notifications of site updates. If you delete your account, your details are completely removed and replaced with anonymous synonyms (e.g. _guestUser01_). This includes all logs.

If you are also subscribed to a discussion, you need to unsubscribe from it separately.

If you are subscribed to a discussion, you can unsubscribe by returning to the discussion and selecting the unsubscribe checkbox. This is best done before you delete your account (if you have one).

If you have difficulties doing this, you can leave a comment in the discussion asking to be unsubscribed from it. Your comment won't appear in the discussion, but I'll see it and do as you request. You must use the same email address as when you subscribed to the discussion.

Sometimes, it is useful for me to embed a page (or part of a page) from another site into a page on this site. If that page (or part of a page) includes adverts or tracking cookies, I will not embed it, rather I will link to it.

That is not to say that all links to other sites contain adverts or tracking cookies. Sometimes links will be included for reference, or for copyright reasons, or simply because it doesn't make sense to incorporate that page or part of that page into this site.