Hmm Folkiedave has got entirely the wrong end of the stick.

I don't mean anything to do with the public at all in any way -

Perhaps if I use an analogy - perhaps tennis would be a good one.

During Wimbledon there are the top players - battling it out after practising for hours every week, dedicating their lives to being the best, perfecting serves and buying the ultimate in top technology rackets, wearing whites with a discrete but visible to TV audiences logo.

They have an audience, but they don't really care, the audience is not important to them. They are there to be the best and would probably not be bothered if there was no one in the stands - in fact they might prefer it, less distraction.

All over the country there are parks with tennis courts, and there the amateurs meet to play. They go and play because they like to - they meet people and get a bit of exercise out in the fresh air. The next people on the court might turn up and watch, the last people on the court might stay for a while, passers by might pause, there might even be applause, but the players are there to play the game, because they like to. There might be some who are young and inexperienced, or old and getting slow - the youngsters might run and get the ball, the old might explain top spin or tactics, or offer to umpire.

Do you see what I mean? It is the interaction, the doing of the thing - and 'the public' are really irrelevant.

Anne