Aventurine and co,Sincere thanks for your musings. Truly a...

Aventurine and co,

Sincere thanks for your musings. Truly a fantastic effort to keep punters informed and it is warmly appreciated, even if you don't get to hear it expressed too often.

But there's such an array of possibilities which makes it no easier to make decisions!

In any case, having entered into the investing game with the belief that by 2012 we'd be farming trout in the deserts of Yemen, then buying into SBL when that failed, I've definantly learned some lessons:

1. Whatever the loss, its worth the lesson.

2. Woods can't see the Trees - he thinks he owns them. Good luck to AVB and ROB holders and the other half dozen. Here's a tip ... a Man Who Is Not Focused ... Is not Focused.

3. When I first saw Bill Oliver wheeze his way through a presentation, I felt warning bells. He couldn't sell a wet salty T-shirt to a beached whale. But the fundamentals looked so good, didn't they? That's a buy for me! Two lessons - price action counts, (that's for the Demon if he/she is still scouting SBL threads); and just maybe gut feel counts too (that's for Zia).

4. To lose is to win! Many portfolios would take the loss from 3s (or higher) to 2s as part of the gig, and happily wait six years to see them go back to 3s. There are many SBL holders like me enriched by the constant debate and questioning on hotcopper, even if we don't get involved on a daily (or weekly, or monthly) basis. Thank you. My bank account is lower. My knowledge is much higher.

5. Those still in are dumb (like me) or brave (like you), but those who sold out above 3 are wise...

That's just for me, as I can afford to lose the small investment if it comes to that. Might not be worth the lesson for those with large packages though....

I'll hold until they finally spook me, but I know for a fact that next time I come up against this sort of shenanigans, I'm going all Zoomba with ZIA and just getting out early!

COLCOM