I leave Kalamata shortly but when I get to Athens will there be a flight to take me home to Bristol or will I be dossing down at the Sofitel until the next flight on Monday? As I ponder that matter I consider the great news for we shareholders from Big Sofa (BST) and the real import of today's shocking news that Beaufort Securities has gone tits up. Postscript from Kalamata bus station: Bristol flights have been cancelled. With frightening efficiency I have transferred to a Gatwick flight. I am now working out how to get from Gatwick to Bristol in the middle of the night.

Previously writing on OneView Group (ONEV), it was ramptastic “Commencement of Australia Post Project” RNS. Wonder why? This week has now seen Short Term Loan Facility and CEO Appointment announcements…

Back in August I wondered if advertising behemoth WPP's (WPP) name stood for 'What Profit Progression'. Well I got that bit correct judging by yesterday's results which were truly shabby with like-for-like full year revenue declines, a pulling back of medium-term growth hopes and rather desultory profit progression. No wonder the shares were down 8%, apparently their worst day this century. That hardly reflects the zip of the 'Mad Men' view of the advertising industry, more the drudgery of a new world where the big corporations are probing and prodding more their advertising spend.

I gather that at least one critic of the current management at Pathfinder Minerals (PFP) has now received a lawyers letter in an attempt to gag him. So when the company last passed the hat around did it say that it would use the cash to hire expensive lawyers to attack those who had the nerve to question discredited boss Nick Trew and pompous Tory Toff MP NED Sir Henry Bellingham of the fraud 3DM infamy? Feeling rather left out I have an explosive letter below which alledges that Pathfinder is again misleading investors.

Its troubles started with a rogue salesman last year. Beaufort fessed up and compensated clients but the FCA insisted on a total overhaul of its compliance systems and clients found themselves unable to withdraw cash for a while. Broking is a tough business anyway with the staff demanding the fat via bonuses in good years and the shareholders picking up the tab in bad years. And so that run in with the FCA was the straw that broke this camel's back. The FCA said it feared Beaufort was insolvent and so...

Hello Share Shiverers. At the risk of over-simplifying matters, it’s time to winkle out companies who’ll benefit from the icy weather. Some of the choices are obvious, but that’s no reason not to remind you of a few opportunities. And you’ll be surprised how very temporary events - like the current cold snap - can influence share prices. Though the effect is usually confined to a week at the most.

Writing on online fashion retailer focused on India, Koovs (KOOV) in December I questioned “pleased with the progress we have made in our business fundamentals” - noting for the half year revenue lower to INR328.7 million (£3.94 million), a loss of more than £7.7 million and current assets over total liabilities of £8.3 million (£7.6 million of current assets being receivables and cash £9.4 million gross and just £2.2 million net). There’s now an announcement entitled Strategic Acceleration Plan, commencing “following the success that Koovs has achieved to date”!…

I had a flick through the 2017 Annual Report released by AIM-listed Milestone Group (MSG) yesterday. Having noted the missing auditor’s statement in the results RNS, let’s see what it says.

In my conclusion to The Big Short series on Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT), I wondered where new pools of capital could come from to keep these biotech valuations afloat now that Woodford has run out of money and I considered capital from China as a potential life-saver. Two pieces of news this week make me consider this further, one in relation to another long-term short pick of mine in the biotech fund space, namely Arix Bioscience (ARIX).

Sports, leisure and mobility equipment group Tandem (TND) has updated on trading – and the shares are currently 18% higher to 115p in response. Should be good then…

Vernalis (VER) raised the white flag in its RNS yesterday morning and it is no great surprise to see Woodford and Invesco dominating the shareholder base. I hate to think how much Neil Woodford has spent on this dog over the years, but I’m going to see if I can work it out.

Shares in niche manufacturer of specialist plastic products, Plastics Capital (PLA) slipped from 126p towards 120p in December on the back of half-year results including “the board expects profits before taxation, to be marginally below consensus market expectations”, though “we anticipate a significant uplift in profitability during the second half of the financial year which should benefit from the seasonal demand upswing and new business coming on stream”. There’s now a trading update…

In today's bearcast I look at three dogs: UK Oil & Gas (ominous silence), IDOX (crap balance sheet) and Carpetright, all sorts of woes. And what are the wider implications of this latest retail disaster hot on the heels of Maplin and Toys R Us.

Goldplat (GDP) has announced results for its half year ended 31^st December 2017 and emphasises “the outlook is positive”…

Yesterday afternoon two RNSs came out from AIM-listed Milestone Group (MSG). At 4pm we were notified that the 2017 Annual Report had been published, as had the AGM Notice. But at 3.07pm a rather more interesting announcement was issued regarding Black Cactus. Yes folks, that’s the one we’ve been waiting (and waiting and waiting) for. You will no doubt remember that Black Cactus is the outfit of Larry (who has not got an Oxford Maths Degree) Cummins, and that Milestone had agreed a deal with it whereby it would get a few quid in commission and new shares worth 29.5% of the company. Now we are told:

At the end of January I cautioned as Photonstar LED (PSL) argued “a further step towards… strategy of transforming the group into a software and services business, focused on lighting and building management as a service” and that “the unaudited net loss for the group has been reduced to approximately £0.9m, compared to a net loss of £1.46m in the previous year” - concluding it looked to remain cash crunch ahoy and thus, natch, the stance remained sell / bargepole. Now a 3:34pm “Conditional Placing of £430,000 & General Meeting” announcement…

Hello Share Scoopers. There's quite a bit of interest these days by we armchair tycoons in mining tiddlers. This is rather surprising, as many of us are still smarting from the beating this sector had over the last five years. Even gold has failed to become much more valuable, even at a time when the world economy has been - and still is - shaky.

You could not tell jokes, like the one I relay, in the City any more otherwise you'd be up in front of HR at once. Luckily I am not in the City so here goes. I also comment on Defenx (DFX), Bacanora (BCN), Solo Oil (SOLO) and the Horse Hill gang, And I have two pieces of good news for the Mrs.

Around eleven months ago, it was suggested to bank profits in windows and doors retailer and manufacturer Safestyle UK (SFE) with the shares around 300p. I then noted my wariness of the valuation in relation to prospective earnings much enhanced at around 290p HERE and further cautioned at 225p HERE, 170p HERE and 164p HERE. The shares closed yesterday at 152p and today a further Trading Update…

Yesterday the good professor Conroy’s elder child, AIM-listed Conroy Gold and Natural Resources (CGNR) released its interims to last November and it needs cash. Today it is the turn of little brother, Karelian Diamonds (KDR) and the picture is no better. And as you shall see, there is an air of one insolvent partner funding the other. At least, that’s how it looks. And I wonder about the maths….