Spotted among the mince pies, deep-filled sandwiches and assorted savoury snacks laid on as part of a lavish buffet at the Town Hall on Monday night was Philip Pullman of The Golden Compass fame.

The bespectacled Cumnor author was a guest of Oxford Lord Mayor John Tanner at his excellent Christmas reception and, predictably, found himself the centre of attention.

Former city council leader Alex Hollingsworth's children wasted no time in grabbing autographs. However, neither Nicole Kidman or Daniel Craig - the stars of the film - were in tow, which for the rest of us was quite sad.

Ever wondered why proof readers were invented? A peek at the Oxfordshire Partnership's riveting sustainable community strategy contained an interesting snippet about the need to "improve teenage pregnancy". Surely they mean tackling teenage pregnancy, don't they?

Could there be danger lurking behind the doors of Nell Bridge House, the country pile of Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell? We are told his official residence has a flagpole in the garden, which is used to hoist the flag of St George, the Union flag and, on occasions, a skull and crossbones - the traditional 'Jolly Roger' of piracy. Is it that Mr Mitchell's a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean?

After reading that pint-sized Aussie songstress Kylie Minogue has supposedly been house hunting near Didcot, MP Ed Vaizey, right, has got himself into something of a lather. In a joke letter to the Princess of Pop he said: "Let me know when you have - and I'll pop round with a bowl of sugar." He should be so lucky. With her it's more likely to be green tea, possibly with a sweetener.

Going against the traditional trend of belt-loosening this time of year (especially after lunch at The Insider's household), Oxford City Council is in the midst of belt-tightening, especially with the spectre of next year's budget looming large. The general consensus is there will be little room for manoeuvre, but that hasn't stopped one member of the Liberal Democrat administration feeling positive. He said: "I was a born optimist - after all, I am a Liberal."

Rumours abound that city councillor Tia MacGregor, deputy leader of Oxford's two-member Conservative group, is being lined up as the Parliamentary candidate for Oxford East, whenever a General Election is called. If that was the case and Mrs MacGregor had to leave the Tories, it would leave them with one member - no longer enabling them to qualify for a coveted group room at the Town Hall.