So growls Dave Grohl as the opening line of the Foo Fighters classic ‘Best of you’. For some reason the tune was looping through my mind as I sped through the English countryside in the middle of the past week.

On a spur of the moment decision I travelled to London to see Japanese singer/songwriter Rie Fu as she will soon depart these shores and return to Japan. She has the most beautiful voice and I enjoy listening to her music. So Islington bound, I enjoyed the best of GWR on their train to Paddington, an excellent egg and cress sandwich and even more enjoyable coffee, the system is now to drink from a single use cafetière which is great coffee.

Islington proved a joy, a diverse community that seems happy with itself. I sat in the community Culpepper Garden, a little oasis of quiet calm and beauty.

Rie Fu didn’t disappoint, although the venue fitting another act in before her did. Having made the journey just to see her half hour slot, it was put back and I left during her fourth song to ensure I was back at Paddington for the train home.

It marked the centre of a strange week, spending money that I am sure could have been better spent elsewhere. It was two days after a trip to the supermarket to buy goods for the local food bank that had run out of some, and was dangerously low in other, vital foodstuffs. It is a dilemma, and I chose to spend money on myself, but you do need to have some pleasure yourself, so I hope my donation was well received. I did enjoy myself too, I saw a performer I might otherwise have missed and never see again.

Although in today’s very unequal society “I’ve got another confession to make”…..

It is, very much, the flavour of the month. We have just witnessed an ascendency of the Green Party at local elections, hot on the heels of the Extinction Rebellion protests across UK and elsewhere. There are arguments ‘it is my generation’ that is causing the harm of climate change. No doubt readers will have seen the counter argument doing the rounds that lists all the things that we did whilst we were children or how things were packaged in the 50s, 60s and 70s. I would, however, support Greta Thunberg, who is eloquent and speaks so well for the youth of the world.

Perhaps, also a threat to the sustainability of humans as a species is the return of childhood diseases that have been all but eradicated, but are returning due to the increasing numbers of ‘anti vaxxers’.

My wife and I try hard to recycle as much as we can, including clothes and unwanted items through charity shops. We sterilise our milk containers and buy our milk from a local farm that has a milk point. Our vegetables are delivered in reusable boxes without packaging, except for potatoes in a brown paper bag.

We have been working hard on using less water and this has paid off dramatically. Today’s mail had our six monthly water account which is a third of the previous six months. So it is possible to make noticeable changes.

Where we are guilty is travel, back to the Far East twice a year, so twelve hour flights and all that entails, we pay to offset carbon, but still make the flights. My guilt is assuaged by the fact the Dame Emma Thompson flew to the extinction rebellion rally from the US.

Here is the dichotomy of our situation. The Air Miles I earn from my travels have been converted into vaccinations for the poor in Asia, helping to prevent the spread of those childhood diseases. It has been my small altruistic action, as I can afford it and never end enough to even get a plastic pen, let alone upgrades; so I feel good with myself at the end of family visits. Sadly now my chosen airline is only taking the donations in blocks of 10,000 air miles and I only earn hundreds per trip.

Saving the world and humans has become more of a challenge, but we could fly more!

we always have trouble travelling together, Jun always needs an extra hour, so if you want to leave at ten, you are out of the house at eleven. We have got halfway to Heathrow when she has remembered something at home she needs. I always allow for this and so it has become a little game we play nearly every time we go out.

Today I am writing whilst sipping a Cuba Libre, one of my favourite drinks, whilst Jun reads and enjoys a gin and tonic. We are not at an exotic location, I have just come in from cutting the grass and annoying the neighbours this bank holiday by shattering the quietness with my Flymo.

But we have been travelling. Last week we stayed in the Swan at Wedmore, only thirteen miles away, an enjoyable one night break. I have to recommend it to you. A big comfortable bed, and two great meals. For a small place Wedmore punches above its weight.

Then on Saturday I was at a wedding at Rook Lane Chapel in Frome, a great location; beautiful historic building, magnificently restored which allows itself to be a blank canvas to couples to enhance their big day. This wedding was just beautifully decorated with simple, but very effective floral decorations. I like officiating there as the acoustics are perfect. It is available to hire at extremely good rates and is often the location for exhibitions, particularly during the Frome Festival.

Finally today, up early, but out a little later than I wanted (Jun won this morning’s game) for the Mells Daffodil Festival. I hear what you are saying, but it is always on Easter Monday and Easter is late this year. I feel it is getting bigger each year we go. Great stalls, bric-a-brac, flowers, herbs, soap bombs, garlic from the Isle of Wight. I think there were 125 of them. Traditional and modern so burgers and vegan lentils and something from Peru, rock bands, Morris Men and Town Cryers. Beer tents, cider bars it was all there.  Very enjoyable, something for everyone, but the crowds made it feel like human pinball.

Thats is the trouble travelling it opens up all your senses.

U2 are not up there amongst my favourite groups, but I do like their song Beautiful Day, Bono sings of the damage we do to the world.

I was reflecting on this during a walk this afternoon, along the old Strawberry Line from Dulcote to Wells. You part walk alongside the old line and then rise up onto the embankment and follow the line for around a mile to the edge of the City of Wells.

Credit where credit is due, it was Jun’s idea and I readily acquiesced to it. There were other things I should be doing, but with the sun shining and clear skies it was the right thing to be doing, some exercise and a different take on our local Somerset countryside.

Close to our starting point, there is an old cattle pound from the 1860s being restored by enthusiasts. They have obviously planted tress and tidied the route. Volunteers are the hidden treasure of our country.  As we walked we saw butterflies – peacocks and brimstones fluttering their jaunty flight close to the tree line and hedgerows. Under a bridge there is some magnificent artwork, a sculpture of three figures chasing one another as dolphins would when playing in the ocean. Birds were singing, cyclists and other walkers were engaging all enjoying the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the day and location.

As we made our way back to our start point we meandered off the old track and enjoyed bluebell filled woods and different vistas. Close to the end there was a notice from the volunteer group asking for support. They wish to open up an old bridge and cutting, to enable people to have about a hundred metres of walk in the nearby town of Shepton Mallet. It was turned down by the Council, but they are seeking public support to get it available for walkers and cyclists. I know that it is one of the last bat roosts around Shepton with all the development that has taken place.

So as Bono sings “it’s a beautiful day”

Well today was supposed to be the day, two years in the planning and we have to stay behind for a couple of weeks as we didn’t do our homework. I know people in both camps, I value their friendship and accept their diverse opinions. Sadly that is not reflected across the country. We are now too polarised, I am sure it will wear off in time, but for some it will gnaw on their bones for eternity.

Mine was my usual sort of Friday, leisurely breakfast with Jun, discussions on the rest of the day and plans for the weekend. Followed by a wedding, I love weddings; in the summer I can clock up double figures in a week, they are always enjoyable occasions – although sometimes emotions get the better of people. Then home, were we going shopping? “No” said Jun, so I changed, repotted a rhododendron, planned some fushias in pots, drank some wine. We then enjoyed a fusion supper Chinese chicken, curried veg and cous cous. I promise it was better than it may sound. Now more wine before bed. Did I achieve anything today? I think so, but it was much like most other Fridays so in a way the day that never was…………

As a nation we appear to be descending into chaos, our MPs vote to take control of Brexit and then fail to vote to agree on anything. Making it more likely we will crash out, or more likely limp out. It is disheartening if only because our once strong country looks weak and probably in a week will look even more disorganised.

I hope that in all this we can avoid tearing ourselves apart, no anarchy or violence.

Tomorrow is the day we should have left, drawn up the drawbridge, said yah boo sucks to Johnny Foreigner; did we really believe that, a country that’s very existence is so diverse? Our language is full of words that come from around the globe, the most popular dish is chicken tikka marsala and I believe we are still the greatest consumer of champagne in the world, although I think that might be after the French who produce it. Think of all the supermarket chain going down to the Reims area and buying  up a complete years production from a vineyard. I noticed a bottle for less than £12 in Lidl today, perhaps I should have bought it before a post Brexit run starts.

It was always better back then, they keep saying and I am inclined to agree so much so, that we will be joining a large group of former colleagues who are meeting at a south coast resort this weekend to celebrate our fortieth anniversary of ’Flights’ through training with the Fleet Air Arm, mine was a relatively short career, others enjoyed long and productive ones. Some, sadly, have crossed the bar, but we are a very social lot so let’s hope that when we raise a glass to absent friends it’s champagne.

Today I am saddened that a broadsheet newspaper should refer to those who spoke against Brexit as mutineers, the Mail calls them collaborators. What has happened to our country the bastion of free speech. Whether for or against Brexit, well done those who spoke against it, you spoke for the 48% who said stay. It seems that we should no longer have opinions that go against the flow and that sadly takes us to the place that we have just commemorated those that fell in two world wars and conflicts since to oppose those tyrannies that do not accept autistic, disabled, gays, immigrants, refugees and those who think differently. This is the country that gave space to Karl Marx to create his philosophies that most of us would oppose.

A weak government is leading us towards a catastrophe whichever way you voted in the referendum and we should salute anybody who holds a mirror to its face.

In this febrile world we now live with its daily pollution from Trump and our own government it is difficult to remember that people are basically decent.

Four years ago today I started Chemotherapy for the cancer that was found in me earlier that year in July. It was a daunting day, I was full of nerves and trepidation as this was an unknown, it was outside my experience and despite all the reassurances of doctors and nurses I was very alone.

Enter one chirpy, kind individual who said that she would like to accompany me on this adventure. So early in the morning she left her home in Bath to come and collect me, drive me to the centre and stay with me while i underwent my first session. Those with experience will know that this is slow and drawn out, but throughout the day she was there in the chair next to me, reading to me, making me laugh, being a rock. Then when it was over she drove me home, made me tea and stayed until she was convinced I was okay to be by myself. It was along day in dark October.

As treatments went, this one turned out to be easy, I was tired, but it was later ones that laid me low and I didn’t experience the side effects of steroids for a few more days.

She wasn’t asked, but volunteered and it was an act of kindness that will never be forgotten. Thank you Sarana, I owe you.

Tomorrow will see the opening of the new Aerospace Bristol Museum and its star exhibit, one of the Concorde built at the Filton site. I was lucky enough to get a preview this weekend when I was invited to attend a travel show that was taking place in the Concorde Hall.

Sadly I never got to experience supersonic flight, although I do know someone who did on a regular basis. How lucky to fly in such a beautiful aircraft and how lucky we are to have two in the South West of England, one in Bristol and a Prototype at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton.

I have attached a few photographs taken on my mobile telephone, which although not doing the aircraft any justice do show her magnificent lines.

So thank you C the World Travel for the invitation, thank you Aerospace Bristol for creating such a good museum.

Do go and see it, just to marvel at how Great we once were.

Forgive my playing with words, it is fun and of course the SAW is the Somerset Art Weeks that concluded this weekend. Jun and I had fun, although her involvement was curtailed by her planned trip back to China for October, so some of the visits ended up solo.

I have been impressed by what I have seen, ranging from grotesque, dystopian exhibits at Rockaway Quarry to the the intricate, delicate filigree work of the enamelled jewellery that we saw in Piltown. Whatever we saw had beauty and it was enjoyable talking to artists, jewelers, potters and painters, composers and performers. For me personally my high point was a visit to the centuries old paper mill, St Cuthbert’s, near Wells. Limited number tours were available and were taken up on release, so I was particularly grateful to Cathy Frood for her telephone call inviting me to take up a short notice cancellation. Our young guide, Kate Taylor, took us all over and gave us time to talk with the workforce, who create high quality artists paper with love and dedication. What was rather pleasing, was that two of my fellow tourists were artists from Bristol and one used St Cuthbert’s papers for her screen-printing. It was satisfying seeing her pleasure in handling the paper and being shown how it was cut, the end user with the manufacturer, a rare sight. If the tours ever come up again, be you an artist, industrial archaeologist or interested local resident jump at the chance, you will not be disappointed.

Our Art Weeks tour started at Bruton Art Factory for Miso Soup with Japanese duo Dai Nichi, then Pylle, Piltown, Pilton, Wells, Rockaway at Temple Cloud, North Wootton, Watchet, Withypool and finally the Red Brick Building at Beckery, twixt Glastonbury and Street.

We were impressed by all we saw, delicate 3D art cutting into old paperbacks, books with miniature forests growing from their hollowed insides, Japanese pottery and English enamels, small paintings, large paintings, grotesque creations from cars, planes and scrap metal they were all marvellous and show what a great county we live in that has such talent.

Attached are some pictures taken on our travels:

The great thing is this happens every year and is free. Thank you SAW and all your talented artists and exhibiters.