So on getting up yesterday morning, it was to the news that a ‘sort of’ peace deal has been announced between the USA and Iran. A deal has been agreed and is due to be signed on Friday in a few days time. The deal, such as it, is more of a holding operation with many unanswered questions. The document is billed as a memorandum of understanding and is believed to be two pages long, According to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, it will be endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution. Fighting is to stop and according to Pakistan’s prime minister, the pact called for ‘the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon’. The ceasefire is due to last for 60 days during which a more substantive agreement will be negotiated. But Israel has said it is not part of the agreement and previously said it retained freedom of operations in Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz is reopening and Donald Trump said the major shipping route, which Iran has effectively shut down, would open on Friday. He also ordered that the US blockade of Iranian ports be lifted then. The strait will be ‘permanently toll-free’. We have to see whether this cease-fire welcome though it is will hold and the worrying feature is that Israel has said that it not be bound by it so we can expect to see further incursions into Lebanon. One of the great unknowns is what behind the scenes pressure the USA is willing to exert upon Israel but I suspect that whatever Donald Trump says, unless there is a radical reduction in the weapons and aid supplied to Israel, Netanyahu will carry on unrestrained. The day yesterday opened with the gloomy prospect of a 50% chance of light showers until about midday after which  it will be gloomy and cloudy for the rest of he day.  I am faced with the prospect of my huge Lavatera bush, which I propped up  yesterday having fallen over and this was only to be expected. So I need to get out as soon as the weather allows with a hefty pair of secateurs and to do a radical pruning but at least there is nothing else really urgent that needs to be done today so this is a job in prospect for the day. Meanwhile, I can scarcely believe how the year seems to be racing away as I realise that once we get beyond 21st June, the days will start to shorten and we have the prospect of longer nights until the turn of the year in December. My American friend and I are planning a little sort-of shopping trip to Solihull next Friday where is a John Lewis store in the middle of an interesting shopping centre. One of the reasons for going there is to have a look at what sort of TV deals are being offered by John Lewis as my friend’s Sky installation seems to be falling apart and her TV is seventeen years old. Also there is a magnificent hardware store in Solihull called Robert Dyas  which always has the most amazing range of electrical, kitchen and other hardware goods and is always worth a wander around, especially if they have any special offers in place. No visit to Solihull would be complete without a visit to this store and in the past there was a specialist little French restaurant in which Meg and I used to eat but this has now closed but there are bound to be others to make for an interesting little day out.

In the late morning, one of my nieces and I got into contact with each other because I was eager to get on and agree some dates when I might pay a visit to Yorkshire on the occasion of my sister’s birthday at the end of August – I had some dates in mind but I thought I had better check with family members before I went ahead and made any firm arrangements. We had a long conversation and it looks as though I can go ahead with the planned dates although other family members are no doubt busy. But my niece and I took the opportunity to catch up on quite a lot of family news of which there was quite a lot and I now appreciate even more fully how other family members have their own particular crosses to bear. After lunch, I went on the computer to update some finances and to explore some travel options for a trip up to Yorkshire. As it is summer-time, I could go up by car which is quite convenient but on the other hand I do have a Railcard which gives me one third of rail travel so the options are quite finely balanced.  I am thinking at the moment of going by train as once I get to Harrogate other places that I might wish to visit such as York and Ripon are easily accessible by either train or bus and then one forget about the hassles of parking as well. I haven’t firmly made up my mind just now but I am conscious that hotel spaces in Harrogate get booked up early. and so that is why I am thinking about things now even though it is two and. a half months before I intend to journey. After doing some much needed pruning in the garden, I am going to meet my friend in the park for a constitutional walk as well as a natter and then on the TV tonight I have a choice of either football or the second half of the Brexit documentary which I did enjoy last week. I still find the whole Brexit saga fascinating in a macabre kind of way because although the EU did not always help itself, the country as a whole has been subject to an unrelenting onslaught of EU mal-propaganda  (such as the story about banning ‘bent’ bananas which, once investigated , were found to be almost total fabrications). The one-time Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, often made up stories about the EU but he was sacked for other episodes in which he was caught lying rather than these EU stories. While working as the Daily Telegraph’s Brussels correspondent in the 1990s, he frequently penned exaggerated and entirely fictional stories about the EU. This ‘Euromyth’ style of journalism—which featured absurd claims about straight bananas, standardised euro-coffins, and a plot to blow up the EU headquarters—was widely celebrated by Eurosceptics, and he was not fired for these articles. He later used similar tactics as a key figure in the 2016 Vote Leave campaign, most notably with the controversial claim that the UK sent the EU £350 million a week (he was quoting a gross figure rather than the correct  much lower figure  after part of our contribution had been rebated)

When I awoke yesterday, I could not resist how our newly steam-cleaned patio appeared  in the early  morning light (i.e. not glaring sunshine) The patio looked superb under these conditions of subdued lighting and I immediately took a photo of it and transmitted it on to my son. Later on today, when my American friend calls around, we shall painstakingly see how many different colours are represented and it makes me realise that whoever constructed it some 25 years ago had put a great deal of thought into the construction process so that each slab was surrounded by somewhat contrasting colours. When all was covered with a layer of grime and dust, these subtle details are lost only to be revealed on a deep clean. I feel resolved to let the excellent firm who did this give the patio an annual maintenance ‘steam’ clean  as it lifts the whole appearance of the garden as one’s eyes are immediately drawn to it rather than the rather overgrown nature of the rest of the garden. My lavatera plant has bent over as the result  of its own weight and profusion of growth and flowers and I recall that exactly the sane thing happened to the lavatera shrub that we had in our front garden in Thurnby,  Leicestershire some thirty years ago now. I needed to make an early start to the day because I attend the 8.30 church service by getting there at 8.00am in the morning, to be followed by a coffee-and-biscuits and then a weekly car clean with do-it-yourself car cleaning equipment but if I work sufficiently rapidly, I can get the whole car cleaned with just one £2.00 treatment session. I ensured that the beef was started off in our slow cooker and have calculated that after I have cooked and then saved some of the joint, I should be able to get ten meals out of the joint (which is so expensive nowadays) In the World Cup, Scotland were scheduled to play Haiti in a match which started at 1.30am in the morning and I suppose that only dedicated Scotland supporters would wait up to watch this match. But I leaned in the morning that Scotland had beaten Haiti 1:0 and, after Brazil and Morocco drew their match, are now top of their group and stand a chance of progressing onto the next stage of the competition. On the world stage, Donald Trump is saying that a deal with Iran would be signed today which the Iranians are actually denying so it will be interesting to see if it happens. One part of the deal is that the Straits of Hormuz will be reopened immediately but we are not going to revert to the ‘status quo ante’ because Iran has now come to realise that it can effectively close the Straits at a moments notice with a cheap supply of ballistic missiles which gives Iran a post-conflict strategic bargaining power that was not evident before the war. But it is a sad reflection that we in the western democracies will be feeling the effects of this conflict for weeks if not months ahead and some would argue was a conflict that Israel bounced the United States into weeks ago and Trump has been outsmarted by all of the significant players in the region.

After the church service this morning, I partook of my usual cup of coffee in the parish hall but I am trying to cut down on unnecessary carbohydrates so I gave the biscuits a miss. One of the younger parishioners is a very keen cricket fan  so we spent some happy minutes exchanging cricketing stories before which included the occasion on which in the middle of the Headingly Test match,  served Fred Trueman a pint of beer – and the thing that I remember most about ‘Fiery Fred’ what he had a blonde in one arm and a brunette in the other and I am sure he would spent many a happy explaining  some of the obscure points of the arcane rules of cricket to them. After that, I took the car for its weekly car wash (a do-it-yourself arrangement with a variety of lances dispensing either detergent-laden or cold rinsing water and you can switch between  modes as well) I picked up my copy of the ‘Sunday Times’ and then had to busy myself  when I got in cooking myself a little hot breakfast and then preparing the lunch. The beef we are going to have today was cooking in the slow cooker so I have to prepare some onion gravy and wash up the huge porcelain dish in which the beef was cooked in the slow cooker which is always quite a slow job. There are various World Cup matches being played today with Netherlands vs.Japan probably being the pick of the bunch.

My American friend popped around  for the promised Sunday lunch and I had already prepared the beef and the onion gravy whilst my friend and I prepared the green vegetables and then cooked them rapidly. The meal was a great success but I did forget the Yorkshire puddings but after the meal was over we rested a little while in our back garden and I righted the huge lavatera bush that had blown over in the wind. We then tried to ascertain between us the numbers of different colours manifest in the paving slabs of our back garden patio and my estimate was at least thirty. I must try and discover perhaps from my very knowledgeable neighbour whether these flags were originally a form of cast concrete which was then coloured with a pigment or whether he is aware of other modes of manufacture. At this point, we decided to go and have a walk in the park and there was a cooling breeze but evidently  the park had been quite heavily frequented because it appeared that there had been a brass band concert earlier in the afternoon. My friend and I did a couple of circuits of the lake and then stopped off at our favourite bench for a breather before returning home to have a spot of tea. We surprised ourselves by not turning on the TV at all today but we did each have a bowl of soup by way of a light evening meal and we made some tentative plans for a trip out next Friday and for some joint exercise walks in the local park during the week. We were both discussing to what extent we should take on any extra commitments and came to the view that we were both fairly busy with various activities during the week. For example,  I have my Classical Music Appreciation group  monthly meeting this Thursday and we both have  a flat/houses to maintain and keep ship-shape. It looks as though Keir Starmer has heeded the many calls for tighter regulation of the social media  by being ready to announce a ban on under 16’s using certain platforms. The trouble is that the Australian experience tends to indicate that tech savvy teenagers can find a way around such restrictions by using, for example, a readily available VPN (Virtual Private Network)

I awoke yesterday to the unwelcome ‘chirp’ of the smoke alarm in my kitchen which is an indication that the battery is nearing exhaustion and needs replacement. After a frantic search in a kitchen ‘odds-and-ends’ cupboard drawer, I have ascertained that I need to go on the road and purchase a battery of the relevant type – although I can do it myself, I am a little inclined to leave it until my son returns from his visit to his wife’s relatives to get this fixed. The day has dawned with a lovely bright and what promises to be a sunny day so I bestir myself relatively early as it is the re-arranged date for my patio cleaning to commence at about 9.00am. The evening before last, I watched the Canada v. Bosnia World Cup football and this was quite entertaining ending up in a 1:1 all draw. Canada alongside Mexico and the US are co-hosts and the match was played in Toronto so evidently support for the Canadian was almost over-whelming. To my mind, I thought the BBC commentary team strayed from impartiality by making constant references to what they perceived as good play by Canada but were less generous when it came to Bosnia. There are already indications that this World Cup will be a very strange affair. For a start, none of the presidents of the host nations decided that they would  attend the opening ceremonies for a variety of strange reasons. The ticket prices have been priced at absurdly high prices – some fans however at the globe’s biggest party will have paid previously unheard-of amounts for what may turn out to be dead rubber games, while forking out roughly the normal ticket price just for the commuter train to get to the stadium. Witness the New Jersey Transit train ticket – normally $12.90 return, but $100 for the tournament. The fans are being squeezed like never before because this is a very different tournament economic model to what has gone before. For a start, it is largely taking place in borrowed American football stadiums (a quarter of the games are in Canada and Mexico), with the US oval ball sport leaving its mark, perhaps indelibly. This tournament turns the beautiful game into the bountiful game, for organisers FIFA. This could be the most impactful World Cup ever in economic terms, but not for the conventional reason of driving economic activity among the host nations or sparking feel-good spending among those back home in countries that enjoy a good run. Even at this early stage, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, many host cities are seeing a collapse in hotel prices as demand falls short of early projections. After initially driving rates to historic highs, hotels and FIFA have drastically slashed prices and released reserved rooms to prevent empty beds. It looks as though the FIFA/USA desire to make money has driven prices to absurd levels and, as such some discussion sites have indicated the financial models might indicate that the USA will make more money by having half empty stadiums at ridiculous prices rather than ensuring that genuine fans can see a game. Already, only 2-3 days into the competition  some US hotel chains and airlines are dramatically slashing prices by up to 50% as demand is falling away and the anticipated ways of making money are failing. But this is the USA and I suppose that all of this was predictable. In addition, we have American border officials detaining would-be visitors to the World Cup on the grounds that they may have associated with ‘bad actors’ which could translate into anybody who had criticised Donald Trump in the social media having their comments picked up by AI scouring the internet and this being used as evidence to deny would-be visitors. I am almost certain that as the wrier of this blog who has had less than complimentary things to say about Donald Trump that I would be denied entry to the US under the current regime. I might add that I have absolutely no desire to enter the US for whatever reason but my one visit to New York to attend an international conference when I was busy putting together conference papers for my PhD in 1995-1996 would probably now not be possible.

Being driven slightly mad by the chirping of the smoke alarm, I dashed into town to buy the specialist replacement battery which I knew was needed and then tried to disconnect the exhausted battery but I could not get the fiddly cover off the smoke alarm unit. But then the operative came along to steam clean the patio and he made a magnificent job of it, applying a bleach/fungicide to get rid of those black spots that can eat their way into the stonework. The patio came up in a variety of pastel type colours and I would estimate that at least a dozen colours are represented in the whole area which paradoxically, looks in its best not in the brightest of sunshine but better if the weather is cloudy or even raining. The operative was on his own, his mate not turning up for work in the morning but he then, very kindly, offered to put the new battery in my smoke alarm which he did to my great relief. I then did some tidying up and had the remainder of the curried vegetables from a few days ago which was delicious. Then my American friend came round in the early afternoon and after a rest and some TV watching prepared a tuna salad between us as an early evening meal. We were then enthralled by the YouTube presentation of ‘The Rest is Politics’ when Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell were discussing the topic of whether Donald Trump was the most corrupt president of all time! They were developing the thesis between them that American mega corporations are now so powerful that they have all politicians in their pockets and pay the politicians  obscene amounts of money (e.g. $1 billion to a Trump son for giving a short speech), in return for which the politicians will happily award contracts or bend rules so that the mega-corporations can carry on their business activities without any government oversight or interference. Hence the level and scale of corruption is totally unlike anything we have ever seen before and Trump had discerned this trend and exploited it. We are starting to see some developments similar to this in the UK and Alastair Campbell cited the case of the £5 million given to Farage recently in exchange for practically nothing and with hardly any public concern or scrutiny.

The massive political news that dominated the airwaves yesterday was the shock resignation of our normally ultra-loyal Defence Secretary, John Healey, following a massive argument about the level of defence spending. Since the end of the Cold War, we and the European democracies have become used to much lower levels of defence spending which now hovers around 2.5% of GDP which is about a half of what it used to be. But under both governments, defence spending as been ‘hollowed out’ and we now live in a much more threatening and uncertain world. in theory, we should be increasing military spending to at least 3.0% by the end of the decade. But after months and months of wrangling with the Treasury, the Defence Investment Plan (budget) for defence was scheduled to rise from 2.6% to 2.68% by 2030 and Healey was of the view that this was in insufficient to keep our country safe from imminent threats and so resigned – the first Defence Secretary to do so over the issue of cash. One can see the problem ‘from space’ as it were. The Treasury is strongly of the view that money paid into the military is often wasted in projects that do not come to fruition and weapon systems that do not work and is therefore reluctant to disburse the money, despite the increasing threats to us from Russia and China. To the Tories, the answer is very simple which is to cut welfare budgets immediately and out the money into defence.  But for newly elected Labour MPs, cutting welfare expenditures means taking money out of the mouths of the poor and disabled who need that money now in return for a rather vague level of increased ‘protection’ that defence spending offers. This represents a really hard  dilemma to resolve politically at a time when the country appears to be desperately short of money for every single public service. A new Defence Secretary with an outstanding military service has been appointed (Dan Jarvis) but it is not clear whether he has argued successfully for extra money before accepting the appointment. In the meanwhile, the rest of the world saw the opening of the World Cup with the normal razzmatazz and with Mexico, one of the host nations, beating South Africa by 2:0. The South Africans were pretty abysmal and I think I counted only 3-4 weak shots at goal from them during the whole of the first half. Three red cards were issued and I personally feel they were all justified but, in the modern game,  some of the ITV commentators thought that the referee had been over-harsh. They also argued massively whether the first Mexico goal was due to a goal keeping error, a defensive error or a combination of the two (which it was). I had great expectations of the this first match and wished South Africans, the under-dogs, to do well but I felt that the match as a whole was disappointing and did not give is a display of the levels of skill that a World Cup ought to showcase. It might be that given the lateness of the hour at which the World Cup matches are broadcast,  I find other things to watch, if anything. Meanwhile we hear that the British economy actually contracted last month as we feel the first effects of the Iran war.

In the morning, I made my usual trip along the High Street to eventually land up in favourite ‘Gifts of Love’ coffee outlet which I usually frequent once per week- however, it is a fortnight since I last visited because last week my American friend and I were visiting central Birmingham. Yesterday, though, I was again greeted like a long lost friend and whoever comes into the outlet is similarly treated. In other words if you are a friend of the proprietor and her volunteers in the outlet, then you are automatically a friend of all. So it is no wonder that I keep going back week by week. Today one of the volunteers was telling me a tale so dire that she had been forced to complain to the General Medical Council about the way she had been treated by one consultant in particular at the Queen Elisabeth hospital in central Birmingham who subsequently denied having that member of staff on their books. I wondered to myself if she had been tried by an imposter as it is not unknown  for some members of the public to don a white coat and to wander up and down the wards as though they were a consultant. After my coffee and avoiding the cake that was offered, I wandered down the High Street and bought some cosmetics before I returned home. As soon as I got home, I had a look at our back lawn and thought that it certainly needed a cut so I got to work straight away and gave it a mow before I decided  to contemplate lunch. Then I made myself a mackerel salad as the weather had turned out quite warm, for a change, and I did not fancy preparing a hot lunch. Afterwards I sat outside the front of the house  to enjoy some afternoon sunshine and to engage in a gentle reading of the newspaper and a ‘Fiendish’ SuDoku which I eventually  solved completely. My pastimes were briefly interrupted b a telephone call from my American friend  who has having great problems with her Sky TV setup. Never having had a Sky contract, it was a bit difficult to offer assistance over the phone but eventually I offered some advice (turn everything off, including at the wall, leave for a couple of minutes and then start up again) But her TV set whilst a good make (Panasonic) is 17 yeas old and not a ‘smart’ tv so its days might be numbered. I managed to get some resumption of service by my ‘turning it all off and then on again’ routine but  suspect that I should  probably assist her in buying a Smart TV, particularly as John Lewis seems to be giving out some good special offers at the moment, perhaps stimulated by the World Cup. This evening I may be tempted to watch another World Cup football match but I hope it a little more entertaining than the opening match. This evening, if I feel up to it, I may do a little more sweeping to prepare my paths before their (delayed) steam cleaning is due to take place first thing tomorrow morning.

Yesterday was always going to be quite an interesting day for a variety of reasons, but it started off dull and gloomy with a smattering of rain but no doubt it might get a bit better later on. The evening before I had attended the latest one in our U3A Curry Club events in a local Indian restaurant and I have to say that the food was excellent and a good time was had by all. I got there at about one minute past the appointed starting hour and the entire table was full apart from one space so evidently I must learn that this group of U3A’s are exceptionally prompt for any event that is organised (which I had noticed before on our coach to Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire) trip. I happened to be sitting opposite the U3A member who had organised this particular restaurant trip and who I know is also a member of the Classical Music Group. Over dinner, he was waxing lyrical about a local Bowls club which he reckons was a wonderful source of friendship and bonhomie. For a modest membership fee, one could join as a ‘social’ member and enjoy all of the facilities without necessarily playing bowls if one did not wish to but some instruction was provided as part of the membership fee. I feel fairly fully committed at the moment but this is something to bear in mind for the dark and dreary days of the autumn and winter so it is something that I might consider, particularly  as it had received such an enthusiastic endorsement. Later on in the day, I have a Tai Chi trip to fit into the early  morning and then a recently arranged dental appointment in the afternoon. Yesterday is the opening day of the World Cup and from about 6.30 in the evening we are promised first the opening ceremony and then a match between South Africa and Mexico. As Mexico is one of the co-hosts, this match will have a particular significance and is probably worth watching for some quite exciting football so I may indulge in this during the evening. As a sign of the times, I have just heard a news item that all UK prison windows are to be fitted with special grills to prevent the delivery of both drugs and mobile phones delivered by drone and I can only imagine what hellholes British prisons might be at the moment, given the lack of investment in them over the years and the record prison population. For the record, the United Kingdom—particularly England and Wales—consistently maintains the largest and highest per-capita prison population in Western Europe, despite overall crime rates trending downward. The UK locks up around 145-160 individuals per 100,000 people, outstripping similar European nations. A clearer breakdown reveals how the UK stacks up against its peers as in England & Wales the rate sits at approximately 146-159 prisoners per 100,000 people whereas Scotland has the highest incarceration rate in the UK, at about 162 per 100,000. The western European average is much lower, at roughly 80–85 prisoners per 100,000 and the UK rate far exceeds the rates in comparable countries like the Netherlands (65) and Germany (67) which is less than half.

In the morning, I went along and had my normal ‘Tai Chi’ session, after which I sat at the ‘chatty’ table n the Methodist Centre and had some good chats with one or two of the regulars who I have got to know quite well. One of them is shortly to celebrate her 64th year of marriage which is almost worthy of a newspaper article, I should imagine. She is an ex mental health nurse and by her demeanour. I am sure she has helped many people through crises in their lives. Then it was time to go home and I prepared quite a large saucepan full of vegetables (onions, peppers, green beans  and a few chicken pieces) and I tarted it up a little with some dark soy sauce (to darken it up a little), brown fruity sauce and some  onion gravy. I made far too much so half is saved for another day. Today was always going to be a ‘milestone’ type of day as it is one calendar year since Meg’s funeral. To mark the event, I lit some tea lights in front of Meg’s photograph and then recited (from memory) the second verse of ‘Danny Boy’ which is actually a voice calling from the grave. The last two lines of the eight line stanza are particularly poignant as deceased person person calls from the grave to the grieving relative left behind: 
‘And you will bend and tell me that you love me / And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me’
Then with my ritual over, I paid a visit to my dentist as a visit arranged only yesterday as I was offered a slot because of a cancellation although my next ‘normal’ visit would have been in August. I had the happy experience that my checkup revealed that no treatment was needed so this is always pleasant to know. Whilst I was waiting for my appointment, a customer went to the reception desk and enquired how much a full set of implanted teeth would  cost and was given a verbal quote of £30,000. I thought this extraordinary but on my return home, I consulted the web only to be informed that a full set of implanted teeth typically costs between £20,000 and £40,000 in the UK, making the £30,000 estimate figure quoted about par for the course. The patient dashed out with the comment that he would rather be fitted with dentures!. Later on in the day, we have the opening ceremony of the World Cup and already some controversy has arisen. One of Arica’s outstanding referees who hails from Somalia (a state hated and reviled by Donald Trump) has been denied an entry visa to the USA on the grounds that he has associated with ‘bad actors’ (whatever that means) and on these grounds alone has been refused entry and so cannot officiate as was planned. The FIFA president has made a craven statement that those who are upset by this decision  should ‘get over it’ but I would have hoped that expressions of support for the banned referee should have made by members of the international footballing community. The latest news is that the Somali referee Omar Artan will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup between PSG and Aston Villa after he was turned away from the US. Artan was only days away from officiating in his first World Cup, but when he touched down at Miami International Airport, he was questioned for 11 hours, held in a cell and then put on a plane back home. As an act of solidarity, UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) handed the Somali a prestigious consolation, being appointed referee of the Super Cup in Salzburg on 12 August.

There were two features in central Birmingham which I failed to mention when my American friend and I visited the Art Gallery last Friday. We went into Birmingham by train from Bromsgrove and, upon arriving at New Street station (remodelled to look similar to Grand Central Station in New York), we strolled past ‘Ozzie the Bull’ Ozzy the mechanical bull, created for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – has been unveiled in his new home. The sculpture was met with loud applause and cheers from the public at New Street. He had been named after Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne following a public vote. Visitors including Sharon Osbourne saw the bull’s first performance recently which involved him moving his head and swishing his tail. ‘For Ozzy to be born and bred here and having spent so much time in this station, because of course he did not have a car, so he was everywhere from New Street,’ she explained. Network Rail said they had been testing the bull’s movements and sound ahead of him meeting the public, to mark the games’ first anniversary two days later. It was originally intended that this whole mechanical beast be only a temporary structure and had been scheduled for dismantling. But it proved to be such a hit with the general public that the bull was saved and now has a permanent home in New Street Station.  In his prime, Ozzie the Bull would rotate his head and his lips, his eyes would  glow red, his tail  would swish as well and he would roar but I think he is completely static now in his retirement. So that was on sight but another was the art installation of a huge water work. In 1993, Victoria Square was pedestrianised and remodelled. This included the installation of a massive water feature and it showed a naked female figure recumbent as the fountain water played about her. Despite the official name, the locals soon dubbed this as ‘The Floozie in the Jacuzzi’ and by this name the artwork has been known ever since. A local wag added some detergent to the fountain to complete the illusion of a Jacuzzi but this nearly wrecked the installation, not designed to cope with soap suds and it was put out of commission for months. But this is another feature of life in central Birmingham as is the performance of well-known operatic arias given in the station in the late afternoon which, unfortunately as we were dashing for our train we did not stop to fully savour. So central Birmingham has its attractions which had been lost on me as it had been some years since I had actually been in Birmingham City Centre. Meg and I used to attend the opera fairly frequently but this, of course, was in the evening. The day before yesterday, I had to wait until there was a break in the weather and then de-moss the patio and sweep leaves off our back access path before the steam cleaning job scheduled for the next day. I had woken up at 5.30 in the morning but knowing that I had to make an early start did not dare to go back to sleep so listened to the strains of ClassicFM in bed until it was time to get my ‘bag of bones’ out of bed. I must say that me American friend was not averse to stopping people in the street to ask for directions and she has evolved a technique which is quite effective. Having a vaguely American accent (although she is a good mimic) she will stop people in the street, indicate that she is a Canadian (not American!) visitor and doesn’t know her way around  and then ask for directions. This happened several times on our recent visit found the people in central Birmingham to be so friendly and helpful that it restores your faith in human nature. We both have doctors appointments today so are going to compare notes in a conversation we will no doubt have later on in the evening.

This morning developed as one in which appointments were missed, arranged and re-arranged. I was just prepared to go outside and give the paths and patio a final sweeping when I got a phone call postponing the patio cleaning until Saturday as the firm was suffering from people not turning up for work, probably as a result of a virulent local virus. I did not mind overmuch as it hs given me the opportunity to prepare the path a little for more for its ultimate cleaning. I made an appointment to get the car serviced and was offered the choice of a full, extra detailed service or a regular service. I chose the latter as the car mileage is low and I am not sure that a detailed  service is called for. The receptionist ad I agreed a date such that if I were to get the car into the garage promptly at 8.30, she could  guarantee  that it would  be done at the end of the morning. With this I agreed as I walk down to the local supermarket and treat myself to an all-day breakfast and a lengthy read of the newspaper before I scour the shelves not sold in my regular supermarket. Now we come to the third appointment as my dentist had texted me to ask if I could re-arrange the appointment arranged for mid August. It appeared that my regular dentist was going to be away (possibly on maternity leave) but then it transpired that they had just received a cancellation so I could make an appointment in the afternoon the next day? To this, I agreed as you never turn down or miss a dental appointment these days. After this, I had a couple of appointments myself, one to discuss the results of a routine diabetic monitoring and another with a doctor to discuss the results of some hospital investigations. One can only grateful that one is routinely monitored these days but after this I returned home and just escaped a thunderous shower that broke out overhead. I had a very light ‘fish-on-bread’ type lunch as I have a U3A ‘Curry Club’ event in a local Indian restaurant this evening so the last thing I want to do is to overeat. The event starts at 6.00 and, fortunately, the restaurant is within striking distance of the local Waitrose car park so this makes life easy all round.

I am thankful that the weather seems to have improved a tad since yesterday as in a day or so I am having a specialist firm come and steam-clean the patio in my back garden and there is a certain amount of clearing up to be done. The day before I had cut the grassed area to the front of the hose but had felt tired all day and could not have faced any more clearing up work but today is another matter. The day before yesterday, I met my American friend in the park and we ‘did a turn’ but mainly sat on my favourite bench and discussed what events in the Arts world we wanted to go and see in the next few weeks. I am still dithering a bit over any holiday plans that I might have for later in the year or even to draw the sting of the winter by going to Spain next February but as is ever the case one needs to think about one’s finances. This month is a peculiar one because I have the car insurance, taxation and servicing to pay for and although I have done some forward planning for all of this, I will feel in a happier place once all of these expenses are actually behind me instead of in front of me. In a day or so, it will be the year long anniversary of Meg’s funeral and this will be another milestone. In some ways, the past year has absolutely flown by but on the other hand it seems an enormously long time since I had Meg by my side. But my American friend is good for me because she misses her mother terribly and so sometimes we have a little weep together to remember our joint grief. Naturally, candles get lit in any churches that we happen to visit such as the Cathedral church of St Philip with some magnificent stained glass windows which we visited last Friday. I found on Sky news a little  something that made me smile. Donald Trump has been booed at a basketball match in New York as he became the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals. The catcalls came after frustrated ticket holders waited for hours in lines that stretched more than two blocks outside Madison Square Garden on Monday due to the intense security restrictions that came with the president’s appearance. I do not suppose for a moment that any catcalls would have registered with the US president such is his narcissism and vanity but, nonetheless, it is a sign that the tide if turning in American politics. I am training myself to have a slightly different breakfast routine these days. One of the first things I have just started to do is to have a couple of teaspoonfuls of high quality EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and if you do this first thing in the morning, it both lines the stomach but also its beneficial ingredients are quickly absorbed and you derive the maximum benefit from the oil. If I have got up late and I am a little pressed for time, then I have a small avocado with a little bit of Thousand Island dressing followed perhaps by a rice cake spread with cottage cheese. If on the other hand, I have got up earlier, I prepare  a bowl with a couple of dessert spoonfuls of raw porridge oats, throw in a handful of bran and then add sone greek yogurt (or better still Kefir style yogurt which is becoming more available in the supermarkets these days) I have started to become a little more cautious about the yogurt that I buy – for example ‘Greek style’ mans not authentic yogurt. In the same vein, I am also avoiding anything that says ‘Law fat’  as this means that some beneficial fats have been replaced by harmful sugar or sugar substitutes. The supermarkets have a lot to answer for in their drive for profitability and I find that I have to shop carefully for healthy products and I need to keep a careful eye open for junk type food of which to my eye, there is a lot.

Later on in the morning, I donned some shorts (unusual for me!) and went down to attend my weekly Pilates class. Earlier in the morning, I had had the most frustrating time as I had received from a national motoring organisation (I will not say which!) a renewal quote for next year which was 27% higher than last year. The organisation’s website indicate that you could get into contact with them via email (but without supplying an email address) but also gave a text number as an alternative – in the event this turned out to be a service only for the hard of hearing! After my Pilates class and going round the houses to get the right telephone number I eventually got into contact with a human being (rather than an automated system) and indicated my displeasure at the subscription increase and that I intended to leave and take up the services of a rival. After I had removed one service that I think I will never need, I was offered a new subscription price which was only 52% of the renewal price that I had originally been quoted. I mention all of this because I think it is indicative of modern life where organisations are desperate you you to sign and to avail yourself of special offers, but it is difficult to find a human to whom to complain. So at the end of the day I have got the subscription which I need at a reasonable price but it has taken quite a lot of hassle to get to this point and I wonder how many actually give up and end up either paying the hugely increased price or leaving altogether. Tonight, I can again look forward to a Simon Scharma programme on a History of Britain’ and this one promises to focus on the end of empire which might be interesting in its own right. It was an American Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Dean Acheson who opined that ‘Britain had lost an Empire but not found a role’ and these words are as true today as when they were first uttered in 1962.

Yesterday had its fair share of pleasant surprises. I showed the photograph of Meg and I which had been put o the back of the Midlands Sinfonia Orchestra leaflet and gave my American friend the full story of how it ended up. Then we cooked a fairly conventional meal of salmon pieces with veg and we accompanied this with a bottle of Asti Spumante the taste of which I a gradually reacquainting myself these days – it has a hint of a sultana-ish elements in it which I quite enjoy. After lunch, we settled down in front of the TV and I was delighted to find the full (and free) version of the film ‘Ladies in Lavender’ which we both enjoyed tremendously (although we both had a little snooze during the course of the film) After the film was over, there was an interesting discussion between Maggie Smith and Judi Dench how they had interpreted the characters and the film as a whole has some interesting little comic asides at which English film makers are so adept. My American friend and I spent some time discussing health-related issues, not in any neurotic sense but really exploring ways in which we could use a combination of diet and exercise to keep ourselves fit and healthy in the years ahead. In truth, we are already pretty closely aligned in this respect and it may well be that we enjoy each other’s company whilst we enjoy walks in the park together when the weather is anything like fair and, this way, we both get some beneficial  exercise under our belts. When I reflect upon this, we live less than two miles apart and both drive so it s easy for us to agree a joint venue such as our magnificent local park and to plan joint little exercise trips together which  would not be possible if we lived a long way apart from each other.  Yesterday morning, I awoke to incredibly overcast skies and we have the threat of some thundery showers throughout the morning but it may well be that we  have some respite during the afternoon with the expectation that we might have some sunny periods – but flaming June it most certainly is not and I am longing for a period of what might one call ‘normal’ June weather. Some local wags are already saying that after the hot spell in May, we have had our summer for the year and we are now entering Autumn and it certainly feels like it at times. The Middle East continues to boil over and whenever Donald Trump is offering the prospect of a peace deal within days, the Israelis are continuing their strikes against Hezbollah who are now firing missiles directly into Israel as retaliation for the first time in month. Although Trump says that he is angry with Netanyahu for continuing to defy him, Israel seem to be intent on continuing their advances with Lebanon which is now looking as war torn as Gaza to the south. Israel is never sanctioned and although Trump may huff and puff it would only be the threat of withdrawing military support that might them to heel. So with the two major conflicts n the world (Iran and Ukraine) the gulf between the combatants seems unbridgeable.

For  a reason I could not quite discern, I have felt incredibly tired all of today and had to force myself to do even simple things. But I did go and collect my newspaper and then, as the sun was shining felt I really needed to go and get the front grassed area cut. Actually, it seemed a lot warmer inside the house rather than inside so perhaps the house having cooled down considerably inside had something to do with my feeling tired but I was very pleased to get this job under my belt, as it were. Later on the afternoon, if it does not shower with rain I intend to meet my American friend in a car park at a local park where we can have a ‘health-sustaining’ walk together.  There are three artistic events to which we can go in the next month ranging in venue from Bromsgrove itself to the Town Hall in Birmingham or even the theatre in Malvern so we need to discuss to which of these we feel inclined to go. I suspect that we will finish up with a feed from the National Theatre of ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ which has some brilliant write-ups and it is available as a feed in our local Artrix Arts Centre for which we always seem to be able to get tickets. Later on this evening there is to be yet another documentary on Brexit the 10th anniversary of which we shall be shortly be commemorating. I am convinced that future historians will rank this as one of the worst ‘turning point’ in British political history, probably ranking alongside the Suez crisis of 1956. Whether Brexit is a bigger turning point than Suez is a subject of intense historical and diplomatic debate, with arguments favouring the structural magnitude of both events. The Suez Crisis in 1956 is widely seen as the definitive end of the British Empire. It brutally exposed the limits of Britain’s post-war power and its subservience to the United States and the Soviet Union. Historians often view Suez as the catalyst that forced the UK to fundamentally re-evaluate its place in the world, eventually pushing it to seek economic salvation by joining the European project. Many geopolitical analysts and former diplomats argue Brexit is structurally a much bigger turning point because it reverses a foundational national strategy—the 50-year project of European integration—rather than merely handling a botched international operation. While Suez was a humbling, externally imposed retreat from the global stage, Brexit was a voluntary, structural rewiring of the UK’s trade, diplomatic, and security architecture. While Suez confronted the UK with the hard reality of its declining global status, Brexit fundamentally altered the country’s economic and political identity for the foreseeable future. Tonight’s programme is going to concentrate on many of contributions made by key political figures of the time, but it may well be that the omission of the role of Dominic Cummings, illicit Russian money and no end of ‘black’ propaganda gives a less than revealing picture. I well remember that in the closing week of the campaign, Europe was scarcely mentioned but the whole issue revolved around the question of immigration with some ridiculous projections that the whole population of Turkey would descend upon British shores if the UK voted to remain in the EU. In the event, given the turnout, some 62.5% of the electorate either did not vote or voted to stay in the EU – David Cameron, the then Prime Minister, should have specified a majority of the electorate rather than a majority of those who voted for such a monumental decision. 

Yesterday I awoke to another gloomy day but I was in good spirits because I regularly attend the 8.30 service in my local Catholic church after which there is coffee, cakes and a chat to which to look forward. After some of my regular Sunday morning routines which now involves car washing, I can look forward to my American friend calling around and we are going to cook a simple lunch together and relax during the afternoon although we may well take a turn in the nearby Sanders Park.  I turned to Sky News and in particular their excellent defence correspondent, Michael Clarke, who presented us to today with a fascinating series of observations about the Ukrainian war. Clarke is commenting upon the somewhat cheeky letter that Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader sent to Putin suggesting a meeting (which offer was immediately rejected) But Clarke has suggested three reasons why there are grounds for cautious optimism. Firstly, on the ground whilst Ukraine is not winning the war, it is certainly not losing it either and the Russian ground offensive seems to have stalled. After all, the Ukrainians are fighting for their lives and their very existence but the same is not true of the Russian side. Secondly, Ukraine has developed its drone technology in great leaps and bounds and now has a series of weapons so that deep strikes are now possible deep into the heart of Russia, including St. Petersburg much to the chagrin of Putin who was hosting an international conference recently. This has a great psychological even if not military impact as Russians now realise that the war is not going to go away. But a third factor is that the Russian economy, whilst large, is stuttering and as a result of persistent inflation there is now quite an acute labour shortage. This is exacerbated by manpower used to prop up the army and there may be now as many as 1.5-2.0 million ex-soldiers who have either died or been severely injured, all of which acts as a drain upon the economy. Russia is evidently quite desperate which is why its own drone attacks upon the Ukraine are increasing in intensity so we are in a situation which, in footballing terms approximates to a 1:1 draw between the two sides. I think there is a growing realisation amongst the Europeans that Ukraine must not lose this war and thus, in the absence of the American support, the other European nations must strain every muscle to support Ukraine. Of course, the Iran conflict has made Ukraine drop out of the headlines but this analysis is very interesting, nonetheless. On the other side of the Atlantic, some of the wilder excesses of Donald Trump are being ameliorated as the Republicans gradually start to exercise a feeble fight back. So it looks as though the £2.8 billion slush fund to compensate the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol building in 2021 has run into the ground, as has the attempt to rename the Kennedy centre and  there are persistent rumours that the so-called ballroom, being built over the remains of the East Wing of the White House, may be similarly doomed. On the other hand, it looks as though Trump may have succeeded in ensuring that neither he, nor his family, can be prosecuted for the evident corrupt gains which they amassed in the latest presidency.

A rather extraordinary disclosure I suppose you could say happened to me as I was taking my coffee and biscuits in th Church hall this morning but some words of background are in order. When Meg was alive and more or less ‘compos mentis’ despite her advancing dementia, we used to attend a special event organised obout once per month by AgeUK locally for dementia patients and their carers. On one such occasion and I think must have been in the autumn of 2024, Meg and I attended an event in the Rugby Club at Finstall (a nearby village) and the attraction that day was a visit by the principal violinist (and mow musical director) of a local orchestra known as the Midlands Sinfonia. Members of this orchestra as part of their outreach remit visit schools and residential homes and hence the visit to the AgeUK event. Meg and I had were photographed with the violinist and another attendee and this particular photo was uploaded to the orchestra’s website to demonstrate their outreach commitment. Now we come to today’s event and our church organist and one-time Eucharistic minister gave me the latest publicity leaflet for the 2026-2027 season of the Midlands Sinfonia. There, on the back cover, was the photo of Meg, myself, the violinist and another attendee at the event and, of course, this leaflet would have had a print run of several hundreds if not a thousand or so and would have been distributed across the Midlands. It is hard to fully describe the feelings of pleasure and joy that seeing Meg (happy!) in this photograph gave me and I must confess it evoked a few emotional tears once I got home and reflected on how widespread Meg’s image would have  been distributed. I had got the car washed and then cooked myself a late breakfast of a fried egg on sourdough toast before I start to think about preparing some lunch for (much) later in the day. My son gave me an extended telephone call to detail his movements as he and my daughter-in-law are going to be away for well over a week (dog-sitting for other family members) so normally, I would feel his absence quite keenly. But I have several events coming up next week (including a Curry Club dinner in the middle of the week) and then other U3A activities so if I am pretty busy then this has to be a good rather than a bad thing. The preset cool snap may well give way to some warmer weather the week after next so I might avail myself of a trip up and down the Severn Valley Railway if I can get this squeezed in before the schools break up (as there are bound to be grandparents taking their grandchildren on special trips as soon as they are released from school) There are some concerts coming up which I would like to attend both here in central Birmingham (at the town hall) as well as an opera in Malvern (‘The Marriage of Figaro’) so I will have to have a long hard think about whether to make the effort to attend this and whether I can persuade anybody to accompany me.

Yesterday was a sort of recovery day after my American friend and I had spent a very interesting day visiting the Art gallery (amongst other things) in central Birmingham yesterday. First thing in the morning, I quickly located and then ran off an article which I had found following the search term ‘Cooking/diets for arthritis suffers’ I think this latter article might be useful for a variety of reasons. One of them is my American friend may be developing some osteoarthritis in her ankles but, fortunately, she is very diet conscious anyway. For myself, I am always keen to keep arthritic symptoms at bay but those that I have, including my left knee after a road traffic accident years ago, are pretty mild at the moment. But my son has recently sprained his ankle and this may take some time to recover so, in the meantime, he might as well do what he can to stop arthritis from setting in. Needless to day, the source highly recommends the Mediterranean diet and fish oils and although I try to eat an oily fish twice a week I think my fish-oil supplement is probably out-of-date and needs replacing as these oils do not last for ever. In fact most food writers stress that the beneficial effects of olive oil are at a maximum if the oil is consumed early and not kept for years on end. I decided to do a little research and the internet revealed the following for me. Consuming a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) early in the morning on an empty stomach maximises nutrient absorption and aids digestion. The healthy fats and antioxidants help coat your stomach lining, activate your liver and gallbladder, and suppress your appetite for the rest of the day. The key Benefits of the morning routine are that fasting overnight prepares your digestive system, allowing polyphenols (the powerful antioxidants) to be absorbed more efficiently without competing with other foods. It stimulates beneficial gut bacteria, reduces inflammation, and acts as a natural remedy for occasional constipation. The oleic acid (monounsaturated fat) triggers feelings of fullness, which helps regulate blood sugar and curb cravings. So this is useful background and scientific information to have and I imagine that I will incorporate this knowledge into my early morning ‘getting myself up and going’ routines. One pleasant surprise when I arrived home from my day out so delivered by a late post was an extra ‘helpers’ card requested from the National Trust. This means that when I visit a National Trust property, anybody with me can gain admittance as a ‘helper’ free of charge so my American friend and I will probably make great use of tis facility during the summer months. The weather was gloomy and overcast for the whole of yesterday but I will content myself with some gentle tidying up jobs after I have hit the road and visited my friend in the ‘Gifts of Love’ outlet which I tend to do once a week (so that they can check I am still in the land of the living). In fact, I remember walking down into town with one of my neighbours when we were attending our weekly Pilates session and my neighbour encountered some friends who she had not seen for some time. On a ritual request to see how they were getting on they replied with the very memorable phrase ‘We are still above  the ground!’ which phrase has stuck me with me over the years.

Yesterday was a very quiet day and the wet and gloomy weather did not help. Anticipating some Text Match cricket on the TV in the evening, although an hour was scheduled, in practice only half an hour could be utilised. Rain had stopped play all of the morning and, in the afternoon, the players were on and off the pitch several times whilst rain interrupted play and then I think that play was called off for the day at about 5.00pm in the afternoon. When I eventually tracked down a copy of ‘The Times’ today, a little booklet was published which included timetables for all of the fixtures of the forthcong football World Cup series. It seems that the earliest kick off times will be 9.00pm GMT so if we include periods of time for extra time, VAR reviews, the half time period itself and so on, I suspect that many matches will go on until about 11.30 so I wonder f the b=viewing figures will drop quite a lot across the UK.  I finally got around to returning the Blue Badge issued to Meg by Worcestershire Council back to them and whilst hunting for an address on the web found out that I needed to fill in a form and then I can cut it in half and dispose of it myself. But in the act of supplying Meg’s unique number to Worcestershire, I discerned that your birth month and date and the expiry date actually form part of the registration umber as well as your gender. This  number In had not studied before but I saw one video in which legitimate holders of a Blue Badge could examine and decode the numbers displayed on other Blue Badges and make a determination as to whether or not the badge is being used fraudulently. So I wondered what the web had to say about this and discovered that Bromsgrove is using quite an aggressive philosophy (which is worth knowing). Blue Badge fraud has surged by over 1000%. Offences range from using deceased relatives’ permits and buying fakes online, to using genuine badges when the disabled holder is not present. This causes a severe lack of accessible parking and costs the public purse millions. The consequences of this type of fraud are harsh and offenders can face on-the-spot fines, Penalty Charge Notices, and court-mandated fines of up to £1,000. Councils aggressively seize illegally used badges. In severe cases (like using fake or deceased individuals’ badges), offenders can be prosecuted under the Fraud Act 2006, receiving unlimited fines, criminal records, and potential jail time. If you live in or near Bromsgrove, your local authority is Bromsgrove District Council (operating as part of the Worcestershire Regulatory Services). They investigate Blue Badge misuse and can confiscate permits used for non-exempt purposes. If you suspect an individual or vehicle is actively committing Blue Badge fraud in your area, you can report it directly to help authorities stop the fraud. My chiropodist called around today and she confirmed to me that she had heard stories about our local authority taking this type of fraud seriously.