Porty People and Places

As I opened the bedroom blind this morning, this was the sky that greeted me from the yawning east. It took my breath away and made me think of the wonders of our universe - not least the unfolding story of the European space probe on a remote comet ten years' travelling time away!

The news, in my view, banal, by comparison, that Qatar and The Russian Federation are cleared of wrong doing over their World Cup hosting bids is not really news at all as I expected nothing less. The work to build the stadia in the tiny State of Qatar continues apace and the FIFA 2022 Tournament will happen there. Of that I have no doubt.

When I ran on the beach this morning, the sea was churned by the easterly breeze and the surf looked surfable to me - as if I knew anything about such things!

It was one of those inspiring days on the beach, where the complexities of life seem marginally less complex when you ponder on the ceaseless movements of the waters that have been swirling here for hundreds of thousands of years.

This morning we had coffee, scones and cakes made for us by one of our neighbours who has lived in our road since 1955 - his energy, interest and ability in his tenth decade of life was truly inspirational.