Sunday 21^st August – just back from an interesting cruise around Iceland. It is a fascinating country in their summer but still cold, and winter is hard to imagine. The highlight was Isafjördur. The town is about 30 miles down a narrow fjord with whales a plenty around the entrance. As we left the town to return to the open sea the whales were heading back in towards the town. The surprise was seeing them swimming line astern, about 60 yards apart, down what seemed a well defined track. If there is such a thing as a whale motorway we saw it. Great sight.

    Pundits spend a great deal of time assessing the legacy of every Olympic Game but Rio already has their answer. The Games are barely over but have already spawned a naked version on Abrico Beach. A group of naturists have gone back to basics in a tribute to the ancient Greeks. Well oiled, the participants only compete in sports that may have been typical of the time. The women’s high jump was called off after the first three ladies cleared the bar. A man taking notes was thought to be a local reporter but turned to be a gynaecologist!

    Monday 22^nd August – love it or hate it but Mrs Brown’s Boys has been voted the Best British Sitcom of the 21^st Century and this in a face off with the likes of The Office, Gavin & Stacey and Peter Kay’s Car Share. The show was mauled on a regular basis by critics, which showed how in touch they are with viewing audiences. As Brendan O’Carroll might have said, “who’d have feckin’ thought it?”

    Justice Secretary Liz Truss insists that the Tory manifesto pledge to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights will be delivered. The announcement was partly drowned out by the screams of lawyers concerned about their access to the bottomless Legal Aid Budget. We’ll believe it when we see it Liz.

    Birmingham Council has been quick to act over an extension to a semi-detached house that they deem out of character in Quinton. They have given the owners 28 days to demolish it. Isn’t power wonderful? An illegal traveller site close to where we live took almost three years to remove. It sat in the 'too hard box'. Maybe the owners of the house in Quinton should offer a room to an illegal immigrant who has applied for asylum. That would put the case on a whole new footing with the house falling down before it got resolved.

    Tuesday 23^rd August – a number of countries in Europe have seen growing sales of guns and self-defence devices in the last year. Applications for gun permits are climbing in Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic. The trend for lethal weapons hasn’t followed in Germany as they are hard to get, though permits for carrying so called ‘scare off’ devices like blank guns and pepper sprays have soared by 50%. Is it the result of the flood of immigrants and the attacks in France and Germany? It seems too coincidental not to see a link. Either way, the increase in weaponry has serious implications. More guns on the streets have inevitable consequences.  What will it take to get some action from the European Commission?

    Wednesday 24^th August – we thought Labour were about as electable as Donald Trump under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. Almost any alternative leader would be an improvement. Then along came Owen Smith. His latest utterings about a second referendum on Brexit are beyond belief. It appears that 17 million plus people got it wrong because they didn’t know what they were voting for. Smith must be a disciple of W.E.Hickson, he of the ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again’. Since he appears to like the approach we suggest a rerun of the vote to elect a challenger to Jeremy Corbyn. We’re not at all convinced that Labour MP’s that rejected Angela Eagle understood what they were getting when they elected Smith. Democracy, what democracy?

    A teacher in Texas has stopped giving homework to students so they can spend more time with their families. Maybe it’s different in the USA. In the UK it would simply mean more time on Facebook and You Tube. And family time is already on the increase since kids can’t afford to leave home.