Sorry - wont be blogging any more

I've not had chance to update blog for some time and wont have for the foreseeable future so I'm saying bye bye and wont be adding any more to this blog - you can still get me via tour-devon.com

Just a general moan today

Petrols gone up again and set to go a lot higher - is it me or am I seeing things wrong that aren't.
We pay for the Iraq war and then government in their wisdom give the petrol companies the oil. In turn they sell it back to us at ever increasing prices but without our taxes they would not have it to sell. They make millions of pounds profit per second and yet the price is set to go up again and just to rub it in the government are going to increase the tax on it from 1st April.
The banks overcharge us for everything for years and when they get into trouble cos they've spent all the billions of profit they made out of us without keeping anything back for a rainy day. We get them out of trouble with our government spending our taxes to do it. Now they are getting back into the profit they will of course say thank you to us by repaying what they were given and lowering their charges. Mmmmmm I think not - more likely to put them up so they can give out some bigger bonuses.
Many moons ago I was told that there are two types of people in this world. The 5% that are rich who control 95% of the worlds wealth and the rest of us (95%) that are just above broke with the remaining 5% shared between us. If all this wealth was shared a bit more evenly the poverty and starvation in the world could easily be cured BUT it wont happen.
All these people, politicians included say they are out to help us the 95% but in truth they are only interested in helping themselves. Most of the money given to the worlds charities vanishes in expenses unrelated to the cause.
I'm getting old now and maybe cynical but I feel life was a lot fairer in the past and I'm fairly sure that is because people were more truthful and caring of others.

The weekend starts here

Just got up, later than usual and updated my web site. Things are beginning to happen now. Many of the shops that were shut for the winter are opening and organisations are starting their programs of events. The weather is good, lovely bright sunshine, so a good weekend for coming down and exploring our area.
Not long now before the ferry to and from south Wales starts to operate, so for those of you over the channel you will soon be able to take a day off and come over to see us and us locals will be able to visit you. It should help the economy of both sides.
Now I'm off with my camera to get some more of our local villages filmed for my site.,

Another day in Devon

We've had a dry week but today its back to the rain for a little while. Spring is definately in the air as the dafs start to flower and the days warm up - will be nice when the nights do the same.
Just added the street view of Barnstaple to the www.tour-devon.com site and if the weather holds good I will be able to do a bit more filming of the towns and villages to add a well.
Seems to be an increase in visitors at the moment so maybe a good sign for a good season.
As I always tell folk - if you have not been here then its time you did.

been lazy

Not done anything to the blog for a long time as I have been busy with my site and time seems to have been used up without completing everything I wanted to.
Main reason is my health is not so good and typing is becoming very difficult to do. I set out with good intentions but the steam runs out all to soon.
I am managing to keep my site www.tour-devon.com up to date and I hope that will continue. If you have not visited the site recently it could be worth your while taking a look - it has grown quite a bit - now close to 1000 pages and a million visitors.
I am looking for unusual photographs of the area - if you have any and would like to let me use them on the site then please get in touch. By unusual I mean ones taken from an odd angle or of an odd item - anything that is a bit out of the ordinary.

Yesterday I watched a small bird, flying very fast, disappear into the canopy of an oak tree. So dense were its leaves that it was impossible to see what happened next, though I can tell you it remained inside.

I wondered how the little bird found its opening through the leaves at such a speed, and then managed to gently align its fragile body on the branch it chose to land upon, all within a fraction of a second. Not to mention the impossible to imagine flying manoeuvres required: the banking, the curling, the vertical and horizontal stabilizations, the deceleration and landing.

Memory? Calculation? Not in that tiny brain. Instinct? Maybe, but how does instinct know which way the branches of a tree have grown when no two are the same?

That little bird just knew. It had faith, in spite of not being able to see how things would work out, that if (and only if) it stayed the course the details would be taken care of; that an opening would appear and a twig would be found. In fact, had she slowed down enough to carefully and logically inspect the tree first, the prudent thing to do, she would have lost her lift and fallen to the ground.

Kind of like reaching for your dreams. Neither memory, nor calculating, nor instincts are the deciding factors, but faith coupled with action.

thought I had better

Been lazy and not done any blog for a while so thought I had better get to work on one.
I'm not going to mention our good and honest MP's . One good reason for that is that I could not find one. Seems to be plenty of the other sort.
North Devon got off to a good start for the season. Perfect weather (as always), lots to see and do.
don't forget it's the North Devon Festival at the moment. A whole month of excellent, varied entertainment for all the family. If you have never been to any of the events you have missed so much and if you have been you know what I mean. You can find all the details on the http://www.tour-devon.com web site.
At the moment the weather is perfect but North Devon is worth a visit even if it's not. Personally I love to visit our coastal towns when it's a bit on the rough side. Can be very exciting and exhilarating.
OK like I always say - North Devon is open so come on down.