The huge Wurlitzer at Organ Stop Pizza

Following on from my blog about the reopening of the Tivoli in Tiverton I couldn't resist adding this video of the magnificent Wurlitzer Organ at 'Organ Stop Pizza' in Mesa, USA. The extremely tenuous connection between the two is the fact that in some of the larger cinemas (rather bigger than the Tivoli I guess) a theatre organ would rise phoenix like through the floor with the organist playing during the interval. Or so my late parents were fond of telling us but frustratingly I was never able to witness this myself. However at this eating house in the States the clientele can witness this wonderful wurlitzer organ rising from below the floor and descending after the performance, as seen here (thanks Robin for pointing me in the right direction regarding this organ). There are several other videos on YouTube taken at 'Organ Stop Pizza', some more featuring this unnamed lady, others showing the prowess of Lew Williams. With four manuals, a pedal board (watch her feet moving) and thousands of stops and controls it should satisfy any organist.

I have to say that I have no plans on the horizon to visit America but should I ever find myself in Arizona would love to visit 'Organ Stop Pizza'!

Tivoli Cinema back in business

This is a heartwarming story whereby local community pressure has paid off big time ... Tiverton's cinema 'The Tivoli' was in danger of permanently closing when proprietor Mike Jackson decided to retire last August - at the same time as the lease expired. The Tivoli built in 1932 is very much the archetypal small family cinema much loved by the local community and without it film lovers would be looking at going to Taunton or Exeter I suppose for their entertainment. In this instance a group of dedicated enthusiasts galvanised support in their campaign to keep their cinema open: they put up a website which you can see here and got the support amongst others of Dame Helen Mirren! Even I have heard of her. Amazingly the group managed to get a petition, paper and email signatories, of almost 10,000 and by a tremendous amount of imagination and dedication have now seen the future of this cinema assured. It has been purchased by Merlin Cinemas Ltd who have now got nine cinemas in Devon and Cornwall together with somewhat strangely one in Cromer, Norfolk.

I have to say that I am not a film buff myself but nevertheless passionately believe in our communities having entertainment facilities in their midst. In Tavistock for instance, just 4 miles from here, we have 'The Wharf' which both shows films and puts on live entertainment; this is where I would go on those extremely rare occasions when I get the urge to see a film.

Two important points I want to make in conclusion: firstly I am very great believer in the smaller types of community so typical of my two counties which not only have unique identities but a sense of common purpose when some sort of facility is under threat. Secondly this particular situation that Tiverton found itself in does demonstrate how useful the internet is in getting information out to the wider audience. Bravo Tiverton, you really deserve your success!

Buildings insurance and flooding

My renewal date for home and contents insurance is looming so I thought I would look at the comparison site at moneysupermarket.com to see what was currently available for the cover needed and at what price. Bearing in mind the horrendous floods in middle England last summer it isn't surprising that insurers are getting a bit cagey if you are on a flood plain. I expected a question about whether my property was in an area subject to flooding (it's not) but what took me slightly aback was the query - was I within 400 metres of water. In my case there is no doubt, I am less than that distance from the bank of the Tamar. However the river effectively runs through a gorge at this location and whereas some cottages right by the river have a history of being flooded the terrace of which my home is part most certainly doesn't. Even if something akin to the Asian tsunami was to sweep up the river tomorrow I think my feet would stay dry.

In this particular instance no less than 15 companies or brokers have turned me down because of the risk of flooding purely based it would seem on this arbitrary 400 metres. They could have all bid for my business without any enhanced risk whatsoever. I can understand some companies getting concerned as a result of the more extreme weather events of late but this 400 metres thing seems to have been plucked out of thin air and takes no account of local topography for instance. In fairness it's possible that the first part of my postcode, which covers all the village including the few homes flooded in the past, might also have been used in the assessment. Fortunately a number of other companies have come up with some quite good quotes, interestingly though the dearest was well over twice the cost of the cheapest.

On the subject of flooding a recent report on the floods almost 12 months ago points to various deficiencies and I was pleased to see the TV cameras returning to record the fact that there are still families cramped up in caravans and not yet being able to get back into their damaged homes. Like all disasters there is a blitz of media attention at the time of the event and during the immediate aftermath. Then it can all go quiet. If you, friends or relatives aren't directly affected then of course the continuing trauma for some is easily forgotten. So well done to the TV people for keeping us in the loop. Life is darn well short enough as it is so to have to effectively put your life on hold for a year or more must be pretty awful.

Possibly time for consensual politics

Plenty of column inches in the press and on blogs had been devoted to Gordon Brown yesterday (Friday) because it was 12 months ago that he became Prime Minister. I've blogged about him and his problems a fair bit already so I'm not going to bother to add much here. Really I want to emphasise again that in my opinion the two main parties and to a certain extent the LibDems as well do not have the striking differences in policy that they had in the past. So much attention is paid to what has happened in the last day, the last week, the last month but, being fascinated by history, I like to take a much longer and broader view of events. If we look at the twentieth century as a whole then one of the very significant happenings on the domestic front was our flirtation with socialism. Thinking about such things as the creation of the National Health Service and the advancement of workers rights then the traditional Labour Party has had an enormous impact on life as we know it. But for the majority a mixed economy including some bias toward the perceived benefits of privatisation seems to be the accepted way to go. In fact Margaret Thatcher with such policies as the 'Right to Buy' and selling off of the public utilities effectively stopped a return to the old Labour formula. Following John Major's crushing defeat in 1997 and the start of 'New Labour' with Tony Blair it was obvious that, short of a revolution, the traditional form of Labour was finished.

The situation we have today therefore is one whereby it's increasingly difficult to find that 'clear blue water' separating the parties. It is hardly surprising that Cameron's attacks on the government are concentrating more and more on Brown rather than policies. If, as seems the most likely option, the next general election is in 2010 then Labour will have been in power for 13 years. Regardless of the economic environment many people will be saying "it's about time we gave the other lot a chance". So we shouldn't be surprised if the Tories win purely for that reason, we don't normally expect a party to stay in power indefinitely. Yes I know the Tories were in charge from 1979 to 1977 (18 years) but it could be argued that Kinnock snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in 1992 when memorably Major went round the country on his soapbox.

Our politics works on the adversarial system and I've wondered before whether this is now out of date. Gordon Brown has talked about a "government of all the talents" so rather than the individual parties always trying to beat each other up is there possibly a better way. Looking at the three main parties one can see some very clever people in each but also some who are frankly quite useless. An example to illustrate my thoughts is Vince Cable from the LibDems who is a professional economist and when there is a discussion on money matters is well worth hearing. Yet he is not in a position to put policies into place that might benefit us all. We had this crazy situation didn't we whereby Brown tried some political point scoring when he removed the 10p tax rate and look what happened there; there are still concerns I note among some MPs because approximately 1 million people are losing out even after the panic correction by Darling.

Yes all this slagging off of the other parties might be interesting for political anoraks but is it really helping this country?

The Homecoming

I'm a great fan of YouTube and intend using it on occasion on this blog, in fact I did just that not so long ago with a video of the lifesaving dog at Sennen Cove. The great thing about YouTube is that it's not only possible to have really professional videos on there but anyone with something of interest (providing it's legal and decent of course) can upload their own offerings - doesn't matter if it is something shaky on a camera phone, that might be the only record of whatever it is. This particular high quality one though is of violinist Sue Aston playing the simple but hauntingly beautiful tune 'The Homecoming'. Sue lives in Cornwall I believe and there are some wonderfully iconic images of the county in the video. For her website go here. At the time of writing there have been the best part of a quarter of a million views; it's an example of why certain music is so special to me. Enjoy!

This is the time to buy strawberries

This is the strawberry season! I haven't got any cultivated strawberries it's true but there are wild ones aplenty spreading all over the place, particularly on my patio. In fact it's difficult to see the concrete slabs of the patio now because of the amount of vegetation that has sprung up in the joints between the slabs. So in addition to the strawberry runners there is marjoram, golden rod, evening primrose and nipplewort at least. The last named I know is a weed but this is a Cornish cottage garden when all is said and done and a little untidiness and tolerance of flowers not being in quite the right place is OK by me. I try to maintain a semblance of control but having a garden good for wildlife is important to me, for instance although the golden rod spreads too much and does have to be thinned out a bit occasionally it is brilliant for hoverflies in the late summer.

Back to strawberries. I am hearing that although the fruit is cropping well the 'pick your own' people aren't getting the footfall in their fields that they used to enjoy. This is a great shame but could partly be due to the busy lives many people have, or perhaps different priorities now. Of course it's possible and indeed easy to pick up punnets of strawberries in your supermarket when doing the weekly shop but this just illustrates a major downside to this sort of retailing: there is a massive massive disconnect between the origin of our food and the purchase of the same in a supermarket. It's true I know that many will have a wet fish counter, that's fine but as to most other food one just doesn't get any sort of connection with its origins. Fortunately alternative methods of selling exist - farmers markets, farm shops, traditional butchers and greengrocers and specialist cheese shops are examples. So all is not lost! Regarding strawberries in supermarkets, they are vastly inferior to the fresh ones one can get at roadside stalls in the Tamar Valley for instance. If ever there was a fruit that should be eaten fresh and at the right time of year it is undoubtedly the strawberry yet people's taste buds are now accustomed to eating them any time and after they have been jetted hundreds of miles, all thanks to the supermarkets. Sadly there are huge numbers of consumers who are unaware of the taste of 'real' food, yes if you are happy with a bland product with a good shelf life then supermarkets are fine. I have to put my hand up and admit to using them for certain things - baked beans and washing up liquid no problem and I'm not totally against convenience meals from their cabinets (when convenient!). And shame on me there have been a few times when I have got fruit and veg there, so maybe I'm being a little hypocritical. Of course if you are shopping in these establishments then getting everything one can from the one place obviously makes sense from a logistical point of view.

Whereas it's possible and sensible to preserve fruit for out of season use (I am of a generation that can remember my mother and her mother enveloped in preserving pans and kilner jars) in the case of strawberries it just doesn't feel right to be buying them when it's not the summer! This goes back to the disconnect I mentioned earlier, why don't we relate more of our eating choices to that time of year when a particular food is in natural and local abundance.

I often hear people say that the seasons in this country seem less distinct now. They may well have a point. But let's not heighten that impression by eating nondescript strawberries from Spain in February. And as for having some tasteless iceberg lettuce with a hot meal in a pub in the depths of winter what is all that about? I may have said this before on this blog but perhaps I should audition for that 'grumpy old men' programme on TV!

Stoat seen on afternoon walk

If, like me, you (a) enjoy walking and (b) have a passionate love for the countryside then as likely as not you will have a favourite ramble or two which you might want to keep secret other than maybe sharing with one or two special friends. Yesterday was bright but still breezy after a damp Saturday (not ideal for the annual Albaston Fete) and we decided on one of our special walks after lunch. No I'm not going to say exactly where it was! Somewhere in the Tamar Valley is as specific as I'm going to be. One of the special qualities of at least part of this walk is its absolute timelessness, I could well imagine it looking and feeling the same half a century or more ago when I was a child. In this fast changing world being able to go somewhere and not be assailed by intrusions of the twenty first century is to us something very valuable and well worth cherishing. In fact it's important for anyone who wants to escape the stresses of modern day life, even if only temporarily.

However yesterday it wasn't only the walk itself that gave us the expected pleasure it was the sighting of a stoat with its conspicuous black tipped tail popping in and out of the hedgebank that enthralled us. It then skipped across the lane and we saw it again in a little open area before it disappeared from view behind a hedge.

Even if we hadn't seen this stoat the walk would have been immensely pleasing; seeing this mammal though really was 'the icing on the cake'!

Untreated water incident in Devon

Consumers in some 16,000 homes and businesses are still being advised to boil their water as a result of untreated river water getting into the supply system. The area affected is to the immediate east of Plymouth and stretches up onto Lee Moor and includes Ivybridge, Brixton, Yealmpton and the easternmost part of Plympton. Of course the South West Water website gives more detailed information and a map showing the area concerned.

So how could this incident, which we are told occurred at the water treatment works at Houndall last Thursday night, have happened? And has the water company's response been adequate? No doubt some information on the first question will be forthcoming before long but trying to get a definitive answer to the second is a difficult one. For all the advances in technology - the internet, mobile phone texting and the like, there is no way you can guarantee that those people who are potentially affected by a problem such as this will get the message prior to using the water for drinking, cleaning teeth etc. An out of date way of doing things it might seem but there is nothing to beat the good old loudhailer to alert people to a problem but even then it takes time to go round to 16,000 properties. The media will huff and puff about those affected not being in the know sufficiently quickly but logistically it's self evidently quite a nightmare to get the information out. I don't think anyone can imagine 16,000 customers being phoned but is there a system in place whereby schools, old peoples homes and hospitals can be alerted for instance?

What is most worrying is the thought that South West Water's systems still don't seem to be robust enough to prevent a situation like this happening in the first place. There is obviously anger from their customers on this issue bearing in mind the very high cost that we the public are faced with in paying our water bills.

Watch out for incoming tide at Dartmouth cove

Just when you think you have seen it all along comes a story to prove your assumption wrong. This concerns 'Castle Cove' at the mouth of the River Dart in South Devon. There are signs there warning of falling rocks but more bizarrely a highway style sign on a metal post with a triangle within which there is an exclamation mark. The inscription reads "BEWARE OF INCOMING TIDE". Well fancy that! The tide might come in causing you to be cut off! This signage has evidently been erected under the advice of the insurers for South Hams District Council, the local authority for the area. On the face of it this is 'Health and Safety' going way way over the top. However I've decided to dig a little on this one and have come across this report to the Council here from one of its officers. Paragraph 7 on page two is particularly pertinent ... "and have then be cut off as the tide has come in". This could well be the reason why the sign was erected.

So what's my take on this? Evidently there have been instances when someone has been caught out at the 'Bathing Platform' when the tide has come in although I don't recollect hearing about lifeboat or helicopter rescues being enacted. Sadly we are in this culture where people aren't expected to take any personal responsibility for their personal safety, someone else has to advise them of even the remotest danger. Surely folk know that tides ebb and flow every day, or perhaps not. It worries me that there is a massive disconnect between some people and the natural environment. Yes the coast is a wonderful place to visit but it has to be understood and it has the potential to be dangerous. Are we getting to the stage that we have to be warned about every possible mishap that might occur to us. Sadly yes seems to be the answer.

BBC correct to show fox being shot

I watch the BBC local news programme 'Spotlight' on a fairly regular basis and this particular story came up on yesterday evening's edition. It was all about someone in our countryside keeping free range hens but being visited during the daytime by a fox and helping himself to a tasty meal or two. The owner asked a man, a professional crack shot, to come and dispatch said fox if it decided to come visiting again. It returned, grabbed a hen, then a single shot rang out and the fox was killed instantly. Now I'm not sure why the decision was made to run this particular story but the BBC are to be congratulated on filming the whole thing.

On a personal level I really like foxes (and any wildlife for that matter) and I also hate guns and could never contemplate owning one. But I am a realist and accept that certain members of the animal kingdom have to be controlled. Providing this control is carried out with the very minimum amount of suffering and by an absolute expert in the craft then I have no problem with it.

I suspect that there was some debate by the programmers regarding how much to show and it did come with the expected warning that it might be upsetting for some. But for my money the BBC were absolutely right to show the reality and as I say it was an absolutely clean shot, the fox would have been totally oblivious to what was going to happen. I'm pleased that viewers could witness the reality of these situations, foxes do on occasion have to be taken out. There is a myth that foxes are only abroad during the night. Not so. In this instance the fox came visiting in broad daylight while the hens were out.

Incidentally although the fox had the chicken in its mouth when it was shot the bird was hardly marked and happily survived the ordeal.

Dream of 'Scilly Boys' ends in capsize

Four men from the Isles of Scilly, who came to be known as 'The Scilly Boys', have seen the end of their heroic bid to row across the Atlantic from west to east when their 29 foot long boat capsized. I am pleased to say that Chris Jenkins, Tim Garratt, Wayne Davey and Joby Newton have been rescued and are fine. They were raising money for I think four different charities and this poses a question in my mind: it was a very long way short of the halfway mark that the unfortunate mishap occurred, so will people pay out their sponsor money particularly if it's in respect of the whole journey rather than so much a mile as it were. My guess is that most will.

I respect people who want to pursue these mad challenges for worthy causes. It's so sad for the participants when things go awry.

Dolphins die in Cornwall mass stranding

A particularly sad story came out of Cornwall last week. This concerns the large number of dolphins that died when they got stranded in Porth Creek which lies in the heart of the beautiful Roseland Peninsula. There were 24 deaths but another two dolphins had to be put down making 26 in total. Fortunately good work by RNLI crews and wildlife volunteers resulted in even more dolphins being shepherded back out to sea.

The reason why the dolphins came into a creek off the little Percuil River is a mystery and could remain so. Post-mortems are being carried out of course, at the moment it seems that the dolphins had been in good health and not starving. There is finger pointing at the MOD because there had been exercises not too far away from the Fal estuary prior to the stranding incident. Naturally the MOD is being very defensive in what it is saying at the moment: reports suggest that a Merlin helicopter had been using a sonar device that is winched down into the sea to hunt for submarines. And the authorities admit that a survey ship employing a low-powered seabed scanner had been in the area.

It's very difficult to come to any sensible conclusions on this matter at the moment. Certainly it must have been very upsetting for the rescuers finding so many of these dead mammals.

Democracy rules OK

We in common with many other countries in the World supposedly live in a democracy. The problem is that no nation state can operate a perfect democratic system. Of late there have been many assaults on our 'rights' as citizens of this country. So the historical events of the last day or two I find particularly heartening.

Yesterday the result was announced of the referendum in Ireland regarding the Lisbon Treaty. Thank you, thank you you Irish folk for your 'no' vote. Like I suspect the majority I don't understand the ins and outs of the European Constitution (and this is what we are talking about here) but my gut instinct is that we have already gone too far down the integration route. The thing is that the different countries making up the European Union are vastly different in the way they run their affairs, for instance some are monarchies, some are republics. You could never get a superstate in a format agreeable to everyone. Not in a million years. The very fact that Ireland alone has had to have a referendum just illustrates the differences that exist between the different states in Europe. One thing is for sure and that is I wouldn't trust our politicians for a moment regarding Europe, let's not forget Labour reneging on their promise for a referendum.

Regarding the David Davis resignation I have to say I admire his stance. He made some very interesting comments when interviewed on the 'Today' programme. One of these was the fact that the matter he is particularly concerned about i.e. the erosion of our rights in this country is one that is not getting the in depth attention that it merits. His critics are saying the democratic process has been enacted regarding the 42 days thing and that he should just accept the vote. Like heck he should! At the moment we are being confronted with such a plethora of issues that we are failing to see just how are liberties are being eaten away. Davis is absolutely right to point out that the spotlight has to be turned onto the whole business of our individual liberty and he feels that the only way he can do this is by resigning as an MP and forcing a by-election. He admits to having an ego but points out that all MPs have one to a greater or lesser extent. To those who attack his stance I would merely point out that he is risking (a very low risk admittedly) his position as an MP and also the possibility or even probability of becoming the Home Secretary in the next administration. It's fascinating to note that whereas many in the mainstream media are pouring cold water on his decision he is getting a lot of support from people out in the real world. At the moment it looks as if the former editor of 'The Sun', Kelvin MacKenzie,will be the main opposition to Davis in the by-election, certainly if Gordon Brown lacks the courage to get Labour to challenge for the seat. We know which side 'The Sun' is on but who will the rest of the Press support?

One thing for sure is that I now know in which county the constituency of 'Haltemprice and Howden' lies!

Gordon Brown, 42 days - and David Davis

Yesterday saw Gordon Brown get his crucial vote through the House of Commons on the 42 days detention for suspected terrorists by the slim margin of nine votes. This was only achieved by getting the 9 DUP members from Northern Ireland into the 'Yes' lobby. Rumour has it that these MPs were bought off with financial inducements for the benefit of the Province, suggestions that of course both sides strenuously deny (of course they would hardly do anything else would they!). Allegedly help would be forthcoming to assist with the water bills over there. Should this happen then folk in Devon and Cornwall would be extremely resentful bearing in mind that we have the highest water bills in the country.

We all know that politics is a very grubby business and, although I take an interest standing on the sidelines, the deceit and double dealing that takes place would be something I couldn't stomach if I was an activist. The issue of '42 days' I have to say is different from most of the others in that we dealing with personal liberties here and the matter of bestowing favours to various backbenchers in return for their vote is an absolute disgrace. It was noticeable though that Brown wasn't able to turn the majority of the rebels in his direction so good for those who stuck to their principles.

Talking of principles mention must be made of the extraordinary decision by shadow home secretary David Davis to resign his (safe) seat and force a by-election which he would fight on the 42 days and other anti-liberty legislation. Nick Clegg has announced that the LibDems would not oppose Davis but would of course have a candidate in the next General Election. Of course Labour could also say they wouldn't contest any such by-election which would make the whole exercise a little pointless I feel. But if Labour didn't put up a candidate they could be accused of running scared.

This resignation of David Davis (he made his impassioned speech at lunchtime today, you can watch it on the BBC news website) has thrown commentators and bloggers into a spin. A huge diversity of opinion can be read and heard, is David Davis a man of principle or is he guilty of unnecessary grandstanding? One good outcome so far as I am concerned is that he is keeping people's attention on issues such as the 42 days detention and ID cards. I think we are guaranteed plenty of chatter about him on tonight's BBC 'Question Time' programme.

Problems with balloon releases.

There's an interesting little story on the BBC this morning: it's all about the concerns being expressed by marine conservationists regarding a popular activity, the mass release of balloons. This is something that my antenna have never noticed as being a problem but it seems that many of these balloons finish up in the marine environment with animals dying from ingesting the balloons. These days a lot of the balloons are filled with the very light gas helium so that even if released well away from the coast they can still come down in the sea. As evidence the BBC cites a balloon from the city of Gloucester being found on a beach in Northumberland! According to the Marine Conservation Society the problems are getting worse year by year. They are hoping that organisers of events that release these balloons will look at alternatives; using air rather than helium to reduce the distance the balloons will travel is one suggestion.

This is an interesting example of the way a seemingly innocuous activity can have a devastating effect on nature. I wonder how many other things we do also have an undesired consequence for wildlife, I bet there are quite a few.

Cameron mauls Brown on VED

Vehicle Excise Duty (or VED but perhaps better known as car tax to you and me) is a subject I've been wanting to comment on. Not so much VED itself but the government plan to hugely increase the rates for the more polluting cars made since 2001. I happened to see PMQs from the House of Commons last Wednesday lunchtime and Cameron majored on this particular subject in his six questions to the Prime Minister.

My car came off the production line a long time before that particular year, so I'm not affected by these exorbitant increases and therefore don't have a personal axe to grind. However, and I'm not going to mince my words here, Labour's decision to effectively backdate this tax increase is totally immoral. The government are also going to raise the level of VED on those cars yet to be built if they are particularly polluting. This at least has the merit of pushing both manufacturers and customers in what is perceived to be a good environmental direction. But picking on certain car owners whose vehicles are up to seven years old is absolutely grotesque. At the moment it looks as if Labour might have to eventually make yet another U-turn as their backbenchers and supporters get fidgety on this subject.

It is inherently unfair to 'backdate' this tax because purchasers of these cars would not have known that they would face these swingeing increases in costs. But let's put issues of principle aside for just a moment and look at other aspects of this sorry saga. As with the 10p tax fiasco Labour are in danger of alienating their natural supporters many of whom will already own one of these alleged polluting cars. One thing that makes me hot under the collar is the fact that nobody, well certainly not politicians, ever talks about the pollution caused by the manufacture and eventual scrapping of a motor car, it's always about the pollution produced when they are driven. If there is anything that irks me it is the presentation by people who should know better of only half the story. Now even if older cars are more polluting when in use than newer models surely it makes sense to not shorten their life. But reducing their lifespan seems to be exactly what these idiot decision makers are intent on doing. With the retrospective increases in VED then there will be a rapid acceleration in the time when the residual value of the car approaches the amount that has to be paid each year in car tax. This will seriously skew the second hand market and make it very difficult to sell certain perfectly serviceable but more polluting cars up to seven years old (actually up to 8 years old because the increases start in 2009) and lead to premature scrapping of them.

I really don't know what they put in the water in Westminster but as with the 10p tax business the government are showing unbelievably bad judgment and terrible incompetence. No wonder Cameron was having a field day at Brown's expense. By the way why was Brown calling VED VAD I wonder. He just doesn't seem to be in control at the moment.

Butterfly orchids in flower

To things botanical for this posting. We took the opportunity yesterday evening to visit some folk we know in the Tamar Valley who have a sizeable amount of land, this being managed with conservation very much in mind. The reason that this particular couple wanted us to come now is that they have over 100 butterfly orchids in flower! To be a little more specific they are the greater butterfly orchids rather than the 'lesser' variety. We were also very excited to have a number of purple helleborines pointed out to us although it's way too early for these to be in flower.

Whilst on the subject of flowers the Tamar Valley is a good place to see the very striking purple toothwort in Spring. An image of this parasitic flower can be seen here And away from Devon and Cornwall a brother in Herefordshire has seen the increasingly rare corn cockle in the middle of Leominster of all places! It's amazing what turns up where so far as flowers are concerned.

Obama gets nomination for Democrats

Well, it all seems to be over now - the long drawn out tussle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to get the nomination to be the contender for the Democrats in the US election in November. Thank goodness it's Obama not Clinton who has come through. Now Obama has the interesting problem of whether or not to make Clinton his vice presidential running mate - something she would relish I think.

From now on in it's Obama and McCain to fight over the ultimate prize. What is particularly interesting from a UK perspective is how our foreign policy could see a significant shift depending on which of these two becomes President. Nowhere is this more self evident than in the resolution of problems in the Middle East, particularly Iraq. We have McCain for instance quite happy for western forces to remain in that troubled country for decades to come whereas Obama can't wait to get out of there. It would surely be unthinkable for the UK to maintain a presence there if Obama won and pulled the American troops. And Obama one would imagine would be less likely to go on a military expedition in the first place.

What happens on the other side of the pond in a few months time could prove to be a truly pivotal moment in modern history.

Cotehele Quay and Morwellham events

We have a quite amazing but relatively little known heritage here in the Tamar Valley. Some money is now coming in to encourage people to see and understand what the area is all about and this weekend I was invited to events at two local venues. On Friday evening I went to Cotehele Quay for a preview of the extensively revamped little museum there which now is 'The Cotehele Discovery Centre' no less. Whilst Cotehele House can fairly be described as "the jewel in the crown" so far as the larger estate is concerned the area of Cotehele Quay has a particular resonance for me. The museum has been there for some years now relating the story of that bit of the Tamar and the industries that are round about. But it was in serious need of updating and I have to say that the National Trust have done a sensitive and high quality job with it. I found myself involved with a focus group during the time the redesign was taking place and thanks to much hard work by Rachel, the coordinator, in particular it has all come together for the opening to the public over the weekend.

That was Friday. On Saturday morning I joined a number of others in testing out one of a series of trails that the Tamar Valley AONB are putting in place to make the local area more accessible to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. This one was mainly in woodland and everybody seemed to agree that the way marking was quite confusing. A certain number of changes will take place before officially opening to the public. Then it was on to Morwellham on the Devon bank of the Tamar for the reopening of the restored Great Dock there. A number of civic dignitaries attended to make their speeches but unfortunately just as they started we had a heavy shower. Prior to the official bits 'The Rubber Band' were able to squeeze in a couple of pieces but then had to hurriedly cover their instruments as the rain came down. After lunch the band were able to play under cover and for much longer in another part of this large site and it was fascinating to watch some of the visitors there toe tapping to the lively music, I don't think they could quite believe their luck having the chance to listen to a live band all for free! The weather wasn't bad after that shower at one o'clock but why did the rain have to choose just the moment it did to drench everyone?

Time was when you had to pay a fairly substantial entry fee to visit Morwellham which was quite off putting for families. Now it is open access although quite reasonably you have to pay for some of the activities available and I believe a car park charge of about £2 is on its way. There is a new version of their website here. To intending visitors I would suggest putting aside most of a day to see Morwellham properly particularly if you are going to walk the nature trail as well; it is a very special place.

Cruise liners cancelling visits to Falmouth

During the last year or two there has been some encouragement to get cruise ships to visit our south coast ports with all the economic spin-offs that would follow. However 'Jewel of the Seas' is the third example of a cruise ship that has cancelled a stopover at Falmouth and in this instance will be going to Cherbourg instead. Apparently the reason given for the change of heart is that the said ship has to anchor out in the harbour and get people ashore by tender. This I gather is not popular with passengers and poses some logistical problems.

I prefer to be upbeat if possible so this is a good moment to mention the fact that Falmouth will be hosting the 'Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta' from 10 - 13 September. The website for the event is here. It promises to be quite spectacular and comes at the right time extending the summer season a bit for the town.

Rest of Britain may ban cigarette displays

My last piece was about Scotland's decision to instruct traders to hide their cigarettes under the counter even though these products are perfectly legal to sell to adults. Now it seems that there is to be a consultation period after which the open display of cigarettes could be banned in the rest of Britain. I've just looked in my 'Yellow Pages' to see 5 businesses listed under 'Tobacconists - Retail'. What are they and all the general stores selling cigarettes supposed to do if a ban is implemented? Who will police all of this? To me such a law would be an infringement of human rights both for the shopkeeper and smoker, it would be great if this could be tested in the courts. As a non smoker I would love to see more and more give up the weed and fewer people take it up but this is quite definitely not the way to go.