Grass boards, boats and lawnmowers

One of the advantages of having a teenager staying is that you do things you wouldn't normally do. We had my niece staying with us and so for the first time in my life I've been grass boarding. Yes, all that safety equipment IS necessary. My ribs are starting to recover!

We also went to the brine baths at Droitwich. It is as salt as the Dead Sea, and is supposed to be very good for bruising and muscle strain. A good place to go after my escapades on the grass board.

We had a motor boat on the Avon from Evesham. Working the locks was a challenge with painful ribs.

We also had an afternoon when the Young Farmers when they were lawn mower racing. They were very competitive and how they kept some of the machines going showed great engineering skills.

Flower pots or concrete bollards?

I've just been for a week's holiday in Budapest enjoying the sunshine, the spas, the F1 grand prix, the restaurants...
I was struck by the similarity of the Hungarian Parliament building with the OK's parliament. Both are grand historic buildings. Both are on the edge of a river. Both have come to symbolise something of their nation.
But there's a subtle difference. Round the UK parliament there are defensive concrete bollards to prevent terrorist attacks. Round th Hungarian parliament there are wooden tubs with flowers growing in them.
It raises questions about what it is that we in the UK have done to make terrorism a threat.