A natural?

Our grandson has a way with animals. He loves them and cares for them and they seem to reciprocate.

Here he is holding a small bantam hen. Before long he will be wanting pets.

When he grows up, I can see him as a vet, but he may change. He is a very gentle and loving little boy.

As a child I had a tame bantam hen called Margaret that ate off the same plate as our cairn terrier. She was very tame. Our grandson reminds me of the love I had as a child.  When that little bantam eventually died, I was heartbroken.

Our house from the church tower

This panoramic view is on the Burwell Community Website. Our house is just visible as the roof in front of the windmill. Please visit the link for more information about the village and a bigger, clearer panorama.

http://www.burwell.co.uk

Burwell Museum - worth a visit

http://66.147.244.76/~burwellm/

I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Burwell Museum. It is PACKED with interesting exhibits and "punches above it weight". Ideal for everyone aged from 3 to 103.

Open 11-5 Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays Easter to late October.

Anglesey Abbey (National Trust)

Anglesey Abbey (NT)

This afternoon we went to Anglesey Abbey (NT) for a walk of about 1.6km. The dahlias are still out but they are now past their best.  They have a novel way of using the old dahlias heads - see picture. Some are in a 220m line of dahlia heads and some are hung from a tree as in the photo.

Although still giddy and I tire easily, the walking itself is not problematic. In fact I enjoy it very much. We bumped into 3 old friends whilst there.

From Al Jazeera news - does bombing help?

See http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/09/confronting-isil-why-bombing-d-2014918103329702304.html .

Interesting piece by Rachael Shabi on the Al Jazeera website questioning whether or not bombings in the Middle East actually helps stop terrorists. In the past, these moves have failed.

Imams speak out

Imams have published a YouTube video pleading for the release of British taxi driver Alan Henning. They condemn holding him ("an innocent humanitarian aid worker") as being against Sharia Law.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29289304 .

"Executing this man is totally haram," he said. "Impermissible, prohibited according to sharia for a number of reasons."

Salmond to step down

It seems a pity to me but apparently Alex Salmond is stepping down as First Minister of Scotland after not winning the referendum. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29277527.   Although he did not win, I thought he was magnanimous in defeat. It is a great shame he is stepping down.