Pragmatic and philosophical

I got up this morning thinking of all sorts of things that I would start writing about on the website and on this blog.

I had a quick tidy up of the front page to highlight an amazing number of events to be held locally in a month with the first one on Thursday. But I quickly realised that I have so many unanswered emails to attend to this week and that on Thursday evening I have an important meeting involving family matters that I would have to balance my priorities. So Friday will be the first event that I cover rather than Thursday. I've got a few other things to catch up with during the next couple of evenings so my pragmatic approach to the website this week will be determined by events at work and whether I have time at lunchtimes this week (even there I have a lunch out tomorrow).

Over breakfast this morning I read an article by Paul Kimmage in the Sunday Times (from two weeks ago) about David Millar the professional cyclist currently riding in the Tour de France. He was banned for two years after being tested positive for drugs but is now a reformed character. He has written the forward to an updated version of a book about Tommy Simpson who died in the Tour de France 40 years ago after also abusing his body with drugs. Millar's point was that, although a tragedy, it is so important that we remember Simpson's death and all the bad events of history or we will make the same mistakes all over again.

I couldn't agree more. But after listening to Graham Nash's singing on Friday, Military Madness and Chicago (We Can Change the World), its hard to see much change from when those songs were written in his hippier days.

These are things that are worth thinking about though as we carry out our daily and weekly chores.