Florence. Ancient monuments. Churches. And the Church and State thing.

It’s a long time since I visited Florence - once in the height of summer, dodging from patch of shade to patch of shade and once at Christmas when it was bitterly cold but we managed to get into the Uffizi without queuing. It was quite crowded in the summertime with queues to get into all places of interest but I imagine it’s even more crowded now. Like so many places it’s the victim of its own tourist success. I read that Florence is one of Europe’s most-visited and overcrowded cities, attracting roughly 16 million tourists a year. Wow!

This week I read that a tourist has been charged with criminal damage to a 16th century statue of Neptune. In what was described as a “pre-wedding prank” she tried to climb the statue to touch Neptune’s genitals. (It’s strange how stag-dos, which once meant the groom’s friends taking him out and getting him drunk on the night before his wedding, and hen-parties have developed onto expensive group visits to somewhere foreign where you do daft things for a dare.) 

The monument was inspected and it was found that the prank had caused “minor but significant damage to both the legs of the horses she had walked on and to the frieze she held on to in order to avoid slipping”. They say it could €5,000 (£4,340) to repair it and the woman has been charged with defacing an artistic and architectural asset. That will make it a very expensive hen-party! 

The statue was created by the sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati, commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1559 to celebrate the marriage of his son, Francesco I de’ Medici, to grand duchess Joanna of Austria. This seems like an odd way to celebrate a wedding but then, so is climbing up an ancient monument. 

The closest we have to an ancient monument in our village is an old church, a rather fine building which has been closed for years and years. There also used to be a fine old lych gate at the entrance to the churchyard, where I was once told couples could be married if for some reason they couldn’t avail themselves of the whole church ceremony. Some time after the church closed, the lynch gate was demolished. There used to be a notice informing people about how to arrange for burials in the connected graveyard but even that has gone now. For some years the church was boarded up but then the window blockages disappeared and birds flew in and out, as did the weather! Rumours abounded that there was a conspiracy to reduce it to a poor condition, facilitating its conversion to a new use. And then this year, eventually, work began on converting it into flats and building several houses on the adjoining land. So the shell of the building will be preserved, better than just falling into ruins I suppose.

Such may be the fate of many churches apparently. “According to the National Churches Trust, there are about 38,500 churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK, approximately half of which are listed buildings. In a survey last year by the trust, in which 3,628 churches took part, one in 20 of those surveyed said they felt they will “definitely” or “probably” not be used as a place of worship in five years’ time.” 

Here’s a link to an article about an abandoned church in Wales.

As a child I went to Sunday School, as a teenager I was quite devout but that’s all in the past. And yet I still feel, it’s rather sad for the old churches to be completely abandoned.

Meanwhile in the United States this week they are having an evangelical event: America Reads the Bible.

“Discover the Bible again or for the first time, join us in Washington, D.C. or on the live stream for the national event and movement. Together we can inspire others to interact with God's Word during this crucial time in America's history.”

Even the president has been involved (naturally!) reading to camera in the Oval Office on Tuesday: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

The organiser of the America Reads the Bible event is someone called Bunni Pounds, President and Founder of Christians Engaged, an author, podcast show host, former political consultant and former congressional candidate.

Hmm! It seems that the separation of church and state has got a little lost in the  USA!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Rules and regulations regarding tobacco and water.

When I was a child it was possible to buy packets of sweet “cigarettes”, sticks of white candy with a pink tip, meant to look as of the cigarette was lit. Children would pretend to be sophisticated smokers, Nowadays they can’t call them sweet cigarettes; they’re just ‘candy sticks’. I also remember the rather sweet smell of virginia tobacco in the packets of five cigarettes. 

I don’t have a personal memory of this but I am told that corner shops, back in the day, would sell individual cigarettes. I do remember being told when I was a student in Spain in 1968 that a tobacconist in the plaza mayor was selling Gold Leaf cigarettes - he was selling them individually! 

 

Back then the predominant tobacco smell in Spain was the black tobacco in Ducados cigarettes. In France it was the smell of Gauloises Disque Bleu. The smell of virginia cigarettes was, as with the tobacco, vaguely sweet in comparison. 

Those were the days. Now that “national” tobacco odour has disappeared. 

And now a bill banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco in the UK has completed its progress through parliament in a move that ministers hope will create a “smoke-free generation”. It will become law once it receives royal assent next week. Yes, I can see Charles approving of that; he seems to be generally in favour of making the world a better place.

I do wonder about the policing of such a law. Presumably there will be a mechanism similar to what happens with the sale of alcohol and a cashier has to verify that the purchaser is over 18.

What will be next? Age restrictions on buying chewing gum, chocolate bars, sweets in general? Cans of soft drinks? It could be one way to tackle the obesity crisis.

On the subject of improving the world, I read about an anomaly regarding Henley, home of the eponymous regatta. The residents and the businessmen of Henley on Thames are concerned about the quality of water in their bit of the river. That stretch of the river has been denied bathing status because people who use the river for organised swimming events, rowing, kayaking, paddleboarding or sailing were excluded from being considered as river users by Defra when the town council submitted its application in 2024 because they are not classed as “bathers” under the legislation. In a catch-22 situation, people won’t bathe in the river because it hasn’t got official bathing status which it doesn’t have because too few people actually bathe there. I’m not sure why don’t just go ahead and clean up their patch of river. Maybe it’s a funding issue. Here’s a link to an article about it.

Hey ho!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Thinking about Guernica/Gernika. Still relevant.

Here are some photos of the destruction caused by bombing raids.

They look rather like what’s been going on and is still going on in the Middle East. They are in fact old photos of the Basque town of Guernica. Next Sunday will be the anniversary of the bombing of Guernica by German Condor Legion planes. Bombs rained down on Guernica for hours in what has been seen as an "experiment" for the blitzkrieg tactics and bombing of civilians. 

Civilians have always been victims of war to greater or lesser extent. You would think that by now we would have learnt not do it but instead recent events in Gaza and Lebanon suggest that we have just refined the techniques.

Pablo Picasso had already been commissioned by Spain’s Republican Government to produce a work for the Paris International Exhibition of 1937. After the Guernica bombing, the Spanish poet Juan Larrea urged him to make that event the subject of his painting. And so his anti-war painting came into being. 

The painting went to the USA in 1939 but travelled around quite a lot in the 1950s before making its home in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In September it will be 45 years since it arrived in Spain, Picasso having stipulated that it should not go to Spain until democracy was restored there. Some twenty years ago I saw in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. 

Now Bilbao would like it to go to the Guggenheim in time for the 90th anniversary of the bombing next year. Madrid says it is too fragile to be moved and certainly the painting suffered from constant moving around in the 1950s. But surely the science of art preservation has progressed so that it should be possible to move it safely. After all the Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the UK, the first time the work will have been in the UK for more than 900 years! 

But the argument between Madrid and Bilbao should not overshadow the significance of the painting as a plea for peace, even more relevant today that ever. 

I’ve been to Guernica, Gernika in the language of the Basque people. The town was restored, with German financial help I think, and is worth a visit. When we went there was a museum where you could experience a simulation of the bombing raid.

And there is the Tree of Guenika, Gernikako Arbola, symbol of the freedom and independence of the Basque people. It miraculously (symbolically.) survived the bombing raid but succumbed to old age. Its trunk is preserved.

The latest Gernikako Arbola was planted in 2015. Seedlings from the old oak tree line are cultivated and preserved to keep the tradition alive. 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Wifi problems. Watching Lidia Poēt. Women’s rights and justice. And a cartoon.

Granddaughter Number One works from home. This works fine most of the time but on Friday her WIFI broke down in the early afternoon, leaving her disconnected. Well, not quite, as her mobile phone still worked but she can’t do all her work via the mobile. But she was able to investigate the problem. It turns out her router needs replacing and nothing could be done until today at the earliest. So she asked if she could come and work in our spare room this morning taking  advantage of our internet. 

And so, this morning I got up in plenty of time to be sure I was up and about when she arrived … and then sat around reading the news headlines for about 40 minutes before going out for a run. It was a beautiful morning - blue sky and sunshine. 

The day has deteriorated since then but so far there has been no rain. My various nodding acquaintances all complain about the muddy state of the footpaths. At least three times the mud puddles have dried out, only to be reinstated by the next rainy day.

We have just watched the final season of an Italian TV series, “La Legge di Lidia Poēt”, based on the life of the real first woman lawyer in Italy. She passed the law exams in the late 19th century but the gentlemen of the legal procession could not accept a female lawyer in their ranks. Under Law n. 1176 of 17 July 1919, women were allowed to hold certain public offices. She assisted her lawyer brother and continued campaigning for women’s rights. 

But it was not until 1920 that Lidia Poët, by then aged 65, was enlisted in the record of the members of the Council of Lawyers and officially recognised as a lawyer, when finally enrolled in the roll of Turin. 

In the TV series, she wears some fabulous outfits. It’s worth watching the series for her wardrobe alone. 

And here’s a bit of news about women’s rights in this country: 

“Legislation to pardon women who have been convicted of illegal abortions has passed its final parliamentary hurdle, paving the way for a landmark change in the law in England and Wales.

The amendment to the crime and policing bill, which will also expunge the police records of those arrested and investigated over illegal abortions, was considered in the House of Lords during a phase of parliamentary ping-pong, where a bill passes back and forth between the Lords and Commons.

The bill is expected to receive royal assent – meaning it will become law – in the coming weeks. The same legislation will also put an end to prosecutions of women who terminate their own pregnancies, with a clause in the bill introduced in the Commons last year by the Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi.”

There you go!

And here’s a Trump related cartoon;

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Bus stop libraries. Royal (?) visitors. Remembering Palestine. Protests.

 Here’s a picture of a bus stop in Finland.

Along quiet streets in Finland, some bus stops double as tiny open-air libraries, offering shelves of books for anyone waiting. Instead of just standing idly, commuters can pick up a story, flip through a few pages, or even borrow a book to take along on their journey.

The idea is built on trust and simplicity. There are no strict checkouts or barriers — people are free to take a book and return it later, or replace it with another. This creates a shared collection that evolves with the community, maki reading more accessible in everyday spaces.

By turning waiting time into something meaningful, these small libraries add calm and curiosity to routine travel. It’s a gentle reminder that even brief moments outdoors can become opportunities for learning, connection, and quiet reflection.

Brilliant idea! Of course you need people willing to read! 

Now, what is Prince Harry’s surname these days? Is he a Windsor?  Is he a Sussex. I find it hard to keep,up with them. Anyway, he and Meghan (Mrs Whatever-his-name-is) are apparently in Australia. Meaner people than I have suggested it’s a money-making ploy. Others say it’s because they can’t quite give up the idea of being royal people and going round visiting places that don’t hVe  royal families of their own. Maybe they feel the need to have a purpose in life.

I just have a couple of questions.

1. Who pays for their security while they are in Australia? After all, there has been a lot of fuss about who pays for security if Harry comes home to the UK.
2. What have they done with the children?  of course I know there will be a nanny. The children won’t have been abandoned in the USA. But it just seems to he a bit odd if you’ve made a big fuss about living like an ordinary family and you surely have enough money to just get on with life, why rush off and leave your children behind. 

Norman Finkelstein has posted an appeal on social media:

“Can I ask you for one thing?

Please… don’t stop talking about Palestine.

Even if it’s just a word… even just a dot… don’t let them fade into silence.

Keep speaking, even if your voice feels small.

Because sometimes silence hurts more than the wounds themselves.”

.The pro-Palestine protests continue. Old protestors are still being arrested.

Yesterday Britain First had a big demonstration in Manchester. Inwonder hwo many of them were arrested.

There was also a counter demonstration.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well,everyone!

Problems for politicians. On growing older and more nostalgic. Escaping from ICE.

Well, our politicians continue to have their problems. Mr Trump may be losing his Catholic supporters because of his ongoing feud with the Pope. But maybe not, some of them will just pray for him. I read of one woman who declares she prays every day for his heart to be softened … but she still supports him. And poor Mr Starmer needs to sort out his team and make sure they ‘keep him in the loop’. It must be hard to keep track of everything when you are the party leader, especially if your senior people (reportedly) decide not to tell you things! 

Is there a collective noun for over-protective subordinates? 

I have learnt today that we can speak appropriately enough about a “prickle of hedgehogs” as well as “a prickle of porcupines”. Maybe “a problem of politicians” ?!

In an article about problems in families caused by older family members becoming rightwing (some of this rightward drift exacerbated by their spending more and more time online, downloading stuff off YouTube), I came across this statistic: “In 2025, the industry regulator Ofcom found that Britons aged over 65 now spend a record three hours and 20 minutes a day online.

Wow! I don’t think I quite reach that total. My iPad usually tells me at the start of the week “last week you spent X amount of time onscreen”. It always surprises me but, on reflection, I check my email, I read the news headlines and occasional article over breakfast, I spend some time writing this blog, I check the weather, I keep up with the family news on our group chat, I do some Italian homework for my conversation class, … and I could keep this list going. So, yes, the time mounts up. 

We tend to think we have not grown too conservative (with a lower case c) as time has gone by but we do have a tendency to look back at ‘how things used to be back in the day’. We see a statistic about mental health, about special educational needs, obesity … you name it, there is a statistic … and wonder how we used to manage ‘back in the day’. But mostly our nostalgia runs to music and films, seeking out recordings of artists or film clips on YouTube or Netflix.

So it goes.

Interestingly, most of the older family members referred to in the article I read seemed to be in their sixties, which nowadays hardly seems to count as elderly. Our view of age changes as life goes on. I remember being a young teacher who regarded colleagues aged 40+ as ancient. Now I look at our daughter and her friends, in their mid-forties, and think how young they are. When we moved into this house the ‘old lady” who lived next door was 60 and seemed ancient. Nowadays 60+ and indeed 70+ people are ready for adventures. All is relative. 

The other day I wrote about an 86 year old Frenchwoman arrested by ICE in the USA. This article tells us that she made her way safely back to France, travelling in her ICE detention outfit, but fortunately without the shackles.

It’s good to know she managed to break free!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!