There has been an international flavour to the month, at home and politically. Our daughter, Clemmie, and her husband flew in from Saudi Arabia for a few days for a dinner.
Clem is a highly qualified teacher and executive Head of an international School in Saudi Arabia, which also specialises in Special Educational Needs. She watched and listened closely as Labour headed for another mess in this area.
She also listened to some of the sense the Lib Dems were making on the subject, and said she hoped they all studied the wealth of academic research available.
She said she had hope in the Minister of State for Early Years, Stephen Morgan MP, whom she met and talked to at a reception at the British Embassy in Riyadh. He also visited her school.
I was invited to do an online interview with Boom radio, but when my BT broadband/Wifi played up again, we ended up doing it via the hotspot on her Saudi mobile phone.
Boom features much of my favourite music, and the interview is scheduled to air at 9pm on August 14th.
Politically, this week has been dominated by the State visit of President Macron of France and his wife.
Despite my dementia, I retain an active and keen interest in history. The visit couldn't have been much more tense given the endless flow of illegal migrants from his country to ours.
It all reminded me of the Field of the Cloth of Gold, which was known for its opulent displays of wealth, with elaborate temporary palaces, tents, and furnishings crafted from luxurious materials. Windsor and Downing Street were perhaps a little less opulent, but only just.
Despite the grandeur and apparent cordiality, the meeting did not produce a lasting alliance or resolve underlying tensions between England and France. Rather like the Macron State visit.
The Field of the Cloth of Gold event remains a notable example of diplomatic pageantry and a symbol of the ambitions of both Henry VIII and Francis, and failed as did Starmer /Macron.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage took to his own small boat (again) to protest and report on the flow of folk crossing the channel. Mary Tudor came to mind and her quote, "Calais will be inscribed on my heart", which refers to a famous quote attributed to Queen Mary I of England.
It expresses her deep sorrow and sense of loss upon the English capture of Calais from France in 1558. She reportedly said that when she died and they opened her body, they would find the word "Calais" engraved on her heart.
For Nigel, it isn’t the loss of Calais to the French but the loss of control of our borders. Meanwhile, it was an intriguing week for Farage and his Reform UK party, with one MP asking for the whip to be withdrawn following allegations of business impropriety.
Alastair Stewart reveals how dementia can be a costly and complicated nightmare in this week's Living With Dementia
GB NEWSMore positively, they got another couple of high-profile supporters as former Welsh Secretary David Jones defected, as did former party chairman, Jake Berry.
He is a man of real substance whom I met and chatted to when, in August 2022, I chaired the Truss/Sunak hustings for GB News in Manchester. He is a great thinker and a very good speaker. He is a real asset for Reform and a significant loss to the Conservatives…
Talking of Former Tory Chairmen, I was sad to read of the death of Lord Norman Tebbit, a huge power in the Thatcher era. He and his wife were both badly injured in the Brighton bombing when the IRA tried to take out the PM and her Cabinet. Our friend Lord John Wakeham was also injured, and his first wife was killed, tragic memories for John.
Journalism and Broadcasting lost a giant too when Sandy Gall died, a friend and mentor. He was that rare thing, a great reporter and a great anchor, many think they are both, few are…….
Labour also let it be known they were again toying with a wealth tax, as many millionaire wealth/job creators flee the country while illegal migrants come here. Madness in my view…. there’s nothing to distribute if you shackle and punish the people who create wealth and tax-paying jobs.
Speaking of taxes, I had to complete my tax return, which is never easy, but with dementia, it can be a costly and complicated nightmare.
If all pensions were taxed at source, life would be a little easier. We can but hope!