Paris....

I've been lucky enough to visit Paris on several occasions. I've always thought it represents the world at its best, well at least the parts I've had the pleasure of visiting. It's a beautiful city of stunning architecture lining tree lined boulevards. The museums and galleries are among the best in the world. The food and the wine are delicious. It's always a pleasure to visit.

Last night I went to bed early aware that something was not right in Paris and this morning I woke up to the full horror of the situation. People enjoying that city at concerts, in restaurants and at sporting events were targeted. Many were killed and some are in hospital critically ill.

I'm generally an optimistic person. In spite of what is going on in the Middle East, the rest of the world is rubbing along together quite well. The world has problems but, all over the planet, people are living longer, healthier more prosperous lives than their parents and grandparents could ever have imagined. And the trouble in the Middle East is caused by a powerful but very small group of people who, in some misguided, corruption of a religion, have decided to force their will on other people in the area and have perpetrated all kinds of crimes on them. How we can deal with this tiny group of people who rule by terror I have no idea.

But I like going to restaurants, concerts and sporting events. I like shopping. I like being in crowded cities like Manchester and I'll be ******** if I stop doing any of those things because something might happen. If we do that, they have won. But, for now, I'll allow myself to ponder events and feel sad for the people of Paris and get on with life because then these terrorists won't have won.

Where ever I've been today people have been discussing last night's events all sharing the same revulsion of what has happened. Even the weather seemed to have joined in. This was normally busy Beech Park in Chorlton, still beautiful on a late Autumn day but wet and deserted.