Who loves to sing?

Today the North Tyne Voices, our village community choir, sang at different points along the course of the river, ending with this performance outside The George Hotel in Chollerford.

The audience sat in the hotel garden by the riverside and enjoyed songs with a watery connection. They sang very well. I've chosen to crop into one of my images so you can see the enthusiasm in the bass section!

I had the chance to sit and chat with my friends Liz and Nick (Nick is in the red jacket in the choir) and to Dori, their friend from Portugal. Very civilised and summery.

Back at home there was the need to move things along because Mum was attending a Zoom Bible study at 7pm and I was going to the Hexham Book Festival.

We just about made it!

I went to hear Dr. Waheed Arian a British doctor and radiologist, born in Afghanistan. His personal story is very moving and, at 15, he came alone to the UK as a refugee. This was all the more telling because the plane for Rwanda was on the runway and about to leave at the end of his talk. As he said, it could have been someone just like him on the plane tonight. (Breaking news since I drove home - the plane did not take off!)

He was determined to be a doctor and managed to pass his A levels and win a place at Cambridge, despite suffering from PTSD from his years in the war.

He works as a radiologist in the NHs, part time now, because he founded a telemedicine charity called Arian Teleheal. The charity enables doctors in conflict zones and low-resource countries to use their smartphones to receive advice from volunteer specialists in the UK, Canada, the US and other countries. He is involved in other charity work and emphasised the need to provide humanitarian help for the people of Afghanistan.

The interviewer tonight was local author, Michael Chaplin. He did a brilliant job. He was well informed, asked appropriate questions and then allowed Waheed to speak. Perfect.

I am only sad that so few people heard this talk, but you can buy the book! It is In the Wars and is in paperback.