I hear there is trouble at the encampment in Barcelona. The police went in to forcibly close it down this morning. I heard this  by text from a friend but when I tried to find out more there was nothing on the BBC news – radio or internet. I even rang them up to ask and a very pleasant Irishman told me that yes there is a tent city there! I said – yes but this isn’t news – it has been there for almost two weeks! What I want to know about is what is happening now.
Isn’t that interesting?  Surely BBC news correspondents also would hear about police arriving in force and removing people. The twitter I am following is full of calls for people to come tonight to the square – with flowers to show that it is peaceful – and to support them today.
It really brings it home that reported news is selective but also how technology empowers us with information that can only be stopped if all networks and internet services are closed down – and that would be an interesting show of democracy!

It is a bit cloudy and windy here today. I cycled to the gym and had a reasonable session while watching last nights football game on the large TV screen. It made a change from the gyrating girls and iron pumping music. But I was wondering how they could bear to watch it again knowing that Barça lost. Surely they weren’t Madrid supporters??
On the way home I saw a large black plastic bag flying high above the tallest flats, filled with air and heading purposefully towards the river. I wondered where it would end up and if anyone would ever take it to the recycling bins that dot the city.
Cycling against the wind meant I had to half close my eyes to avoid the small bits of gritty dust that seem to permeate the Granollers air.
Just as I got closer to home, cycling on the pavement to avoid crossing to the other side of the road, I slowed down for two children with their grandparents. Both boys were on little bicycles and the bigger one – perhaps 4 years old – was wearing a plastic bag over his head!
I was so intensely schooled in the idea that PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE DANGEROUS that I almost fell off my bike in surprise. Noone seemed troubled by this small head totally enveloped in plastic. Was this yet another example of how over protected British children are? When I was young I remember my mother putting holes in all plastic bags in case we suddenly got the strong urge to put one over our heads and take a sharp inbreath.  For me it spelled INSTANT DEATH but for them it was obviously only a pretend helmet.