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Fine spring morning so something of a route march this morning. Horton Lane. Horton Country Park, Horton Golf club, West Ewell, Ewell Village, East Street, Hook Road and home after about 2 hours 43 minutes. Hedgerows greening up in the Country Park and some signs of chain saw activity, but not too bad. Adopted by a brown staffy dog (as opposed to a bitch) while walking through the golf course. Arriving at the golf course car park, it went to sniff at a lady with a buggy who gave me a dirty look. At which point, thankfully, the dog decided that the car park was more interesting than I was. Fine display of dandelions underneath the advertising hoarding at the corner of East Street and Hook Road.

Home to slow roast flank of beef. About four pounds of the stuff cooked at 90C for around 16 hours with some chopped mushrooms, sliced onions and a drop of port. Served with boiled potatoes and spring greens -which needed a good wash having been visited by a slimy slug or some such. Not bad at all. Preceded by a little smokey with bread - the first time FIL had had such a thing despite his many visits to the Scots. Perhaps he never made it to Arbroath. Smokey excellent. Good texture and not too salty.

Bought a Guardian yesterday. Which left me a bit uneasy with all the media coverage of the attack on Ghadafi and his works. Leaving aside the wisdom of our intervention, uneasy about doing it like a reality television show. With real time discussion of whether or not to assassinate the chap - the same chap whom Blair went to cuddle not so long ago. Democracy in the media age I suppose - but a bit tacky nonetheless. Plus, I do not think assassination is a very good idea. These people should always be given a comfortable bolt hole; not put in a position where they have nothing to lose. How about one of those nice villas on a sand bank in the Persian Gulf, next to some footballer or oligarch or other? He could have cosy chats with those nice Shiites over the water.

Rather happier with the line taken by Monbiot about nuclear power. He writes some interesting stuff but I had him down on the looney left, so pleasantly surprised to find him in favour of nuclear power. One of his points being that a power station which can take an earthquake under and a tidal wave over without doing anything too disastrous must be built on fairly robust technology.