Sunday Sept 24th
The London suburbs on a hot sunny weekend means a great many groups of rather overweight girls screaming and shouting drunkenly, hanging around ugly shopping centres. It's not an appealing sight.

Latest figures show that about half of all births in Britain are now out of wedlock. A good proportion of young people grow up with a succession of different adult males in the household - they may be on reasonable terms with their own biological father but know they should also accept the presence of their mother's other boyfriend(s) as part of life too. In addition, massive propaganda on homosexuality means that most young people regard acceptance of some form of "gay marriage" in principle is a very important aspect of being a good citizen. All this means that in the fairly immediate future it will be increasingly difficult to draw on a sense of common culture and understanding when matters concerning family are discussed: the idea of a passed-on surname, of a family heritage, of traditions that build up a sense of tribe, are all surprisingly fragile, and it will feel odd and uncomfortable to live in a nation where these things do not exist as part of everyday life. I am not sure there is no map for a society that has lived this way: has any such grouping ever survived?

Cycled to Mass in hot sunshine, and on to Internet Cafe to tackle emails and blog.....my private prayer at the Bidding Prayers was that our Internet Provider GETS THE CURRENT TECHNICAL PROBLEMS SORTED OUT.

Sent copies of this week's Catholic Herald to various (non-Catholic) relations just because I think it tackles the recent Islam business so well. Am sure they will simply think I am tiresome: but we all get on well, and they are all so nice, that they will be kind and tolerant.