It's been a big week for a small town mouse. Two car bombs, potentially devastating, were discovered in central London. The smoking ban came into force, finally relegating smokers to the same group of social outcasts as lepers, convicts and families that wear matching anoraks. Wembley Stadium staged an eight-hour music marathon for a television audience of more than 100 million in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. But which of these will affect me for longer?
The concert was certainly fun, and the Princes William and Harry showed themselves to be slightly shy, sweet and generous boys. The empathy the nation felt for them, recalling again that sad moment 10 years ago as they walked behind their mother's coffin, probably did more to restore the country's faith in the Royal family than anything they've strategically done since 1997. But it was only a party, and it's over now.
The car bombs were bad news. The set-up seemed amateurish: the discovery of them perhaps more so, but townies simply carry on as before. However, it's not being able to smoke in the pub or at the bus stop that will change my life.
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A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
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The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West SussexAlthough the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
