Scottish Sisters of Islam

I dusted myself after a languid weekend and said goodbye to No.2 son first thing this morning, off to London to start his new academic year and probably a whole new life down south. It's the end of an era. But that didn't feel particularly sad for either of us. The time is right. He's making his own way in life and I'm happy that he has such huge confidence in himself and the decisions he's making.

I tried to approach the start of the week with some enthusiasm but that wasn't really working for me until I ventured out into Market Square early afternoon. It was hard not to be drawn in by the sight of Amna and Aisha here. They are sisters from Scotland, two muslims now living in Bradford. They both married men from Pakistan some 40 years ago and converted to Islam. Quite remarkably, they both lost their husbands, to completely unrelated causes, 17 years ago and just 12 hours apart.

We didn't have the chance to talk for long before their bus turned up, but I had to ask them quickly about the referendum. They were very much hoping that the vote is a no for independence. They have retained quite strong Scottish accents and it was hard not to reflect on the incredibly rich cultural diversity of Britain, which is what for me gives my country its unique identity. I would hate to see that eroded by Scotland deciding to go its own way.

I gave a talk tonight. I'd been invited by a good friend who is a Scout leader to chat to his group of cubs about photography. There were about 25 boys, around 8 to 11 years old, and they were totally engaged. After a bit of a talk about what photography means to me I showed a selection of blips and got their feedback and what they thought about the pictures. I received some really great observations and questions. I think I've enthused them. I'm going back in a few months to see what they've taken, asking each boy to select their best three photographs. Like choosing a blip each day, I think the process of selection will really make them think about what they're doing. I'm really looking forward to returning.