Visiting Marcus

I visited Marcus Moore today at his home in Cirencester to collect a library book which I had mislaid when we last me. That was the day when I drove him round the Gloucestershire libraries as a Flying Poet, part of the day of action against the massive cuts to our library services in our county. Sadly the news is not good, with the cuts having been voted through by the Conservative majority on Gloucestershire County Council. A group of lawyers is fighting a rearguard action in the courts to challenge the cuts, but we don't hold out much hope.

Marcus walked me round parts of Cirencester I didn't know, including the old ruined Abbey grounds, originally built about 1117, only one thousand years after the town of Corinium had been established as the second most important Roman settlement in England. Today Cirencester is still a delightful town, wholly unlike the also delightful Stroud, which is only 13 miles away.

We ended up having another coffee at Marcus's 17th century house in the middle of town, chatting away about what has happened worldwide since we last met. I nipped upstairs to have a look at his attic space, which still has all the old exposed original wooden beams, which support the roof. I love spaces like that.

Marcus said he didn't mind being photographed today, but unfortunately I caught him in mid-sentence. Sorry Marcus, but this is the only shot I like.