I have been astonished at the momentum that has built up since I made the decision to get to know the River Brue. All through the winter I was studying its history, which has been very interesting, but the spring has brought a wave of new connections, plans and possibilities.

Today my article about 'Making Friends with the River' has gone up on the Black Line Initiative's website - the story of being inspired last year by watching the film Aluna to go walking along the river and connecting with the source of the Brue and with the mouth of the Axe.

The Black Line Initiative: this has perhaps been the biggest new development. I have been organising for next Thursday a presentation at Glastonbury's Red Brick Building to help promote this initiative. My friend Felipe, who is co-ordinating the BLI, will be the lead speaker; also taking part are myself and a long-standing activist, Grant Riley.

Also next month, over midsummer, I shall be walking for five days along the Brue and the Axe, doing the whole route in one walk and completing them original project. I shall take something from the source of the Brue as an offering to the mouth of the Axe. I have been deeply heartened by the offers of support and help, and by quite a number of people who would like to join me walking for a day or so.

After that I shall be busy writing. The history of the river will fill about two thirds of a book; I don't quite know what the first third will look like yet, but it will come from the walk. I am calling the two parts 'A Journey through Space' and 'A Journey through Time'.

I shall hope to have the book finished by October, when I have been invited back to the Red Brick Building to give a talk of my own about the river. It would be good to have the book for sale by then. In the new year I shall also be giving a talk, about the river's history, to the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society. I am learning how to use Powerpoint, and how to speak in public - a whole new dimension.

Also in October I have been asked to lead a walk along part of the river as part of a 'Glastonbury Peacemakers' event. This has drawn me into being one of the core organising group for the event as a whole - which will also include a showing of Aluna as well as several interesting workshops. If it works, it will continue year on year.

Life is busy. As I go into 'semi-retirement' I seem to have more to do than ever. And, most important of course, I feel alive, happy and excited about it all.

So, the elections are over and the Westminster result feels like a backward step and a victory for the politics of fear and prejudice. The idea of moving to Scotland suddenly seems more attractive. Here in Somerset however there have been some interesting developments.
Jon Cousins, in the Wells constituency (including Glastonbury), got well over 2,000 votes for the Green Party and came close to saving his deposit. In Somerton and Frome, green activist and musician Theo Simon got more than 5,000. 

Here in Glastonbury, the Green Party got 7 (out of 16) seats on the Town Council, and missed getting a seat on the District Council by just 4 votes. This was a very good showing, though in each case just missing their objective.

What I think it confirms is that making a real impact on the local political scene will be at least an 8-year project. How they get on over the next four years, for instance in creating a community-led economic plan, or getting the heavy goods vehicles diverted away from the A361 through the town, will be crucial. Such ideas looked god on the leaflets; but I am sure that it will be practical results that will determine how well the 'green surge' goes from here.

In the mean time, Jon has been in touch to highlight this, from his post-election letter to the local newspaper:

"I’d like to express my huge admiration and respect for Glastonbury’s electorate, who did vote with their hearts and ‘changed the tune’ in the Town Council election. Thank you for voting the Greens into first place. I speak on behalf of my Green colleagues when I say that we will not only work diligently in co-operation with our fellow Councillors to serve you, but also we invite you – the people of Glastonbury – to get more involved with the governance of this place we all hold so close to our hearts."