The countryside was especially delightful today. It had started off quite warm and sunny but by the time I'd got my bike ready and organised myself the clouds started to roll in.

However, determined to have a ride I did just that. Leaving Salton it rained slightly which freshened the air, yet was not sufficient to cause any problems. A fork in the road, and the options were mine. Here I spotted a sign 'planted' in the grass verge telling of an Exhibition at Nunnington Church. Great, I thought, I shall go that way and see what that is about, having something of an interest there, as some of my ancestors lie there. However, anticipation turned to disappointment, as nearing the sign I saw it said, '28th and 29th July'. Ah well. Maybe another year.

I've been cutting back some of the summer's growth which threatens to over-run the garden, and had a memory of seeing advertised a plastic device which was slipped inside a bin-bag, which held it vertical whilst being filled, after which it could be pulled out and used in the next bag. Seemed a good idea, I envisaged using a large number of bags, and they always tend to blow around when you're trying to fill them. I thought I'd seen them advertised in Yorkshire Water's brochure on 'Garden Solutions' so I'd give them a ring. Rang Bradford and was given a number to ring, so this I did. I wish I'd never started. After some considerable time waiting for an answer I got a recorded voice giving me three options, after having been told to press the 'O' key. So choosing the most likely sounding of these it started all over again, but this time, no less than four options. Again, choosing what I thought would lead me to my goal, I was told that all the operators were busy and to call again. What! And go through all that palaver again - no thanks, forget it. However, next day I relented, and had the same going on, so gave it up. Most big firms put you through the same test of patience, and there must be an underlying reason for the thousands of telephone calls being made to them, many of which are never answered. I'm sure it's easier getting in touch with President what's-his-name at the White House.

A newspaper item handed to me recently referred to noise pollution by RAF jets, and to noise control legislation, or lack of it. This was of interest to me, because I have always contended that noise is one of the worst pollutants there is. The RAF is often blamed for jet aircraft noise, yet the times that its jet aircraft overfly Malton and Norton are very few, and working in my garden most days recently I can't recall when I last saw or heard an RAF jet overhead. Such aircraft, usually on direct flights, pass about a mile north of the towns in east-west-east directions, and the north-south traffic seems to keep to the west of us. They have strict instructions to avoid urban areas wherever possible, yet doing so in a small island like Britain, in high speed aircraft, is sometimes unavoidable.

However, jet noise is sometimes heard if flighter tactics drift overhead, but these are always at such altitudes that the aircraft are not visible so what nationality or air force the aircraft are is anybody's guess, although several times I would make a bid for aircraft of non-British origin.

A variety of aircraft do pass over, which include the regular daily turbo-prop passenger flights, north and south, although these aircraft seem to be so quiet they are almost unnoticable, and of course there are the usual mix of piston-engined civil propeller-driven aircraft, as well as private and military helicopters, but none of these makes an ear-shattering disturbance.

The turbo-props from the UK's main flying training station are a regular feature, of course, but even they are mostly transient and bear no relation to jet aircraft noise. Our greater concern about noise pollution should be that which comes from the roads, and whilst most car manufacturers make vehicles which are very quiet, there are those which go to the other extreme, and whilst I believe there used to be legislation within the Road Traffic Acts relating to excessive noise (and I don't expect it has been removed from the statutes) no-one seems to bother about it now, and Joe-public has it to put up with.

As for the RAF, any complaints should be tempered with reason, for it is this same breed of youth who saved this country in the Battle of Britain, for had it been lost, then this island, and even the people of Germany would have been dominated by the Nazis, and no-one would have dared grumble about aircraft noise. We owe the RAF a great debt, and with the world as it is, it just has to train, and stay on top. A certain amount of noise comes with the bargain!

I've been told that since the beginning of civilisation, millions and millions of laws have not improved on the Ten Commandments one bit. Ronald Reagan. (b.1911).

Updated: 08:52 Thursday, August 30, 2001