With the news so grim these days, a Worcester Decorator tells his painting friends not to fall in to despair listening to the 24/7 doom-merchants. By taking pride and joy in our work we have found that we can stave off the blues - and that's something the younger generation, who are besieged by ill missives on a daily basis, need especially. So here's to another coat!

It can be intimidating when starting out on a decorating project. As a painter in Worcester my opinion is often sought on what people intend to do - like an unwilling priest listening to a last minute confession, some clients perceive my experience as the final 'green light' for their work. I don't have too much of a problem with this, but I do make it clear that I am not an interior designer. So this is why books like Farrow and Ball's How to Decorate, published in May this year, can be such a useful tool for those looking to decorate their homes.

With the first day of summer 2016 upon us, and the weather something that Noah might have breathed a sigh of relief from the poop deck after proving to all the other drowning unfortunates that he wasn't as mad as they thought, you might think that us decorators in the Faithful City would be kicking back. But no, the painting goes on, and we're reminded of how useful it is to have a healthy mix of clients.

A Worcester Decorator laments the current state of politics in light of the EU Referendum and wonders if the education aspect of our MPs is to blame. With too many PPE, Law, and PR trained people in politics, perhaps it's time we channelled the spirit of Brunel and Newton and Faraday and Ava Lovelace into politics - where science, and true objectivity rather than the argued feints of lawyers and the interpretation of subjective perceptions should help us govern?

It's a welcome sign that a new micro-pub is opening up in St. John's: the Bull Baiter, named after the grim sport that used to be carried out in St. John's in this area two centuries ago. It's good for the community and bucks the trend of pub closures nationwide. Here's to the Bull Baiter!