A rainy start, so I decided against the motorcycle! Down to Littlemoor first thing to meet up with the charming Lorraine Dobbins, the local priest. Over a welcome coffee, I chatted to three ladies who'd come in to meet and enjoy some breakfast. There was also a toddlers' play group in full swing, so I met some mums and very young offspring, who were clearly having fun. Afterwards, I drove Lorraine to Bincombe Valley Primary School, whose new and affable head, Leif Pallister, is doing a most remarkable job. Lorraine introduced me to Leif, who I immediately liked, and only had time for a brief chat before I bade my farewells and headed across to one of my regular meetings with Inspector Pete Browning, who runs the Weymouth and Portland team. Again, a nicer and more able police officer you'd be hard to find, and we chatted for more than an hour about local issues. These meetings are in confidence, so the content was remain between the two of us. But both of us find these catch-ups most useful. A sandwich lunch and then up to Dorchester for a meeting with council chief executive Matt Prosser, a most impressive man, the chairman of the Dorset LEP, Gordon Page, who is doing a great job, and Phil Dominey, who works for SW Trains. The meeting, which I called, was to further explore the options for a faster rail service to Weymouth from London. This is possible, probably via Yeovil, and our talk was encouraging. Clearly, there's a long way to go and this won't happen tomorrow, but at least it's on the agenda and we must now push it hard. A most informative and interesting day.