A sad start to the day with 30 of us gathering at St Mary's Church, Swanage, to attend the funeral of Julie Wheeldon. Cllr Bill Trite gave one of the best eulogies I've heard. The speech was a bit like Julie herself, direct, honest and amusing. She was a larger-than-life character in the resort, standing for years as a councillor and becoming Mayor on more than one occasion. To me, she was kindness personified. I met her first in 2006, when I became the Conservative candidate for the Seat. We kept in touch over the years and her support for me personally never diminished. Due to all these restrictions, the Service was a simple affair, with two of my favourite hymns: Jerusalem and I Vow To Thee My Country. Ridiculously, the rules meant we couldn't actually sing, so I hummed in defiance. The world has gone bonkers! We all left the church to the tune of Nellie the Elephant. On the way back to the office, I heard the good news for our Armed Forces. The PM announced a "once-in-a-generation modernisation" in order to extend British influence and protect the public. The PM told MPs that a new four-year funding deal would protect "hundreds of thousands" of jobs and create 40,000 new roles. "I have decided that the era of cutting our defence budget must end, and it ends now," he added. Labour welcomed more defence spending, but asked how it would be funded. On the political front, a draft report into allegations of bullying by the Home Secretary concluded that she had broken rules on ministers' behaviour. The Cabinet Office began an inquiry into her conduct after Sir Philip Rutnam, the most senior Home Office official, resigned in February. Sir Philip - who is suing for unfair dismissal - alleged that staff felt Ms Patel "created fear" in the department. Ms Patel has always strongly denied allegations of bullying. Knowing her well, as I do, I suspect she just wanted to get things done and was no doubt frustrated by bureaucracy. And, in Covid news, the Oxford vaccine shows a strong immune response in adults in their 60s and 70s, raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk from the virus. Researchers say the Lancet phase two findings, based on 560 healthy adult volunteers, are "encouraging". They are also testing whether the vaccine stops people developing Covid-19 in larger, phase three trials. Early results from this crucial stage are expected in the coming weeks. All most encouraging.