My sympathies are with people of city

Both are stunning cities with fine architecture that reflects the dramatic history of the country.

Food was good, with plenty of choice. We could had we walked through the obligatory golden arches and had a Big Mac. Not on your life! Russian dishes were appetising and had to be tried. I never knew beetroot soup could be as good.

We gasped at the wonders of Unesco heritage sites, as well as the modern Moscow underground.

Shops were well stocked and markets were a revelation. I wish I had bought more sweaters.

The people were happy. The harsh days of the Soviet Union have gone. Wages have risen considerably, as have pensions. Women retire at 55 and men at 60. For many Putin walks on water.

It may be different elsewhere in the country, but in the two showpiece cities we visited all was well.

Or was it? Scratch the surface and you see signs that make you come up with the phrase 'Gangster State'.

Putin does not tolerate opposition and his oligarch cronies have creamed off much of the revenue from natural resources such as oil.

The wealth of these oligarchs seems limitless.

Recent events mean I shall not go to Russia again, but I shall go to Salisbury.

We all know what has happened in that delightful English city. My sympathy for those who undertake espionage and then betray their own country is limited, but for the innocent citizens of Salisbury it is limitless.

A heinous crime has been committed in the heart of their community, exposing many to unspeakable dangers.

A week after it happened they were asked to wash their clothes if they were nearby. If there was the danger that instruction implied why did it take a week?

Salisbury will recover, but how many tourist will return? The fine streets and buildings, lively market and stunning cathedral make it a great place for a day out.

Head down the A419, make for Marlborough and the Vale of Pewsey. This attractive journey will take you there. Do not worry. You bypass Swindon; the A429 will take you to Malmesbury, then head for Devizes and Salisbury Plain. If you use the A46 that give you a swift start and is another delightful journey.

For all this is a win-win situation. As visitors, it is a day out that is enjoyable on so many levels and every pound we spend these will boost the coffers of a city now struggling.

You will also be able to tell this venerable Wiltshire joke.

Why do they eat their potatoes whole in Salisbury?

Because they have no Devizes for Chippenham!

<b>Did William Shakespeare visit Dursley?</b>

DID William Shakespeare come to Dursley?

This intriguing question is well argued, but not proved by Anthony Gibson in his charming book The Coloured Counties.

Gibson looks closely at the landscapes that influenced writers known and some that are undervalued.

He plays a strong Gloucestershire hand as Laurie Lee, Frank Mansell, Ivor Gurney, FW Harvey and, of course, the Dymock poets are well represented.

Gibson has a considerable feel for the Cotswold landscape, and for anyone with a love of literature and the countryside it makes joyous reading.

It is thoroughly researched. The author invited me and Sheepscombe historian Elisabeth Skinner to lunch at the Butchers Arms to ask about Laurie Lee and Frank Mansell.

We were both astonished at how much he knew already as he had, on foot and pushbike, explored the area thoroughly.

One matter troubled this gracious, civilised man. He was concerned at the unchecked growth of vegetation.

He gives Bulls Cross as an example. In Lee’s day it was a bare saddle of land, but now self-seeded saplings and scrub have grown unchecked.

The previous practice of burning the dead grass in March has ceased. This kept the undergrowth at bay and allowed so many grasses and wild flowers to flourish. Thickets now prevail.

Gibson’s measured text is interspersed by quotations from his literary subjects, none more appealing than John Drinkwater’s Cotswold Love, which is a cheerful description of the time “When Sabbath girls are dressed

From Rodbore’ to Campden In all their silken best.”

For those of us who live “where the roads go down to Gloucester town and Severn seeks the sea” this charming book is a must.

<b>The Coloured Counties by Anthony Gibson.</b>