Watching the season 20 finale of Top Gear last night ( BBCiplayer for people who can access it) I was privileged to watch an un ashamed fanfare to the depth and breadth of British Automotive Engineering. I have quite a few friends who regularly go on about the death of British Engineering and manufacturing, and to see the glory of British presision engineering as an absolute world beater filled me with an enormous sense of pride (plus the fact that the next programme showed how Volkswagen got it’s post war boost from the British army also made me grin. It’s precisely the sort of thing that I hoped to use #R2BC to promote.

In life there are ALWAYS reasons not to do something, and neagtivity is a remarkably easy path to take. Sometimes it takes thick skin, pride and a certain amount of bloody mindedness to follow your dreams and the things you genuinely believe in. Though after a drag out slug fest in the rain with the Birmingham Bulls yesterday for the Tamworth Phoenix I am reminded that dreams may provide great rewards but there is usually a cost.

Phoenix at Bulls (Photo by Nick Mortimer)

So today we see new hope as the painkillers kick in and love gets celebrated in Uruguay and the Brits show that there’s more to sport in the UK than the Ashes at the moment. Gratz to Ms Trott and Ms Konta.Dreams are worth pursuing and I hope you find some inspiration in the following articles.

• Same-sex marriage bill comes into force in Uruguay
• US offers Iran willing partnership
• Lab grown hamburger unveiled
• Haitian stove maker helping to rebuild Haiti
• Evolution punishes the mean
• Robot Astronaut launched to ISS
• UK Services Growth at 6 year high
• Windfarm firm strikes 100m Euro deal
• FTSE 100 rebounds after Friday’s loss
• Rural crime down 17% in Wales
• Kayakers rescued from Bristol Channel
• Laura Trott wins RideLondon
• Halsall wins 50m bronze
• British #2 wins 2nd title in a weeks
• Cavendish claims win in Denmark
• GB grabs 5 medals at deaflympics