Last day in Belo Horizonte and sad to be leaving. It's been an inspiring four days of FIFA's Football For Hope Forum. Highlights included a session with former Brazil players and World Cup winners Edmilson and Jorginho. Hearing them speak about their work in the community - and the importance of social development through football - with such passion, commitment and belief was very moving. Sport - and particularly football - is a great tool for social inclusion, development and peacebuilding - and has huge potential for creating positive change in the world. Much to do. Big thanks to FIFA and streetfootballworld.

I'm here for FIFA's Football For Hope Forum at the Confederations Cup. Today we were taken to the Mineirao stadium for the Brazil v Uruguay semi-final. Great stadium full of fanatical Brazilians. Seems that Brazilians' love for football is alive and well despite the current demonstrations. We had to go to the stadium four hours prior to kick-off and waited for two hours afterwards so as to avoid any possible rioting. We didn't experience any trouble but the demonstration near the stadium had apparently turned nasty with cars being burnt out. When we got back to the hotel - which was boarded up, along with most other buildings in the city centre - we sat outsuide and watched as riot police confronted a group of seemingly harmless youths, pushed them up against the wall and searched them.

Just arrived Belo Horizonte. A lot of concrete. This is the view from the back of the hotel.

Shooting at Thomas Hardy's cottage in Dorset. This is the house where he was born and grew up... and where he wrote 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.

Well, the steamers are long gone but there are boats - and a plane - to the mainland. Sad to be leaving. Re-reading this Colm Toibin piece: http://tinyurl.com/qxnowbc

"I am settled at last on Inishmaan in a small cottage with a continual drone of Gaelic coming from the kitchen that opens into my room." I have always been fascinated by the work of John Millington Synge who first came to Aran in 1898 and soon moved from Inishmore - the largest of the islands, which he felt had become much like any other western seaboard town - to this house on the more primitive island of Inishmaan where he stayed with the MacDonagh family. The house is still owned by the family and now includes a Synge museum. Sadly, it's not open today but I'm sure it will be open in July and August. This quote is from Synge's book 'The Aran Islands' first published in 1907. Try to get a copy of the Penguin paperback edition with cover photo by Synge and wonderful preface by Tim Robinson who has written extensively about Aran as well as mapping the islands.

Staying at Inis Meain Suites. Delicious dinner last night. Well worth a visit: http://www.inismeain.com

Woke up this morning on Inishmaan, the middle of the three Aran islands and one of my favourite places to be - particularly when the weather is like this! This is the view across Inishmore towards Connemara.

Arrived back in Dublin to find a copy of the latest issue of Thread magazine which includes a feature on yours truly. Great to see such a beautiful magazine coming out of Dublin.

In London for the day working with the maestro: Brian Dowling at BDIMages.