THE main news story in Wales at the moment is the Ryder Cup and how Wales commands the centre stage of the golfing world.
This is extremely welcome and I commend everyone involved especially but not exclusively Sir Terry Matthews.
We have many excellent golf clubs across Powys, picturesque as well as compelling courses - we must capitalise on this new found attention from rest of the world.
I have believed since becoming an Assembly Member that tourism is key to our success as a region and this tourism has become ever more important since the recession.
This gives us a powerful tourism tool to use to attract golfers, interested parties and anyone connected to the sport from across the world - this week and for months and years to come.
I have pushed in the Assembly, with the First Minister and his Ministerial team, to ensure this happens - Mid and West Wales can take on any resort in the world for beauty, peacefulness and quality of life - let's make it happen.
Coming back to home though, I was extremely relieved to see a local philanthropic businessman taking an interest in the sale of 23,000-acre Lake Vyrnwy estate.
While this is at an early stage and in any idea world, we would all like the community to jointly be able to buy the site - which is being sought. Any interested buyer than has expressed an interest in the site for reasons above and beyond profit is extremely welcome.
In the Assembly the dominant issue at the moment and one I know will stay with us for the near future is how we deal with the deficit in as a nation and how best to achieve value for money.
The Assembly's own Public Accounts Committee in February concluded that the communities' first programme for example, “has not delivered good value for the significant amount of public money spent on it.”
This sustained criticism of the Assembly Government's flagship policy on poverty must be addressed. We need to know when the external evaluation of Communities First will be complete and when we can fully debate its findings.
In this difficult time our Government cannot bury criticism and refuse to be held to account, we do not seek party political points but value for money for all the taxpayers of Wales.
The emergence of the critical McKinsey Report into the Welsh health service last week, despite the Health Minister's denials of its existence, displayed just how far this government will go to bury bad news.
To end on a note of congratulation, I was extremely relieved to hear that Powys County Council in preparation for another hard winter are increasing their salt stock to 20,000 tonnes and reopening a mothballed store at Presteigne and another created in Rhayader.
I commend this action being taken while there is more to be done, I am sure everyone will welcome the fact that we seem better prepared this year than last!