There never seems time to do a blog these days - so much to do and so little time in which to do it! I leave for Australia in 10 days' time and will be away for 5 weeks. Naturally I'll try to do the odd blog while I'm away but meanwhile I'm on a "nil by mouth" routine before an endoscopy later today. Had a pre-procedure get together with the surgeon yesterday (a lovely man) who said he's not worried about me - nor am I, but it's best to be quite sure.
Meanwhile I'm deep into doing my renewal application for TOPP which is the insurance for folk who take holidays with no air travel involved. It's the equivalent of ATOL but much more expensive for us. I hate doing projections and financial stuff like this - it does my head in. As far as I can make out it's all a little work of fiction anyway. How am I supposed to know how many people will book tours each month for which destination? Honestly! Waste of time and effort if you ask me but I suppose one just has to get on with it (with much blue air in the office for a few days!). It would be great to finish it before I leave for the hospital at 11 o'clock. Bless Nigel and Ve - the former is driving me to Stirling and the latter picking me up as I'll be a bit out of it for the rest of the day. Some, of course, would ask what's new!
Sorry to have been quiet for so long. What with one thing and another I haven't had much enthusiasm for blogging lately which is very naughty as it's a lovely way of keeping in touch with you all.
When I do come back to it, it's with more sad news (from my point of view). This time it's teh death of my aunt down in Norfolk. We were to have had an 80th birthday party for her in Perth, Australia (where one of my cousins lives) next month. When I got back from The Azores and heard she was ill I went down to see her and accused her of being a party pooper! She liked that. Sheila was married to my father's younger brother (there were also five sisters) and she's the last of that generation. I don't know how many cousins will make it to Kings Lynn for Thursday - her four boys are gathered: two live in Australia, one in Ghana and one in Korea! Sad though the occasion is, and much as I will miss Sheila who was such a good friend, it will be lovely to see everyone. I'm going to drive south on Wednesday and stay over until Saturday, taking the opportunity to polish up the new proposed Norfolk tour and visit friends in Thrapston.
The only problem is losing 4 days when there's now less than 3 weeks left before I head off for Australia. Much remains to be organised for the 5-week trip which will take in Brisbane, O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park, Lord Howe Island, Sydney, Tasmania, Melbourne, Perth, Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling. Just the rest cure I need!!!! Our Australia tour is already on the website (and if it wasn't for Typepad refusing me access to the bits and pieces that allow links and photographs I could let you have both). The second tour I'm planning will be Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling with some birding in Western Australia at either end.
But first it's time to say goodbye to a dear friend and have some family time.
My dear friend and until recently minister of my church in Perth, David Ogston, died last week aged 63. Yesterday, after a private family service at the crematorium, there was a thanksgiving in St John's Kirk. It was a wonderful service in a packed church, as uplifting and inspirational and David had so often been in that same ancient house of prayer which was first consecrated nearly 800 years ago.
It's hard to come to terms with the fact that David is no longer with us. I first met him back in 1984 when I was doing the PR for Scotland's Whisky Festival and we invited David as our after dinner speaker. He was utterly brilliant - I don't think I'd laughed so much in my life! Then came the time - again through PR - when I was working with the Perth Festival of the Arts and I went to the Service of Dedication held in St John's - as so many civic occasions are. Again David had me laughing my head off - and then : POW! A sermon that was not only relevant to the occasion but resonated with deep faith, with perception and with poetry.
Now at that stage in my life I'd kind of drifted away from the church and when, at the lunch following the service, this came to David's attention he immediately demanded my presence at St John's on a regular basis (in the nicest possible way). I said I might. From there grew not only a wonderful and hugely valued friendship, but also the renewal of faith, wobbly though it can so often be. I loved a description given by The Rev Johnstone Mackay yesterday (I can't remember if he was quoting David - I rather think he was). It was along the lines of there being a window high up out of reach with no apparent access. So the person stood below it throwing gravel to attract attention but to no avail. But (he?) kept on throwing the gravel because - just once - he thought he saw a curtain twitch. How true that is of so many of us who don't have the luck to be so sure of everything.
And so today my world is a poorer place, but heaven is the richer.
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