Wednesday 30 September 2009

What a week!

We seem to have been battling up and down the A 12 all week but really it has only been twice.

Had a great time with Alistair and Nicola on Sunday. Great conversation about the state of the world, our children, the health service, difficult people and only brief reference to Arsenal, so we got away with that lightly.

We are delighted that newly weds are still married after a whole month.

Tuesday we went to Surrey to see the DIxons and Helen came over for lunch.
Went on to meet Martin and Chris, (and their friends John and Jan), M and C had just flown in from Nice. Good meal in the Black Swan. Lovely meal. Great pub. fast moving conversation about everything.

Today working at various charity issues. Families House, Crossroads and PBL. It is all about organisation and funding.

Life is so hard in the voluntary sector, which is vital to the nation's well being, but it is tough finding the resources to keep going.

It is interesting to me that Anya Braithwaite Jill's granddaughter is doing a long bike ride with her Dad to raise funds for Marie Curie in memory of Jill, she has raised over £2500, for the hospice movement. Yet some charities struggle. wonderful that Anya has done this. People are so wonderful yet we are facing a huge crisis in the next few years in all the organisations I am involved with.

They are all necessary but we are in some disarray as a result of  combination of bankers greed and political incompetence. We need I think to lower expectation of what is possible. Yet institutions such as Hospices, are the mark of a civilised society. It will be interesting to see how we get on when we launch our appeal for the PBL.

Sunday 27 September 2009

September 27th 2009

What a weekend. Sunshine all day each day.

Johanne and David here to stay. Walking at Holkham beach. Long discussions about meaning of life.

Good food. Music in the amazing Salle Church. Setting perfect music disappointing. Not sure why. Beethoven sonata for violin and piano and Schuman piano. Just did not do it for us.

Still trying to crack how to do this blog thingy.