The last week!

I realise that it is almost 6 days since I last posted on my blog, and I thank you all who have enquired as to whether I am ok - I am -- but for the last four days I have been on a farm in Wales where there has been limited Internet access. I got home yesterday evening.

In saying that I am ok, I am still trying to get rid of the final bits of my cold/chesty cough.  I also find my walking is not as good as it has been, and I seem to have a permanent pain in my chest.  I think the pain is a result of my coughing, and I hope it is nothing more sinister.  If my cancer does spread, or rather should I say when it spreads, which at some stage it undoubtedly will (hopefully years away) it will be to the lungs that it will go next.   Anyway I have my next appointment is with the oncologist next Wednesday -- we'll have to see what he says.

Having got home from Poland in the early hours of 21 March, I spent the next day with my banking friend Bernard who I have known for almost 44 years,  at the auctions near Derby -- the auction room is owned by Charles Hanson who was my expert when I appeared on Bargain Hunt.   Bernard also knows Charles through a friend, and so we decided to make a day of it.   It was great, and I resisted the temptation to buy anything. We didn't get chance to speak with Charles, but we are going again.

Thursday I met up with Caroline, my curate, for lunch and she brought me up to date with what was happening in the parish -- or more importantly what I am doing when I get back. The rest of the day and most of Friday was taken up reading, writing and reflecting. I managed to take Oscar and Benson for a walk on Friday afternoon, but I find it very difficult walking great distances, and I ended up in great pain.  I did, however, manage a curry in the evening at my favourite Indian restaurant the Vhojon in Mansfield.

On Saturday I should have been going to Jerusalem -- but this is the one aspect of my Sabbatical which won't happen because I have listened to those who need to be listened to. Sue, my family and my close friends have told me that I have tried to pack too much into my Sabbatical, and that this was being reflected in how I was feeling. So instead of going to Jerusalem, I went to Wales instead for four days in order to pray, reflect and start my formal writing up of my time away.

The weather in Wales has been absolutely beautiful -- much warmer than it often  is when we are there in the summer. I have had my first lessons at PowerPoint presentations, but I can't get the text to scroll as I want it to.  Any advice here would be much appreciated.

Got back home yesterday evening, and this morning I have been at the Dukeries College sitting on a Governors' panel deciding whether to uphold a compulsory redundancy.  It was a very interesting process, but I can't say I enjoyed it because at the end of the day a teacher was losing his job, and his livelihood, and I along with two other governors had to decide whether they process was correct.

I was told at the end of the meeting that I had a lot of wisdom to bring to the proceedings -- Sue family and friends are you listening!?!

Tomorrow I am going to see my mother in Grimsby and my sisters and some of the families, and on Saturday we are having a PCC party at the vicarage.

I have lost about two weeks of my Sabbatical not being well, and I hope to catch these things up by the end of May. One of them is a retreat and this has been arranged for the last week in May at the college where I trained for ordination -- Salisbury.

I have to do something now which I have got at the habit of doing -- that is preparing a sermon for Sunday.  Palm Sunday -- all about journeys -- I have plenty to go on.