Never a Dull Moment

Soon after I retired - far sooner than I had anticipated - I joined the throng of people who have chorused, "I don't know how I found the time to work!"  This week has once again proved the truth behind that comment, showing how easy it is to take on one thing after another that can utilise whatever skills and interests the earlier part of life has sharpened.

I have to admit, though, that the weekend definitely finished in 'relax mode', with a lovely picnic on the common, enjoying good food and sunshine with the opportunity to watch other people enjoying themselves with frisbees, racquets and balls, before returning home to listen to cricket commentary on the radio.

After the usual men's breakfast, the 'working' week began with two virtually free days on my calendar.  The only blemishes on the Monday and Tuesday pages were a choral practice on Monday evening, facing the initial challenges posed by two new pieces of music, and a visit to my GP on Tuesday morning, this being by way of a follow-up to a nasty, but thankfully brief, infection that I suffered immediately after my holiday.

The bulk of those two days could therefore be spent at my desk, working first on my 'other blog' (see the side-panel to your right), and then devising and developing a Bible study to occupy my home group in the last two weeks of the present term. 

My writing skills were also called into play on Wednesday evening, when it was confirmed that the secretary of our local Liberal Democrat branch had had to stand down.  A couple of whispers to that effect in brief encounters with the chairman during the past week had warned me to go along to the committee meeting that evening suitably equipped to take the minutes.

Yesterday gave me particular pleasure both morning and evening, albeit in entirely different ways.  The morning found me helping once more at the drop-in for the vulnerable people in our neighbourhood and this week I had the privilege of joining in a deep and satisfying, if not conclusive, conversation.

In the evening I took a drive over to Haverhill (only about an hour away) where the family history society's regular meeting featured a talk about the TV/radio series 'Dad's Army', which was based on the Home Guard.  The speaker had certainly researched his theme well, and the talk was accompanied by a magnificent array of artefacts that we examined closely over coffee and biscuits afterwards.

Today will feature the preparations necessary in advance of the church's annual Fun Day, when we open our doors and hearts to the community, providing lots of family entertainment - and a barbecue - free of charge.