August

Hi!
It is I - again!

I last wrote to you in February. I am sure it must have been something profound. Words are my tool - my friends - my notes - my colours painted on a canvas of troubles and joys. So here I am again. After my spluttering start in February. February is still lying there.

Well it must be said that 2014 has done more damaged than I predicted. The world's a messier place - conflicts abound - refugees clutter many dusty places - the misplaced are often certain that they will never see home again - and if they do what is left will crush their hopes and memories of a better former day.

So breakfast is done - there are pills before food and pills after. For me more pills to supplement my dwindled supply of neurotransmitters so essential for every move I make. Thanks Doctor James (1817) for giving your name to this perplexing condition.

I am on study leave! I almost forgot. My sortie into post-structuralist theories is going well so far. The paper itself is "Conflict Resolution" aka Mediation - and the specific approach "Narrative Mediation". I had a week of lectures/tutorials/role play and need to write up a verbatim of the final session. It's going to be fun watching myself on video. The best thing about the week's work was landing with a lovely group - the "big 6". There has to be a South African or two there to come up with that name. I really should get back on Moodle and do some more work there!

On a more cheerful note - most of the official winter days are behind us. There is still snow in predicable places but not here in the city of sails! Plenty of rain still - one never really knows how many different conditions will assault us in a 24 hour period.

Talking about assaults - the weather did take a turn on the day I signed up at a local Gym. I promised the lady instructor that I would not be the first person to lose concentration and be sent flying by the tread mill. So far so good. My primary exercise remains walking Jessie - my close companion who is delighted that I have sixty days off work for my studies. She is faithfully at my side as we speak - surrounded by an array of doggie toys. The moment I move - she will hand (mouth?) to me something to engage in tug-of-war or catching.

Here she is - as a puppy! The fully grown version is gorgeous too.

Well August is pressing on. Yesterday was the 8th - my mother's birthday. She left us on the same day as Princess Diana. There will be more memories lurking when the 31st comes. Funny thing is that I still have days when I think it would be good to give her a call! I wonder what she would be saying about the muddles the world is dealing with today?

As we get older our memories seem mixed up - I can't remember sometimes where we lived (or where they lived) in our previous 5 towns, but I remember the faithfulness and kindness of those amazing saints who were our allies in the proclamation of His Kingdom. They were mainly humble folk - faithfulness matters most. Humility is summed up in this Maori saying: Kāore te kumara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka. "The kumara does not say how sweet he is".

Well we are counting the days until Spring. Until then

Robin aka RevvyP