While I have been Away

Its 7 weeks since my last regular post. I know this is a cardinal sin amongst bloggers and one I have committed just as, amazingly, people were starting to read this thing. My uncharacteristic silence has been a symptom of a deeper malaise.

About 7 weeks ago my Council broadband went down. To be honest I have done very little about getting it fixed as at about the same time the roof seemed to fall. I've been temping at a drugs agency with an elastic contract that started at 2 weeks and is now into month 5. Full time work, a 2 hour commute, being a councillor for a 17000 strong ward in a Unitary and having some kind of personal life seem to be to many balls to keep in the air so when the internet access went down and the council email with it it seemed sort of a relief.

I have popped into the Civic Hall a few times to do a triage on the email indox but other wise have carried on with paper and pen and telephone. Its amazing that given email is only about 10 years old as a pop culture item how not having it relegates you to third class citizen status. My group office has seemed bemused to have to provide paper copies of some things and to receive them back by post with hand written instructions.

Anyway the relative rest has done me good and I feel ready for the battle front again. Its been quite busy politically and horrors of horrors because I have actually spent some time with friends enjoying myself I have much to report.

If indeed anyone is still reading.....

A match made in Heaven

Yesterday I attended the beautiful wedding service of my friends Jane and Mike. I found the whole thing quite emotional on so many levels. Events surrounding my putting up three wedding guests from Wales have been sealed until the year 2040 but other than that It was lovely day.

My tendancy to intraspection led me to do a bit of thinking about Community. Alledgedly Hyde Park doesn't have one but there was distinctly "local" feel t the event with me loosing count of how many neighbours I bumped into.

Alledgedly the Church is dying but the service radiated spiritual power while being as inclusive event as I have seen ( hats off to Rev Ray Gaston and All Hallows, Hyde Park.)

Alledgedly we are all now bowling alone. I have known jane for 12 years and the guest list demonstrated the bizzare series of links and coincidences that bind so many different people together.

I was honoured to do a reading ( the Sermon on the Mount) abley assisted by megan, Mikes daughter. As Mike and Jane are of Welsh and Norwegian stock respectively there was a slight "eurovision" feel to the whole thing with Aunts in national Dresss, flags and hyme chorus sung in different languages.

If I tell you that the bride and groom processed int Church to Chas and Dave and out to U2 you will get a feel for the thing. I'm not putting it very well but its a day that will stay with me fr a long time and a special prayer today for Jane and Mike as they start out.