Paul & Sue Hazelden
- Family News -
January 2012 Onwards

January 2013

Tuesday 1 January: a fairly late start to the day, then more sorting and tidying.

For lunch, we join the Stoke Lodge ramblers for the end of their New Year's Day walks, at the Prince's Motto in Barrow Gurney. Never find out what the motto was.

We are just on time, but the walkers must have arrived early, and most of them are already tucking into their lunch. Still, it is a very pleasant meal, and a very civilised way to start the new year.

A sign of the times: at the end of the meal, one lady asks if we have a SatNav. She wants to find her way to an address she has been given. We fiddle with the SatNav for quite a while, and then I leave them to it while I look up the address in our A-Z, show her where she needs to go, and a sensible route to get there. In the end, we lend her the map. It is a real "Oh! You can look things up on a piece of paper, too!" moment of revelation.

Thursday 3 January: my injection this morning, postponed from last week. The first side is fine, but the second hurts a lot. The nurse also takes lots of blood for various tests, and checks my blood pressure: 140/70, which is fine.

Walk up to the Cafe on the Square to meet Sue and Esme, then back home to do some work and have lunch.

Sue drives me back to the surgery. I see Dr McGowan again, and she goes for a swim. After she gets back, we have a quick bite and off to the Orpheus to see  Life of Pi. Odd film, but beautifully shot. Not entirely convinced by the message, though: you have to believe in God because the alternative, reality, is too dreadful.

Friday 4 January: it is Jonathan Swithinbank's last day with us. I do a formal exit interview, but it is a bit pointless: he has already talked about everything he wanted to say.

Saturday 5 January: the memorial service at Highgrove for Jenny Price. Paul and Jenny were our first homegroup leaders when we came to Bristol and Highgrove. Paul Price asks Sue to read a poem she had sent him, and I am doing the words. Sue's poem is very effective.

After the service, we go to CostCo, partly in a failed attempt to get some filter papers for church.

In the evening, we drive into Bristol and watch  Jack Reacher at the Odeon. A bit violent in places, I find it much more entertaining than Life of Pi. It seems that more thought went into it, too.

Sunday 6 January: service at Highgrove. Andy Street is preaching on the first three chapters of Luke, looking at the bits we don't usually cover in the Christmas services.

Back home, we find that the casserole in the slowcooker is seriously under-cooked. As we are thinking about what to do, the door bell rings: it is Pauline Quintanilla. She saw us getting out of the car, and wondered if we would like to join her for lunch. We would.

We have a fascinating afternoon, talking about all kinds of things. After a while, we get on to the subject of a talk at St Edyth's tonight about Christianity and Homosexuality. Pauline is astonished that they have invited a homosexual to talk on the subject, and wants to know our opinion about what she should say.

She seems quite surprised by our suggestions that maybe the best course of action is to listen to the person who will be speaking. A lengthy conversation follows. She has picked up the idea from somewhere that children adopted by gay couples are at greater risk of sexual abuse, but eventually seems to accept our assurance that the facts do not support this. I'm half tempted to go to this meeting and see what happens, but I fear it will be too frustrating. Just don't have the energy right now.

Saturday 12 January: Volunteer Training in the morning. Fascinating exploration of various issues surrounding homelessness.

In the evening, Sue and I go to the 'Comedy Magic Night' at Woodlands. It's a fun evening, but possibly not as much fun as the one we went to a couple of years ago.

Thursday 17 January: massages first thing, then back home to work through the rest of the morning.

Mid-afternoon, we go to the Orpheus and see  Les Misérables. Sue saw the stage version a few years ago, and was keen for me to see the film. Wow. Not seen anything as powerful since ... well, I don't know when. Had heard from several places about the actors singing live on set, but I didn't appreciate what a difference it would make.

Straight off for a sauna and swim afterwards.

There is a message waiting for us when we get home. My mother rang to say that my Aunt Joan died this morning. She had been in hospital over the weekend, then had been discharged, but then she had a final heart attack around 10 o'clock this morning. It seems people are coping quite well, but then I imagine the initial shock has not worn off yet.

Friday 18 January: Alan has given in his notice at work. He seems quite comfortable with this; Sue and I are quite traumatised. He will be going to America soon: he was already planning to go to a game developers' conference, and now Hennel has won a trip to the States and is taking Alan with him to drive. So Alan will be out of the country for quite a while, and he wants to concentrate on creating his games. He thinks he can live for a year even if he doesn't earn any more money from the games.

We are simultaneously horrified at the thought of him giving up a good, regular job in the current environment, and delighted that he is confident enough to take this step, and willing to pursue what he wants to do even if it is risky. Being a parent doesn't get any easier.

February 2013

Friday 15 February: Aunt Joan's funeral today. We have a good journey up, and arrive in Coventry in time to catch a quick coffee before the service.

The funeral is 1 pm at Canford Crematorium, just across the road from Alan's digs in his second year. We don't see Roger or my parents before the service, but when we are called in they are sitting near the front. Peter had written a very good summary of her life, which was read by the minister. Father is deeply moved. It is hard to tell what he remembers, and, of course, we can't ask.

Off to a pub for something to eat afterwards. Oddly, it is just walking distance from where Alan lives. Well organised. We chat to a few people - several come up because they recognise that Father must be Joan's brother.

Drive into Coventry afterwards and park near the Motor Museum. Grab a coffee, then wander round the shops looking for some bits for Mum and Sue, and for somewhere to eat in the evening.

Finding somewhere to eat is harder than expected. The only restaurant we can find is crowded and expensive. We end up at the theatre, which turns out to provide very nice and reasonably priced food.

Alan joins us for the meal after work - at the end of his last day of employment. We ask about the tearful farewells, but he says there was a notable absence of tears.

Father orders a jacket potato, and eats nearly a quarter before he decides it is cold and starts getting wound up by it. I take the food back and ask them to re-heat the jacket. They come back with a new one, and he manages to get through half of it before it becomes too cold to eat.

Roger and Alan have a conversation about copy protection: Roger thinks Alan's games need it, and Alan explains why it is not only not required but actually counter-productive.

We eventually leave - they want to close the place - so Alan rides off on his bike and we drive to the hotel in Oxford.

Saturday 16 February: I have breakfast on my own at 7.30 - the others don't want to eat this early. Walk over to the Park and Ride at 8.30, and I am in Oxford before 9. The Go Tournament is in St Edmund's Hall, the same place as last time. It is all very well organised.

The first game goes reasonably well. I am a bit behind, but manage to cut off a large group without eyes. We then get into a shortage of liberties race, ending in a ko for life. I make a stupid mistake and don't kill when I get the chance, but manage to grab a second opportunity and take the game.

Walk over to the centre and meet Sue and the others in the Science Museum. We spend a little while looking round the ground floor, then grab a sandwich.

The second game is closely balanced. I very nearly kill a large group, but he takes a long time to think about his response and manages to find a way to live. He ends up winning by a couple of points.

The third game is also close in the end. I create a large area in the top right, but make a couple of careless mistakes which cost maybe ten points each. I end up winning by around ten points, so another similar mistake could have thrown the game. As he said, we were probably a bit tired by this point in the day.

Walk over to meet the others at the Four Candles - yes seriously! - in George Street, and we have a very nice meal together. Fortunately, Father doesn't have a problems with his scampi being cold.

Catch the Park and Ride, then Sue and I walk back to the hotel while the others ride. They come in to have some cake which Sue won in the raffle on Thursday, use the toilet, and say goodbye and wish them a safe journey.

Then I go for a quick sauna. Actaully, the steam room is warmer than the sauna, which is missing a bucket and ladle - people used to put too much water on the stones, apparently. Back to our room just in time to watch the final episode of World Without End, the current Ken Follet adaption, with Sue.

Friday 22 February: Sue is still in Manchester.

At lunchtime, we have a BCAN Steering Group meeting. Most of the time is spent considering a report on the walking experiment which Mike Pears had been leading. Some fascinating insights about how we fail to see the urban context in which we live and work.

In the evening, another Christians in Science talk. This one is on "Better People or Enhanced Humans?".

He identifies a number of areas of concern, but it seems to be very academic: he notes all the areas which have been documented, but offers little analysis. And he notes several points where Christians typically have concerns, and the folk pressing ahead argue that we say we are against x, but we have already accepted it in a small way so we can't really oppose it. He says we have no answer to this challenge, which riles me.

In the questions at the end, I make three points.

Firstly, Isuggest that we believe there is a real difference between black and white, while recognising that there are an infinite number of shades of grey in between the two. It is true that we can't tell the difference between white and very pale grey, or between very dark grey and black, but this does not mean there is no real difference between black and white. We may need to work on definition and discernment, but this work is absolutely doable.

Secondly, I say that I recognise his concerns with enhancing people and the distinction between fixing problems and enhancing normal people, but I am not sure why enhancing people is seen to be a moral problem. Every technology enhances my abilities: the microphone I am speaking through is enhancing my natural voice. Why is technology outside my body morally acceptable, while technology built into my body morally unacceptable? This point needs to be established, not just stated.

Thirdly, I say that the moral challenge we need to think about urgently is the question of designer babies. We already have the technology to detect many things and fix a few things before birth, and we are well on the way to effective gene replacement therapy for a range of conditions. Everything is in place for an arms race on providing the next generation with the best possible set of genes to succeed against their peers.

Saturday 23 February: up and out first thing, and back in to work for an Addiction Network meeting. Very good time, and convenient that it is at a time when Sue is away. Talk a bit with Clare afterwards, and we fix times for the Network meetings for the rest of the year.

A quick sauna, then back home and work for a bit before driving down to pick Sue up at Temple Meads. Then to Morrisons for a shopping trip, the first one for quite a while.

Sunday 24 February: objectively speaking, the service at Highgrove is good. From the perspective of the person projecting the words, it is the service from Hell. It takes me 45 minutes to sort out which songs we are expecting to sing, and I finish just as the service is starting. Then we don't sing the songs in sequence, and the introductions which are played don't contain the melody so I have no idea what song is about to start. It is a complete nightmare.

Monday 25 February: a long day at work, with several meetings that require a lot of concentration, and a prayer meeting at the end. The prayer meeting is well attended, which is very good news,

We hear that Alan has safely arrived in the USA with Hennell.

Tuesday 26 February: off to London for a meeting at the House of Commons.

The journey up is fine. I have reserved a sea with a table, and work on my netbook all the way to Paddington. Underground straight to Westminster, and the exit brings me up right under Big Ben. Couldn't be much easier.

It takes about 35 minutes from arriving in London to reach the Houses of Parliament. We then have to stand in a long queue on a ramp in the cold. It feels like a long time, but can only be 15 minutes.

Security is just like an airport. They confiscate my penknife - if I had been warned about this, I would have left it behind.

Westminster Hall is impressive: very big and old, with lots of plaques in the floor to show you where people like King Charles I or Nelson Mandela stood on important occasions.

I have 40 minutes, so just time to visit the House of Commons. But as I set out, the division bell sounds. Then, after we have been waiting for ten minutes or so, there is another division bell. I give it up, and head to the reception in the Members' Dining Room.

The purpose of the reception is to launch a new campaign by Homeless Link to end homelessness. Of course, they can't end it, but reducing it significantly would be a good idea.

Meet a few people a recognise from other events, but can't see anyone else from Bristol. Chat to a few folk and exchange cards. A copuple of them are planning to come to Bristol and promise to drop in and visit us.

We have some speeches from various important people - all pretty good: relevant, informative and brief. Then we have a former homeless person who now works for the Salvation Army, and he talks about his experiences. Very moving. It really brings home the people who are the subject of all this talk about policy, strategy and economics.

Afterwards, I manage ten minutes in the House of Commons, watching our leaders debate legislation. The bit I hear is all about issues relating to confiscating ice cream vans. It is oddly moving to hear people battling for what they believe to be right in this mundane area.

Back to Paddington. Spend a few minutes locating the statue of Paddington Bear - have to ask a kiosk holder in the end. Then nobody is waiting for me, so I check my phone and find they are in a pub nearby.

Parents, Roger and Philip are all waiting for me. They have been waiting for over an hour. I get an update on Roger's job, and the latest films Philip has been to see. Father orders fish and chips, and manages to eat about half of it in the end. Philip finishes most of the rest - it's good to see that some things don't change. I warn Philip that Sue is planning a family gathering on the May bank holiday.

The end of the meal is a bit rushed as I need to catch my train. Have a table again, so work all the way back to Bristol, and then Sue picks me up at the station. Another long day, but a good one.

Wednesday 27 February: we have a meeting with the folk from ISR about mentoring and renegotiating the boundaries. It could be a very difficult time, but everyone is open, honest and cooperative, and in the end we get a modified arrangement agreed very easily. On days like this, I like my work.

At home, Sue has found a picture of Alan and Hennell in Florida. Not quite the picture I was expecting, but they look well and seem to be enjoying themselves.

March 2013

Friday 1 March: much of the day is spent preparing for the Sleep Out at Pip 'n' Jay tonight. At least, trying to prepare in between all the other things going on in the office. One of the 'other things' is a former LITE Course student needing to use the Internet because he has lost his wallet and urgently needs to formally record it as lost for some reason to do with his benefits and an appointment. He had tried the library, but it was closed.

I check out the site, then back to work. Sue joins me for a quick coffee, tries to catch a train, misses it, comes back, and we drive to Pip 'n' Jay about 9. Two people have already arrived, a good hour ahead of schedule. Sue walks to Temple Meads and catches this train.

Most of the groups register efficiently. At 10.30, I do my orientation talk, then we serve soup and rolls. People start to bed down.

As I patrol, a chap wanders through the cars looking too intently at the details of the church architecture. I keep my eyes on him. After a bit, he asks if we have any food and a sleeping bag - he is homeless. I explain we on't have a sleeping bag, but we do have a blanket he can borrow, but he can't take it away.

Saturday 2 March: by midnight, most folk have settled down, but it takes a long time for a few to get themselves sorted. A fox appears about 12.40, and I chase it away. Nothing in its mouth as far as I can tell.

A 2.15, I hear music coming from somewhere. It is the homeless man, and his telephone. I ask him to switch it off. Fifteen minutes later, he is disturbing people again. Somewhat crosser, I tell him he can turn it off or move elsewhere. The threat seems to be effective, and people go back to sleep.

Saturday 16 March: Sue and I walk to the Chemist and pick up my prescription, then on to the Cafe for a coffee. Claire is there, so we sit and chat for a while. Try to do a diary check, but it is noisy and there is a screaming baby so we walk home again.

Drive off to the tip with an old scanner from Steve and some other bits, then to Morrisons where we have another coffee and do the diary check before shopping.

In the evening, we go to the Orpheus. A Scout Group are in the Waitrose car park, sleeping out to raise money for CCM! Wonderful people. I knew a group were going to do this, but didn't know the details

The film, Oz, is great.

We stay to the end of the credits as usual, and meet Fran from my board of trustees, with some of her friends, who also watched right through. The Scouts are collecting outside the cinema as we leave, so we stop and chat with them.

Wednesday 20 March: our wedding anniversary. Get away from work at 5, and we drive over to Clifton. Park the car, have a quick coffee and diary check, then off to the Relaxation centre for the special evening offer starting at 6 pm. Spend the next three hours soaking in the hot tub, enjoying the saunas and steam room, and generally having a relaxing time.

Thursday 21 March: in the evening, we have a meal at the Cowshed with Ian and Jenny to celebrate his 21st birthday tomorrow. Very pleasant. Jenny seems a nice girl. It probably wasn't easy for her, meeting us properly for the first time.

Friday 29 March: Sue joins me for the Good Friday service at City Road Baptist and the Walk of Witness. I do a Bible reading and short talk at the second stop. Afterwards, we go for lunch to Hooper House.

Hazel has her housewarming in the afternoon. Lots of people there, including a good number from work. Lovely time, but the cat (cats?) start to affect my breathing so we leave.

Saturday 30 March: in the evening, we pick up Ian from Temple Meads. He is on his way back from seeing Jenny in London.

Sunday 31 March: the sunrise service on the golf course is actually a sunrise service for once, as the clocks went back this morning. Bitterly cold, but a good number of people - just over 40 adults plus a few children. It is a good service, but Ed on the guitar is really suffering by the end.

Back to St Edyths for a cooked breakfast and a fascinating chat to a couple I met once at Highgrove but who settled at St Edyths.

The service at Highgrove is short and family-friendly. In the afternoon, we visit the University of Bristol Botanic Garden: they have a garden sculpture exhibition. Several very nice pieces, including a wonderful horse made out of drift wood and some beautiful wooden carvings in the tea room.

Sue thinks I do not take all the Botanic Garden information signs as seriously as I should. The main problem is in the Oriental section. The sign 'Cool Warmth' makes sense after all - these plants are supposed to make you cool if you are too warm. I make no comment about whether it is more sensible to drink a potion made up of these plants if you are too warm, or whether it is easier just to take off a few clothes. However, I do wonder about the wonderful efficacy of other Oriental plants which the signs tell us are capable of curing diseases even before any evidence or symptom of the disease can be detected by any medical test.

April 2013

Monday 1 April: a slow start to the day, sorting and tidying. Casserole for lunch.

In the afternoon, we drive to the M Shed and visit the Chocolate exhibition. One of the exhibits is the original patent for automating the chocolate making process - a most impressive document. Had not appreciated the connection between Bristol and chocolate before.

After that we swim and sauna, then back home.

Saturday 6 April: Sue is visiting her mother in Newbury, and I take the opportunity to go into work and try to catch up on some urgent jobs. Had planned to go to the Bristol Street Pastors commissioning service at St Stephens in the evening, but don't manage to get away in time.

Monday 8 April: Alan comes back from the USA today.

I go in to work and finish off some urgent tasks, then dash off to Temple Meads and catch the train to Reading.

They have been doing quite a bit of work at Reading station, and the signs are not all accurate or useful. I am supposed to meet Sue at the town entrance near the entrance to the car park, but she is not at the entrance. I follow signs to the car park, but that takes me under the station and round to the other side. I walk all the way round the station, and eventually find Sue and the car.

We drive to Heathrow. We are a bit late and can't find a place to park, so I park the car while Sue finds Alan. They eventaully find me, and we drive off towards Coventry.

Alan tells us a bit about his time in the USA, what he did, who he met, and some of the games he is working on. It is a bit disjointed, but then, he is probably fairly tired. We have a bite to eat at the motorway services, then deliver him home.

One of the chaps he is living with is friendly and chats a bit - he was expecting Alan back some time soon, but didn't know quite when. He makes us a coffee while Alan sorts himself out a bit, then we say our farewells and set off again.

The journey to Clover Spa is fine. We book in and are soon relaxing in the hot tub and catching up on the last few days. Wonderful.

Tuesday 9 April: we spend most of the morning enjoying the spa, then head back to Bristol. I have a meeting at work in the afternoon, but we can still manage a fairly relaxed journey back.

Tuesday 16 April: last day at work before our holiday. Sue has taken the day off to pack, and I plan to get away early.

But there are problems to sort out and lots to do, not least the admin in preparation for our new fundraiser. So I plan to leave by lunchtime, and it is actually 4 pm before I get away.

A quick sauna then home. Then I realise that I needed to send another email from work, or nobody gets paid the right amount this month...

Back to work, send the message, home again. Keep packing. It is clear we are not going to bed tonight.

Wednesday 17 April: by 4 am we are nearly packed. Sue phones for a taxi to collect us at 4.30. When it arrives, I have most of the bags sitting outside the house, and we leave just a few minutes later. Forget to take the few bits of fruit left in the house.

There is almost no delay to check in the bags, and no queue at security. We both get through without setting anything off, which is something of a record.

The flight goes without incident. Once we are through passport control, I send Sue off to queue for the car hire while I pick up the bags. It always seems to take as long to pick up a car as it does to fly here. The first lot of bags come up the conveyor belt fairly quickly, people collect them and depart. But the bags stop arriving, and there is still a good number of us waiting. The carousel stops rotating. We wait. Sue gets closer to the front of the queue. Eventually, it all starts up up again, and our bags appear.

I get to the car hire just as Sue reaches the front of the queue. Perfect timing... but then it all grinds to a halt, and there is another long wait before we are processed.

Eventually pick up the car, a silver VW, and drive off. The directions tell us to head down the main road and exit at Km 79. This is a bit worrying - would like to know where the road is signposted. But it makes sense: when we get close to our exit, the road signs start to identify the exits by the kilometer they are closest to. Our exit, Km 79, is to Butihondo, a place too small to appear on most of the maps, so even if we had the name it wouldn't have helped much.

One small slight detour, and we find our way to Monte Playa, the hotel reception which handles the administration of Monte Marine, the apartment complex where we are staying.

Our apartment is just beside the Pharmacia. We had not registered that there is no oven, but we can hire a microwave. There is a notice saying that, due to engineering works, the water will be turned off between 11 pm and 7 am. The hot water is cool, possibly getting up to lukewarm, and the plug in the sink doesn't work very well, but apart from that it is comfortable and decently equipped.

The TV is all German stations, apart from CNN and BBC News, some more news and the God Channel (does that count as 'news' in the package the have bought?). The news is all about the Boston Marathon bombing. Nobody is claiming - or being reported to be claiming - responsibility, so it doesn't sound like an established terrorist group.

We buy the immediate essentials in the local Spa, and make some lunch. Finish unpacking, then we go and find the sauna and swimming pool. Everyone we meet is German; we were expecting it to be mostly German in the South.

Some more bread, cheese and ham, and a very early night.

Thursday 18 April: a late start. By the time I wake up, Sue has had breakfast. It's a hot day.

Over to the hotel reception. We hire two large sauna towels, and purchase some Internect connection. But the Internet may not connect in our room - there is a problem with the router.

We drive into Morro Jable and find the free car park by the Tourist Information. Pick some maps amd leaflets, then go in search of some lunch.

After examining various possibilities, we circle back to a Pizzeria, one of the first we found on leaving the Tourist Information, and choose some pasta. Very good, and they have a proper pizza oven, so we may need to come back.

Walk along the sea front, with the shops on one side and the beach on the other. After a bit, we stop from some excellent ice cream. Then we cross the road and walk beside the beach, passing the lighthouse and along up to the dinosaur skeleton. The guide book says it is the largest lighthouse on the island, but nothing about the skeleton.

Take the pedestrian underpass towards the zoo. Bizarrely, the underpass contains some flowerbeds. There is one sickly plant struggling for survival in one of the beds. Why put flower beds in an underpass? And, if you do, why not use plants that really like the shade?

We stop on the way back for a coffee and cake, and then at the supermarket for most of the shopping we need. From there, it is not far back to the car.

The road is dual carriageway, so we have to keep driving West. Eventually come to a roundabout, which is signposted 'Morro Jable' on all three exits. And we are driving out of Morro Jable, which makes a full set.

We go left, assuming it is a roundabout route back into town. It takes us into an area of housing which seems impossible to get out of. Eventually, we find the way, and get back to the roundabout. We mistake the exit and leave too soon. Again, we are trapped in a maze of streets and drive in circles. There are no useful road signs that we can see anywhere, which is par for the course. Eventually, we find a way back to the road we need, and return home.

Pick up some more water and fruit juice in the local supermarket, I sauna while Sue rests, then we have some tea and spend the evening reading and watching the news.

Friday 19 April: slightly earlier start. Breakfast together on the balcony, then in to the hotel reception to use the Internet.

We wander round Esquinzo and find the Restaurant Marabu, which has good reviews. It turns out to be just over the wall from the Monte Marina complex - not next door, quite, but very nearly. We book to come back in the evening.

We walk down to the beach, paddle in the sea for a few minutes, then walk along the beach to the North East to see what we find. We pass a small bar or cafe, then eventually come to some steps up the cliff. At the top, it is clear this is a private entrance for the people staying in a hotel, so we go back down again and retrace our steps. Back to the cafe, order a coffee and ice cream, and spend a while just sitting in the shade.

Back to the apartment and we head off for a sauna. But it is not working. After several people have tried to get it going, we give up and swim in the pool instead. Had not noticed before that it is sea water.

I feel quite overwhelmed. Never before in my life have I entered salt water and not found it stinging, often badly, sometimes so badly I cannot remain in the water. My skin is so good right now that I could swim in the pool and not notice it is salt water. Wonderful!

The food at the Marabu is as good as promised. We need to come back and explore the other possibilities.

Saturday 20 April: it is another very hot day, so we don't want to go far. Up to Reception to report the broken sauna: they know about it and an engineer has been dispatched. Check a few emails, then we drive to Butihondo, the next village along the coast, and walk round. Nothing there, really: a club, which does not look like our scene, and several hotels. One has tennis courts in a space structure framework.

We follow a footpath, thinking it leads down to the beach, but it becomes a path along the side of the cliff. One direction heads back towards the other hotels, the other direction to Esquizo. We follow it, and eventually come up fairly near the Marina Playa. Walk back to the car and drive home.

The sauna is working again, so a quick sauna and swim. Chat to a few people, all German. One, Garry (or Gareth or Garet maybe) is informative about the local area. When we are done, we walk down to the Marina Playa restaurant. They are offering paella as a special, so we order that. It is delicious, but more than we can manage to eat.

I stay up for a bit after Sue goes to bed, to finish my book: Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman? One of the boys gave it to me for Christmas last year, and it is an absolute gem. Lots of short chapters, and lots of wonderful stories about the guy. Lots of examples of his ability to ask good questions, and especially of his habit of asking for a concrete example of any abstract concept he is presented with. Brilliant.

Sunday 21 April: we tried to find an English-speaking church in the South, but with no success. And we cannot face the thought of struggling through a German service, so we give up on the idea for this week.

An early breakfast, then pack the car and drive off to Ajuy. Along the coast past Costa Calma, then inland on the dunes to the other coast, and past La Pared. We can see La Pared as clear as anything on our left, but we cannot see any way to get there.

About halfway from La Pared there is a viewpoint, a 'mirador', with really spectacular views of the mountains inland to the right and impressive views of lower hills towards the sea on our left. As we park, there are two massive black crows perched just outside the car on the edge of the viewing area. One flies off, but I get a photograph of the other.

As expected, there is nothing in Ajuy other than a few bars and restaurants. We are the only car in the car park, but after a whie, we find some more cars down by the beach. We stop for a coffee near the statue of a fisherman. Sue says he is gutting a fish, but I think it looks more like he is massaging it. Sue is probably right.

I find a tunnel under the cliff, but it is a long tunnel and it has no lighting, so I only go a little way.

We walk up a path on the cliff edge, past a disused lime kiln, towards the famous caves. The path goes down into one cave, and it is quite impressive. We are followed a few minutes later by a family, and the children climb into another cave. The sound of the sea is very impressive, too: it sounds like we are about to be drowned by waves coming in over the rocks. Sue paddles in a rock pool, and we walk back.

A late lunch in a restaurant facing the beach, then we explore that side of the town. We find a gallery, but it is closed on Sundays, and that is it.

Back to the car and off to Pajara. There is a church with an incredible Inca style door, and there may be a museum but we can't find it. Coffee and ice cream in the shade, then back to the car and head home.

Driving past La Pared again, we extablish that the only way into the town is along an unmarked dirt track. Although, as we pass, there is a small, low level sign part way along the track. In the town are various nice tarmac roads, so why not tarmac the short distance to the main road? And why not give the place a decent signpost?

Back home, I sauna and swim, but it is still very hot and we are exhausted. We has planned to go the the hotel restaurant and listen the the music on offer tonight, but instead we stay in, read and watch the news. The BBC shows the documentary on North Korea which all the fuss was about just before we came away. It's hard to see how the place can keep going, and it looks like it will take a miracle to prevent some kind of war. Depressing stuff.

Monday 22 April: up early to take my Ibandronic Acid. The day starts off warm but overcast, but the clouds clear and it then becomes sunny and hot again.

Into Morro Jable to try and book a Segway trip. We have a leaflet giving us the opening hours, but the office is closed when we arrive. Back to the Pizzeria and share an excellent pizza. The office is still closed.

Wander round the shops on the sea front. Coffee and cake. While we are sitting, Sue phones the Segway people and books a trip for tomorrow afternoon.

We buy a bag for me to replace the one I carry my netbook in - it has been falling apart for some time. We manage, without really trying, to negotiate the price down by nearly half. Time will tell if it was a wonderful bargain, but it looks plausible and I have not found much that did.

Some more handmade ice cream, and back home. I sauna while Sue rests. Chat a bit more to Gareth: he has been coming here for 40 or 50 years. He came, if I understand him right, when a friend's parents owned a bungalow when there were only a few bungalows and nothing else. He is impressed by all the changes.

Tuesday 23 April: we try to visit the lighthouse at El Jablillo, but when we get near to Las Playitas, there is a sign at the side of the road to the lighthouse saying that the road is closed until July due to roadworks.

Into Las Playitas instead, have a coffee, and then drive into Gran Tarajal. There is a harbour wall, so we have to walk along to the end. Walk to the beach and find somewhere to eat, walk a bit further then back to another beachside place selling home made ice cream. It is delicious. Possibly even better than our previous favourite, Chilli Chocolate in Morro Jable.

Driving out of the port, Sue sees a sign to Morro Jable. I tell her it lies, as it is pointing in the wrong direction. There is only one road we can take out of Gran Tarajal, and it goes the other way. But we have to explore, so we follow the route through a big car park, through a housing complex, and up a hill side before it peters out.

We retrace our path and head home. By this time, we are running later than planned.

Back home just in time to swallow a quick drink, then we are picked up outside the Pharmacy and driven to Morro Jable, collecting a young German couple on the way.

We are taken to the office and sign the standard disclaimer, then get a five minute lesson in how to ride a Segway. You go forward and back by leaning, and sideways by moving the handle. That's it, really. The most dificult bit is getting on an off, and the main thing to be careful of it catching one wheel on an obstacle at the side. Keep your distance!

Out to the car park, and we practice for a while on some waste ground. The Segways are limited to 8 km/hour initially. We get on and off, and drive round. Just driving around an empty space is great fun. Then we learn to go up and down kerbs - bend your knees. And with that lesson, it is time to set off on the trip.

Following the guide, we cross the main road on the zebra crossing, and along the pavement to the walkway. Along to the big skeleton just past the lighthouse, where we stop. The limiters are taken off the Segways, so now we can go at 20 km/hour. Even better!

Through an underpass, and another lesson - going up and down steep slopes. Trust the Segway, and be careful when steering uphill.

Along the sea front, and back into the underpass with the dead flower beds, to practice a slope and going round a bend. Much further along the sea front, to the edge of the beach where we take some photographs. Then along a rough track, and the final lesson: up a slope on rough ground. Keep your speed up, because if you stop, the Segway may struggle to gain enough traction on the dust and gravel. We all go up the rough, steep curved slope without a problem, and find ourselves at the roundabout outside Morro Jable with the tiny statues of children. They seem to be holding packards at the moment, but we can't read what they say.

Down a long slope towards the beach, then we start to retrace our route. Detour to the lighthouse, and have a little time driving on sand. It's not easy, but then, we were all complete novices a couple of hours ago, so it can't be that hard. The Segway is such a joy to ride. It's a shame you have to stand up, or you would want to do it all day.

Along the sea front to a cafe. We are ahead of schedule, so we stop for a drink. Back along the path, and back to the office.

It seems the Segway is not allowed to be used in public places in the UK. We want to find an excuse to use it again. They may get cheaper, as the patent is due to expire later this year.

Wednesday 24 April: another fairly early start. It's a bright day, but not as hot as before. We head straight for the Oasis Park, basically a combination of a zoo and botanic garden near La Lajita, just past Costa Calma on the FV-2.

A quick coffee before we go in, and we sit by a large window with some Red Bellied Tamarins in a cage the other side of the glass. They are quite wonderful, at times graceful and languid, at other times darting all over the place.

We go in, missing the Parrot Show but just in time for the Reptile show. The seats are just at the side of an alligator enclosure with a pair of gates going into it in an 'airlock' arrangement. Very sensible, although the alligators don't seem to be moving much.

We can't hear much of the commentary due to poor acoustics and a strong accent, but it probably doesn't make much difference. The first part of the show consists of bring a couple of baby alligators round the audience, for people to stroke. The underside is beautifully soft. Some don't want to stroke them, of course, and a few people actively move away to keep a safe distance. A large chap just in front of me is one of them. As the keeper squeezes past him, the alligator urinates over him with perfect timing.

Next, we have some pantomime. The two keepers carefully open a basket with ominous music playing, struggle with something inside, then a snake flies out and lands just in front of Sue. It is an effective piece of theatre. The snake is rubber, of course.

We wander round about a third of the enclosures, then grab some lunch just in time to dash off to see the Birds of Prey Show. This is very impressive. A good range of birds, and several of them are quite massive. They are well trained, and watching them fly at close range is fascinating.

The restaurant nearby is closed, earlier than advertised. We catch the 'bus', which takes us close to the Aquatic Show just before it is due to start. Classic enertainment with Sea Lions, the highest trained one being called 'Pam'.

The next restaurant is also closed early. We leave the Zoo, and the restaurant we used before going in is still open, so we get our coffee there. It is worth remembering as a stop on the motorway.

On the way home, we leave the motorway an exit early and follow the minor road, the FV-602, along the coast towards Butihondo. On the way, we see an incredible house by the hotel on the other side of the ravine from us. It looks like the roof is sculpted from ice cream, and most of the lines are intricate curves. We have never seen anything like it before. Next door is possibly a similar building, but unfinished.

Hard Talk on the BBC World News at 9.30 pm has an economist explaining my key points of economic theory. What a relief to hear someone talking sense on the subject for once! I think the chap's name is Andrew Sim, and he might have recently published a book called 'Cancel the Apocalypse'.

There is an advert on the TV for Schneider Electric (.com) - they sound big and established, but I have never heard ot them before. Worrying?

Thursday 25 April: the plan is to head for Pozo Negro. First, we check the email in the hotel reception. Then we set out.

Stop for a coffee at the Mirador del Sotavento, which we have passed several times this holiday, and when we get there we discover there is a nice restaurant at the top. Beautiful view, and a small road which appears to disappear over the edge of the cliff. It doesn't, of course, but it is a nice image.

Stop again in Tarajalejo for lunch. It looks like there is very little here, but as we wander away from the big hotel we find more options. On to Pozo Negro.

The aim is to visit the museum there, 'Centro de Interptetacion Poblado de La Atalayita'. We tried to visit before, but it was not open as advertised. It is off the main road, along a long and rough track. Surprise! Not open again. I step over the chain and walk to the building. A small sign says it is temporarily closed, apologies for any inconvenience. We drive off again.

Back to Gran Tarajal, where we find the place that did the wonderful ice creams, and help ourselves to another selection. Also excellent.

On the way home, we explore the road to Salmo. On the way, we find another Mirador and a beautiful footpath leading from a half-built hotel to, presumably, the next beach along the coast.

On from the Mirasor, and we reach... another roundabout which takes us back onto the FV-2. Several exits from the motorway signpost Salmo, but it doesn't seem to exist anywhere else. Perhaps is is the name of the unbuilt hotel?

Back home, dump the bags, then down to the beach. I swim in the sea while Sue reads. It is much saltier than the pool, but for the first time in my life, I cannot feel the salt stinging my skin. It is a bit cold, about the temperature of the pool, but warm enough to keep swimming for a while. It is easy swimming - the waves are low, and the beach shelves so slowly that I am rarely completely out of my depth. Back to Sue, and she goes for a quick paddle. By the time she gets back, I am almost dry in the sun and the warm breeze.

A quick stop at the Supermarket, then back home. I go for a sauna while Sue finishes her book. We have some Internet connection, so we briefly check the most urgent email messages.

On the BBC World News, the mother of the Boston Marathon bombers is giving an interview: "I thought America would protect me and my children!" One wonders just what she knew - what she still knows - about the USA.

Friday 26 April: we drive into Morro Jable for the last time, and wander round the old town. Find several view points, the church with the large tower and the other church we found by accident when we were lost the other day. This last one looks old, but it was built in the 1940s.

Back to Esquinzo and lunch at Marabu. As good as last time. From there, we walk along the coastal path to Butihondo, then down some steps to the beach. They are building something on the beach: it looks from above like it has solar panels, but they are only plywood with a shiny blue coating.

We walk along the beach. The sand is hot from the sun, but we walk on the cool wet sand and paddle when the waves come in.

After a bit, Sue takes my rucsac and heads for the beach cafe, while I go for a quick swim. The water is beautiful again, but I have gone in a little further along the coast: the beach shelves more steeply and the waves break more energetically than before, so swimming is much harder work. After a bit, I get out and join Sue in the cafe. She has ordered a coffee, and we get an ice cream.

We walk up the steps from the cafe and back home across the car park.

We have massages booked for 6 and 6.30. I go first. The room is ideal: light, and open to the sound of the waves below us - just above where I had been swimming. The massage is a bit odd, with a lot more time being devoted to the left side of my back and only a brief time to the right. She also seemed very concerned that what she was doing might - or should? - be hurting, when it came nowhere near. Still, a pleasant experience.

Sue goes in after me, and I go straight round to the sauna. Sue joins me a little later, reporting much the same experience with her massage.

Back in our room, we start to sort and pack ready for the morning.

Saturday 27 April: for once, we are packed and ckecked out well ahead of schedule. We head for Costa Calma, but fail to find the main sea front. Firstly we park on the South edge, then we drive round and park on the North edge of the town. Go for a walk along a coastal path/road, up to a hotel, then past it to a restaurant by a pool fed from a waterfall from the hotel. Beautiful.

Back to the car, and drive to the restaurant at the mirador. We could retrace our route, but go exploring instead. Following the road out of Costa Calma, we end up driving through the roadworks. At several points we think we have reached the end of the road, but there is always a way through; in the end, we find ourselves joining the main road at a point on a roundabout where we would naver have left it. What excitement.

The restaurant is as good as it looks. Sue has a mixed salad with salmon, and I have an astonishingly good beef goulash. As Sue says: it is the middle of nowhere - they have to be good, just to survive.

Back to Gran Tarajal and our ice cream place for one last visit and a short stroll along the side of the beach.

We said we would return the car by 5pm, so it's time to head for the airport.

Hand in the keys, then try to check in our luggage. The sign board tells us which queue to join, and we join the end of a fairly lengthy queue. But whe we reach the end, they won't take our bags, directing us to another queue. We join that, and after a while reach the front... and they won't accept our bags either. Go to the first desk and explain they directed us over here. They phone for instructions. We are too early.

We end up sitting and queuing until just past 8 pm, when we can finally get rid of our bags. We both get through security without a problem, buy some delicacies for our respective colleagues, grab a quick and faily stale baguette, and then our flight is being called.

Sunday 28 April: back in Bristol, we are nearly the last off the plane as usual, the luggage starts arriving soon after we get through the passport check, and our bags are among the first to appear, so there is hardly any time between getting off the plan and getting into a taxi.

A clear run into Bristol, as we would expect at this time of night, and we are back home. A small amount of unpacking to find the toothbrushes, and fall into bed soon after 3 am.

Sue is up at 9, and I join her shortly after. She has decided to go out for the day with her sisters and mother. I walk up to the Co-op to buy some milk and fruit, then back home for breakfast and to start sorting things out. Manage some mindless jobs, but my brain really isn't functioning.

After lunch, I dash out to catch the train. In to work, to make sure the salaries get paid. Run half the way back to Lawrence Hill station to catch the train, which turns out to be five minutes late, then off at Redland and grab a quick sauna before just getting the last train of the day back to Sea Mills.

Sue gets back fairly late, after a fish and chip tea in Weymouth. She has had a lovely day, so that worked well.

May 2013

Wednesday 1 May: to the Council House first thing - sorry, City Hall - for an Equalities consultation on the draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Lots of good points being made, but nobody is sure if it will translate into any difference on the ground. But it gives me a chance to describe what we do to some relevant people, and I give the feedback from one of the small groups, so it all helps to give people the sense that we are part of the health and wellbeing community in Bristol.

The 'Period of Grace' gallery, which Sue and I have noticed several times when waiting for the lights to change at the bottom of the Portway, is open. It's actually the first day it has been open. There is a good number of beautiful photographs, under the general themes of English countryside and English cities. Chat a bit to the owner. The name comes from his first exhibition, named from the period of grace he had been given before he needed to start paying rent for the property. Downstairs, a small group are rehearsing a piece of theatre, and there is more art generally representing bits of Wales.

The Tesco Metro on the corner by the Odeon is sealed off by the Police, and covered people are getting things out of a Science Unit van. There is a suspicious dark stain on the pavement, just outside one of the doors. It all looks remarkably like a scene from a TV show, but nobody is filming it, other than people in the crowd with their phones.

Back at work, Yan - our new Fundraiser - has started. She seems happy enough with the introduction so far, and I arrange to spend some time with her tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday 4 May: a day with the family. Sue and I pick up Ian from his flat, then drive to Reading Station to pick up Alan. We park, and Sue starts to look for a place to get a ticket while I go in search of Alan. Another lady wanders up wanting to find the station. After my last visit, I'm reasonably confident of the layout, so she comes with me and we find it without getting lost. Presumably once the building work is complete, they will start to think about putting up some helpful signs.

Alan comes down the escalator a few minutes later, and we head off to Windsor. Alan's projects seem to be going well. At least, Sokobond is nearing completion. But then, it is traditional for software projects to go well until they are 95% complete, so we probably need to wait and see how the next couple of months go.

Philip missed his first train, but he is still waiting for us outside the car park when we arrive. We park, expecting to see Roger's car somewhere. Phone them. They are in a different car park, but it is probably somewhere near. Philip thinks he knows where they are, and heads off to them, Ian follows. By this time, we are standing near a small funfair. Sue remembers she needs something from the car and goes back to it. Just Alan and I are left. We wait.

After a while, we get a phone call from Sue. She is lost. We find her wandering in Alexandra Gardens, and go looking for my parents. After a while, we find them and Ian, so it is just Philip missing. Alan goes looking for him, and after a while they both return. It has been an exciting day, and we haven't done anything yet.

We wander into town to find somewhere for lunch. The route is not obvious. After a bit, we dive into the back end of a multi-story car park, and emerge into the shops a few levels up. Some familiar music starts up from somewhere, then suddenly a few yards away, four girls in 60s dresses are dancing to 60s music. Those were the days. We are not sure where to go from here, and spend a minute of two looking around. Sue and Mum seem keen for us to move on and find something to eat, so we head off away from the dancers. Sue tells the boys that she wore dresses like that in the 60s, and they were just as short. They seem to have difficulty processing this information. I am tempted to remind her that if you remember the 60s, you weren't there; but in the end I restrain myself.

We find a quiet café. Lunch is a fairly typical affair: the boys enjoy chatting to each other, and Roger joins in. My father complains about the food and sends it back because the chips are not hot enough. He is wearing one of Roger's jackets, having forgotten his own, and every two minutes asks us whose jacket this is. That is the question of the day, followed by 'Where are we?' Every time we see them, we wonder how Mum and Roger cope.

Ian explains that he doesn't have any university work to do at present: his third year exams are coming up, but they are a couple of weeks away. And, I imagine, he already knows it all, anyway. Roger is clearly worried by this attitude. We would be more worried if he had not been the same before all his exams in the past, and if he had not done so well despite this attitude. We keep saying it can't last...

After lunch, we are about to explore the options at the Castle, which we are quite near, but someone stops and gives some local advice, which puts parents off the Castle. We head for the river and find some boats to hire and a river trip. Roger goes with the boys to hire a rowboat, while Sue and I go with my parents on the river trip. The timing is good - a boat is just about to leave.

We have arranged to meet up in a pub when we get back. Roger and the boys are waiting for us. The boys all had a row, and enjoyed themselves. We have a quick drink, then back up into town.

Into the museum for a few minutes just before it closes. Windsor had the first airmail postal service in the world, at least fora few weeks in the 1920s. We never knew that. And we didn't know about the history of the railway services to Windsor. Fascinating stuff, but we have to rush through.

Close by the museum is an exhibition of Moorcock pottery. The pottery itself is attractive and distinctive, but the great thing is they have a lady actually painting a vase and chatting to the visitors, which is, mostly, just us. There is also a famous chap from the TV signing copies of his latest book and chatting to people. Roger knows exactly who he is, but Father recognises him, thinks he knows him, and tries to work out where from. It gets a bit difficult. We apologise afterwards.

It is then time to find something to eat for tea so Philip can eat before he catches his train. Back to the cars, the boys are given their Easter Eggs, and Philip dashes off.

We say our farewells, and drive Alan back to Reading slightly ahead of schedule. He just manages to catch the train before the one we were aiming for - possibly something of a record for us.

Saturday 11 May: volunteer training today - Share Your Faith all day at Trinity Tabernacle. As always, it is a wonderful experience to share the day with some lovely, interesting people, talking about things that really matter to them. And as always, I come away with lots of ideas about how to improve the material if I ever get the time.

Sue picks me up, we have a quick bite to eat, and then off to the Orpheus to see Star Trek: Into Darkness. A bit late. There is quite a queue, but we get the last two seats. For the first time, we don't sit together through the film. But we enjoy the film anyway. Benedict Cumberbatch is an excellent villain.

Tuesday 14 May: Sue went on a Bluebell walk with out homegroup last Tuesday, but the Bluebells in our garden are just perfect this morning as we head off to work.

There is an event at the University Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, supposedly starting at 6 pm, on 'Knowledge and Gender' in Islam. It is dreadfully late starting, and about as bad as I fear it can be: full of special pleading and contradictions, and shot full of Arabic terminology which 'cannot be translated'. The argument is mostly just a statement of how she wants various aspects of Islamic theology to be understood, without any attempt to explain why it should be interpreted that way; when she attempts anything more than simple assertion, the argument is quite literally at the level of "In Arabic, word A sounds like word B, and this proves that A and B are deeply connected, therefore the specific relationship I am describing between the two must be true."

Thursday 16 May: One25 have organised a play by one of their former clients. It is at Woodlands, so I grab a quick lunch and then catch the train to Clifton Down.

Dash off straight after the play, have a quick sauna, then home for the ten-weekly injection at our local surgery. The first injection is not too bad, but the second is very painful. The nurse puts some cotton wool on the sites - I generally leak and bleed a bit afterwards - and wanders off. I lay there. She asks if I am all right, and I say I am. After a while, we establish that I am waiting for her to come back and tape the cotton wool into place. She has forgotten about that, and has been concerned that the injections were so traumatic that I could not move.

There is no time to go home from the surgery, so phone Sue and then drive back into town.

The main speaker at the BMFF event in the evening, "When extremism becomes mainstream" tells us at the last minute that he cannot join us, which is very frustrating.

Simon Bale starts off with a thoughtful meditation on the subject of extremism and how we use the word. The rest of the evening is a bit mixed. At the end, Simon is presented with a card to say thatnk you for all he has done for the BMFF over the years: he is about to leave ISR and become an Anglican Deacon.

Friday 17 May: this morning is the official handover of the new van at work. Grahama and I go with Andy to visit the Wheels Project and meet the lads who have been doing the work. Very impressive. Sadly, the photographer from the paper doesn't turn up after all, so we take our own pictures.

Sue and I have a free evening, so instead of going home at the end of teh day, we head for the Orpheus. The Great Gatsby is full, with tickets selling for tomorrow night, so we buy a couple of those and see Iron Man 3 instead. I enjoy it more than Sue, but she doesn't manage to catch much of the dialogue. I'm very impressed by the script and the humour.

Saturday 18 May: we have coffee in the Café on the Square with Hugh, formerly from next door. We chat for a while, then have luch there.

In the afternoon, I work in the garden and cut my hair while Sue does the shopping, then we go for a sauna and a swim. We are running late, so we both go to Sue's place.

Back to the Orpheus for The Great Gatsby. As far as I can remember, it is very faithful to the book, and it captures the spirit of the time very well. DiCaprio and Mulligan are excellent, with wonderfully contrasting styles. It seems some people do not like it: too busy and loud, but what are they expecting? The couple right next to me walk out part way through, which seems a real shame.

Sunday 19 May: after church, we dash away quickly, pick up our lunch and Esme, park outside work, and walk in to Castle Park for the Arise event. It is a long and busy day, but very worthwhile. My staff do a fantastic job, many of them helping both on our stand and on the LRG one. Sue helps to keep me supplied with coffee, and a hot dog and ice cream towards the end of the day. She takes part in the service and the walk of witness, which also go well. And the weather is excellent, despite the forecast of rain.

June 2013

Wednesday 26 June: My birthday. In the evening, we go to the Orpheus and see The Lone Ranger. Superb film!