Traveling Friday 10th December 2010

I'm at the airport waiting to board a flt to Vancouver. I'm traveling there to see my mates, to attend a Director's meeting for ProActive and to taste the cold weather. I arrive on Friday morning & after breakfast & a wash I'm heading up to Whistler with Judy & Denis, where we're going to do some skiing on the weekend.  It should be fun for a novice skier. Really looking forward to it.  Then it's into the Directors' meeting which will be full on with lots of business to work through as we gear up for 2011.

From Vancouver I fly on to London, arriving Sunday lunchtime, where I hook up with Lucian.  We head up to Preston (northwest between Blackburn & Blackpool) first thing Monday morning where we meet with the Police Chief & his colleagues to discuss Restorative Justice opportunities. Then it's back to London for meetings everyday with all sorts of people.  Gene arrives on Monday & stays with me until Thursday when she flies off to Dublin on an early flight.  I join her that night after another day of meetings in London.

In Dublin we'll be met by Angela & Enda & then travel with Ange to Mullingar, County Westmeath for Xmas Day & a stay with the Hegarty's which should be loads of fun. From there we're off to Enda's part of the country & some time with the Stankards prior to heading up to County May for the wedding of the decade in Cong. We then have about two weeks left to catch up with our Irish mates & meet my long lost Irish relatives in Lisburn County Antrim in the North & down south in County Cork where there are quite a few more.  Really looking forward to getting a taste of the Irish experience as the mates we've made in Sydney are without exception, brilliant company. 

From Ireland it's off to Paris to catch up with Sylvie & Robert & Marina for a few days & then back to London for a week of meetings and work with Lucian. The whole time in London we'll be able to spend evenings with Jade & Bala & make up for being apart for so much of the year.

I was hoping that I could get into the running in the Northern winter, but the specialist has told me not to run until April 2011, which is a major headache.  I started my training for the 2011 Iron Man last Monday (6th Dec) & so far it has been all swimming & cycling, while the knee recovers from whatever it was that was wrong with it. I'm fairly p'ed off at that but am prepared to follow the doc's instructions if it means long term recovery. It still means we can get out & do long early morning walks wherever we are as a form of training, plus gym sessions on the bike & in the pool.

That's it for now. Nothing profound at all but there'll be much more to report as the trip unfolds.  I start chronicling the wedding from next week; starting with the trip to the airport yesterday with Angela & Gene.  Till then safe travels.  j