Teamwork

Most of the time I really can't agree with Scott's sentiment in today's Dilbert. Occasionally he's bang on.

Yesterday, involved a trip to the local-ish Starfleet base for Badman and myself to sharpen up our sticks and make a plan for the next couple of months worth of playtime. When I put it like that, it seems like an age. "A couple of months" is forever... except we both know that in this case it's about 30 seconds. Simply far too short an amount of time given the amount of work to be done. Still, we have a good team and many hands make like work. Christopher Robin's direction is helpful and ultimately we all have the same goal in mind so I'm sure "it'll be alright" - as I keep telling myself. As the song goes, "there may be trouble ahead"... so now it's time to face the music and dance.

Aside from the worky bits, Badman's chickens are providing an outstanding crop of eggs at the rock bottom price of a few cups of coffee. Awesome.

Mrs G has the whole week off. This all started because we'd half planned to have a week in Spain with A,B & B. As it turned out, it wasn't to be and so instead we found ourselves at a funeral in Wiltshire on Monday.

Sadly, L's father passed on and naturally we wanted to be there to support her. It was a fine military send off, which was both dignified and respectful and even included the theme tune from the Dambusters in a very RAF way. L's brother M read the ever popular (can something be popular as part of a funeral? - seem like the wrong choice of words) "All is well" by Henry Scott Holland . It's a very moving piece and I've included it here for those of you that haven't heard it, or don't recall it.

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

They also included John Gillespie Magee Jr's "High Flight", also known as the Pilot's Poem, written during WWII. All very fitting words and sentiments.

After the sadness of the day came the celebration of life and it did involve rather a lot of imbibing. By Tuesday lunchtime, everything was back to normal, and our work there was done. Mrs G and I trundled back up country and I shuffled back to work only to find that not very much had changed at all.

Everything remains exactly as it was.... All is well.

And here we are at Thursday morning. Thursday!?!? Already!!?? Hell's teeth, we're running out of time fast and worse still, Monday is a bank holiday. It's actually a very special bank holiday as it's the one that usually contains the Cheese Rolling. Officially, once again it's not to be. Of course, to a local (and while I've only been here for 10 years - I do feel like a local) it's abhorrent to think that such a long standing tradition is ever likely to disappear.  You can read about the fight here: http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/2011.htm A very sad state of affairs.

Perhaps we'll take a walk around the Cooper's Hill Nature reserve anyway.....  just for the walk :-)

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This post originally appeared here: Posterous