Russell KirkPatrick.com

 

Not a very catchy title for a blog, I'll admit. Things are ticking along - in fact, I'm rather busy, which explains the lack of blogging.

Organised and ran Dorinda's mum's memorial service last week, held down in Christchurch. It went well, everyone thought, though we had a few dramas - we got cheap tickets from Auckland to Christchurch return, but halfway to Auckland on the morning of the service the car died. So there we were by the side of the road, Vi's ashes in the back of the car, making ready to ring everyone we knew was coming to tell them it was off. Fortunately a mechanic lived across the road, and diagnosed a dead battery. Some jumper leads later I drove carefully the rest of the way, knowing that the next time the engine died it wouldn't start again. Left the car at a repair shop by the airport.

Off to Christchurch, only to discover there wasn't a rental car to be had at the airport. Time was short, but we found one eventually. The service was the easy part: my projector and laptop worked, and those who attended enjoyed or endured a multimedia presentation of Vi's life, including many old photos not seen by her family.

Got back to Auckland that evening only to discover I'd left my wallet at the security scan area in Christchurch. Excellent. Now I had no means of paying for the car. Airport security rang their Christchurch counterparts but the wallet hadn't been found. Nor had it been handed in to the Airport Company or the police. We joked about the Toyota ad where the fellow sets off a nationwide hunt only to find the wallet in his pocket.

Ah.

A series of grovelling apologies later we were on our way back home after an eventful, emotional and tiring day.

Still thinking about writing, though I've had a three-week break from actually doing it in the aftermath of Vi's death. Back to it today: time to explore the nature of love in what I consider the real heart of the six-book sequence. Romantic love is in for a bit of a bashing, I'm afraid, given I'm tempted to think that society trains women to value the idea of romantic love, to aspire to it, because it provides the most effective mechanism whereby women can be controlled. These next three chapters are going to be interesting...

Playing in the obligatory trial tournaments in an attempt to be selected for the Waikato Masters golf squad. Came fifth in both the Cambridge and Te Puke masters tournaments, not a bad effort given there were top players from Auckland and Bay of Plenty as well as Waikato. Trouble is, if I get selected I can't go to Conflux, as the dates clash with the major Masters event.

No more rambling. Time for a long-awaited bunflight between supporters and detractors of romantic love, and I genuinely do not know who is going to win. 

*hugs*

Sounds like an emotional time.

Silly about the wallet though ;)

Silly all right. Hey Amanda, the war in Georgia must raise strong emotions for you, given you've just been there. Thinking about you, as you must be thinking of others.

Hey Russell, what a hoot!! My mother in laws memorial was no better. It was the Saturday just gone and after much debate as to what I was going to wear (sisters in law always look "grand", I need not have bothered. I slipped going down a hill at the cemetery and ended up covered in mud from head to toe. We were all going out to lunch and the only clothing place open where we were was an Asian import shop. I couldn't fit into a 3xxx. (good for the morale) I had to wear my raincoat to lunch, luckily we had heated seats in the car...and it snowed a good part of the way home :-)

Thanks Russell :) I heard today that everyone I met, so far, is safe.

Just wish everyone there was as well.

Linda, are you sure it wasn't your MIL's spirit pushing you down the hill? That's the kind of thing mine would do!!

Russell, glad to hear that you are starting to get life back into gear after a trying time. How is Dorinda coping?