IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

Frequently little incidents in our lives can act as metaphors for life generally. This blog is full of them but here is another instance:

My family and I are renowned for indulging in what others might describe as team building through adversity. The recent Bank Holiday weekend was no exception. It was our first weekend spent sailing this calendar year and we set off with high expectations and the promise from the forecasters of splendid weather. Needless to say it was raining when we arrived and we promptly postponed our departure until the following morning. It dawned bright but breezy and we headed out of the harbour mouth in anticipation of perfect sailing conditions. Instead we were met by lumpy seas and squalls from the hills providing most unpleasant conditions, which I confess finally caused me to call for the bucket. At least our passage was fast and we reached our destination within 4 hours, only for Outdoor Man to announce that there was too much of a swell to anchor and we would instead head for another bay, 3 hours’ sail away!

It’s at times like these that you begin to appreciate how mutinies arise and, for more than a moment, the prospect of actually walking the gang-plank and bailing out, seemed very attractive. I didn’t; we all pulled together or even the ropes, and when we did reach that bay, it was idyllic, the sea state smooth and the sun shining.

GOING BACK

I am just back from my first sustained period of sunshine this year. Yes a whole 7 days of it! Mind I had to go all the way to the Canary Islands to find it. It’s true that sometimes you have to leave home to find whatever it is that you are looking for. In my case there was no problem in returning as the whole family went and came back with me. Leaving and then returning, however, isn’t necessarily always so easy.

PETROL PRICE

At last Petrol Price has returned (to less than a pound a litre at local filling stations). Good news for Ms Motorist tormented and devastated by the recent hike. But how is she responding? Will she give up her bicycle to readily embrace the power of Petrol again and what about those other Motorists who have been cautiously crawling along at 30 mph in derestricted areas or catching the bus? Are any of them able to believe that Petrol Price will remain static? Is it in fact only a matter of time before Petrol Price is off again?
It’s always difficult to shake off dependency but sometimes things can become so hard or heartbreaking that it’s the sensible option.

EGG ON YOUR CHEEKS

There’s apparently no need for an organisation like Relate in Cyprus. Suffer from a relationship problem with your wife and you can call for a sorcerer instead. The only problem is that she might crack an egg into your underpants and charge you 5,000 Cypriot pounds for her efforts. News reports however confirm that the sorcerer is now on trial, but fail to indicate whether or not her efforts resulted in a reconciliation.

Click here for link to Reuters News Agency Report