You take the high road

A lighter day today for partners, we just had one working session, then a farewell celebration in the sun-filled courtyard. There were infused waters - strawberry, pineapple & orange, cucumber - to drink, and fruit kebabs to eat. If you felt semi energetic, you could do chair yoga, Tai chi, sudoku, or other pastimes. I spent the time talking about what to see and do in New Orleans with Mark (his photos of oysters the size of plates stuck with me), discussing the merits of the programme with Ian, and passing on greetings from Nelson to Tom Thorfinson.

I also had some lovely conversations at the meal table with Marie Christine about the beauty of France and in particular her hometown, Les Sables-d'Olonne on the West Coast. Then she asked me about the native animals in New Zealand, and I explained that we mostly had birds that can't fly. She thought that was very odd. I mentioned that we did have one native mammal - a bat. Pardonne-moi, she said, a what? Bat, I repeated. She reached for her phone and Google Translate, and after I spelled it, she said cautiously ... " A flying mouse??" Mais oui, I said, that's right 😁

One of the biggest highlights for me has been reconnecting with Shobana over the last few days. At least once or twice a day, we hang out quietly together and talk about everything and nothing, and we introduce one another to each other's friends, or in Shobana's case - the latest hilarious meme. It's good to know that she and Ravi are coming to Melbourne, so we'll be able to catch up again at the Conference.

The last night banquet was a chance to round off the week and relax with our new friends. We shared our table with Bill & Deb and half a dozen from the German contingent. They all spoke excellent English, and we had some interesting conversations about how they were planning to organise their year. The night ended with speeches from the three RI leaders, who were eloquent and inspiring.

Although we were invited to Craig and Kiki's stunning suite for the after-match function, we said our goodbyes in the hallway, and headed back to our room to talk to the pillow 😴Read more