1 EAGLETON NOTES: November 2013

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Sunday 3 November 2013

A Sudden Realisation

Yesterday was an Interesting Day (with apologies to Sellars and Yeatman).  It was to be a simple day.  I wanted a polarising filter for the new camera and a new camera case (I'm keeping the Sony for the time being) and some Guerlin Lilia Bella perfume for Wendy in NZ.

I got the perfect camera bag in Merchant City Cameras - a wonderful and unassuming camera emporium - but no converter needed for the camera to take a polarising filter.  It has come to something, though, when all the rest of the photography shops I went into suggested I buy one from Amazon.  The perfume has been discontinued.  We met various friends for 'farewell' coffees though.

I was looking at the television news recently when the UK's Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare was speaking.  I thought how young she looked.  Policemen have looked young for decades but somehow I still except members of the Government to appear a little older  than someone not long out of uni (even Merton College, Oxford).  In reality she's not that far off 40.  Several years ago my brother pointed out that I was not that far off my allotted three score years and ten.  Suddenly I am realising how correct he is.  However I'm firmly of the view that 70 is the new 55.   Good job really given that future generations may well not be retiring until the age I am now.

I am now sitting airside in Glasgow Airport with about 20 minutes to the flight being called.  It's been a full and enjoyable few days with a golden wedding thrown in for good measure. What has suddenly become scary though - harking back to the last paragraph - is that it's my generation that is celebrating its golden weddings.

The Emirates route is Dubai, Melbourne and then Auckland where I should arrive 1400 hours local time Tuesday.  Then it's just a short hop to Napier where I should arrive 'home' 1745 hours Tuesday.

And then my Kiwi resumes.

Bye for now: see you in a couple of days.

In the meantime this is what I will be doing a lot of: