Hi everybody, anybody? Is there anybody still out there? Today it is six months since that memorable attempt on the summit of Kilimanjaro. I'm sure that I'm speaking for all six of us when I say that hardly a day goes by without some recollection, not only of that day but of the whole trip. And just as I might forget or be distracted by day to day business something will remind me to bring the whole experience back into focus and consciousness; wearing some of the clothes bought especially for the trip, the jacket with the logo on, the trainers which were so welcome to don after a day slogging in boots, seeing the card that Dalton gave to the other four of us to say thanks for raising £52k for Shooting Star and, even now, meeting sponsors for the first time since returning and recounting the highlights and the emotions. And then any glimpse of Africa on the TV or even hearing about it makes me want to be back there, now. People often say that Africa gets in your blood and I think I now know what they mean. Sounds, the scale of open space, the amazing ingenuity to make a living by people at the side of the road, the harsh simplicity of existence and then the apparent acceptance of life without change for hundreds of years save the incongruous mobile phone shop in otherwise biblical land.
Mike and I are enjoying a less energetic period at the moment, Phil is preoccupied with family weddings but is probably taking every opportunity to escape to the Ohio hills but Dalton, Joycey and Hair Flick (Darren) have just taken part in the London half marathon. Well done guys but how did you do?
So life the other side of the mountain is both exactly the same and entirely different. We are putting together a video and a presentation which will be available to show to groups but don't expect a George Lucas or Spielberg experience. Rather, its a collection of images and snippets of video that tell a great story, like the porter that had an Easter service on his crackly portable radio at 3700m on a rocky path on Easter Sunday and the amazing coincidence of visiting Maundi Crater on Maundy Thursday!
I'm contemplating keeping this blog live but making a radical change in subject: 'Beauty in Architecture'. How does that sound. In fact have you any starters for ten? Speak soon. Nick (Paul Nick)
