Daily Notes & News
The Month of May, 1999
Saturday, 1st
Even though I didn't have that much to do today it took me some time to get started. I started by fixing newsletters and financial reports etc. and getting everything ready for the party tonight before heading for our clergy lunch at New Town.
From our meeting of the Christian Leaders Association last Thursday it had been suggested that we might provide some copies of our weekly newsletters to each others congregations to show what was happening in the town - so before I drove out to go to lunch I visited most of the churches and dropped off copies of this week's newsletter.
After lunch I went to Moonah for the baptism and talked to John Shallvey, the Parish Priest about some of the issues he is reflecting on about the set up of the seating and Church - has some good suggestions - I hope the people can hear what he is saying.
I then headed to Northgate to purchase an engagement present for Brendan & Ramona - I couldn't get to their party tonight because of the 'surprise' birthday party for me at the Brereton's.
The party has been a good night and enjoyable company and I've come home rather than stay the night because the party was still going and I was really tired so I'm heading for bed in a hurry and will post this tomorrow.
Sunday, 2nd
We had a little bit of a rush this morning for Mass and everything else because Targa Tasmania was taking over the highway at Ouse just after Mass time and we needed to be out of the district before they arrived. As it happened everything went well but we didn't manage too many at Ouse nor at New Norfolk in the evening because parts of the town had been cut off so that Targa could do their thing.
I had two baptisms today so I was running around getting everything fixed before calling to see my parents whom I have missed seeing for most of the week.
Now that the evening is almost over I am heading for bed and a good night's sleep as tomorrow is my birthday and I have a lot of work to do throughout the day.
Monday, 3rd
Today is my birthday so Mass this morning (in the little back room of the house for the extra warmth) was a nice little celebration for the Feast of Philip and James, Apostles, & for me as well. We had a coffee after Mass before starting to complete the work for the weekend.
After Mass I entered the weekend's thanksgiving material, as well as the baptismal details and remembered later that I would be getting an update of the Parish Management system with all our data included on the program. I managed to reinstall the program later in the night so we know have the latest version of the program.
Later during the morning we had the first of the two Journey sessions for the day which went well - we looked at the Decalogue as an covenant and not as 10 Commandments to be obeyed under pain of punishment.
After lunch I called to see Mum and Dad - Mum was in bed and not doing too well with the changes in the weather from day to day. I went with Dad to town and ended up at a computer shop and came home with a CD-R for the computer so now I am a very happy little vegemite.
I stopped for tea with some friends before coming home for the evening session of the Journey program, a birthday cake to finish the night and now for bed.
Tuesday, 4th
After Mass I did some work before attempting to install the CD-R that was my birthday present from my family. It meant trying to remove the tape backup from the 5.25 inch slot but it looked too daunting so I rang a tech and have arranged to go down next Tuesday to see what can be done.
I spoke to some people at Red Cross re the Kosovo refugees and, sadly, it seems that my original contact informing them that the Christian World Services Commission was part of the planning process and not a group of helpers was not heard so there is still work to be done there.
Denis Allen and John Harman called in at lunch time on their way home from Queenstown after the priests gathering there on Monday - unfortunately they arrived just minutes before I had to leave to go to the Alpha session down at school. They had some toast and a drink and locked up as they were leaving.
I've just returned home from the next session of the First Aid course and I am tired out of my brain. I'm heading for bed because I am heading for Launceston tomorrow morning with a stop at Ross for a meeting on the way.
Wednesday, 5th
Soon after I had started my trip to the North of the State my mobile rang and it was Chris Fulgsang asking whether I might be available to do the funeral of the late Glenda le Rossignol who had tragically died in a house fire the previous day. Because I had left home so early I had not had a chance to read the paper and hadn't seen the details of the accident. I have just been speaking to her Colleen and will see her and Ian and Glenda's family on Saturday morning to make further arrangements.
I continued on to join the members of the State ITIM (InterChurch Trade & Industry Mission) Team at their meeting at Ross under the guidance of Christine Adams who is standing in as Area Manager-Tas with the seconding of Neville Dean from State to National Operations. It was an interesting meeting with lot's of difficulties facing the group with the changing of managers which will need to be monitored into the future.
From there I travelled to Launceston for the Coral Sea Memorial Service at the Launceston Cenotaph. The Battle of the Coral Sea, which place from 4th - 8th May 1942 - was a decisive event in World War II and eventually determined the defeat of the Japanese forces in the South Pacific region. There will be a service in Hobart on Saturday morning.
The drive home was reasonable although there was a great deal of work to be done when I got here - as well as phone calls to return, I've organised a memorial service for a member of the Hobart Naval Association for early Friday evening.
Time for a bite to eat before my couple arrived and we finished off their marriage papers and printed a draft of their marriage booklet.
Now for bed.
Thursday, 6th
Just before I was due to go down to school to spend time with the Grade 2 class and talk about their preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation a parishioner arrived wanting some information and some work done that took quite a deal of time which made my journey to school a little bit late.
On my way back I called to see Greg Hudson about some information for a family who had recently suffered a bereavement and we talked about another couple who might need further support. It wasn't long before it was time for Mass and a bite to eat for lunch.
I went out visiting after lunch and managed to visit a couple of families before returning home to do some homework for the 1st aid course - especially some work on CPR & EAR. I also did some tidying up of files on the computer getting ready for the installation of the CD-R next week.
I've just arrived home for the 1st aid course and I'm ready for bed - it's amazing how tired a class at night makes me.
Friday, 7th
Today was a busy day with lot's of things happening - sadly more of the time was spent waiting around rather than actually being able to do anything positive. As well as everything else there was the newsletter to get printed so that Sr Lorraine could take it to Ellendale for the Communion Service on Sunday morning.
Sr Julianne Dunn, the community leader for the Missionary Sisters of Service - the order to which Sr Lorraine belongs - had a meeting with Lorraine here in the house this morning and after she had completed that meeting I spent time with her. We had a meal together and talked about old times and enjoyed a good couple of hours.
After lunch I travelled to town for a meeting with Admiral Oxenbould, in Hobart this weekend for meetings with InCat as well as attending the Coral Sea Commemoration at the Cenotaph tomorrow morning. I have to try and find out information regarding the commissioning of the catamaran into the RAN from the Admiral tomorrow or from Sydney on Monday - there was a message to ring Brian Rayner on the answer machine when I got home this evening.
I then visited a friend of Glenda LeRossignol and met with her husband to make some plans for her funeral on Monday and after some time headed of to the Navy Club for a memorial service for the late George Mason.
From there I headed out to Glenorchy for a meal at the Lone Star Restaurant with some friends from my Bellerive days - 20 years ago - we gather to have birthday meals and a couple of social outings every year and I've just arrived home and I'm tired again so I'm heading for bed.
Saturday, 8th
I've finished working on the leaflet for Glenda's funeral early so that I was able drop it off to Colleen on the way to the Cenotaph for the Coral Sea Commemoration. When I called back later I was able to collect a good photo to scan onto the front page of the leaflet and managed to get the leaflets printed and they have come up well.
The Cenotaph lived up to its reputation for winds and making life uncomfortable - some people were so cold that, when we got to the morning tea which followed, one lady asked me not to shake hands as she felt she would break in half if any part of her moved.
From there I headed for the Salesian Community for the clergy lunch and had a couple of interesting conversations; I had a word with Archbishop D'Arcy and stirred him about the way in which information from the Vatican Information Service had been sporadic recently - in fact from about the time of his birthday - I asked whether he had that much influence in Rome that we was holding up the announcement of his retirement.
I called to see my parents on the way home and have arranged to catch up with Mum tomorrow afternoon to wish her Happy Mothers Day. I printed Glenda's booklet when I got home and then got ready to have a meal with the O'Halloran family - I managed to leave the prize from the Mother's Day Raffle which Christine had won sitting beside the phone at home and so will have to give it to her at Mass tomorrow.
Now for bed.
Sunday, 9th
Mothers Day and good turn outs at Mass today meant that many people were taking the opportunity to celebrate with their mum's. The day improved from being chilly at 6am to being a very pleasant autumn day.
This afternoon I visited an elderly lady who is close to here final moments on this earth at Stathaven (on the way to see my mum) and when I rang just before the evening Mass she was still struggling on. I managed to see mum and spend some time with her before heading home for the evening Mass.
While I was completing the work on Glenda's funeral booklet - the booklet that I use - I got a phone cll from a funeral director asking me to do a funeral on Wednesday morning so I will need to find time tomorrow to see the family to make the arrangements for Ron Whyte's funeral.
I've also done some homework for my 1st Aid Course and now I'm heading for bed.
Monday, 10th
Today was a long day with the funeral for Glenda taking a large part of my time. Just moments after the funeral had commenced a mobile phone rang and as I began the homily a sheaf of flowers fell over - both events managed to lighten the atmosphere and, in some macabre way, almost remind us that whenever Glenda was involved in anything there was always the chance that something unusual would happen.
After the service at the Crematorium we all retired to Lindisfarne to a beautiful old home to continue the wake - an interesting event as moving from one room to another either led you to a completely different group of people you had not encountered before or to an outside area of the gardens which were bathed in beautiful autumn sunshine.
After the service I returned home to for the first conversation with the School staff on a CALL TO CHANGE process. The meeting went well although I wondered if the group was a little too big for a good conversation - I'll suggest that we might need to break into two groups for the next meetings.
I then had a short time cleaning up the some programs on the computer in preparation for the installation of the CD-R tomorrow before heading off to spend time with the daughter of the late Ron Whyte, whose funeral will be celebrated on Wednesday. When I returned from Magra I completed preparations for the Journey program tonight - my first night of leading the session without the benefit of sitting in on Denise's session this morning. I managed quite well but I'm definitely ready for bed because I just know tomorrow is going to be a long day.
Tuesday, 11th
If yesterday was a long day today has been even worse.
I woke early in an attempt to get some more of the cleaning up of files done so that I could head back to Lindisfarne with the CPU to get the CD-R installed and to have the operating system upgraded to 98. I arrived home (6 hours later) with a new mini tower and a few other changes to the system with the tape backup system intact, both CD players installed and a new fan to replace the one in the old machine that was wearing out badly.
I then tried to reinstall some of the program from the backup programs because I needed to do some work tonight but they haven't been that successful - I'll need to take time over the next week or so to get things back together.
I was late leaving for the First Aid course because of trying to get programs back but thankfully it finished a few minutes early so now that I'm home again (tired after that effort) I've been working on the reinstalling of some more programs - a lot more have started working but I can't get screen themes to work and a couple of other programs still won't kick in.
I managed to get Wordpro and Publisher working (as well as having both printers functioning) so I've been able to print the leaflet for the funeral tomorrow so I consider I've done enough for the day so I'm off to bed and hopefully a good night's sleep.
Wednesday, 12th
After Mass this morning it was a quick dash to town and to the Crematorium for Ron Whyte's funeral - there was a much smaller crowd there than I would have thought and I was disappointed that there was not some representation from a couple of groups with the whom the family have been associated.
I didn't manage to see anyone in town or do any of the small jobs that needed doing - except I called into Graham's to say hello before dropping in to the presbytery at Glenorchy to see if their update of the Storm Program was working - it is although the backup facility didn't go to well. I then called into the wake for a few minutes before heading home to do some work before the next meeting.
The Tasmanian agent for Catholic Church Insurance went through and checked insurance cover - at the moment we are all right but there will need to be some reassessment of the coverage we have on the Church.
I didn't have long before the first couple arrived to do the FOCCUS inventory for Marriage preparation. I had a quick chat before setting them to work and then headed of down to the School Board meeting which starts at the same time as Nick and Anje had arrived so I got a bit of a rubbish for being late.
Then it was straight back home to prepare for my first meeting with Loretta and Melvin as they started their preparation with me for their marriage. Now for bed.
Thursday, 13th
Today has been a long day even though I haven't had that much in the diary - in fact there have only been two entries: an Awakening Advisory Exec meeting at Poatina and the 1st Aid Course.
The two hour drive to Poatina for a four hour meeting isn't too bad - it was made better because the meeting was very productive. Wee looked at a whole range of matters that we will be addressing through various processes into the next two years as part of the Jubilee 2000 process - and hopefully it will result in a positive response from the people of Australia into the future.
The trip back wasn't quite as good because I managed to miss the turn to Lake Crescent and I drove an extra 50 Kms without being able to call and see the LeRossignol family to complete the grieving process after the tragic death of Glenda 8 days ago. There were no signs off the road to say where to turn to go to Lake Crescent so I missed badly.
I managed to almost finish the Parish Newsletter in the time before the 1st Aid Course and have just completed it and printed it so I am well on my way to getting things finished for the weekend.
The 1st Aid course is rapidly coming to an end - there are only two more sessions before the final exam to see how we have gone - tomorrow I am borrowing a Resus-Annie from the Defence Force Medical Centre to practice on as I will be under pressure before I get a chance to do the exam.
I've also managed to download some more Screenthemes and gradually I'm getting the processes on the computer back into line. But now for bed otherwise I will stay up all night.
Friday, 14th
After Mass I headed off to the Defence Force Medical Centre to borrow a Resus-Annie (actually a 'George') for a day of EAR & CPR practice for the First Aid Exam which is coming up soon - I won't have any other real opportunities to practice between now and the exam so I will have to make the most of it.
I also did some work on the Newsletter for the Internet before making some final preparations for the Tasmanian Council of Churches Annual Meeting tomorrow in Launceston.
The trip north was uneventful and I was able to spend a bit of time talking to both Chris Hope and Terry Yard about the changes that are happening in Launceston with Chris' transfer to Kingston. I was also able to get an early night which I took with pleasure.
Saturday, 15th
I've just returned home from the Annual Meeting of the Tasmanian Council of Churches. It was a successful meeting with good input from Michael Brown, the director of Christian World Services and associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia. Michael spoke on the work of the CWS and their involvement in the current provision of refugee status for the Kosovars in Australia.
Peter Lewis from the Uniting Church spoke of their covenanting work with the Aboriginal Community and challenged us to reflect on our story and how we may not always have been open to the story of the indigenous people in recalling the whole story of our land.
The end of the meeting included the commissioning of the new president - a task I was pleased to perform as I completed my two and a half years. I now slip into the role of 'elder statesman' (or previous past president) and will attend Executive meetings in that role until Kevin hands on the reins in the next year or so.
Now for bed as today has been a very long day.
Sunday, 16th
The weather is turning cold and there were not as many at Mass this morning as usual - neither were there great numbers at Mass tonight. After Mass at New Norfolk I made a quick dash up to Hamilton for Mass and there were the usual good group there, including some extra's from Ouse.
I only had a few minutes after I got back from Hamilton to prepare the Baptismal certificates for the two baptisms that I celebrated at New Norfolk this afternoon. And as soon as they were completed I was immediately doing some practice for First Aid before celebrating the evening Mass.
I again only a had a short time after Mass to have a bite to eat before the start of the Parish Pastoral Council Meeting which lasted for has gone for just two hours and now it is time for bed as there are lot's of things to do tomorrow.
Monday, 17th
This morning after Mass I only had a short time to enter the Baptismal details from the weekends two baptism and input the Planned Giving details before heading off to Ouse for the Prayers for Peace in Kosovo Service at the Anglican Church. Sr Lorraine and Libby Shoobridge and a whole raft of people (50 at the service) have been knitting and crocheting and sewing and have produced quilts and blankets and woollen jumpers for the Kosovo refugees. During the service they were brought forward and now will be presented to the refugees or one of the appropriate agencies in the next few days.
As usual after a function in the country we gathered for a bite to eat in the local hall and after spending some time with the people I headed back to New Norfolk to see the family of the late Marie Clark whose funeral will be celebrated tomorrow afternoon. I managed to stumble at the first step of trying to scan Marie's photo for the front of the leaflet but in the end I got it done and everything is back in order. I returned to show her daughter the finished (draft) format and have been able to print the document so I am ahead of time at this time.
Then it was home to finish work on the material for the Journey program this evening. Missing the morning session puts just a little bit of pressure on me. The session has just finished and I'm ready for bed. During the day I also managed to contact some people regarding the Awakening 2000 meeting for the 27th as well as managing to change my flight details for the CWS meeting in Sydney for the 4/5th June.
Now for bed.
Tuesday, 18th
My upgrading from Windows 95 to 98 hasn't helped with the needing to reboot frequently - one of the DLL files has now started to go missing after a few hours and the only thing to do is reboot. I thought that it was only a trouble with Word Pro as I tried to copy between Word Pro and Publisher 98 as I was doing work on the Big Book I wanted to use for Marie Clark's funeral but it wasn't because even after I had reinstalled Word Pro the problem still exists. As I said in today's Notes & News I thought something might happen this morning that would take time that I wasn't aware of at the time.
After all that mucking around I headed for town - my first stop was to Graham's to get details for a funeral that is to be celebrated on Friday for the late Alice Koeck. From there I dropped off a cheque at the Catholic Education Office for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund, dropped off the Marriage papers at the State Offices before calling around to the travel office to collect the new itinerary for my flights to Sydney next month.
Walking back to the car I met Mike Callinan and had a chat in his office at YHA before heading for Mornington to collect the box of wine that was not delivered last week because no-one was at home when they called. I've just walked in after doing the next session of the First Aid Course and I've found five boxes of wine sitting at the front door - so I'll be ringing the company in the morning to ask why one box is more valuable than 5 boxes!
After collecting the wine I headed back to Moonah for the funeral followed by the service at the Crematorium. Considering Mrs Clark's age there was a good number of people but knowing the part that she and her late husband had played in the town there was only a small number of people to say their farewells. By the time all of that had been completed it was too late to return to New Norfolk so I stayed in town, had a meal with some friends before going to the First Aid Course.
Now I'm home and it is time for bed.
Wednesday, 19th
Today I managed to do some work on the newsletter for the weekend but ran into trouble as I tried to scan a photo of the late Alice Koeck for her funeral booklet - the same trouble I had earlier in the week - the scanner wouldn't start because, supposedly, it was being accessed by another application. It took a couple of complete removals of the scanning program and the device from the device manager before I managed to get it going.
I looked after the phone messages that were on the machine from last night and dropped off the 'Resus-George" before heading for Graham Family to meet Graeme Koeck to talk about arrangements for his mother's funeral. I had met members of his family years ago when I worked at the Cathedral - they were at St Mary's & St Virgil's College.
I came back home for my 12.30pm appointment before completing some more work on the newsletter. I then visited two further families to make arrangements for baptisms that are coming up in the next few weeks before returning home to prepare for a service for the children of the Parish gathering for their celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Like all of these services it was good to see the response of the parents supporting the children and it is good that the children respond so well. It's now time for bed and I've not got any energy to do any further work on the funeral booklet for Friday or the memorial service for the reception of the ashes of the late Terry Kelleher - they will both have to wait until tomorrow.
Thursday, 20th
With Mass at midday today I managed to get the service booklet for Alice Koeck finished but still had to see her brother, Con Lynch, later in the afternoon to get some further details. Sadly, Con is also getting old and was not able to remember a great deal more than the information her son had given me.
I rang about travelling to Warrnambool on Monday but Peter was out so will try again this morning. I've almost finished the newsletter - I have one phone call to make tomorrow to check if one of the local clergy is able to cover for me in case of a funeral or sick call next week.
After seeing Con this afternoon I had a hair cut before coming home to do some work on the memorial service booklet for Terry Kelleher - it is almost finished, the final details will be completed tomorrow.
I then sat down and did some practice for the First Aid course - the last practical session was tonight - the next session, or so we thought, is the exam night. When we got to the centre we were handed some 'practice' cards with incidents requiring First Aid - when we had finished the night we were told we had successfully completed the incident part of the exam - so all we have now is to work on theory and CPR & EAR. Because I am in Melbourne next week I've arranged to do the exam the following Tuesday.
I'm home and it is time for bed - I'm bushed.
Friday, 21st
I managed to make the final preparations for Alice Koeck's funeral without too great a difficulty and headed for the Graham Family Chapel and from there to the crematorium. Hobart is a small place as I managed to meet up with people whom I hadn't seen for some 30 years as they arrived for the service.
After the funeral I went to the ITIM offices and will need to meet with National Exec staff whilst in Melbourne next week. I've sent off an e-mail with the info asking for an appointment next Thursday - the issues that are involved can't really be resolved here in Tassie and they need to be addressed ASAP.
By the time that was all finished I needed to get home to complete the newsletter and get it printed so that I could head back to town for the wedding rehearsal. On the way back to town I managed to drop off the first of the extra wine I ordered for friends - only three more boxes to deliver.
The rehearsal is over and I'm heading for bed - I've got some packing to do to get ready for next week in Melbourne and I need to juggle some arrangements for meetings etc. over these next few weeks.
I'll be trying to get to the Hospital tomorrow as well as trying to see my parents in the morning after Mass at Hayes.
Saturday, 22nd
The trip up to Hayes for Mass this morning was in a fairly heavy fog but when I drove into the courtyard it was perfectly clear and sunny - but only for a very short time. I had a good chat and then headed home to finish some work before heading to town to drop off the wine and to see Mum and Dad - I also managed to catch up with Karen & Steven and their three children as well as Sean and his two - I haven't seen any of them for some time.
From there is was off to Glenorchy for lunch which was a pleasant meal but then I was so tired that I came home and didn't do any of the other things I had hoped to get done before I head off this coming week. I went to bed early but, because I can't get to sleep I've been watching some of the Saturday night footy - heading back to bed now (at about midnight) I must really be weird.
Sunday, 23rd
The trip to Ellendale after the morning Mass here at New Norfolk was easy with no fog or any other disturbances - there is always a good crowd of people who are really pleasant to work with.
The Baptism at Pontville today went well - luckily the lady who cares for the Church called in as the key she had given me to get copied was useless as another lady had lost her keys and all the locks had had to be changed. Everything went well except for watching Geelong getting thrashed by the Brisbane Lions was not pleasant so I headed home to get ready for the evening Mass.
I've just finished celebrating Mass and done some last minutes things before finishing my packing to head for Glenorchy where I will stay tonight before heading for the airport first thing in the morning.
Monday, 24th
An early start to get to the airport - I worried that the flight might not be able to leave on time because of fog. We were a few minutes late but not enough to worry about. Peter Slater was waiting at the airport so we had a coffee before heading off to Warrnambool for the class reunion.
Pete had collected a new car last week so it was a comfortable trip at reasonable speed without hurrying. When we arrived Eugene McKinnon, the PP of Warrnambool took us to lunch and then we went for a long walk on one of the ocean beaches. It was a very pleasant afternoon with no real pressure. When we got back Michael Morley had arrived so we chatted for a while before Michael, Peter and I headed off to have a talk and a walk around the town.
When we got back Chris Toms had arrived so we had a coffee and chatted and shortly after Pat Purcell, Michael Bogusz and Peter Grasby arrived. Of all the guys ordained in our year and still working there was only Leo DeMarzi, who wasn't able to be there because of the ill health of his mother, and John Pornprasit who lives and works in Thailand who weren't there. Later in the night, as we were enjoying a wonderful meal, Kevin O'Brien, who was also ordained in 1975 but not part of our year, and Michael McKinnon whom we knew in the seminary arrived and joined us for a time.
There were lots of stories told and 'adventures' shared and we have started to make the preliminary arrangements for our 25th Anniversary celebrations next year - and there seems to be a ready acceptance for the plans -something our year was not noted for during our time together in the seminary.
Tuesday, 25th
I woke early this morning and started work on compiling lists of those who had started in the seminary with us as well as those ordained. Chris Toms was heading back to Melbourne for a meeting at the Catholic Education Office and so starting early meant that he was able to take a list with him.
We concelebrated Mass at 10am and I managed to meet some friends from times when I had stayed in Dennington as a student and it was good to meet up with them again. I was also able to get a photo copied of our year (taken in 1971) that Michael Morley had brought with him.
After Mass people moved off - it was sad that we all just seemed to be busy and needed to get back to work so quickly but I knew where they were all coming from. Peter and I headed off and arranged to meet Michael Morley at Colac where we had some lunch before going in our different directions. Peter and I continued into Melbourne and called to visit some mutual friends where we were invited to have tea.
While there I made contact with Mick Wheeler to confirm my bed for the next couple of nights - and found that he had gone to hospital yesterday for a minor operation and had forgotten that I was coming this week. However, I was able to get into the house as there was a School Board meeting being held there so I introduced myself and then made myself at home and now for an early night - much earlier than last night.
Wednesday, 26th
I had a great nights sleep - the best for a long time. I had only just finished having breakfast when Mick arrived home from Hospital - a little bit sore and sorry for himself but in good spirits.
We sat and talked and then headed off down to Chadstone to collect some things and to find out if we could get some ink for the colour printer which is playing up. I had brought with me some certificates that Mick had spoken off when he was in New Norfolk last trip but without the colour printer they looked pretty ordinary. After wandering around for some time and finding some extra things we've come home and had some tea and I now I'm doing some more work on the computer programs so that they are working properly - but as usual not everything (at least for me) is working properly so will try so more tomorrow.
Now for bed - Mick and I work on different time plans - I'm a fowl and he's an owl so we see more of each other during the middle of the day.
Thursday, 27th
I managed to get most of the files up and running but I'll have to send some fonts back here when I get back to Tassie as he doesn't have Matura Script or Black Chance - two fonts that work well on the certificates.
After Mass we chatted for a while before heading into town to visit the Wine Society and collecting some wine for Mick. From there we headed off to La Verna, headquarters of ITIM for my meeting with Peter Marshall, the CEO. After spending a little time in the office we went and had some lunch to talk about some issues effecting the Tasmanian operation and to discuss some of the programs that have been mooted for Foundation 2010. It was an enjoyable lunch and when we returned to La Verna Mick was waiting outside and had been there just a few minutes so we headed off back home without too great a hassle.
We've just had tea and I've set up my Netspace account on Mick's computer so that I can get my e-mail and check out some of the sites that are important in my life but I'll have to wait until I get home before I can read the Vatican Information Service site as the URL's I chased down all seem to get the old 404 message. Mick is off to celebrate a Home Mass so I'm going to watch ER and then head off to bed.
Friday, 28th
Another early start this morning as I had to meet Peter Marshall, Bill Parkinson and Cath Green at ITIM to travel to the Qantas Lounge at the airport where our meeting took place. It means that anyone travelling doesn't have to spend extra time getting to the meeting place - John Ryan missed his flight but ended up only being twenty minutes late for the meeting.
It was a good meeting - the first of the National Foundation 2010 which wasn't tacked onto another meeting - in fact the Finance and Audit committee was tacked on to our meeting. It was an excellent meeting with lots of good developments and a growing awareness of the possibilities that are before us.
As the meeting was going to end earlier than first thought I managed to change my flight to an earlier time and have got home 4 hours earlier than expected. I've just had tea and went out to the car to go to the hospital to visit a parishioner and found that the car battery is as dead as a dodo. I've taken it down to the service station before walking around to the hospital. I'll collect the battery in the morning and then go and visit Bev again to see how she is getting on.
I've finished getting the newsletter and calendar printed for this weekend so now it is time for bed - and hopefully back to a good night's sleep.
Saturday, 29th
Today has been a really difficult day - everything has gone wrong, or rather, nothing has worked as well as it should.
After writing up the Daily Notes & News for the week I was away I checked to see that I had a copy of the letterhead for the community group that I do some work for and in the computer upgrade it has disappeared and all attempts to contact the secretary have failed so the material they want for Monday I can't supply and that is embarrassing.
One good thing during the morning happened when I visited the hospital to see Bev and was able to have a chat with Ian about what was happening; up until now I have not had a chance to talk to him - I'll go back tomorrow to say hello.
I collected the battery from the service station and found that the interior light in the car was on when I reconnected the battery so now I know why it was flat. I came back inside to collect the papers for the marriage at the Cathedral and couldn't find them. I looked everywhere, rang the Cathedral in case I had left them there last week after the rehearsal and eventually, in desperation reprinted everything to take with me and get re-signed in case I was not able to find the originals.
By the time all this was finished I was too late to call and see my parents so I headed for town but a short way down the road I remembered that there was one book I had not seen in my searching and that was my funeral book - last Friday I had celebrated Alice Koeck's funeral and then gone on to the rehearsal - so I turned round and came home and there were the papers under the funeral book where I had put them last Friday night.
I arrived just as lunch was starting so grabbed a plate and a seat and landed near the Archbishop who expressed his amazement that I had been able to tell him last Monday from Warrnambool that Fr John Williams was ill when he hadn't heard anything in Hobart. It was a good meal - I will miss next week as I will be in Sydney but the following three weeks will be here in New Norfolk.
From Lenah Valley I headed to the Cathedral for the wedding which went well except for the fact that the Marriage register was nowhere to be seen and no-one was home. After a brief panic I decided to use one of the forms that I had reprinted and have arranged to get the page pasted into the register in the appropriate place - so my panic of the morning actually proved a saving grace in the afternoon.
From there I headed for Lindisfarne to drop off some wine before coming home to finish off stapling newsletters and calendars together and now I've run out of staples - I have some more but can't put my hands on them at the moment.
Before anything else goes wrong I'm heading for bed and hopefully will go to sleep quickly.
Sunday, 30th
Today has been a good day.
The morning Mass wasn't as well attended as usual - school holidays and people are away. I then headed off to Bronte Chalet, 118 kms up the road, and when I arrived I found the largest congregation we've had there for some time. After Mass I enjoyed a pleasant lunch in the Chalet and good company with most of those who had been at Mass.
The trip back wasn't too bad so it gave me time to visit the District Hospital and see Bev as well as catching up with Gordon Batchelor who is in for a few days getting his diabetes treatment re-established.
From there it was back home for the evening Mass followed by some study for the First Aid exam on Tuesday - I haven't lasted that long before I've decided to head for bed to do some more in the morning, or at least tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, 31st
I spent most of the morning (or wasted most of the morning) working on letterhead/s for the community group - partly because I'm not able to get the scanner to work - I keep getting a message saying that the scanner is being used by another application but there are no conflicts shown in the device manager so I'm not sure what is happening. I will be going to see Peter Waugh sometime this week to work it out.
I did manage to do some work on parish material that needed to be entered into the Parish Data program - I then updated the files and sent them off to Perth to be included in a revised edition of the program that Pat will return next week.
My couple arrived a little late but we got down to doing the FOCCUS program for marriage preparation. Now that they have left I've returned to working on the First Aid material for the exam tomorrow night. Now I am ready for bed for an 'early' night.
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