99 not out: 850 nearly out

Work. Then back down to North Berwick to celebrate my mother’s 99th birthday.

Not content with the family celebrations over the weekend she wanted to invite some neighbours and friends in for drinks and nibbles. There were around 20 of us, including my brother and his wife who helpfully were on hand to prepare and get things underway as I was arriving at the start of the party. A lovely couple of hours with home made savouries.

As the event drew to a close I got news of Notre Dame in Paris. We are due to visit Paris next month and the cathedral had been on our list. A few years ago we managed an hour or so there but we wanted to spend a lot more time in the sanctuary. While I had visited the cathedral several times from the mid-60s onwards including when I lived in Paris with a family for a month aged 14, that had been my wife’s first ever visit and we wanted to see more. It is not to be and the loss is tragic. While things can be replaced - and it will no doubt take many decades - the original craft work has disappeared.

And all on the day my post has been advertised as the Board look for my successor to take over in the autumn.

Nothing lasts forever!