It's been a great week. Work is wonderful, I also attended two functions and got to practice my Welsh, attended a good quality seminar and a national working group where I learnt a lot more. What struck me most about this week is as I develop the World seems to shrink? It really is a small World, early in the Blog I mention that we have the same table mats as Jeffers. No big shakes on its own, but at the national working group I bumped into a friend that I had not spoken to more than two or three times in the last decade. I know; that's a bit careless of me, but 'hey ho' that's the nature of some friendships, you don't pick them up, but they are always there.
Dave and I studied together at Central Lancashire between 1994 and 1998, I took a First in Fire Engineering and Management and Dave took a First in Fire Engineering. He got promoted and I didn't. Well not straight away, but maybe I am now starting to catch up. The friendship is still there and it was a warm greeting. Made better by the co-incidence that surround most events. What was I doing on the national working group? Why had I travelled so far and why did I arrive early? Those that have read the Blog previously will probably guess where all of this is going. I'm a fatalist and believe that things always happen for a reason. That certainly doesn't mean that you should sit around and wait for the big bang, the lottery win or the job invite to land at your door. It simply means that everything happens for a reason and as Norbert Elias explained; we are all linked in some way or the other.
Well, there I am, chatting away about life in general and Africa in particular. When Dave speaks up with the nicely received question; "where in Africa?" and before I can reply, he has joined on the next bit; "I was in Ghana recently". Well, of course he was. No, not in any old part of Ghana but yes you've guessed it; he stayed in Accra. Well spiffing old chap, just what the Doctor ordered. Writing about Doctors reminds me to let you all know that my mysterious African illness lasted 13 days. Well, lets get back to Accra Dave. Unlike me, Dave was chauffeured around with Diplomatic plates. This meant speeding through Red lights and a crazy journey in the wrong direction along a Dual Carriageway. I know that Dave mentioned that at the time he thought he was going to die, but I bet looking back at it the blue light out riders and crazy stunts were pretty exciting. I have another friend called Dave and we recently chatted about my work in Africa. Dave 2 mentioned that if I ever get offered a diplomatic pick up at the airport and drive across country, not only will he accompany me to Africa, but he will supply the plane. Cool or what? No not hot air; he really does have access to more than one private jet. Now, I can't trump that, but Accra Dave and I shared stories about Ghana. How nice the people are, the visible poverty and how grateful he and his friends were whenever they got fed. The meals were good, but they didn't always get what they asked for. Whereas I had the hospitality of Jeff, Tamara, Patricia, Patricia's Mum, Josephine, and Alice and I always got something that was pretty good. Like Accra Dave, I was also very grateful. We discussed bathing in cold water, the scary roads, the motorway that comes to an abrupt end and the Fire and Rescue Service that appears to lack strategic vision. The strange thing is; we both want to do voluntary work there. It certainly is a very small World indeed.
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