To collectively answer the PM's and phonecalls as to why I reneaged from attending the meet this weekend, I feel an explanation is finally in order and may explain in some way why my forum attention has been less than normal of late. And my patience!

There have been quite a few personal things ongoing in our family affairs recently, the most important of which are that I am being compulsarily retired from the plod as of next month (their idea, not mine, I hasten to add....) but, more importantly, my wife has discovered a recurrence of the cancer we successfully fought 3 years or so ago.
She restarted chemo the other week and, to those who know the order of these things, she is at her most susceptible to infection over this weekend, hence our reluctant non attendance.
Most certainly not looking for pages of sympathy or similar, merely stating facts. We are all upbeat and confident that we will again overcome adversity. Onwards and upwards and all that!

Lets all take a bit of care on the way that we look at the bigger picture, particularly through this restricted medium of OOF, and collectively look after each other. That maxim certainly works for us.....
Take care out there. Small things can quickly become important.....
