Daddy Neil and Conney travels this summer

Dear Family and Friends,
Sorry for my silence, we have been busy settling in. Now we are now resettled back in the Emirates after a lovely extended holiday in the UK and Canada. It was a memorable trip though frightfully expensive
Conney, Vicky, Eric and I have returned in August from a 6 week trip to the UK and Canada. It was certainly a memorable trip though very expensive. In the Uk we had a great time with sister Valen, her husband Jeremy and our little niece Anna who has become quite the little women. Lots of laughs – a special time for 3 sisters who don’t all get together often. We also took a little time in Scotland with our dear friends Kevin and Abbey and their delightful baby Sophie-Jade. They live in a charming little seaside hamlet and we were highly entertained.
On we flew to Ontario where we visited with my Dad, sister Frances and her husband Fred, sister Meg her husband Jay. My son William who flew in to share our visit in Ontario greeted us at the airport. Also present were my nephews Jamie and briefly Michael and my niece Clara and her fiancé Ola., Katie and Jane. It was great to renew ties and times with them all. We had several great meals/parties in Frances and Fred’s lovely new country estate. It was great to see Frances and Fred putting down such delightful roots their place is beautiful and reminiscent of Hatley a good reward for all their efforts and success. I played some golf with Dad 88 who still beats me. I was very pleased to see that Dad has settled in well in his retirement next door to Meg. He seems content and peacefully enjoying his time. Meg is a good support to him and his proximity and Meg and Jay’s hospitality keeps him from being too lonely while maintaining his independence. Too quickly we had to depart.
After we left Ontario we had a good visit with Kimberley in Montreal. It was a pleasure to meet her new boyfriend Steve a big jolly Canadian secret services guy. They are very happily in love and this is the happiest I have ever seen Kim so it warmed my heart. We also had our annual lunch with my work buddies, Bob, Tariq and John always good to see these guys!
When we arrived in Calgary Carol made the extraordinary gesture of welcoming us with open arms. This enabled a lot of family time with all of us together. She pulled it off with perfect aplomb though and I am very grateful to her. I hope this is the beginning of an amicable relationship with Carol and am well pleased. There is even now some talk of Carol plus perhaps Jenny and Andrew coming to visit us in the U.A.E. this winter. We also happily reunited with Dave and Tiffany Armitage Uncle and cousin who we have rarely seen over recent years and had a splendid party at Tiffany’s.
Anyway we had a wonderful visit with Dawn, Gene, Ty and Jada in sharing al little cabin in the scenic beauty of Banff. We very much enjoyed seeing Jenny and little Taylor and Summer. William was as always a joy both visiting with us and you all in Ontario and again in Calgary. Andrew was around with us a lot and we enjoyed his warmth, even Jason joined in the warm family atmosphere.
I had feared difficulties travelling with our little Eric only 9-10 months during the trip but he turned out to be good as Gold. He rarely fussed and enjoyed seeing new places and people. He charmed everyone he met and I am sure all will remember him well. I'll post some pictures soon.

Yours,
Neil

HI there!

Hi everyone!
I am hoping that people are still checking. Dad, where are you? I have not seen you post anything since you invited everyone. Are you still here?
Does anyone know where Will is? I got a message on Facebook that he was racing through the streets of Afghanistan or some strange place. Any ideas?
I just returned from Berlin last week and I was so impressed with the city and the people. I managed a tour on the first morning I was there (although this was a work trip), and nearly everything we saw was either brand new or re built. It turns out that in East Germany, nothing was rebuilt by the Russians. It all lay in ruins until 1991 or so. It has taken the Germans only 15 year to rebuild the city that the carpet bombing of the Allied forces took away. It is a beautiful city today with historical monuments perfectly rebuilt and modern architecture that blends and compliments the historic buildings. I was most impressed with memorialization of the holocaust. After livingin Japan - a country that is in complete denial of its WWII history - I have such respect for the grace and speed with which Germany is moving forward while wearing the weight of such a profound and dark modern history. The Holocaust Memorial was just behind my hotel. On the streets, embedded in the sidewalks are brass plaques in which are listed the naes of the Jewish families that were taken from the site, and how old they were when they died. It was very sad. I have incredible respect for them for the level of acknowledgement of it all. It was a wonderful trip and I plan to go back soon on an invitatation from the Minister of Defense and his wife. I am very excited to go.
I miss you. See you soon, I hope!

Well hello all
I am sitting in Detroit airport waiting for my connection to Washington. I have a week in the USA before me. First I am attending a board meeting of the National Advisory Board of the Long Term Ecological research projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Should be interesting...I have just joined the board but this is some of the best long term look at the interactions between humans and environments going on today- so I hope to learn things as well as contribute. From there, on Friday, I go to Madison, where I will hang out for the weekend with old friends. On Monday morning I fly to Boston to work with an interesting woman at Tufts University who is working on an index for human resilience. Back in Waterloo Tuesday night.
I have left Fred and Katie...both anxious about her next step...which will hopefully be entering into Homewood in Guelph for a month or so. This, I believe, has the most innovative rehabilitation program in Canada. Fingers crossed that she will find the help there which she deserves.
Love to you all. And lets do keep writing! Will, I see you are signed on...how about a status update. Dad...great poems...keep them coming
Francie

Afganistan. Seems to me that poppies finance the taliban but if we destroy the poppy fields we just impoverish the farmers and earn thair antagonism. Why, I have thought, not just pay very high prices anf buy all the poppies thus depriving the Taliban and enriching the farmers? The farmers would love us and the taliban would crumble.

another poem:

Laughter spreads meaning
It encloses tenderness
Even when we reach too far
and fall.

Each day opens space for light
Driving back ignorance
Lifting the curtain
So that the play begings.

You are tenderly touching,
Reching and holding possibilities
Including warm delights and
Whispers of relief.

Oh my. Yes indeed! It's coming
te comet of traanscendence
Carrying songsof joy
the heart beat of grace.

Bill westley--Feb 19, 08

experimenting

Well I guess I didn't quite have it right last time since I only responded to a comment. We'll see if this works better. Good to hear from Dawn! But as mentioned I'm not likely to be a great participant here - email works way better for me as it doesn't require an extra step to check. Is there a way to get a notice of new blogs sent to our personal email addresses? That might be better for me. I'll explore.

Had a terrific chat with Katie today (her birthday) - she seemed in very good spit=rits.

Meg

What is lost when dreams fall into the shadows?
When heroes sleep after the dark clouds come
Baring my whole heart to the ugly fate of time?
When there is only the bare cupboard of necessity.

The loss is bitter unless the sunrise warms my heart
Or your smile lights the edges
Where sight finds the golden promise
Passed along by my grandfather.

Each day moves into the center of my longing
Hoping for a place of tenderness and gifts.
Shall we walk together holding hands,
Enclosed in a bubble of love?

Maybe we do have butterfly wings, which grow
With the heart’s warmth, joy and helpfulness.
Yes I know this and seek that warmth
With reckless gladding and keenth.

Bill Westley Feb 11/08

hurrah, great idea,I am in.