Christmas is almost here!

At last I find myself in a position to put pen to paper again. November was an incredibly busy month with all four weekends away from home.

During the first week I made a visit to the Rotary Club of Brixham on a very blustery and wet evening. The wind was really lashing around the Yacht Club up on the cliff where they meet, and this made their warm hospitality even more welcome.

The following day I attended the Inner Wheel District 17 Rally at Exmouth, where I was also made most welcome, and it gave me an opportunity to catch up with many old friends from my Inner Wheel days.

On Thursday it was an early start for the visit to RC Torbay Sunrise for their breakfast meeting. It was still wet and windy and the sea was lashing on the rocks.

Friday saw me traveling to Germany for the Rotary International Institute in Hanover. When I booked my flight I was delighted to find that I could fly from Exeter and expected it to be a pretty straight forward journey. I didn't bargain with Flybe cancelling all the flights to Hanover from Exeter after the end of October, thus finding that I had to fly from Southampton. The flight was at 10.30 so necessitated a fairly early start from home and after much investigation I decided that a train to the airport was the best option. To make the connection I had to catch the 05.57 train from Totnes, so it was an early start. There were two other connections to make and because of the lateness of the train, I missed the second one! I did, however, arrive in time for the flight and the rest of the journey went reasonably well.

It did turn out to be worth the effort because it was a very useful weekend with some interesting presentations. I joined DGE Paul in Hanover and we travelled home together on Monday. It did, however, take four trains to travel from Southampton airport to home on the return journey.

On Tuesday I visited Newton Abbot club who very quickly made me feel at home and brought me up to speed with all that they are doing. It was a most interesting meeting.

The following day it was time for District Continuity again. This is when the Governor group (PDG, DG, DGE, DGN &DGNN [if there is one]) get together for a chin wag and talk about the things that affect District Governors and the continuity of service in the district.

Then came the highlight of the week. On Thursday RC of Teignmouth Estuary Inaugurated. It was a super evening with Peter Davey, RIBI Membership Development and Retention Chairman and John Banks, RIBI Extension Officer traveling to Devon for the occasion. Many congratulations to all those who have worked so hard. It was a special evening and well supported by all the local clubs.

At the weekend I took a couple of days off to see my family. It was well worth the long drive as I hadn't seen my grandchildren since the beginning of the Rotary year and was really missing them.

When I got back on Monday we were straight into all the District heats for the Young Chef Competition. It never ceases to amaze me the quality and variety of the food that these youngsters produce.

On Friday lunchtime I was off on my travels again, heading for Coventry for the Mid Year Review. This is when all the District Committee Chairmen from RIBI get together to compare notes and see how the year is progressing. I was there to attend the Membership Development group and help with the day. I was fortunate that the weather wasn't too bad and the snow followed me up the country although the journey did take five hours.

I fully intended coming home on Saturday evening so that I could be at Dartmoor Vale's Santa Special on Sunday morning, because it is such a special event and really heralds the beginning of Christmas. My plans were thwarted though, because when I came out of the hotel I found four inches of snow on my car! In the event, I decided to spend the night and Sunday in the midlands as I had a General Council meeting at Alcester on Monday. Common sense prevailed!

Two more Young Chef heats and a Conference Committee meeting and another week drew to an end. This time Les and I were off to Ilfracombe to saver the pleasures of their President's Night. We were so lucky with the weather, with a break from the cold snap and the roads clear of snow. It was an exceptionally good evening, and it seemed that most of North Devon was there, although sadly, President Ian's family couldn't make it out of the snow covered south of England. On Sunday morning our generous hosts Nigel and Jill Vince, treated us to a walk on the cliff in beautiful sunshine and, with good visibility, the views were stunning.

By Monday the temperature had dropped once more and I made my way to RC of Torquay for lunch. They are a busy club and are preparing for their ninetieth birthday in January; what an achievement!

The following day I was with Preston Club for their meeting in the evening. I gingerly picked my way through the weather and am increasingly grateful that I visited the distant clubs earlier in the year when the weather was better.

On Thursday I joined DGE, Paul and Editor, Peter and we spent most of the day with the January edition of the District Magazine before making our way to Tiverton for a District Executive Meeting. This was followed on Friday by Paul and I meeting up again to see Teinbridge MP, Anne Marie Morris to talk about The Big Society. A very useful meeting, and it will be interesting to see how this develops and what comes from our discussions.

This week, after attending my club on Monday, Les and I were off to North Devon again for the Inauguration of RC of Braunton Caen. This was another very special occasion with the new club being heralded by a fanfare. It was a very lively and enjoyable evening. Another hard working group having made the new club possible, and provided an evening club for those who have difficulty making lunchtime meetings. They were also delighted that RIBI Extension Officer John Banks made the long journey from Leigh-on Sea in Essex to be with them.

Thursday saw a second Editorial Meeting and I now only have my own Club's Christmas bash and Christmas lunch at Ashbuton/Buckfastleigh on Tuesday before I can look forward to a very welcome Christmas break.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all:

All the Blessings of Christmas and a very Happy and Peaceful New Year.

I also offer my sincere thanks to you all for the untold hours that you put in on Rotary projects to help those less fortunate and in need.