… amidst everything that’s happening in my life. To whit:

Wednesday May 20th, Colin & I went to Italy for a week. Rome for 4 nights and Sorrento for 3. It was exceptionally hot for the time of year (low-mid 30s °C Rome was very busy and expensive though Sorrento thankfully a bit less so. And we had a fantastic time. Photos will be forthcoming.

We got back in the early hours of Thursday 28th, and we brought the good weather back with us. Last weekend - and much of this week - the temperature has been in the low-mid 20s, with clear blue skies and nonstop sunshine. I actually got more sunburnt last weekend than during the whole week in Italy - did more sunbathing, probably, including a late afternoon hour on Sunday spent lounging in my paddling pool in the garden.

The heat even caused my PC to go a bit doo-lally on Tuesday, and refuse to boot properly from the hard disk, though I got it back to rights yesterday.

But our enjoyment in the good weather turned sour on Monday. Colin’s cousin Dale, on his day off from his job as a chef at our local hotel, went for a picnic down the river with some friends. He went for a swim in the river - and didn’t come out again. Police divers eventually found him after 5 hours.

I knew nothing until I got home from Belfast about 9 on Monday night; it had taken me nearly 3 hrs to drive home due to a damaged bumper which I finally tied on with string. Colin was up at his mum’s, minding his nieces while the rest of the family was down at the river - he’d worked that day and had to be back in again at midnight and was exhausted by Tuesday morning.

We went up to see Dale’s parents - and the rest of the family - on Tuesday night, but the wake proper began yesterday when his body was brought home. The funeral’s tomorrow, and I don’t think it’s yet sunk in for anyone. He was just 21, had a great career as a chef, had everything going for him. The family’s in pieces, and what seems like the whole village has rallied around. And although he’s not my own immediate family, he’s someone I knew, and whose family I am part of, and I’m understandably not feeling great at the moment.

We weren’t going to go back up to the wake tonight, but since the rest of the family was there, we did. Just back now, after around 2 hrs spent talking quietly to people, and worrying about his parents and granny. We’re both drained. Tomorrow will be hell for everyone.

I was in Belfast again earlier today anyway - my car was at the mechanic’s yesterday and hopefully is all healthy again now - and was struggling to concentrate. I have a hell of a lot of work on, not helped by having had a week off even though my team lead covered for me very well. Everything seems to be piling up - we have visitors arriving in 2 weeks to stay for a few days, and I need to get the study completely cleaned out so they have somewhere to sleep.

I need to make lists. Lots of lists. And stick to them. But first there’s tomorrow morning to get through.

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