It's that crazy feeling when you realise you have so much to do before going away. What's changed in the last years is the difficulty in getting resident priest cover, but that has all fallen into place, thank God.
Now in recent years I've got used to a kind of 3 part holiday - pilgrimage/my week/family time.
I've been part of the September Pilgrims group since 1990. When people say to me "Well, that's not really a holiday", well, I say it is. Away from the parish, no phones or doorbells. Yes I am with folks who are largely parishioners but the atmosphere is very different - relaxed, fun and strangely unpredictable. We're off to North Wales on Friday, staying at Llandudno.
Then my "me-week", when I go off entirely on my own. It's such a blessing to just be nobody, for people to not see the dog collar first and to enjoy all that stuff that goes with holiday, getting up when you want, eating where and what you want and so on. Over the years I've been going to various cities that appeal or that others rave about. After places like Munich, Bruges, Amsterdam, Milan, this year it's Berlin.
Then, instead of zooming off to stay with my brother or sister for part three, family are coming to me! I'm baptising my first great-nephew, Theo Xavier, which I'm really looking forward to.
In fact, I'm really looking forward to it all. So I better go now and get on with my preparations..
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