Help, I'm drowning not waving!

The last two days have been ones of preparation for me, although I was interviewed for Magnet magazine this afternoon on the way to the dry cleaners after sending in my next instalment for the Methodist Recorder! Martyn is in Sibiu, Romania as part of a delegation at the Conference of European Churches' Ecumenical Assembly. A couple of texts indicating a very long journey (approx 13 hours) and bad weather also said that all were in good spirit. We await a detailed report!

I have had just enough time to recognise that I don't have enough time to do all the things I need to do! The plan is that I meet Martyn at Heathrow tomorrow evening as he arrives back and that he then drives us to Cardiff. On Saturday we go to Aberystwyth to take part in the inaugural service of celebration for the new Welsh District. Then off to visit a new Methodist Home http://www.methodisthomes.org.uk/ following which I will head off to Wrexham ready to preach there on Sunday before an interesting train journey home. On Monday Martyn and I are both going off to Brighton for a day at the TUC Conference on Tuesday. Gordon Brown is speaking on Monday morning but I just can't make the logistics work to see him along with packing another bag for Brighton and finding time to pack for the trip to Sydney, Australia for the World Methodist Council Executive. I set off for that on Wednesday morning. I am hoping that I have sufficient clean underwear for this series of trips. (Is the Vice President supposed to talk about underwear? - oh well that will be something else I've got wrong!) Really worried am going to arrive in Sydney without a sermon for the Sunday morning when I am supposed to be preaching at a church as yet unspecified! So if anyone who reads this spots me over the next week or so, please let that be a reminder to pray. The smile may be fixed and the waving may be drowning but it still looks like it will be an amazing time. Now what have I done with the dry cleaning ticket? Help!