Away with the fairies

I've been a bit elusive over the last week.

Regular blog readers will have experienced my temporary absence in the past, and will know I haven't been attacked by some masked bikie from Perth, or a former council employee under search and destroy orders.

November was a massive month.

The purpose of returning home was all about seeing mother. The dramatic transformation and her slowing down, both physically and mentally since I last saw her nearly three years ago, was a challenging journey. It required some internal searching for meaning and reflections about the speed of life and it's fragility.

I missed seeing my aunt, dad's last surviving sister, before she passed away in the last days of my stay in New Zealand. Her memorial service, which I helped manage, was a beautiful affair.

New Zealand was also engulfed in the horrible events from Pike River and it's 29 lost souls. Such a small country, with a massive and broken heart.

It wasn't all doom and gloomy. There were some special moments that I look forward to sharing. The rebuilding and repair of Christchurch and how the local Council managed the aftermath from the September earthquake, was extraordinary. Nothing like a disaster to bring a community together. So there's still a great deal to diary and share with you all, and I will progress this over the coming week.

There are also some local Cairns stories that I need to catch up on and blog. Thanks also for the many emails, donations to the Councillor Blake Defamation Fighting Fund and phone calls. It's been a rollercoaster.