h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We had the College Christmas lunch today, at a big hotel in town. Quite pleasant, except that the tables are always arranged so that people who work together sit together, and I would quite like to sit with people I *don't* see every day ...

Afterwards I took the rest of the afternoon off, and went to a wake for a former colleague (H). He died a few weeks ago, aged 54, of an undiagnosed heart condition, while working with Karen refugees on the Thai/Myanmar border. Didn't feel well one evening, went to bed and just never woke up the next day - great way to go for him, but pretty awful for his family, having to arrange to fly the body back, have a post-mortem etc.

Anyway, the family funeral was today, so we had a wake at a pub in Cambridge, with a group of us who used to work with him as EFL teachers. It was a really nice occasion, and one which I feel H would have enjoyed. We are going to have a collection and plant a tree in his memory in the community orchard in the local country park.