Blog Entries http://www.rotary1260.org.uk Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:54:22 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,If-theres-anyone-still-out-there.....html/Itemid,165/ N&#39;warlins....<br />&nbsp;<br />Our final destination.<br />&nbsp;<br />Our Slidell hosts took us right to the door of an art gallery owned by a Rotarian......... we left our cases and had time to enjoy the art before being picked up and taken for lunch. This was followed by a stroll around the French Quarter and a visit to Mardi Gras World....a large warehouse where floats to be used at the the next carnival were in different stages of completion...they were spectacularly huge. I think Nat p [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Sun, 31 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Last-stop-but-one.......html/Itemid,165/ <p>Slidell.........<br />&nbsp;<br />Will ever be remembered for the Ronnie Kole concert........New Orleans will ever be remembered for the Ronnie Kole concert.......<br />&nbsp;<br />Champagne reception at his home.....boat trip....beautiful dinner.....warm companions......excellent hosts....... and piano music to take your breath away.....</p><p>I have two cousins who play piano and I just wished I had a magic link up so they also could have been part of it......thank you Ronnie and Gardner fo [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,From-a-Gnat-and-Mosquito-ravished-Pamela....html/Itemid,165/ <p>By now I know my name and where I am....but haven&#39;t a clue what day it is, what date it is but I do know it&#39;s still October.....so there is a glimmer of light...so stick with me...<br />&nbsp;<br />Ocean Springs......a town every bit&nbsp;as beautiful as its name.<br />&nbsp;<br />We were there for the weekend so again it was very difficult to organise formal vocational days.....I guess we could have pretended that we were all budding chefs and that all the food we were eating actuall [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,3.5-hours-26-cries-for-help-and-4-calming-pills-later.......html/Itemid,165/ <p><img src="http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/images/blog//Pamela%20Picture.bmp" alt="" /></p><p>&nbsp;Our very first Photograph.....The White House</p><p>&nbsp;<img src="http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/images/blog//Pamela%20Picture%206.bmp" alt="" /></p><p>&nbsp;Arriving at our new abode</p><p>&nbsp;<img src="http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/images/blog//Pamela%20Picture%207.bmp" alt="" /></p><p>&nbsp;Vocation Day</p><p>&nbsp;<img src="http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/images/blog//Pamela%20Picture%205.bmp" al [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Blogger-Burns-reporting-for-duty.html/Itemid,165/ <p>OK.....have you got a cup of coffee...</p><p>Hattiesburg....a&nbsp; town with a Shopping Mall called Turtle Creek.......how good is that......beats Brent Cross hands down....not for the shops though.....</p><p>We arrived just in time to deliver our&nbsp;presentation to three clubs who had come&nbsp;together especially to participate in&nbsp;such a prestigious event......and again....everyone was laughing and a good time was had by all.</p><p>....but breakfasts will never be the same again.... [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,PHOTOGRAPHS-AT-LAST.html/Itemid,165/ <p>&nbsp;</p><p>At last I can show you some photographs of the beginning of our visit.....</p><p>This is not because I have suddenly become a technological wizard but because my hosts in Hattiesburg have a son Yusef.......and he did it for me....only a little biddy cheat.....</p><p>enjoy&nbsp;y&#39;all&nbsp; x</p><p><img src="http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/images/blog/PA040516.jpg" alt="" /></p><p>MISSED OUR CONNECTION AT WASHINGTON DC AIRPORT</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://www.rotary1260.org [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Wed, 20 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Conference-Weekend.html/Itemid,165/ <p>Ok Guys and Guyesses....our story continues.....<br />&nbsp;<br />We arrived in Algiers ready to participate in the District Conference.....and it was really good.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />You know it makes such a difference when you&#39;re listening to&nbsp;individuals speak who are passionate about their subject and Sustainable Development and Preparedness&nbsp;are obviously topics which everyone in this area holds dear to their heart.&nbsp; The Keynote Speaker was Lt General Russel Honore U [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Well-I-finally-did-it.html/Itemid,165/ On the&nbsp;evening of&nbsp;October 15th 2010 Pamela ate her first Alligator and it tasted just like.........chicken pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Sat, 16 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Further-Along-The-Road-Travelled....html/Itemid,165/ <p>Bay St Louis<br />&nbsp;<br />Described by our hosts as a &#39;sleepy town&#39;<br />&nbsp;<br />Well.....given the level of devastation they suffered as a result of Katrina and how far they have come in the prevailing 5 years....believe me,&nbsp;&#39;sleepy&#39; is not the word I would use to describe them......<br />&nbsp;<br />However, out of deference,&nbsp;I have to save my stories of what happened until I see you.....I&#39;m very conscious that the&nbsp; &#39;people&#39; are trying hard [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Conference-time.html/Itemid,165/ <p>We have now arrived in the West Bank to get ready for the District Conference this weekend.</p><p>&nbsp;We have just come from Bay Saint Louis which has been the first place that we have visited where you could visibly see the effects of hurricane Katrina 5 years on and there are still steps leading to where a house used to be in some places.&nbsp;People there are&nbsp;still working hard together to improve the area and it is looking great. The other areas that we have visited that have been [...] nat.sully@yahoo.co.uk Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Message-from-a-member..........html/Itemid,165/ <p>Ello,</p><p>&nbsp;Team member Nat here just wanted to say how much of a fantastic experience I&#39;ve had so far!</p><p>I didn&#39;t sleep a wink on either of the flights and on the one from Heathrow to Washington I watched the same film 3 times!</p><p>Have had amazing host families and met so many lovely people that have made all of us feel so welcome.</p><p>On animal watch so far&nbsp;I have seen:</p><p>8 Dogs</p><p>3 Cats</p><p>2 Alligators (thankfully not too closely)</p><p>4 Deer (althou [...] nat.sully@yahoo.co.uk Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Its-the-Belle-from-The-South-again....html/Itemid,165/ <p>My arms and legs look&nbsp;like they have chicken pox but they&#39;re only gnat bites.....so you can get close....I&#39;m not contagious...</p><p>I&#39;m sitting writing this&nbsp;in an all American Car Lot......it&#39;s hot and it&#39;s dusty and it&#39;s great.</p><p>Ok Guys and Guyesses.....we&#39;re now in Covington Louisiana.....are you sitting comfortably....then I&#39;ll begin...</p><p>How y&#39;all doin....</p><p>What a welcome.....lunch in a pub and then onto Rotarian Elizabeth&#39;s [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Lo-from-Louisiana.html/Itemid,165/ <p>I start with an apology and condolences.....apparently I&#39;m responsible for the increase in suicide rates in St Albans......people are throwing themselves onto the M1 rather than having to look at my photograph.....if only you guys knew how long it took me to upload it you wouldn&#39;t be so awful......I do have to admit though....it is pretty grim...</p><p>However.....God shines his light upon you all&nbsp;because today I travelled from Mississippi to Louisiana.....and.....I&#39;m staying [...] pamelaburns7@hotmail.com Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 New Orleans 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Wednesday-8th-to-Sunday-12th-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>The next few days are clear of Rotary Club visits. Just a Conference Meeting scheduled for Thursday 9th.</p><p>Today (Wednesday) I am taking my nephew by to University in Leicester. It&#39;s always good to spend time with my niece and nephew, they are 19 years old so you can imagine have lots to say and always have an opinion to share! Sam is studying Journalism, who knows whether they&#39;ll be an jobs at the end of his course but at least he has a plan... my niece Beverly is definitely Rota [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Tuesday-7th-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>After a late night I was up early to take my Dad to hospital for a cataract operation. Just day sugery but nonetheless something that&#39;s going to stop him from digging the garden for a little while! </p><p>It was good to spend some time with my parents (mum and I went garden centre shopping whilst dad was having fun...) but there&#39;s always something to do as DG, so it wasn&#39;t long before it was time to go&nbsp;home once more&nbsp;and get ready for a visit to Luton North Rotary Club.< [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Monday-6th-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>A new week is upon us and it&#39;s time to get back to Club visits... lunch time was a quick drop-in to Hitchin RC to deliver their Thanks for Life materials. AG Pamela is delivering to AG John&#39;s clubs and I&#39;m making sure Pamela&#39;s clubs receive their materials; we don&#39;t mind mixing and matching roles here you know!</p><p>Prior to my evening meeting with Hitchin Priory Rotary Club, Rtn Noel picked me up and took me for a Conference AV Meeting. It&#39;s important at this early s [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Sunday-5th-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>A day of rest! Especially as last night Hitchin Tilehouse held one of their infamous Foundation fundraisers - Tipples and Tongues...</p><p>This event was a wine tasting with a difference - dessert wines and puddings yum, yum! The team worked so hard, erecting portable car-ports and gazebos, preparing the puddings and food for the evening BBQ.</p><p>We all started arriving around 5pm and were greeted with a glass of something fizzy with strawberries of course... time for chit-chat then onto th [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Saturday-4th-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>Today is a special day as&nbsp;I received an invite from Luton Rtn Jack Durrah to visit Bletchley Park and today was the day we had booked.</p><p>Jack and his late wife have been collecting Churchill memorabilia for over 40 years.&nbsp;His collection is amazing;&nbsp;a giant exhibition of the life and times of Sir Winston Churchill,&nbsp;who visited Bletchley Park on many occasions during the War. Churchill famously said of the workers at Bletchley Park that they were &#39;The geese that laid [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Friday-3rd-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>I&#39;m looking forward to today; meeting with Janet Peirce at lunch time and then on to meet with Assistant Governor Gavin Plews leading nicely to a night out at a 25th wedding anniversary celebration for one of my own club members Rtn Steve Wilson and his wife Tracey.</p><p>Janet and I like to get together from time to time for a general catch-up but specifically at the moment to talk about progress with our RIBI Membership Marketing grant. The clubs in the Luton zone are working together t [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010 http://www.rotary1260.org.uk/component/option,com_myblog/show,Wednesday-1st-to-Thursday-2nd-September.html/Itemid,165/ <p>No Club visits scheduled for this week so time for a couple of days off which is great! </p><p>We&#39;ve been spending time in Cambridge looking after Liz&#39;s mum who is poorly, so that has taken me away from internet connections and the email - not a bad thing really as I&#39;m able to work through my inbox and file/delete all those messages that have been psychologically labelled as &#39;work-in-progress&#39;... Of course when I get home again, the system delivers another 40 - 60 a day to [...] awatkin@peoplerealm.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:00:00 +0100 DGs Blog 2010