I caught the train to London today for the first of this year’s meetings of the Kings College branch of the Arbitration Club. Fortunately, like the Mother Club the meetings are held, at a solicitor’s office, just behind Liverpool Street Station, so the journey was not too exhausting.
Today was a red letter day for the blog when the number of hits exceeded 200,000. It is now running in excess of 1000 hits a day, something in the order of 30 to 40,000 hits a month, so presumably someone, somewhere is gaining some comfort or benefit from it which, as I have explained at the beginning of the blog, is its main objective — to give comfort to the sick and the depressed in the hope that that in reading my story and dipping into the anecdotes, jokes and video clips of others who are worse off than themselves, who have magnificent overcome adversity, they will realise even a have something to be thankful for.
Since I have suffered from this disability I have found, on the whole, people are mostly wonderfully understanding and helpful. An example of this occurred today when Tim Reynolds, a partner in a major city law firm, who is, the chairman of the Arbitration Club, came to my office and devoted a whole day into assisting me to prefer some documentation in connection with the marking of the examination I set following my last visit to China in October. What a generous act from an important busy lawyer.
I went to London today to the Law Courts Branch Meeting of the Arbitration Club. One of our members, Keith Kirkwood, very kindly met me at Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station and taxied me from Liverpool Street station to the venue and back. It was very kind of him. I discovered something entirely new today. I was aware that taxies have been fitted with hydraulic platforms that can be lowered for wheelchairs and I did not know that the dickie seat by the door actually swings out over the pavement making it very easy to mount the cab. It then swings back and clicks into place during the journey. I shall certainly be happier taking cabs in the future as a result.
It was a good meeting and I was particularly pleased to see our long serving chairman Dominic Helps looking robust after a period of ill health.
I made it today to the March meeting of the Mother Club of the The Arbitration Club. Fortunately they meet at Herbert Smith’s offices, at the back of Liverpool Street Station, so the distance from the train to the office is not too great.
One of our vice president, John Rushton, kindly met me on the platform (after firm instructions from ‘ my lovely ‘) and escorted me from train to office, including climbing three flights of stairs on the way which I wanted to test to see how I might get on in our resort in Thailand where our rooms are on the first floor. I managed okay but I don’t think I would have been happy to do many more steps.
I met a very pleasant lady on the train who also happens to be a teacher/lecturer and she assisted me by removing my hat and scarf and replacing them when we got to Liverpool Street Station, as well as helping me get up from my seat. It’s amazing how kind and helpful people can be.
London today, for a committee meeting of The Arbitration Club. Basically to discuss the setting up of an educational trust fund to visit China and to determine who will succeed me to deliver the annual lectures at the Faculty of Law, CUPL Beijing. No final resolution of either was achieved at a meeting but the excursion ended very happy with the most enjoyable lunch with the chairman, Tim Reynolds, at Piccolini’s restaurant on the concourse adjacent to Herbert Smith’s offices.
On the way home, an old mate of mine from the gym, Charles Cox, plonked himself down on the seat opposite and we whiled the way the journey in discussing old times and the difficulties of functioning in this current financial climate. In fact, we very nearly failed to get out at Newport.
By the time the Charles had got me up from the seat he had to make a dash for the door before it closed and the train departed. In future I am going to speak to the driver and warn him that I’m on the train and when he gets to my station he must allow a few seconds longer for me to disembark.
This is a one off special entry, as you can see relating to The Great London Swim, in which hundreds of generous young people will be swimming for various charities. The event is taking place in the Royal Docks on 3 July. Some members of The Arbitration Club, and other friends have very generously agreed to swim a mile each for the MND Association. They’re kindly calling this “3 Miles For Mark”. Obviously, for such a worthy cause we are seeking as many sponsors as we possibly. I have personally e-mailed a great number of people, in the UK and other parts of the world where I am known, in the hope that a few of them will support us. You can get all the information you require about this event from the following sponsorship forms: Three Miles for Mark – sponsorship form – revised 16 03 2010 Three Miles for Mark – sponsorhip flyer- 16 03 2010 From this you can see that you can either make an individual donation, or better still, download the other form and the elicit donations from friends and relatives or sympathisers of people who have had contact with loved ones who have suffered from disease. Having collected those donations yourself you can then make a single donation using the other form. This special entry will remain at the top of this blog until all the promised donations have been collected. I thank each and every one of you, in advance, who kindly respond to this appeal.
Post event Note
The swim was a great success see 4 July entry. I’m keeping this special note on the blog for the time being as we ar,e still in the throes of collecting in pledges and there is still time for anyone who has not yet made a donation, who wishes to do so to do so direct through clicking on the above link.
DMC 8 July 2010
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