Settle down now !

Just a few weeks since writing my last blog, and since May 6th Election Day, I had genuinely expected life to have settled down a little. But, no - having just got to grips with a skillfully constructed, new coalition Government, and a new 4-handed Dept. of Culture and Media, this weekend has seen the unseating of David Laws who, only days ago, was 'dominating the Commons' according to Simon Hoggart in The Guardian. As the Government regains its balance today, BP loses the plot with its spewing oil disaster and BA tailspins on with its UNITE collision course.
Next week, I'm looking forward to some recreation and inspiration at the ITT conference, this year in Spain. But all I hear on the radio is how the 4th largest Eurozone economy is having just as difficult a time as Greece and Italy.
And so, thank goodness for Lambeth Palace Library! Just 2 weeks ago, based on the strength of advance bookings, the prospect of a successful 400th Anniversary exhibition looked rather uncertain. Having worked on the project for well near a year, it was hard to maintain confidence as opening day beckoned. Now 2 weeks in and all our efforts have been rewarded. The response of the media and of the public has been amazing and so far at least, we have a success on our hands. So that's one major uncertainty settling down at least. I can sleep more soundly now.

Uncertain times

The world feels unusually unsettled of late with crises and disasters of both personal and professional impact for me. The horrendous earthquake in Haiti in January was only 3 months ago yet it seems longer and of course, is now lost from media coverage. Last month came the Islandic volcano eruption - the ash crisis shut European skies for an unprecedented 6 days and left 10 million passengers without flights. Fortunately I'd recently returned from a short break in Poland so wasn't stuck in Eastern Europe but several colleagues and friends were forced to battle their way home from holidays or business trips or were frustratingly stuck in London, missing work deadlines and family commitments. Then, just a week after returning from Poland, came the tragic air crash which killed the Polish president and over 90 of his fellow countrymen and women. Having just visited the stunning beautiful St Mary's Basilica in Krakow, I felt terribly sad watching scenes there from the funeral ceremony on TV.

This week now another disaster - 4000 square miles of oil slick spilling across the Gulf of Mexico - with potentially catastophic environmental and commercial impact. No-one yet knows how bad this will be. And just today, a car bomb discovered though made safe, in Times Square, New York. And the financial melt-down in Greece looks likely to result in more strikes and unrest. What further jitters will follow in the travel and tourism industry now, I wonder?

And all this as we approach the general election, generating a seemingly endless stream of surprises and disasters, especially for a Labour party member like me. As a regular news junkie, life has never been quite so stimulating but I look forward to more settled times - my nerves can't take much more.......