O Clavis David!

A cheering phone call this morning from Emma Biaggi the Euro-diocesan co-ordinator, asking me about my availability for the new year. Not forgotten! I explained the situation, and said that I could do emergency short spells if needs be in the next couple of months, before and in between medical appointments, but that I expect to be clear to undertake longer duty spells from the end of February.

Hearing from Emma prompted me to do something I've been meaning to for the past week at least, and that's writing to Bishop David Hamid about my locum availability in 2020. I was expecting to meet him at Fr Geoff's 50th anniversary celebration this coming weekend, but now won't be going, so I thought an email would be a good idea. I was delighted, by the end of the afternoon to receive a reply saying that there would be opportunities for long locums in Spain in coming months. It seems there's some movement of personnel in the wind. Nothing announced yet, so I wait with interest to see what happens.

I watched the final episode of the second series of 'The Team' tonight. It all finished predictably, but with one fatal flaw, as if a crucial linking scene had been edited out. A looted Syrian art treasure was the subject around which all eight episodes were driven, and the story was played out in a carefully integrated mix of Flemish, Danish, German, French, English and Arabic. The treasure was destined for a 'long loan', aka protective custody in a UK museum before it is smuggled out of the country by good guys with Syrian bad guys in murderous pursuit. 

In this episode the Syrian government weigh in with a request for the return of the treasure, but before this can officially happen, the treasure goes missing again in an ultimate showdown with the baddies, and then ends up in London, with all the heroes and heroines smiling and happy. Not even the slightest explanation of how this last piece of slight-of-hand happens, with political and diplomatic consequences, and the Interpol team right in the middle of it with questions to answer.

It wouldn't have taken a great deal to resolve this satisfactorily in dramatic terms. If it was ever in the story-line, it was edited out. Odd, and disappointing.