Connected Lives

A strange mix of a day and an emotional one - for different reasons.

I attended the funeral of a man whom I've known for most of my life, through two different local community groups. The first was when I was a child, via my parents - the local amateur musical society, and there were so many people from that time there today and so many happy memories shared. The second group where we worked together as volunteers was more recent - at the local CABx and again, a large turnout of volunteers and colleagues. I've never seen such a packed service and it was a lively celebration of a life lived to the full, with so much joy, love and laughter. RIP Gordon - you will be so so missed x

Then tonight I attended the launch of a film exhibition produced by the European Network of Children's Commissioners. Called "Austerity Bites: Children's Voices" it features 32 mini films made by children in eight countries (including Scotland) showing their perspective on the impact of austerity across Europe. They were shown on a reel on a bank of plasma screens arranged in a circle and guests moved round each screen, plugged in to individual headsets - kind of "silent disco" style. It was incredibly moving and powerful - and so sad to hear about some of the basic things that children and young people are affected by or missing out on. One wonders what the legacy will be.

It was a sombre and reflective walk to the train station afterwards and the images of the day are still going round in my head.