For the last 7 years I have read this book POSITIVE THOUGHTS for the DAY and the thought for today was:

'Ernest Hemingway wrote of a commander in the Spanish Civil War who ‘never knew when everything was lost and if it was, he would fight out it’. That is the way with people who have the quality of determination. They keep on going, no matter what. The hang in there-attitude gives courage, strength, vitality, power. Somehow such people always seem to win through anything and everything.’

I needed to read that and it was very appropriate as my team did the first 9pm to 3am shift from France into Belgium. I ran along the quiet French country roads at 1am in the morning, apart from a few passing cars and a little field mouse that ran out in front of me there was not much else happening. I thought about the All Blacks beating the French at my home stadium in Wellington, in fact there has been a lot of rugby on French TV and I would imagine because of the looming World Cup - GO THE ABS.

I also thought about what my family and friends would be doing back home at the same time I was running at 1am on this French country road - Gabby would be teaching Maths at Scots College, Gretel would probably be taking her lunch break and grabbing a cappachino at Starbucks in Lampton Quay. My mum would probably be busy working on some poetry, my dad and brothers Jock and Dove would be in the family Law office doing their good work for people in the community and my little brother Dylan should be fast asleep as he is in Geneva, Switzerland and on the same time as me!