Feeling Kinda Ragged

I've been feeling a bit ragged after the recent unpleasantness in London. No-one I know was killed or hurt, but I lived there for two and half years, which has made the images of the destruction rather real. I'm going to be in London in a matter of weeks as well, along with my dad, which sets off all kinds of scary scenarios in my head, despite the fact that security levels will almost certainly still be at "that piece of dust moved, arrest it" levels.

More raggedness has descended with the news that both parents of a school friend of mine were killed in a light plane crash near Mount Hotham ski resort in Victoria. They were Brian and Kathy Ray, and I knew them through their son Tom, with whom I spent a number of years rowing, playing rugby and doing other school stuff. Tom and I never spent long hours discussing SQL queries or real estate deals, but we spent a lot of time together, and I feel pretty terrible for him. My mother died of cancer, and that was like a mountain landing on my head, so I can't imagine what losing both parents is like, particularly so suddenly.

I remember Brian and Kathy most from many school rowing weekends, cheering us on loudly and full of enthusiasm. After I'd left school, I saw them at rowing dinners and they always greeted me with a smile and lots of questions about what I was up to. They were friendly Gold Coast people with deep tans and great outfits, and I liked them, even though I only knew them a little.