8...

Today saw the Gorse Fox travelling up to meet with Jean-Luc Picard in Middle Earth. The journey north was remarkably trouble-free - and now GF's wheel-bearing has been fixed, wonderfully quiet again. GF will miss his stealth craft when he has to part with it.

The work was, to some extents, a status check and hand-over. J-L needed to know if anything would be left when GF goes, or whether he would have cleared the lot. He also reviewed some of the other details - like GF's style guide, and help guides. Those these were essentially created for his own benefit, these are now wanted as part of the overall portfolio.

Review complete, we headed to a nearby restaurant for a farewell lunch. We sat overlooking the countryside of Middle Earth, with the canal just below us. Canal boats pottered silently by as far as the lock where people leapt out to handle the gates. Just away to our east a mill could be seen among the trees. It was a lovely spot - and GF is amazed that this was the first time he had been there, after 30 years of travelling to and from Middle Earth.

Bidding farewell, GF got on the road and headed back to the Coast. It's all very fine going to Middle Earth, but it's a long way from the edges.