A Happy Place Dear friends, What makes a place “happy?” What makes somewhere good to live? Do you have a “happy place” in your life? Unsuprisingly, there are a number of common factors which promote “contented living” in a given location. Neighbours who are friendly, and who will hold onto your parcel when it has been misdelivered, or even pop it round.…
FOMO/NOMO Dear friends I can’t begin to count the number of Black Friday offers I have missed out on. What a terrible person I must be, as I am not in the least bit bothered. Phrases like “LAST CHANCE!” “special early access!” “exclusive discount deal!” “It’s HERE!” and “NOW’S THE TIME!” shriek at me from my inbox. I must confess a few…
Howard’s Tears Dear friends, Can you remember who taught you to read? Can you remember the first book that really caught your imagination? There is, really, nothing in the universe like a good book. Character, plot, and the opportunity for freedom, within a world of your own imaginative creation, guided by of the author’s script. The ability to read (and write) are,…
History calling Dear friends, As weary and battered Palestinians trudge back up the road to their shattered cities, as green masked gunmen emerge from dark places to strut their stuff, as emotionally shredded Israeli hostage families weep with joy, as The President parades and preens, we wonder, “is this it?” Is this dreadful and appalling mess what history really looks like? A…
George’s Gift Dear friends, One of the items I needed to clear from my metal trunk (in order that it could be used as a “treasure chest” in church on Sunday) was an old pharmaceutical chemistry text book. This was published exactly a century ago, and became such a standard work that it was still, just, in use at University entry level…
Days without hate Dear friends, We live in febrile times. The sheer number of people who turned up for Saturday’s march in London is a wake up call to those in mainstream politics; that there are many who are disenfranchised, and who feel ignored, taken for granted and generally left out. America’s more extreme version of the culture wars took a violent…
Missing the joke Dear friends, As a young curate in the Bradford Diocese back in the early 90’s, there would be the occasional Diocesan Conference, when all the clergy would be required to attend some large venue, and be engaged with speakers, workshops and such as deemed to be beneficial, and sometimes restorative, by the movers and shakers of the day. One…
Stitching Time Dear friends, In coincidental synchronicity, the church clocks at Checkendon and Stoke Row are both under repair at the moment. At Stoke Row it is obvious that something is afoot, thanks to the scaffolding framework creeping up the tower. Here, the rods connecting the clock mechanism to the hands on the dial outside have become stuck, and need attention. If…
The Colour Red The feast of Pentecost is, liturgically, a “red” day. Possibly because of the flames of fire which fell from heaven on the heads of the astonished apostles, possibly because the said apostles also share the same liturgical colour. Red is only used elsewhere in the Christian year for Holy Week, and, of course, for any martyrs. It is used…
A Special Place Dear friends, Sometimes the overlooked can be beautiful. When we lived in Carlisle some of the best holidays were not continuing to the far north for the rugged mountains of the Scottish Highlands, or the endless skies of the Isles, but simply to nip “round the corner” for an hour’s drive into the rolling pastures of the Solway Firth.…