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.…

A lifetime of freedom Dear friends, It has only been in very recent years that we have been able to “satellite view” the earth that we share, and look down at things from above from the comfort of home. For those with eyes to see, this gives not only a window into the present, but also one into the past. Former airfields…

Dealing with Dragons Yesterday (April 28th) was St George’s Day. There is a fine memorial in Checkendon Church depicting him triumphant over the dragon. The memorial is to Basil Moon, of Brazier’s Park, who was killed in Flanders in 1915, and also to his (unnamed) brother of the same regiment “who was spared.” St George is a very early saint – he…

Easter Artwork This wonderful poster has been carefully coloured in, every Good Friday, for (at least) the last five years. Maybe six, or eight people, of all ages, sit around two large tables, on which the poster is laid out. There is chatter, and silent concentration, in a happy blend. This year, after huge effort, the work of art was declared complete.…

Priestley’s Progress Dear friends, Easter approaches, reminding us that God is not dead, and that hope, life, and joy may yet be found amidst the unravelling of the global orchestra. The new music is however from an old score, just one we’ve not heard in our generation. The writer JB Priestley toured England in 1933 surveying the carnage of the Great Depression…

Wisdom and foolishness. Dear friends, It is difficult to know where to look; the broken remains of the city of Mandalay; the devastation in Gaza; the death and destruction ongoing in Ukraine; the economic tsunami sweeping across the Atlantic. Yet we have been here before. In many ways all we are seeing is a return to normal service; it was the peace…

The New America Dear friends, If you, like me, were astonished and horrified by the so called diplomacy of the week that is passing, may I offer you an insight that a good friend shared with me.  This is a Brit who works for a very large US company, and who has spent at least half of his working life in the…

Nameless Fears Dear friends, There is a small and battered paperback hiding among the others on my bookcase. The spine is broken, and there are pages waiting to fall out at the first opportunity. I picked it up second hand in Blackwell’s as a student, and it has somehow survived the various cullings and clear outs that have happened down the years.…

The Black Map Dear friends, I was on the phone at the weekend to a former colleague, who lives in Yorkshire. She is in her eighties, and was telling me about her favourite uncle, who was a solicitor, and who during the war drove ambulances for the British Army. “I only found out after he had died that he’d been one of…