Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

On Sunday we had our Easter Service in the church garden  The question was: ‘Will the weather stay fine?’ It did. A neighbour politely asked the band, practicing before the service: ‘Will you be quiet, please?’ We weren’t. The garden question after the service – socially distanced, masked, but singing, was ‘Did that go well?’Continue reading “Garden Questions”

Yesterday we sat outside in the garden – sunshine, family, food – delightful. Today snowflakes are falling. The forecasters predicted it; I didn’t believe them. Part of our family get-together yesterday was our ‘traditional’ Easter Egg hunt – we hide chocolate eggs in the garden and the grandchildren find them. I wondered about the attitudeContinue reading “When Belief Is Challenged”

Led like a lamb to the slaughterIn silence and shameThere on Your back You carried a worldOf violence and painBleeding, dying, bleeding, dying It’s a spring picture. Fluffy sweet white lambs in lush green fields… I eat and enjoy meat; it’s convenient to put a gap between the fluffy lamb and Sunday roast dinner… ‘LambContinue reading “Led Like A Lamb”

Unexplained: The headline reads: ‘Post boxes get crochet hats in new craze’. Lowestoft is being ‘hit by random acts of crochet kindness…mysteriously popping up all around the town’. We can’t explain adequately many random events – good ones of love, friendship or family, or sad ones of sickness, disappointment or bereavement. In the Easter narrative,Continue reading “Easter Saturday”

Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reedSome say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleedSome say love, it is a hunger an endless aching needI say love, it is a flower and you, it’s only seed ‘The Rose’ describes the paradoxes of love – it’s fragileContinue reading “The Rose: Good Friday”

I have happy memories of April 1st in school. Children trying to catch out teachers, teachers sending children for striped paint or a left-handed paint brush. In a maths lesson involving weighing activities I sent a particularly irritating young man to Mr Dodds, the science teacher for a long weight that we ‘needed’. He cameContinue reading “April 1st – April Fool!”

I’ve been walking this morning with David – beautiful sunshine, calm sea. He says we walked 12,116 steps and 9.31km. He’s walked each day through March, raising money for Prostate Cancer. He’s nearly reached his target of 600,000 steps, but isn’t there yet. Yesterday I went round to Annie’s house and rang the bell. TheContinue reading “Travelling Purposefully – but not there yet”

I’m going through my CDs, listening to each in turn and either keeping them or throwing them out. My CDs are alphabetical order. I’m up to ‘R’. Yesterday was ‘Cliff Richard: 40 Golden Greats’… Livin’ Doll, The Young Ones, Congratulations…. This morning’s local paper headline: ‘Summer Holiday!: When Sir Cliff Richard enjoyed trips on theContinue reading “Cliff Richard”

Today, 29th March, we’re starting to see the relaxation of lockdown. Outdoor gatherings of up to six people or two households are allowed; outdoor sports facilities – tennis courts, football pitches and golf courses are cautiously reopening. Still no non-essential shops, barbers and hairdressers, cafes, pubs or restaurants, cinemas or theatres, international travel, non-essential overnightContinue reading “Smoke and Mirrors”

Jesus rode a donkey into townMany folks turned from miles aroundWhat a sight to see, a man to set men freeRiding on a donkey into town. In the 1970s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Godspell’ were  famous West End shows… Roger Jones, a young teacher from Birmingham, wrote ‘Jerusalem Joy’, that also told the Jesus story;Continue reading “Jesus Rode a Donkey into Town”