Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

We watched last night’s news. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his allies had been persuading Conservative MPs, potential rebels, to back his Rwanda Bill. He wants to ensure that asylum seekers can be deported to Rwanda… The Prime Minister won… well, he avoided defeat. It was certainly not a resounding victory. It’s good enough, but…Continue reading “Good Enough, But…”

Christmas trees are everywhere… You can’t escape them! Musing… on Christmas trees, and Biblical trees… This is artist David Hockney’s latest work ‘Bigger Christmas Trees’ at London’s Battersea Power Station, Apple’s U.K. headquarters. Each night in December until Christmas Day, a pair of Christmas trees will light up this London landmark. Hockney drew his designContinue reading “Christmas Trees”

We often hear the story of Christmas 1914… Five months after The Great War had begun an unofficial truce occurred. In the week leading up to 25 December, French, German and British soldiers crossed trenches into no man’s land. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day soldiers exchangedContinue reading “All Together Now In No Man’s Land”

In a byre near BethlehemPassed by many a wandering strangerThe most precious Word of LifeWas heard gurgling in a mangerFor the good of us all. I look forward to singing this song each Christmas. It’s probably my favourite. We sung it this week at our ‘Seekers and Dreamers’ carol event at our local theatre. IContinue reading “In a Byre Near Bethlehem”

This week the coroner’s report on the death of Ruth Perry was published. Mrs Perry was the headteacher at Caversham Primary School, Reading for 13 years. An Ofsted inspection was carried out at her school in November 2022; she took her own life in January while waiting for the inspection report to be published. SeniorContinue reading “Hostility, Harmony, Humility.”

Yesterday included much activity and many people. There were hope-full Christmas plans and solution-less anxieties, grumpy old men, a kindly dentist and a singing grandson. By the end of the day my head was full of people, conversations and stuff… This morning I read: ‘But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. ItContinue reading “Wisdom From Above”

I’m forever blowing bubblesPretty bubbles in the airThey fly so high, nearly reach the skyThen like my dreams they fade and die Fortune always hidingI’ve looked everywhereI’m forever blowing bubblesPretty bubbles in the air It’s an American song, written in 1918, popular in British music halls in the early 1920s… recorded by many artists… theContinue reading “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”

Yesterday I went with Grandson-Luca to his school for a ‘bingo event’. Children, parents and staff were everywhere. Issued with bingo sheets, we were ushered into Luca’s classroom, joining forty other adults and children. The amiable Mr Woods’ computer-generated random numbers were called out and displayed on the screen; we marked them off on ourContinue reading “A Step Into The Unknown”

Reg told us that as a four-year-old in 1947 he was watching workmen build Lowestoft’s North beach sea wall… ‘You shouldn’t be here, son,’ one man said. He was right. It was dangerous place for a small boy, alone. ‘Do you want to help me?’ a bulldozer driver called out. ‘Yes please.’ ’Bulldozer-driver lifted RegContinue reading “The Final Gift”

One word that stirs up discussion at Men’s Shed is ‘discipline’: ‘It’s not like it used to be!’ ‘Young people today are out of control!’ ‘My dad beat me and it never did me any harm!’ ‘There’s no discipline in schools!’ Sweeping generalisations lead to stories about sadistic teachers, drunken fathers and harsh military training,Continue reading “Exploring Discipline”