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Will phoned yesterday; I haven’t spoken to recently. I asked: ‘Did you and the family have a good Christmas?’ ‘Hilary and I caught Covid on Christmas Eve. We’re just getting over it…’ Later I met Peter on the cliff-top path. He told me that he’d had Covid in November but is fine now. …And Jack’sContinue reading “The Path of the Unexpected”

I love it when I read a narrative in my Bible that I don’t remember reading before. This morning I read Genesis 26: ‘Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, ‘The water is ours!’ So he namedContinue reading “Rehoboth”

Twice last night on the news the phrase ‘At Breaking Point’ was used. It was used to describe our National Health Service. There were pictures of crowded wards, of patients in intensive care; there were interviews with staff and patients. We saw extreme pressure on material resources, a service ‘at breaking point’. Pictures from WashingtonContinue reading “At Breaking Point”

One gift I didn’t receive for Christmas was a banana holder for my bike. I’ve seen them advertised. Well-made and very versatile they can be attached to various parts of the bicycle frame, handlebars or to my waist belt. I did notice in one review the criticism that they appear to be made for bananasContinue reading “Bananas, fishing quotas and lemonade”

Yesterday Boris announced a national lockdown. Twelve hours later there’s the predictable variety of responses. Vaccine fuelled optimism from previous days quickly evaporates. Many feel angry, frustrated, weary, apprehensive…; some want someone to blame – Boris is a convenient target; some speak out, supporting staff in schools, hospitals and care-homes; good Christian people respond withContinue reading “Blessed are the Weary and Groggy…”

Musing this morning on Genesis 13: Disputes: Abram has left home; he’s travelling around with flocks, family and possessions. He’s rich and successful, but his herdsmen quarrel with the herdsmen of his cousin Lot. The year has started with disputes – how we best respond to Covid, moving on from Brexit, returning to school; thereContinue reading “Disputes and Decisions”

When my eyes behold the starsThis heart of mine is filled with wonder.My poor mind cannot grasp their array.But the hand that spilled them thereAll across the wide heaven,Had a plan when He placed them that way. This was one of the first ‘non-church’ Christian songs I knew. Many years later I discovered that Elvis’Continue reading “Known Only to Him”

Musing yesterday on the story of Billy Elliot… Set in the 1984 miners’ strike, it’s about a mining community in County Durham. Mining was more than just a job, it was an identity, a way of life, a community that was being lost. Musing on losing community… The story seems to have particular poignancy asContinue reading “Losing Community”

Billy Elliot is set in the 1984 miners’ strike in County Durham; Billy is an eleven-year-old boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. Eventually Billy auditions for the Royal Ballet School; he‘s asked what it feels like when he is dancing and sings ‘Electricity’: I can’t really explain it,I haven’t got the wordsIt’s aContinue reading “Electricity”

On Monday Rachel and I went for a walk on Carlton Marshes, a local nature reserve. A muntjac deer ran close by. A buzzard sat on a gatepost; he looked at us as we looked at him. Some paths were very muddy; wellington boots were essential. Yesterday John and Kate, went to Carlton Marshes andContinue reading “Muddy Paths”