Category Archives: Uncategorized

When the Beatles first became popular, they were happy, cheeky young Liverpool lads who sung catchy innocent love songs. As a teenager I enjoyed their music. Last night we went out for a meal. Beatles songs were playing all evening. I was reminded of ‘Nowhere Man’ – one of their first songs that made meContinue reading “Nowhere Man”

Yesterday we attended a funeral, the father of a church friend. He wasn’t a church-going  man, but at the family’s request we sung: ‘All things bright and beautiful,all creatures great and small,all things wise and wonderful,the Lord God made them all.’ I questioned… Was that appropriate for a funeral? The lyrics describe a creator-God whoContinue reading “The Bright and Beautiful”

In conversation yesterday someone spoke about ‘life’s juggling balance’. I imagined the circus act… the high wire artist who’s also a skilled juggler… two skills required simultaneously – If both are completed successfully it’s an impressive achievement; if one goes the whole act fails… Holding a balanced opinion, keeping balanced emotionally or psychologically is difficult;Continue reading “The Balancing Juggler”

In ‘The Repair Shop’ professional craftspeople restore family heirlooms that have sentimental value for their owners. We enjoy watching the skill of the restorers, and the stories that explain why objects are precious. Last night’s episode included a guitar amplifier from a punk-rock band, and a teddy-bear owned by a mother who died in aContinue reading “Treasures That Have Seen Better Days…”

Yesterday’s newspaper included the headline: ‘SQUIRRELS GO NUTS’. ‘A train service was cancelled after two squirrels boarded and attacked passengers. Staff started shifting people up the carriages to get them away from the enraged rodents. ‘But the service had to be terminated early as one squirrel refused to alight. The drama began when the pairContinue reading “Pandemoniuam, Order, Organisation and Chaos”

My friend Cat posted this yesterday. I smiled and identified with it… I was encouraged to ‘run a tight ship’ at work, leading a well-managed organization, where everything was organized and efficient, everyone in the ‘crew’ knowing their role and responsibilities… all should be ship-shape and in order. As parents with three children we wereContinue reading “Tight Ships and Shipwrecks”

On Saturday we saw the report of Rebecca Cheptegei’s funeral. The Olympic marathon runner, set ablaze by her former boyfriend, was been buried in eastern Uganda. We were reminded of the 33-year-old’s brutal killing at the emotional funeral ceremony. Fellow athletes wore black T-shirts with the slogan ‘say no to gender-based violence’. The news oftenContinue reading “Victim or Volunteer?”

Last Sunday at church Aleisha told her story, declared her faith and was baptised. Her courage and strength impressed many. Aleisha chose this powerful Laura Mixon song that we listened to after her baptism. I’d not heard it before: We pray for blessings, we pray for peaceComfort for family, protection while we sleepWe pray forContinue reading “Blessings”

Last weekend we had news that niece-Virginia, great-niece-Lucy and fiancé-Pete had completed the Great North Run – a half marathon. Yesterday afternoon I was chatting to Adam and Aaron, two young men who’ve recently taken up running. They were chatting about their training schedules, their races, the half marathon that they’ve already completed, the marathonContinue reading “Keep On Running”

I woke up in the night with cramp. It sometimes happens – my feet, ankles and calves seize up. It’s painful. I think it comes from many years, many miles, running on streets and pavements. I have to get up, stretch, exercise; it goes away. I wondered about mental cramp – times when the rigidContinue reading “Mental Cramp”