Category Archives: Uncategorized

On Saturday Allan posted pictures of our Lowestoft coast. It’s what I see most days. I stopped, realising again how grateful for where I am and what I have – what I so often take for granted. I saw yesterday (Sunday) with fresh eyes. I went to church and enjoyed worshipping, reflecting, learning; I chattedContinue reading “Stop, Reflect, Be Grateful, Do Something!”

The child is a king, the carollers singThe old has passed, there’s a new beginningDreams of Santa, dreams of snowFingers numb, faces aglow Oh, it’s Christmas time, mistletoe and wineChildren singing Christian rhymeWith logs on the fire and gifts on the treeA time to rejoice in the good that we see Yesterday was the dayContinue reading “Mistletoe & Wine”

There were four contrasting stories on the news yesterday about ‘finding’ and ‘discovering’. 17-year-old British boy, Alex Batty has been found in near Toulouse in France. The boy disappeared after going on holiday with his mother and grandfather in Spain in 2017. He was found in the early hours of Wednesday morning by a FrenchContinue reading “Found or discovered”

Last night we watched a wonderful ‘Christmas Cabaret’ at ‘The Seagull’… Thom, as ‘Dame Cherie Bakewell’, had a problem. She didn’t have a pantomime to perform in, so she invited us to her ‘party’. Joined by a number of professional Seagull friends we thoroughly enjoyed an evening of music and comedy. Mark told ‘A ChristmasContinue reading “From Problem to Party?”

We’ve already received a good number of Christmas cards – the usual designs – Victorian Christmas scenes, Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees, robins… Some of our good Christian friends ensure that their cards illustrate the Christmas narrative – Joseph leading Mary who’s riding a donkey into the ‘little town of Bethlehem’; a stable scene with MaryContinue reading “Little Donkey”

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.”