Category Archives: Uncategorized

Often when nearly-thirteen-year-old-grandson-Luca gets into our car, he presses a few buttons on his phone, and we listen to his playlist. My musical education is furthered with Bruno Mars or Ariana Grande. This week I was surprised and delighted to be hearing ELO’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’! Mr. Blue SkyPlease tell us whyYou had to hideContinue reading “Mr Blue Sky”

Our friend Tim was confessing to enjoying ‘Flanders and Swann’ songs. Songs that he learnt as a child he still remembers word for word. Their humour is still appreciated by folks ‘of a certain age’. Their repertoire included ‘The Hippopotamus Song’. The hippopotamus is presented as a happy creature; the song celebrates the joy ofContinue reading “Musing on Hippos”

1st March was the beginning of meteorological spring. Spring has certainly started in our garden. Snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils are flowering, birds are more active, newts are surfacing in the pond… I love the rhythm of the seasons. We’ve had a few days of blue skies and sunshine.  Last night I was with friends Steve andContinue reading “The Moon, the Rainbow, the Kingfisher and the Jordan.”

Minister-Lou preached on ‘Embracing Adventure’ yesterday morning at church: Jesus’ disciples are in a boat… there’s high winds and rough water… Jesus walks on the water towards them… Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water to Jesus… It was about the bold and courageous, taking risks, attempting the apparently impossible… relinquishingContinue reading “In Contrast…”

The Brandon Lake song ‘Gratitude’ was chosen for the service last Sunday morning. I’d not heard it before. I listened to it. Together with the other musicians I learned and practiced it on the Wednesday before the service. I wasn’t convinced that it was a song for congregational worship. We sung it in church onContinue reading “Gratitude”

On Facebook yesterday our friend Jon posted: ‘First Grandfather Clock repair completed’. Jon’s combined his engineering skills with patience and determination to make his old clock go… like clockwork. ‘Like clockwork’ implies dependability, precision… working well… happening in exactly the way it’s expected to… no disruptions or problems. If only life were like that… FiveContinue reading “Like Clockwork”

Last night we watched the Rogers and Hammerstein 1945 musical Carousel. With issues of domestic violence. knife crime and single parent families… with themes of ambition, dreams and hope… death, grief and regret… it speaks to life today.   Set in a fishing community on the Maine coastline, Carousel tells the story of carousel workerContinue reading “Carousel Choices”

This morning, I read, ‘Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.’ It set me musing… …Hearing motivational speakers telling me that I can achieve anything if I set my mind to it …Hearing parents tell me that only the best is good enough for their child …HearingContinue reading “When One Handful is OK”

As a child I knew of TS Elliot’s poems in ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’; more recently I’ve watched the stage musical adaption ‘Cats’… The elderly cat leader and patriarch is ‘Old Deuteronomy’ – named after the biblical book. In the Book of Deuteronomy Moses is speaking to Israel before they enter their PromisedContinue reading “Old Deuteronomy and Refuges”

Gordon was a lovely man whose funeral we attended yesterday. It was said: ‘Gordon was consistent in his faith and character… The person he was as a respected magistrate, in the Juvenile Court, working at Birds Eye, on a local high school appeals board, in his home and family, was the person we knew andContinue reading “Walking Towards Our Fears”