Wiltshire Masters' Installation at Ludgershall

Sara and Mary spent the morning clearing out Mary's bedroom of all her old school things and preparing her for the new school.  This afternoon I went into Andover to take some rubbish to the tip and also deliver some of Mary's old soft toys to the Andover Mind Shop.  she has collected quite a number over the years and is now wanting to get rid of them to make more room for her next stage in life.  After having delivered these I drove on to Ludgershall for the Installation Meeting of Wiltshire Masters' Lodge where I was installed as the Senior Warden.  Next year I shall be installed as the Worshipful Master.  I donated quite a number of raffle prizes for the event with about 30-odd in total.  With the raffle and donations we raised £948 on the evening giving £500 to the Royal College of Surgeons, £200 to the hearing dogs for the deaf and £200 to another charity which i can't now recall.  what a wonderful achievement from one meeting of 90 people!  Freemasons are often maligned yet these are the sorts of donation which are raised and given away to charitable causes.  I arrived back home at around 10.30 p.m.(in the rain again!), stayed up for a further hour before going to bed at 11.30 a.m. remembering that we need to be up tomorrow at 3.30 am!

Business as usual

After yesterday's terrible weather we woke to a much brighter day.  No appointments today.  Sara took Mary into Salisbury to buy her uniform and other bits and pieces for her new start at secondary school next week.  Thom and I stayed at home and I dealt with paperwork in the office.  This afternoon I ventured into Andover to bank some cheques and then on to Old Sarum to pick up and distribute the Parish Magazines which once fully accomplished, I returned home for a shower.  I watched the Northampton v. Wolves League Cup game tonight after which the draw took place for the Third Round.  Southampton are drawn at home against Sheffield Wednesday.  A quiet and unremarkable day today otherwise.

A day spent monkeying around in the mud

A trip to the Dorset Steam Fair at Tarrant Hinton had been planned today with Mary and her friend Izzy being taken by Sara and me to this event so that they could take part in a cheerleading demonstration.  We had all been given free tickets and VIP parking.  We woke up to torrential rain this morning - as predicted by the weather forecasters - but no mention had been made that the event might be cancelled.  After dropping off a document at the Salisbury Diocesan Office we drove to Tarrant Hinton.  Unlike previous years the traffic was very light and we arrived in good time.  As we pulled in, Sara received a message on her BlackBerry to say that the cheerleading demonstration had been cancelled due to the dangerous muddy conditions.  We drove onto the site, initially to meet up with the other cheerleading members and parents, but as we drove down towards the car park we found that the ground had turned into a terrible muddy mess and at the bottom we were temporarily stuck before I managed to maneouvre the car and return back to the top and onto the A345.  We stuck again on the way up and I really thought that we were going to have to get out an push.  The car became splattered all over with mud so much so that it was difficult to see out of the side windows.  Sara told the other cheerleading members that we daren't stop as we didn't want to get marooned at the site.  Instead, we decided to drive to Blandford, top up with fuel for the car and fuel for ourselves - some fish and chips before driving further into Dorset to spend the afternoon at Monkey World.  We arrived at the ape sanctuary at around 1 pm and stayed there until 5.30 pm.  The rain continued on and off until about the final hour.  We enjoyed wandering around and seeing the chimpanzees, and other apes and monkeys.  Tonight I watched a couple of episodes of Rev. and the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games before writing this.

A day of queuing

 



My alarm went off at 5.30 a.m. today - a reminder that I needed to get down to Southampton to queue for tickets for Saints' away game against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 15th September.  I didn't get away quite as early as I had hoped and arrived at St. Mary's Stadium at 7.45 a.m. to find that the queue for tickets extended from the ticket office to halfway along the Northam Stand.  I was fortunate enough to be able to park my car in Rochester Street (one space left) and join the queue.  Before very long, the queue behind me extended around the corner and well down the Kingsland Stand.  I met Shaun, Andy's lad, who said that there were 1,000 tickets and I estimated that there were about 300 people in front of me. Two lads in front of me were getting 13 tickets and I also heard that one man was picking up 52 tickets.  A quick calculation told me that it might be touch and go to get the tickets as if each of the 300-odd ahead of me averaged 3 tickets then I might be okay but only by a thin margin.  At one stage, an official walked down the line with a "clicker" and when he reached the end of the queue he must have said something negative as quite a number of "hopefuls" left.  I finally reached the tick office window at 12.15 p.m - four and a half hours after joining the queue. At least I was successful and came away with two tickets!  Hurrah!  Today, Sara, Thom, Mary and Mary's friend Harriet spent the day at Thorpe Park enjoying the rides and, in one case, queuing for over two hours for a two minute ride!  As soon as I had got my ticket I jumped in the car and drove to Farnborough where I had a lunch meeting with a client (originally planned for 12 noon but put back to 2 p.m.)  I spent the rest of the afternoon in my meeting finally getting home at 6.30 p.m. - shattered.  I watched the end of the England v South Africa One Day International from the Ageas Bowl on the TV which resulted in an 80 run victory for South Africa thanks primarily to a 150 runs innings by Amla.  what a great cricketer he is.  South Africa now lead the world rankings in Test, T20 and ODI cricket.  Tonight, Southampton FC beat Stevenage 1-4 in the second round of the Capital One Cup (League Cup). 

A working Bank Holiday

After the last two or three hectic days, today, a Bank Holiday Monday, was one to slow down a bit.  I took Thom up to the shop to pick up his papers for his newspaper round and then drove back home with a morning newspaper to read.  A slow start this morning primarily because it was raining and I couldn't get out into the garden as intended.  I spent the morning sorting out the clean laundry and watching an old documentary on Auschwitz at the same time.  Having recently been in Poland and seen the camps, this repeated documentary meant so much more to me.  I mowed the front lawn and the bank this afternoon and then went into Salisbury, briefly, to buy some ingredients for a Nigella Lawson recipe which Sara had watched on the TV this afternoon.  I had a lovely long bath after all the gardening and work and read some more of my book "In the Garden of the Beasts".  Spent the evening catching up on my blogs and other work on the PC.

Trophy Sunday

We didn't get to bed very early last night - about 1.30 a.m. - and this morning I was preaching at East Grimstead Church!  Richard called round at 9 a.m. to go through my sermon/talk as he is going to help me act out a scene from Ephesians "putting on the armour of God" only we shall be using cricket gear!  After this dress rehearsal I had got myself ready with a smart suit and tie and picked Richard up to drive the five miles to East Grimstead - a lovely little church by the old Southampton/Salisbury Canal.  The service went well (being led by Nils) and I gave my eight minute talk/demonstration with all the pads, helmet and other cricketing gear available.  I was disappointed that there were only four members of the congregation (apart from Richard) - seven of us in total.  I had thought hard about the sermon and will keep it for future use with a larger wider aged congregation.  This afternoon we had our Single Wicket Competition which I had organised as a parish activity.  We had about 30 people turn up with 20 of those playing.  That meant, effectively a 40 over match with each player facing two overs (one over per innings).  The trophy, which I had donated, went to one of our youngest players, Abigail, who was thrilled to bits to get the trophy.  I was really tired by teatime but was persuaded by Thom  to join the Cooks to make up a team at the Lion's Head for the pub quiz.  True to form we won again - we scored 108 points with second place scoring 97.  Not sure how we did it as I think we were all so tired and I certainly did not feel very bright.  Another lovely day though and so pleased that the single wicket cricket competition went so well.

A murderous day/and seeing an old friend after 36 years

The beginning of an extremely busy weekend.  I took the Park and Ride bus into Salisbury this morning and was extremely annoyed when the bus driver, having seen me park and run to catch the bus calmly drove off (with no passengers on board!).  I had to wait another 20 minutes for the next one. I arrived at the Market Place just in time to help out on the Morning Star bric-a-brac stall until 10 a.m. when I met my old Uni friend, Andy Dodd, who had studied law with me and whom I hadn't seen for over 36 years!  We had coffee together at Reeve's. After graduating he worked for a private firm of solicitors before joining the Crown Prosecution Service and is now working three days for them in Barrow-in-Furness as well as running a Baptist chapel and retreat in the Lake District after having become ordained as a Baptist minister. We were both members of the Christian Union in Liverpool and he is now moving his daughter Beth into accommodation in Salisbury where she is about to take up a post as a lecturer at Sarum College where I am now also studying.  What a small world.  It was great to see him and in the hour we had managed to bring each other up to speed on what has happened to us over the past 36 years!  He is delighted that I am now also training for church ministry and we have promised to keep in regular contact.  I suggested that he and his wife Kath, who is also a Baptist minister, come and stay with us when they are next down in Salisbury.  After this wonderful encounter, I managed to get on the next bus back to the Park and Ride car park and home for 11.30 a.m.  Thom and I set off for Southampton at around 12.15 arriving at our private car park at 1 p.m.  We took our usual saunter down to the St. Mary's chippie for lunch and then to st. Mary's Stadium for Saints' first Premier League game for seven years.  We lost 0-2 against Wigan.  I don't feel like dwelling on it - we simply are not yet a Premier League team and our next match is at home against Manchester United.  Tonight we are second from bottom of the table!  Some good news though, today.  Hampshire won the final of the T20 competition at Cardiff and are the champions for the second time in three years.  Tonight, Sara and I hosted another of our murder mystery parties with Linda M, Bella T, and Duncan and Emma McDonald as our guests (see picture).  Sara was the murderer as usual.  A great fun evening. Good food (curry), beer and wine and company.  Another packed day tomorrow.

Emergency meeting of my masonic lodge

A really busy day again today.  There was no meeting of Ambassadors' breakfast club today so I didn't need to get up quite as early as I had originally thought.  My left arm was in agony again - just as the doctor had predicted - but after some pain killers and some use it settled down so that by the evening I hardly noticed any problem with it.  It does twinge occasionally but it is likely to take a few days before it is okay.  I made a pile of pancakes for the kids (Thom, Harry and Mary) this morning and then drove into Salisbury to pick up the trophy for the Single Wicket Competition on Sunday.  I also did some banking, had a coffee and a chicken slice at Reeves before calling in at the station to buy railway tickets for our trip next week to the Paralympics in London, drop off some rubbish at the recycling centre and call in to the Cash 'n' Carry to get some drinks in for our murder mystery party tomorrow.  This afternoon I dealt with some paperwork on my return and this evening attended an emergency meeting of our Masonic lodge to discuss its future with its falling numbers of members.  We were honoured with the presence of two senior Freemasons from the Provincial Executive who gave us optimism to continue through hour bad times and promised help in our recruitment drive.  Afterwards, I had a drink with one of our members who had made a special trip from Sussex to be with us.  Back home this evening, I got out my dinner suit and accessories for tomorrow night's dinner party.  Should be a very interesting day tomorrow - working on a charity market stall in the morning, having coffee with an old Uni friend, back home to pick up Thom to go into Southampton for Saints' first Premier League game for seven years and then back home in the evening to play "Colonel Hurley-Burley" at the murder mystery party.  At some point I need to print out my sermon for Sunday.

GCSE Results/Visit to the doctors'

I woke up this morning in absolute agony.  My left arm was extremely painful and I found it difficult to move it.  I was concerned that I had fractured it in my fall last night.  There was, however, no bruising and I had full movement although it was very painful.  A hot shower did relieve the discomfort somewhat but I thought it wise to go and see a doctor.  That process proved to be more difficult than moving my arm!  Apparently, the doctor could not make or accept any appointments because their computer had gone down - "what ever happened to go old pen and paper?" asked Sara.  Eventually I did manage to get an appointment at the local Winterslow surgery for 11.30 a.m.  The diagnosis was that I had suffered some muscle damage but no broken or fractured bones.  The treatment is simply to take some strong Ibuprofen and to try and use the arm as much as possible.  I have not had much of an appetite today and feeling a bit nauseous.  Felt quite tired this afternoon and dropped off for a few minutes before returning to my study to write the outline of my visual sermon for Sunday.  I am preaching at an All Age Service and using visual props rather than my usual sermon presentation.  Something new to try out and something I can add to my preaching portfolio.  Great nephew Harry has stayed on today and spending a second night in Thom's room.  Thom received his GCSE results today for the three modules he has taken - two Bs and a C.  The number of A*-C grades this year is well down on previous years and the trend has dipped from previous years where there has been a steady rise (see graph).  Further modules next year should bring his final marks up. 

Playing golf twice in one day!

Another warm day today. I attended the Mid-Week Eucharist at Whaddon which was very well attended - much better than the equivalent service at Winterslow.  It was taken today by Andrew who had forgotten his vestments but made light of it.  He has a good rapport with all his congregations and I have always found the church members from Alderbury and Whaddon very kind and understanding if anything goes slightly wrong.  Following the service, and after having given Jane her "Jamie at Home"  goods I drove into Salisbury where I bought a small cheap BBQ for Sunday afternoon's event as well as some cricket pads - both for the Single Wicket Competition and as a visual aid for my sermon at East Grimstead on Sunday morning.  After a coffee in Waitrose, I returned home for a baked potato lunch with the family (which also today included great nephew Harry who is staying with us for a couple of days.)  This afternoon, I took Thom and Harry to Grateley where we played some golf (nine holes) badly and after returning them to Winterslow, I then went back with Richard for another nine holes (also played badly).  We eventually retired to the Lion's Head for a couple of pints of Fuller's bitter and discussed Richard's role in my sermon presentation at East Grimstead on Sunday as well as other matters of a more personal nature.   Arriving home, I walked over our now open front lawn instead of along the pavement and in the dark tripped over the stump of our old cherry blossom tree grazing my leg and injuring my arm.  Decided to go to bed and hopefully it will feel better in the morning.

Excursion to Westbury

Much cooler today thank goodness.  I had originally planned to go up to London to attend the funeral of the treasurer of my Royal Arch Chapter in Brighton but had also received an invitation to have a working lunch with a fellow ministry student in Westbury which had to take precedence as I need his help to sort out my assignments for the mission module as well as he help and suggestions for my All-Age sermon on Friday.  I drove over to Westbury at around 11 a.m. after dealing with the day's post and other paperwork.  On the way back I called in at The Ink Shop in Warminster and stocked up on printer cartridges at half the price charged by Staples.  They have now become my regular supplier.  Once back home, I put up two shelves in Mary's bedroom (thanks to Ashley, my fellow student who gave me the correct  screws I needed)  and then went to Grateley to play eleven holes of golf as I felt that I needed some exercise.  I ate the leftover curry for supper tonight, talked to Sara's father and Andrea on Skype and wrote up this blog.    I think I will have an early night and get up early in the morning to do some more work.

Manchester United lose first match to Everton

A day spent getting up to date with some mundane paperwork - especially bills etc. and generally tidying up and cleaning which also meant a drive into Andover to dump some bits at the rec-cycling centre and delivering some old crockery to Andover Mind charity shop.  Another really hot day today.  Ashley phoned to say that all of us students are now behind in our academic work and so I intend to go over to Westbury tomorrow morning to spend a bit of time with him going through the research for the current module as well as picking his brains for some ideas for the family worship service I am preaching at on Sunday.  I cut the rear lawn this evening - still hot when I did so - and I also ventured into the loft to retrieve the fan in an effort to cool us all down.  It is currently blasting out cool air on my study desk to keep me comfortable as I write this.  I suddenly remembered this evening that the accounts for one of the companies we look after is due and so I set about completing those accounts for submission to Companies House by post tomorrow.  I just wish it was a little cooler.  England lost the Third Test against South Africa this afternoon and thereby lost their premier ranking in world cricket to South Africa. Tonight Manchester United lost to Everton which, ironically, meant that Southampton went up a place in the league to 13th.  Happy with that.

Sporting Hampshire Sunday

A very hot humid day today although it started cool enough.  I attended the 8 a.m. Early Morning Eucharist service at St. john's which this morning was taken by Nils who spoke about the difference between knowledge and wisdom - knowledge being connected to the mind and wisdom connected to the heart.  a very good and thought-provoking homily.  Just before 11 a.m., Sara, Mary, her friend Izzy and I set off for a day's family fun and cricket at the Ageas Bowl where Hampshire were hosting Surrey in the Clydesbank CB40 competition.  We arrived early, before the gates opened, and had to queue in the heat to get in.  When we did finally get in we found the atrium in the Members' Pavilion very warm in deed and we settled at our favourite round table by the large plate glass window in front of the television.  Mary and Izzy had a lovely time wandering around the Bowl whilst Sara stayed in the Members' lounge to watch the Manchester City v. Saints game on Sky and I went up to the Rooftop Terrace to watch the cricket.  Hampshire had a convincing win by 4 wickets with Kevin Pietersen (Surrey) being bowled out for a golden duck by Liam Dawson.  That was the highlight of the afternoon!  Saints lost their game against Manchester City but the final score was 3-2 with Saints being 1-2 in the lead at one point.  They put up a very credible performance against the League Champions on their home turf and I think it looks good for Saints to stay up in the Premier League.  Of course, it's early days yet and there is a long way to go but tonight they are 14th in the Premier League.  That would be more than a satisfactory place to end up at the end of the season.

Premier League Football Season Begins

Another very hot and humid day today.  Saturdays now seem to run to a pattern and today was no exception.  Sara and Mary went into Salisbury for cheerleading practice and essential grocery shopping whilst Thom and I stayed behind here in Winterslow.  I spent the morning gardening, or to be more precise, weeding the front garden and drive.  The hot humidity has meant that weeds are absolutely thriving especially as they are watered every morning by the rich dew.  It was hard work and the sweat was rolling off my face as I hacked away with a hoe and rake - but the result was pleasing.  The only frustration is knowing that it will have to be done again within a week. I need to get some weedkiller.  This afternoon saw the beginning of the football season proper with massive defeats for Norwich, QPR and Liverpool! Grimsby could only manage a goalless draw at home against Nuneaton.  Both other promoted teams to the Premier League, West Ham and Reading ended the day with points on the board so it is up to Southampton to come away from Manchester city tomorrow with something.  Tonight, Sara and I watched a film starring Bob Hoskins, Susan Sarandon and Anthony Hopkins called "Mussolini and I" about the relationship between Mussolini and his family towards the end of his reign - especially that with Count Ciano.  looking forward to the family day cricket at the Ageas Bowl tomorrow.

Footies Back! (and so is Sara)

Another day at home today - no appointments.  Sara is away in Birmingham at a "Jamie Oliver Convention" and I had Ginny the Cat sleeping with me most of last night. I woke to heavy rain this morning having had quite a short night's sleep owing to the fact that I watched a documentary on the sinking of the RMS Lusitania last night which I thought was a one-hour documentary but turned out to be two!  I took Thom to the shop to collect his papers and then to the Lion's Head where his newspaper round begins.  The rain eased somewhat but was still drizzling.  I must confess that I made myself a cup of tea and then returned to bed to read for a while.  This morning I worked in my study and  apart from a walk up to Tytherley Road and back to deliver a letter (a 1.5 miles walk) I didn't again venture out of the house and garden.  I removed some more ivy from our chimney breast.  The rest should die off naturally as I cannot get to the top of the chimney - I wish Fred Dibnah was still around!  I have no plans to emulate him in the steeplejacking stakes.  Tonight, I cooked a balti curry for Thom and myself (leaving a small portion over for Sara for when she returns) and chicken noodle soup for Mary.  Sara returned about 8.45 p.m whilst Thom and I were watching the first Championship game of the season on TV (Cardiff 1 - 0 Huddersfield).  Cardiff scored in the second minute of final injury time.  Poor Huddersfield, they played extremely well too.  Sara and the kids are looking after some neighbours' chickens and they returned with five eggs (one hen is broody hence not six!).  Feeling really tired again.  It has been hot and muggy today.  The rain this morning seemed to only increase the humidity and it is very very sticky.  It's hard to concentrate in this heat.

At home all day

A quiet day at home today - apart from a short trip to the post box I stayed in the house or in the garden all day.  I removed most of the ivy which has attached itself to our chimney breast and did some other tidying up in the front.  We buried Hayley the Hamster this afternoon and have marked her grave with a stone meerkat which appears to be coming up out of the ground in Sara's rose garden.  No tears fortunately.  Mary has become quite used to burying hamsters now and understands that they have such a short life. This evening Sara is away in Birmingham attending a Jamie Oliver conference at the Birmingham ICC.   I have cancelled House Group so I can have a quiet evening in.  Mary has been out and about with her friend Izzy who is going to come with us to the cricket at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday. Thom has been working on his computer all day and also hasn't left the house other than to do his paper round this morning.  Richard may come around this evening for a beer although I am not really expecting him unless he is feeling at a loose end.   I have dealt with some important paperwork today and so feel a bit more relaxed.  Still have some essays to write but must feel in the right mood for that.  Its raining again tonight which, I hope, will clear this muggy air.  Richard hasn't come round so a nice lazy evening watching the TV - "Storm Chasers". 

Goodbye Hayley, RIP

Torrential rain again this morning with a few thunder claps too. I went to Mid-Week Eucharist at St. John's this morning which was taken by Cynthia. A very sad day as Mary and I took Hayley the Hamster to the vet where she had to be put down.  She was clearly suffering from a terminal illness and was just skin, fur and bone - very de-hydrated - and shaking all over like a human being with Parkinson's disease.  Mary and I shed a few tears but it was all over in minutes and we are comforted to know that she did not suffer in her last moments. Mary has Leo the Cat to console her and she seemed fairly bright this afternoon as she spent most of it with her good friend, Izzy.   A quiet day otherwise with some reading in the office and a meeting with the Team Rector at the Rectory this afternoon to complete my end of term/year report for the Diocese.  We spent a good deal of the time downloading a piece of software called Visual Liturgy which gives me electronic access to the  Book of Common Worship, Lectionary, Music and all sorts of other useful resources when planning a church service.  I shall enjoy playing with it later.  An early night tonight after watching a couple of episodes of Rev.  Early today Sara and I watched an episode of Ever Decreasing Circles with Richard Briers. I thought that Sara was rather unkind in likening me to him!

St. Maximilian Kolbe's Day / A night at the Ageas Bowl

I wasn’t up so early this morning but, thankfully, the weather was pleasant without being too hot.  Later I found out that today is St. Maximilian Kolbe's Day whose death cell in Auschwitz we had visited only six days ago.  Kolbe, a Catholic priest, took the place of another prisoner facing punishment from the Nazis and as a result was incarcerated in the infamous Block 11 of Auschwitz I (Main Camp) where, after many beatings, he was starved to death.   Having received a cheque from the United States, I drove into Andover at lunchtime to bank it and also deal with some other banking.  This afternoon, I drove over to the Ageas Bowl with Richard and James to attend the Clydesdale CB40 cricket match between Hampshire and Somerset.  Hampshire won the toss and decided to field first.  Somerset put on a modest 228 for 8 at the end of their 40 overs innings.  Hampshire managed to bowl four maidens – quite rare in limited over cricket. Somerset started really well but slowed down towards the end except for the very final over in which they scored a massive 23 runs.  Hampshire’s reply was a slow steady plod but they lost five wickets for 0 runs.  They scraped together 178 runs when their final wicket fell in the 36^th over.  We watched Somerset’s innings from the Pavilion Rooftop and Hampshire’s innings from the Derek Shackleton Members Bar/Lounge are through the large plate glass window.  After a coffee we returned home to Winterslow at around 11.30 p.m. and I joined Sara in watching the film “Pat and Margaret – finally going to bed at around 1.30 a.m. 

Back on the golf course - Oh dear!

With having watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics last night and also a following programme about the 25 most memorable moments from previous Olympic Games, I only got three and a half hours' sleep last night. I was up at 5.30 a.m. today as Richard was calling round for me at 6.30 a.m. to go down to Bournemouth to play golf.  Richard was on time, as usual, and we were down near Hengistbury Head, Christchurch, at 7.40 a.m.  Nobody was at the golf centre at Solent Meads (a lovely par 3 links course with great views of Christchurch Priory and the harbour) and so we waited until the groundsman told us that we could go ahead.  Neither Richard nor I had played any golf for a whole year so we were really rusty and pleased that we were only playing on a Par 3 course.  Richard managed one par 3 and I missed a number of fairly close opportunities.  By and large we scored 4s and 5s.  Not bad but not good either!  The voucher I had bought included breakfast which was a very adequate full English with tea and toast.  I think I would certainly like to play it again soon to see if I can quickly improve. We also hit sixty balls on the driving range and returned back to Winterslow for about 1 p.m.  I must confess that I had an afternoon snooze and think I must have been asleep for a good hour.  This afternoon I dealt with some accounts and brought this blog up-to-date.  Tonight, we all watched Schindler's List, 80% of which was filmed in the Jewish Quarter of Krakow called Kazimierz.  This is only the second time I have seen the film all the way through and its images came to life as we had, only six days before, walked many of the streets and seen many of the locations used in the film. 

Olympic Finish

A great Parish Eucharist service this morning at All Saints.  We had a congregation of about 40 today and our friends from Morning Star were present.  We had different hymns and one of the Morning Star residents gave the first (Isaiah) reading and Sara the second one (from Ephesians).   Bev gave an explanation of the work of the charity and I interviewed another of the residents who gave a testimony.  In all we raised about £250 for the charity today - great achievement.  i was really proud of what we did.  Bev and Dave are now off for a well-earned break in Torquay.  This afternoon, Sara and I took part in the Bentley Wood Walk which we had organised.  Unfortunately, it was badly attended with only Dawn W. joining us with her black Labrador dog whilst Sara and I took Klynn's dog Otis for the long walk (5 miles) to the Bentley Barn and back.  Tonight we watched the amazing closing ceremony of the Olympics. 17 wonderful days have finally come to an end with UK having 65 medals - 29 of which are gold.  The best we've done in 104 years.  Well done Team GB.  What wonderful Games and it makes you feel really proud to be British.  Wenow have the Paralympics to look forward to and Sara, Thom and I will be going up for the football on 1st September. 

Saints Udinese pressure

The weather continues to be hot and today marks the penultimate day of the London 2012 Olympics.  More medals to be won today taking our total at the end of the day to 28 golds!  I spent the morning mowing the three lawns and doing some weeding at the front of the house.  Mary and Sara had their usual Saturday in town and Thom was busy in his bedroom watching the Olympics.  This afternoon Thom and I went into Southampton to watch Saints' friendly match against the Italian premier league club Udinese.  This was our chance to see our new first team in action.  Unfortunately Saints put on a woeful performance and this does not bode well for their Premier League campaign.  We met our friends Andy, John and family outside, after we had bought our tickets, and arranged to meet up inside to sit together in the Kingsland Stand.  Thom and I walked over the bridge to our usual chippy.  Unfortunately, their prices have gone up - in sympathy with Saints's own increases? - although the quality and value remains good - they received a special mention on a recent fans programme on Sky too, so they are certainly on the map.  Udinese concluded the match with a comfortable 0-4 victory over Saints!  Saints still seem to have a lot to do but it was good to be back at St. Mary's.  Ironically, after we parked the car in Southampton the first language we heard being spoken was Polish and as we walked through the multi-cultural inner city area of this great English city we saw advertisements for Polish products and in particular, the Polish beer which I was drinking in Krakow - Tyskie!  We could so easily be back in Krakow again!      

Back home - Coffee at the Hilltop Diner

It wasn't easy getting up this morning but I needed to as I had an appointment to meet up with one of the residents at Morning Star to go through his testimony with him for Sunday's church service which is to be a special Parish Eucharist with members of Morning Star reading and giving out some information about themselves as well as choosing the hymns.  We spent a very pleasant two hours at the Hilltop Grill on the A30 drinking coffee/tea and agreeing how we would conduct the testimony/interview on Sunday.  This afternoon I drove into Andover to bank some cheques which had arrived whilst I was away in Poland - including settlement of my account for the big Tribunal case in Croydon.  That will be very useful indeed in the coming months. So, we are back to the mundane after a wonderful break in Poland.  The weather seems to be as hot as it was in Krakow and it is difficult to work at the moment.  I guess, until the Olympics are concluded, the distractions will continue. 

Farewell Krakow Sheraton

It doesn't seem five minutes since we arrived in Poland and now, this morning, we are packing to leave!  Our few days in Krakow have been packed with activities and there is still so much more we could have seen and done.  I really do want to come back again soon - hopefully bringing Sara with me.  Thom found it difficult to wake up this morning - especially after yesterday's tiring itinerary - hot weather and an enormous amount of walking - not only around the two Auschwitz Camps but also around Krakow itself.  I felt quite hungry this morning so walked to the little cafe at the foot of Wawal Hill where the path leads up to the Cathedral.  I ate a Polish breakfast - frankfurters, cheese and salad with fresh bread and coffee.  I then walked around the block containing our hotel and called in at one of the numerous "Alkohole" outlets to buy a couple of bottles of Polish flavoured vodka.  That done I returned to the hotel, finished the packing and then Thom and I went into the Club Lounge for free coffee, snacks and to watch some of the Olympics on TV.  We took a Mercedes S-class taxi, provided by the Sheraton Hotel, to Krakow Airport where we joined an enormous queue to check-in for our EasyJet flight back to Bristol.  Having dropped off our bag and gone through security, we sat in the Business Executive Lounge watching more Olympics in English on the TV.  Thom enjoyed playing about with a MacBook which was available for passengers.  In fact, Thom and I were the only people in the lounge - a fantastic oasis away from the intense crowds queueing at the gate outside.  Our flight took off on time and we arrived on schedule at Bristol. I really cannot fault EasyJet on their performance both to and from Poland.  In fact, the whole trip has been just perfect.  Absolutely everything went according to plan - the hotel was fantastic, the airline brilliant and the company organising our tours superb.  The food and drink was good and cheap and the city of Krakow is just magical.  A fantastic "bolt hole" for the future when a break is needed.  Back to the hum-drum except the Olympics are now reaching their climax and Team GB are doing so well. 

To Hell and Back

Today started cool enough but gradually got hotter as the day progressed.  This was to be a very interesting day as I was to take Thom (the new way our son Thomas now likes to be known) on an excursion outside Krakow with the same organisation as had taken us on the Schindler's List walking tour yesterday - "Escape2Poland".  Our destination was the small Polish industrial town of Oswiecim, better known in the west by its German name - Auschwitz.  A smart mini-bus turned up outside our hotel a little after 9 a.m. and we joined about another dozen people on this trip.  From our air-conditioned bus we enjoyed the rich Polish countryside which isn't at all unlike the countryside in Wiltshire - many trees and farmland.  After about an hour I spotted the tall twin chimneys at the industrial complex once run by I G Farben where the Nazis had sited the slave work camp at Monowitz (or Auschwitz III).  Nothing now remains of that camp and the former site is now occupied by residential housing.  After driving past the main railway station we eventually pulled up outside Auschwitz I (the main camp).  I was amazed at the number of coaches and people.  Quite clearly, this had become a major tourist site since my last visit here in the 1980s when Poland had been under a Communist regime.  We were met by our guide who took us round in a very comprehensive and professional way and we visited all the parts of the complex I had seen on my previous visit.  The difference was that my visit in 1986 had been quite "raw" and now was a very sleek presentation.  For me, Auschwitz I has been sanitised and turned from a memorial to the dead to a museum.  The stories of horror are no less real but I didn't have three nights of nightmares like last time.  Crematorium I has changed in that in the 1980s one walked through and stood in the gas chamber - now you see it beyond a rope.  After a short lunch break we set off the two miles by bus to Auschwitz II (Birkenau) which for me was far more chilling.  "Hell's Gate" remains intact - that icon of terror which, until this moment, I had only ever seen in monochrome pictures.  Now it stood before us in all its horror.  A chilling vista.  We walked up to the top of the watch tower and surveyed the site - much larger than I had imagined - and Thom and I walked along the railway tracks where once hundreds of "transports" had arrived - their human cargo being selected for work or death on the Selection Ramp. From the Ramp we walked to the left and along to Crematorium II - a 5-6 minutes walk which, for literally hundreds of thousands, had been their last walk on this earth. We viewed the Holocaust Memorial at the end of the railway tracks and stood in silence around the remains of Crematorium II.  We were encouraged to read a book written by a Jewish doctor who had been forced to work in this building - Miklos Nyiszli - and I acquired a copy before leaving the camp.  Many are the pages written about the horrors that occurred in this place and I do not intend to repeat them, but that 6 minutes walk,  the vastness of the camp and seeing Hell's Gate for real left me feeling very sad indeed.  Most of us returned to Krakow in silence.  This evening Thom and I decided to enjoy a lavish meal at one of the many grill restaurants in the main square.  Despite three courses and wine and beer, the bill came to less than £40 for both of us.  We returned back to the hotel fairly early and did some advanced packing for our trip back to the UK tomorrow.

The Real Schindler's List

A long and tiring day today - not to mention quite emotional.  Tom and I were up, showered and away from our hotel at 8.30 a.m. and walked the mile or so into the Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz which had, originally, been a separate town from Krakow and had housed 80,000 Jews who had been encouraged to settle in Poland by an ancient Polish king.  Before 1939 this had been a thriving Jewish community.  I had breakfast in the Pl. Nowy overlooking the old Kosher slaughter house and market which is now populated by cafes and flower sellers.  I had a croque monsieur with eggs, ham and spinach and a cup of coffee on the kerbside - Tom declined.  We were met by our guide, Ewa, at the Hotel Kazimierz at 10 a.m. on the dot.  We were joined by two other English families and set off on our two hour walk of discovery through the Jewish Quarter, visiting a synagogue and Jewish Cemetery and several locations where the film "Schindler's List" was shot.  We were  also taken to the site of the former ghetto on the south side of the River Vistula and finally to the station were thousands of Jews began their final train journey to Auschwitz and Belzec.  A foot tunnel we walked through has the name "Auschwitz" cut into its roof and when the sun shines the name is projected onto the wall of the tunnel.  We finished the tour at Schindler's Factory which is now a large and detailed museum to commemorate the awful events in Krakow during the Nazi occupation.  Very sobering.  It was very hot again when we left the museum and we walked back to our hotel along the banks of the Vistula - through some lovely parkland. Tom decided the stay in the hotel this afternoon whilst I caught a tram to visit the former Gestapo HQ at Dom Slaski (or 2 Pomorska) a dreaded word in Krakow during the occupation.  I visited the terrible cells were inmates had scribbled their last words before beating and execution.  I was struck by the number of scribblings which clearly showed no loss of Christian Faith.  The museum next door was equally sombre with such exhibits as the striped uniform of a former Auschwitz inmate.  This evening, on a lighter note, Tom and I visited and ate at a wonderful trattoria along from Wawal Hill and had a fantastic meal with wine all for 100 PLZ. Tom was in an expansive and cheerful mood and this evening will be one I shall remember and treasure for a long time.  Big day tomorrow, with our trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Krakow Welcome

Woke at 5.45 a.m. this morning in our hotel room near Bristol Airport and we were on the road at 6.45 a.m. arriving at the airport at 7.10 a.m.  We found a car parking space after a bit of exploration of the vast car parking area and we had dropped off our luggage well before 8 a.m.  After going through security, Tom and I settled ourselves in the Executive Lounge (courtesy of Airport Angels of whom we are members) and helped ourselves to complimentary drinks and nibbles.  We each also bought books in W H Smiths to read.  Our flight was slightly delayed, by only twenty minutes which was easily made up on the way to Krakow and we actually arrived twenty minutes early - how's that for great service, thanks EasyJet - a much better experience than the last time we flew from Bristol Airport with, yes you've guessed it - Ryan Air!  On our arrival at Krakow we were met we a searing 34 degrees of heat although it was much pleasanter than stepping off the plane in Nassau.  The heat was much drier with a slight breeze which doesn't make you sweat so much.  We decided to be adventurous and instead of getting a taxi to take us to the hotel we boarded a shuttle bus to the nearby station and caught a train into the central railway station in Krakow.  We had a slight worry that we would miss our train as the shuttle bus driver seemed more intent on reading his novel than getting us to connect with the train.  As it was, the train was late, he was late and the connection was perfect.  Some Polish logic there I guess.  We walked through n amazing shopping arcade - Tom said it reminded him of West Quay in Southampton - to a tram stop and caught the No. 2 tram to our hotel.  We were told we could pay on the tram but nobody seemed interested in collecting our fares.  The hotel is marvellous - right on the River Vistula.  On arrival we were upgraded to a Club Room on the top floor overlooking the river - fantastic view. We also have use of the club lounge facilities and free wi-fi  (the latter instead of a complimentary drink).  We went out for a walk this afternoon to Wawal Cathedral and Castle and into the main market square where we met a bunch of A-Level students on a trip to Eastern Europe whilst waiting for their results.  Over a beer we chatted with them, took a photograph for them and listened to the famous bugler on top of St. Mary's Church Tower.  Afterwards, we followed the tram tracks back to our hotel and enjoyed a refreshing and relaxing swim.  This evening we walked back into the Old Town and enjoyed pizza (Tom)and shish kebab (me) washed down with Fanta (Tom) and beer (me) in a kerbside cafe with trams rumbling past.  Absolutely lovely evening.  Now back in hotel writing up this blog before going to sleep.  tomorrow we have a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter and Oskar Schindler's factory and museum.  We need to be at a hotel in the Jewish Quarter at 10 a.m. so intend to get up reasonably early and then find somewhere for breakfast on the way.  A busy but enjoyable day - plenty of walking according to my pedometer - earning me 9 WW points.

Murray and Ainslie win Gold; Lightning Bolt strikes again!

Up early this morning - much to do as I have to pack for Tom and me for our trip to Krakow tomorrow.  I attended Early Morning Eucharist at St. John's this morning which was taken by Jeremy Davies whose homily turned into a full blown sermon lasting over 15 minutes - something which St. John's congregation is not used to.  He spoke on the feeding of the five thousand and the significance of breaking the bread.  Sara and Mary attended the Salisbury City F.C. Fun Day up at the football ground whilst Tom and I packed whilst being distracted from time to time by the TV coverage of the Olympics.  Sara arrived back before we left for the Bristol Airport hotel and we all watched Andy Murray win gold in the Men's Singles Final against Roger Federer.  We left for Bristol at around 5.00 p.m. and listened to the radio coverage of the Mixed Doubles Finals which resulted in a win for Belarus over Andy Murray and Laura Robson who took silver.  Never mind, Ben Ainslie came up trumps with another gold medal today taking GB's tally to 18.  Tom and I arrived at the Bristol Airport Premier Lodge around 7.30 p.m. (we got stuck behind a learner for much of the journey) and ate a curry for dinner before turning in for the night around 11 p.m. having seen Bolt set another new Olympic record in the 100 metres.  Amazing day again in the Olympics with much excitement tomorrow as we set off for Krakow

Super, Super Saturday!

Six Team GB gold medals today and three of those in athletics in the Stadium tonight!  The first time ever that Britain has won three medals on one night of athletics.  Two other golds came from the Velodrome and the one from the rowing at Eton Dorney.  Fantastic - but the icing on the cake was Jessica Ennis's win tonight at the 800 metres to clinch gold in the Heptathlon.  Wins in the long jump and 10,000 metres men's final completed the tally.  A great feeling of pride in being British tonight is evidenced by our third position in the Medal Table with 14 gold medals - 29 medals in total.  It's also an exciting time at home as Tom and I prepare for our Polish holiday.  I checked in online with the airline today, checked our insurance and use of the VIP lounge at both airports (Bristol and Krakow) and started the irksome task of packing (well I got the suitcases out of the loft at least).  More distractions with all the Olympics today but did achieve quite a bit.  Really looking forward to my few days is Krakow as, it seems, is Tom.  Really haven't much to write here as the sporting history books will record it in full detail.  Suffice it to say, quite a few tears of pride flowed this evening and I do hope we can watch and understand the Olympics on Polish TV. 

An even more golden Friday

Amazing, more gold medals today putting us into fourth place in the Olympic Medal table tonight.  At one point today GB-NI were third, just behind China and USA.  Now wouldn't that be a great position to finish at the end of the Olympics.  Rowing, cycling x 2 and a bronze in swimming.  Andy Murray is through to the final against, yes Federer, so a silver medal at least for him. We are poised to take so many more medals and tonight have 22 under our belt.  Not sure we'll reach the 70 target which we set after Beijing's 47 but I think we will do as well.  I spent the morning on Complex work and this afternoon drove into Andover for shopping and banking.  I managed to get a great little pop-up map of Krakow similar to the one I used for Dublin.  This will really help us find our way around on foot.  Getting quite excited about the trip.  Packing I guess tomorrow.  Weather has been warm and sunny today and I'm sure it will be very warm in Poland.  Must remember to deal with all the paperwork for Poland tomorrow.

An even more Golden Thursday

More medals today in the Olympics -  golds and 3 silvers - brilliant!  golds in shooting, canoeing and cycling which takes GB up into 5th place in the medal table - just one place behind where we finished at Beijing in 2008.  Well done.  More golds to follow too by all accounts.  I spent most of today at Sarum College trying to put together a plan for completing the Mission Module portfolio away from too many distractions.  I arrived just after 10 and apart from a short lunch break in the city centre to get some books on Krakow and do some essential banking, stayed in the library there until 6 p.m. when I went to Qudos in castle Street to join in Andy Parkinson's farewell from Friends Life (formerly Friends Provident).  I was amazed at how many former employees who have been made redundant are now back there working as contractors.  Crazy!  They must feel really smug.  As for me, I do not regret leaving although I have replaced one type of stressful existence with another - of my own making!  Studying and running a busy consultancy (at the moment at least) is very stressful.  After a glass of wine at Qudos, a group of us sauntered over to the excellent Indian restaurant, Anokaa's, to continue the celebration/farewell.  Excellent food - I had king prawns followed by New Delhi-style chicken curry washed down with a cola.  It was good catching up but I was quite disappointed that quite a number of people I would have expected were not there and there were quite a few people who I simply did not know.  Quite clearly the company has changed drastically since I left.  I got home to the good news about our Olympian successes which was heartening.  I really good day - just two disappointments - my barrister friend Michael has cancelled tomorrow's day in Henley - something I really look forward to (although this year we have spent a few days together on the Croydon case) - due to a heavy summer cold and I didn't get as much done as I had hoped.  I still need to do some additional reading before I feel ready to write the essays.  I must stay focused on this and not panic.  The academic side and ministry formation are quite separate and I have been concentrating on the former and not the latter.  Must be more disciplined which is difficult with a trip to Poland about to happen, the Olympics and the children at home.  Feeling tired again as I go to bed at 1 a.m. again.

Golden Wednesday

Wow, the 1st August already.  This year has simply flown by!  Again, I found it difficult to get out of bed this morning and read another chapter of Dave Hopwood's "Bloke's Bible" although I did get up briefly at 6.30 a.m. to make tea.  I have made a pact with myself that tomorrow I shall make tea at 6.30 a.m. and stay up!  Let's see if that really does happen.  I'll report, truthfully, tomorrow.  I walked to St. John's church this morning for Mid-Week Eucharist.  When I arrived only two people were there - and both clergy. Eventually there were six of us - three clergy, me ("half clergy") and two full laity.   Still, Cynthia did a nice service and it was something I needed as I have been "out of focus" with God over the last few days. We heard that Linda C's brother was in hospital being operated on for a blood clot near his artificial heart.  Sadly we learnt later in the day that he died during the operation. Our thoughts and prayers are with Linda and the family tonight.  Sara and  Mary attended the Play Day on the Rec. with Sara doing nail painting and Mary demonstrating her cheerleading skills with her companions.  Unfortunately it poured with rain later in the afternoon which brought the proceedings to a hasty end.  I joined the clergy at Debbie's in Pitton this lunchtime for training on a piece of software called "Visual Liturgy" which will very much help me in putting together services as my ministry develops. Which reminds me, I must make a start on getting my essays written.  A day in Sarum College tomorrow beckons.  Debbie put on a splendid BBQ style lunch and we sat in her garden enjoying the hot sun and food.  A very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere - something I need at the moment.  I cycled over to the Rec later in the afternoon to help put things away and also cycled over to Richard and Linda's to deliver a condolence card.  I managed to cycle six miles tonight in total which, for me, is the best sort of exercise.  Whilst my day was progressing in Winterslow, Team GB managed to win two gold medals (rowing and cycling), a silver (swimming) and a bronze (cycling).  After a barren four days we have struck gold at last on the fifth.  Let's hope we can keep it up.