To Liverpool again - a foggy journey

Off to Liverpool today.  Thom was off school today and had agreed to do someone else's paper round to earn some extra cash - good lad! Sara made me a breakfast roll of bacon and fried egg and I spent most of the morning getting ready for the few days away "up north".  I dealt with last minute paperwork and packed - taking two suitcases with me - one packed with clothes and the other my "mobile office".  As I am leading and preaching at West Dean next Sunday I took quite a few theological books to help me put together the service and write my sermon - on the theme of Malachi. I eventually left the house at 12.30 p.m. and took the normal route via Swindon, Gloucester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton along the motorway.  At Stafford I started to hit really heavy traffic and it was stop-start all the way to Stoke where I turned off and took the A500 through the city centre.  Attempting to rejoin the M6 at Junction 16, I encountered thick choking fog - I say choking because there was the most awful smell of sulphur in the air which permeated my car's air-conditioning system and sucked it in producing a really horrible acrid taste in my mouth.  The fog was very widespread and the car radio traffic announcements from as far afield as Sheffield and Lancashire indicated its extent.  It was impossible to get on to the M6 and so I took the single carriageway road towards Nantwich and with the aid of my car's SatNav negotiated my way along some fairly minor roads to Runcorn and into Liverpool over the Mersey Bridge.  In fact, this significantly reduced the mileage to Liverpool but did mean I arrived here about an hour later than scheduled.  I found out later, on the radio that I in fact saved time as well because the M6 was pretty well jammed the whole way to Lymm and beyond and the M56 to Runcorn was blocked by an accident and it was taking 84 minutes (how precise is that?) from the M6 to the Runcorn turn-off.  On arrival at Liverpool the fog had cleared and I arrived at my friend Malcolm's at about 6.10 p.m. - the journey had taken about five and a half hours which, considering the problems, wasn't too bad.  Tonight we walked along the park road to Steve's where we bought and shared one of their excellent Singapore Chow Meins and spend a pleasant evening sitting and chatting over a few drinks (we decided not to go to the pub) and discussing world events.  To bed at 2 a.m.!

Another point for the Saints

I woke up this morning feeling considerably better than on the previous two mornings.  Jeff was here early and continued to erect the picket fence which is looking really good and definitely enhancing our property.  Although feeling better I still feel a bit grotty - this is a really heavy cold and one which is going to take quite a few days to go away.  I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at Whaddon this morning, taken by Andrew, and then on to Whiteparish for a meeting of the Full ministry Team at Jane's which lasted until about 12.30 p.m.  Then into Salisbury city centre to buy a new waterproof hat to replace the one that I had lost at Warwick Services on Sunday. I looked at some cheap ones in the Army Surplus Store in Winchester Street but I felt that I really looked a bit of a "prat" in them and then also looked in several other shops finally deciding to spend a bit extra money on a South African weatherproof hat as worn by a number of my contemporaries including Ashley and James.  Stylish and very practical.  This evening Saints were playing Norwich City at St. Mary's.  Sara decided to cook us a tea of lasagne which meant we arrived in Southampton much later than normal.  The traffic in the city was terrible and there were no parking paces anywhere - 30,000 people were converging on Southampton to watch Premier League football - such a difference to the experience when we were in League One with gates frequently below 18,000.  After having cruised around the streets of Southampton - including the Ocean Village - we eventually drove back up to The Avenue and parked at one of Trethowan's garages.  We had about 15 minutes until kick off and power walked in the freezing cold to the ground.  In fact when we took our seats the game had only been going for one minute and so I reckoned that we had walked the best part of a mile in 13 minutes!  Saints scored first but Norwich equalised before half time.  no goals in the second half ensured that the two teams shared the points.  With Aston Villa's win yesterday, Southampton remain in the bottom three but three points above Reading and seven points above QPR.  Saints are only one point from safety and another couple of wins could see them up the table.  Early days and nothing lost yet. After the match, the traffic was again horrendous so Thom and I, chilled to the bone, walked around via St. Mary's Church to the St. Mary's Street Chippie for a couple of portions of hot chips - really welcome. A more gentle stroll back to Brighton Street and an easy journey home - arriving back in Winterslow at 11.20 p.m.  I watched an interesting interview with two British Muslim girls on TV tonight about their "reversion" to Islam and learnt the word "Inshallah" or Insha'Allah meaning "If God wills it" which punctuates their conversations, as a Muslim should never talk about future plans or ideas unless they say this because Allah has pre-ordained what will be.  Fascinating stuff and I think when it comes to my turn to undertake independent study on course, I will choose a study of Islam.  

Another day at home

I woke up feeling quite dreadful again today - aching and with a sore throat and headache.  As yesterday, I stayed in bed for a while but did read and work.  Geoff came to start work on our picket fence and by the end of the day had managed to complete three sections and a side gate. The weather matched my health - miserable, cloudy and wet.  In fact, apart from posting a couple of letters in the box across the road and occasionally going out to see the progress on the fence, I didn't leave the house all day - preferring the warmth indoors.  Both cats seemed to share my reluctance to go our - although Leo did venture off for a short period in the afternoon. I had a one-hour telephone conference with clients at lunchtime after which I phoned Mum to find out that she was waiting to go up to the hospital.  She is suffering from double vision again. It was later established that the dosage of drugs - principally steroids, needs increasing. This afternoon, Sara went into Salisbury to pick up Mary and to do a bit of shopping.  I worked on my worship essay and completed it.  Unfortunately it exceeds the word limit and Sara has kindly reviewed it with a view to reducing the number of words.  I shall work on it again tomorrow and get it off to my tutor. Tonight I watched the Aston Villa v. Reading game which was important for Southampton.  Aston Villa won 1-0 by a narrow margin which has pushed the Saints back into the bottom three.  They can restore themselves tomorrow night in their game against Norwich - in fact, with Sunderland drawing 0-0 with QPR this evening, they can significantly improve upon their position. Awin is a "must" tomorrow night.  Thom and I shall be there.

Under the Weather

Woke up this morning feeling really unwell - headache, aching joints and sore throat.  Decided to stay in bed for a couple of hours although it is difficult for me just to lie and do nothing.  Ginny the Cat came and joined me.  She is a "Past Mistress" at being able to do nothing and laid down and promptly went to sleep.  The weather outside is hardly conducive to getting up today.  A large packet of papers for a couple of new clients had arrived over the weekend and I set to to read these in the comfort and warmth of the bed.  It took me an hour and a half to read them. After this I had a quick telephone conversion with one of the clients and we have arranged for a fuller telephone conference tomorrow lunchtime.  Sara went into Salisbury today on a few errands including a visit to see her niece and family. I felt a little better and made a wood fire and did some work in the warm lounge.  Tonight some issues arose with Thom and his attitude towards his school work - the result of which was that he forfeited the opportunity to watch some American sport and TV.  He was not a "happy bunny".  I had hoped to finish my essay of the peace today but will try and do that tomorrow.  Have four essays to complete before Christmas.  It would be good to get this one out of the way this week.  I also have a staff meeting on Wednesday so I must knuckle down.  wish I didn't feel so awful.  Tonight my feelings of illness returned with a vengeance although I put off going to bed until late in the hope that I would get a good night's sleep if tired.

Liverpool to Southampton (for a great win)

I didn't sleep very well last night.  Whenever I did drift off Sara woke me up to tell me I had been snoring.  I was, therefore, the first person up this morning and made tea.  I had the beginnings of a really awful sore throat.  We left Liverpool at about 8.30 am and arrived in Southampton at 1 p.m. parking in IKEA where Thom and I left Sara and Mary and walked to St. Mary's Stadium to watch the Southampton v. Newcastle United game.  I had left my waterproof Burberry hat at Warwick Services and so stopped off at the Saints Store in West Quay to keep my head warm.  We also stopped off at the St. Mary's Street chippie for a couple of portions of chips before walking on to the Stadium.  30,400 attended this afternoon's game which Southampton won comfortably 2-0.  This means that tonight they are out of the bottom three.  Wonderful football.  Now looking forward to Wednesday's match against Norwich at St. Mary's and Saint's away game at Liverpool next Saturday - yes, another trip up to Liverpool.  Feeling really poorly tonight - a combination of late nights, lack of sleep, driving up to Liverpool and then back down to Southampton not to mention walking in the pouring rain.  Went to bed at 7 p.m. this evening hoping to feel better in the morning. 

Michael McIntyre in Liverpool

Up early this morning and packing to go away for 36 hours.  Thom did his paper round first thing and Sara cooked us breakfast.  We finally left for Liverpool at around 10.15 a.m. arriving at Malcolm's flat at Aigburth in Sefton Park at about 3.30 p.m.  having stopped off a Sandbach Services and having to take a slight detour through Stoke-on-Trent to avoid congestion on the M6.  We also had a detour at Runcorn as the roads leading to the Mersey Bridge are being repaired at the moment. We visited Steve's Chippie (now just Steve's) for an assortment of different fayre.  Sara was intrigued by the wealth of variety and the relatively low cost compared to similar establishments in the south.   I think Liverpool never ceases to surprise her with its friendly and eccentric character. We were even given a free one and a half litre bottle of coke to wash it all down.  Sara and I shared an excellently portioned Singapore chow mein - my favourite from Steve's.  It was interesting to see that "sausage dinners" are still on the menu - now £3.20 compared to the 15p cost when I was a student and frequented Steve's.  This establishment has been going since 1956!  Amazing to think it existed when I first visited Liverpool in 1957.  Tonight we all attended Michael McIntyre's Showtime at the Echo Arena by the Pier Head.  What a great evening of entertainment with many observations on life which could have come from observing my own family here in Wiltshire.  I particularly liked the Dishwasher story (buy his DVD if you want to know more). It was pouring with rain as we left the Arena and Malcolm picked us up in his car.  I got soaking wet waiting for him to arrive and felt a bit under the weather tonight.  I didn't join Sara and the kids for bed until around 1 a.m. - Malcolm and I chewing the cud as we tend to do over a glass of whisky (the rent which I always bring).  

Emmaus Scripture Supper Evening

Another miserable day to day as far as the weather was concerned. I had lots of plans for today but in the end I drove into Salisbury's Waitrose store to pay a telephone bill and to fill the car with diesel for our trip to Liverpool tomorrow.  I called in briefly at the Lord Nelson at lunchtime to see Sara but the usual Friday lunchtime crowd were not in.  Surprisingly, I am still top of the Football Competition table with 149 points - but only 2 points clear of second place. I am grateful to Tranmere and Port Vale for having kept me top all season (so far!).  This evening there were seven of us for the Emmaus Scripture Supper and had a really nice selection of food brought - pitta bread and humus (which I bought in Waitrose), shepherd's pie from Val and Bill, a wonderful pavlova from Cynthia, salad from dawn,  and cheese and biscuits provided by us. Chris N brought some wine.  The main topic of conversation/study was scripture connected with the arguments for and against women bishops and we looked particularly at Paul's letter second to Timothy.  We had a really enjoyable evening but were late to bed as we had quite a bit of washing up to do which we didn't want to leave until the morning.

A terrible day

A wild and unpleasant day, weatherwise, today.  It is Thanksgiving Day in the USA today and so I raised the Stars and Stripes on our flagpole but, unfortunately, as the wind and rain started to batter us I had to remove the flag and dismantle the pole for fear of substantial damage to both and to other property (should the pole fall).  It remained dismantled for the rest of the day.  I called in to see James this morning but had only been with him for about ten minutes when his parents arrived from Northampton. I made them hot drinks and stayed about an hour before returning home.  I had a number of phone calls to make today and letters to write which occupied my afternoon. The weather worsened this afternoon - almost to hurricane levels and I heard tonight that our friend Susan was driving along near The Rectory with five children in her car when a a tree crashed on top of the car flattening the engine.  If they had been travelling a fraction of a second quicker they would probably have all been killed or severely injured.  Tonight we held our House Group at James's due his is broken leg preventing him form attending at our house.  We discussed the General Synod's vote on women bishops and compared the differing attitudes of various denominations on a number of issues - especially the sacrament of holy communion.  Returning home, the roads were running with water and the wind lashed with rain.  I was glad to get back home.  I watched the second part of the documentary drama on the life of Marco Polo.

Sara returns to cyclonic weather

Sara is back this afternoon and the weather hasn't improved.  I do feel sorry for her as one of the joys of going to Champney's is to enjoy the walks and cycle rides in the forest and around the lake.  There are still wonderful facilities to enjoy indoors - the piano room being one of my especial favourites. I attended the Mid-Week Eucharist at St. John's this morning and Andrew gave a homily on what our church now faces following yesterday's vote in Synod.  Much healing and prayer is needed.  I read many comments from the social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, and there is general sadness, anger and disappointment following the decision not to pass measures to ordain women as bishops.  I do feel somewhat better today especially seeing my tutor and Director of Training, Jane Charman, on TV expressing exactly the same emotions as myself.  I rather wish she were marking my essays too!  Sara came home at around 1.30 p.m. The wind and rain picked up to what felt like hurricane level and I had to dismantle the flagpole to the dismay of one child who was quite upset to see it gone when they walked home from school. I reassured the parent that its removal was only temporary.  Another miserable night tonight.  Sara watched TV whilst I attempted to get up to date with some paperwork which had been neglected over the last couple of days.  I wrote up my blog until last Sunday and wrote several letters.   

A black day for the Church of England

Another miserable, wet and cold day today.  Sara's first full day at Champney's.  I woke up at 5 a.m. after relatively little sleep because of my late night watching the Marco Polo film.  I managed to marshal the children off to their respective schools without too much problem.  I spent most of the day on household chores washing, washing-up, clearing away boxes on the landing and a trip to the recycling dump and the bank in Salisbury.  I also picked up Mary and her friend Izzy from school very early (2 p.m.)  This evening I decided that we would have a Chinese takeaway only to find that the local takeaway at Porton is now closed on a Tuesday.  Having promised them this I had to drive back into Laverstock by the long way round because of the closed railway bridge on the A338.  As we approached the roundabout I heard the appalling news that the House of Laity in the General Synod had failed to reach the 75% majority vote necessary to pass the legislation to allow women to be ordained bishops. A really black day indeed for the Church of England. Non members of the Church and non-Christians will see this as our church being out of touch with modern day thinking.  The irony is that the majority of people voting - in House of Bishops, the House of  Clergy and indeed the House of Laity were in favour yet because there wasn't 75% in all three houses the measure was rejected.  There will be much healing and prayer needed to overcome this split.  Tonight I feel almost ashamed of being a member of the Church of England and I see this rejection as having a major negative effect on mission - my real passion for the church.  Feeling quite low and depressed this evening.  This wet, dark, miserable weather does nothing to lift my spirits particularly on a day like today.. 

Home alone (Well sort of!)

Sara is away today for a few days at Champney's, Forest Mere and I have the house to myself - apart from the children of course!  Sara didn't actually get away until about 1.30 p.m. but made good time and was at Champney's by around 2.30 p.m. (she clearly drives much faster than I do!).  It is a cold miserable and wet day today - one of those days when you feel like you should have stayed under the duvet.  I cooked ribs, chips and corn on the cob for the kids which they enjoyed and had a roaring wood fire in the lounge.  tonight I chilled out with some TV - quite a luxury for me - and watched the first part of a two part drama documentary on the life and travels of Marco Polo in China.  Sara phoned on and off in response to calls from the children - particularly Mary.  This cold, dark and wet weather really doesn't suit me and leaves me feeling so lethargic - and guilty as I know there are so many things to be done - both around the house and in my studies - but I simply don't feel I have the energy.  Besides, I am still feeling tired and bruised from the paintballing yesterday. 

 



Brusing Combat!

No church today - instead combat duties with a paintball gun!  As part of Thom's belated birthday treat (from February!) he had invited two friends - Doug and James - to join him paintballing near Romsey.  Mary had also invited her friend Hannah along too.  We set off in two cars after breakfast arriving at the paintballing site at 9.15 a.m.  Although we had already paid, in advance, for the day's paintballing and 100 rounds of ammunition each, it soon became evident that we were expected to buy a significant number of paintballs extra.  The whole area was extremely muddy woodland and it seemed that our combat was to be undertaken in similar conditions to that of the Battle of the Somme in World War I.  I really disliked being there.  Sara was originally going to leave us and go back to Winterslow to tidy up after last night's murder party but I  persuaded her to stay to look after our things whilst the six of us went into combat.  The first game required our team to defend and hold a series of huts.  We were each given claustrophobic masks to wear as well as smelly head protectors.  The whole thing was most unpleasant.  I obtained my gun and loaded it with about thirty paint balls.  I was late getting to the combat ground and was sent the wrong way - firstly into another game entirely and then, latterly across enemy territory to my hut.  My mask was starting to steam up so I wasn't entirely sure whom I was aiming my weapon at! I did manage to kill four people (including one of my own team!) and didn't get shot myself until the final second of the game.  I discovered the best way to stay alive was to keep out of the way and snipe occasionally so that your position wasn't given away.  The kids were impressed that I hadn't been killed within the first thirty seconds!  I didn't tell them my secret was to hide away as much as possible.  During the second game - storming a castle - I was hit twice in the leg and although I am writing this some three days afterwards, I have enormous bruises to prove it.  Lunch was pizza and chocolates brought by Sara.  In the afternoon we had to defend and then storm a double decker bus - an ex-London DMS by the look of it.  By this time the mud was so churned up that it had become a liquid slurry.  Horrible.  The end of the day couldn't come quickly enough for me!  We were all exhausted - the kids complaining that the opposing team were a bunch of cheats who wouldn't die!  I certainly don't want to repeat the experience thank you.  It did confirm my view that if ever I had been vcalled up for service - I would have joined the navy.  The army never did appeal to me.  Grim! A hot bath and an early bed! Next time, Sara can go into combat.

Mystery and Mysticism

An incredibly busy day today - and a very long one too.  Most of today was spent at Sarum College on the first of this academic year's Ministry's formation days. The day started with morning worship in the chapel followed by four session on Anglicanism.  We studied the 39 Articles of Faith, the Canons of the Church of England, something of the history of the church and its diversity.  The basic study was essentially to understand the origins and structure of the church in which we will be ministering.  As prospective ministers we need to have a clear understanding of what it is to be an Anglican.  On the way home I listened to the final minutes of Southampton's match against QPR.  A brilliant win for Saints - 1-3!  Although it doesn't lift Southampton out of the relegation zone it lifts them off the bottom and gives them a fighting chance of getting out of the bottom zone before Christmas. tonight, Grimsby town are on top of the Conference League.  If they can stay on top it will be a miracle but miracles do happen!  I think their only way of ensuring promotion back to league football is for them to have the top spot at the end of the season.  The two Welsh teams, Wrexham and Newport County, look strong too.  This evening Sara and I hosted another murder mystery party; but this time not in our own home but at James and Sam's.  With James having his broken leg we decanted all the food, drinks and crockery to their house.  Andrew, the curate, and his wife Sarah joined us for a really fun evening.  It was strange to see a man of the cloth dressed in a turban!  The greatest fun was when one was unsure as to whether the person one was speaking to was in or out of character.  A really fun evening - and another late one! 

Calendar Girls Celebration Party

Today was quite a milestone as it formally marked the end of the Winterslow Calendar Girls' two years of work.  It is two years ago since the whole concept of the calendar began with a trip to the Mayflower Theatre and it also heralded the last page of the Calendar before the Christmas finale.  All those involved, girls, sponsors, photographers etc. were invited to a buffet supper at Linda M's tonight.  Around thirteen or fourteen turned up for a most enjoyable night of great food, drink (including champagne) and great companies and storytelling.  I was a bit sceptical about going at first as I didn't think I would enjoy it - with so many women - but it was good fun and Sara and I were the last to leave I think.  The Calendar has done more than just raise £17,000 for the hospital, (although that is a wonderful achievement in itself) - it has brought together so many people in the village who didn't really know each other and has been such a major talking point throughout the community.  It was a wonderful thing to be involved in this.  Now everybody is asking what the next project is going to be!    There is an assumption that it will be a male calendar.  Well maybe, but not next year.  too many other things going on in my life next year.   

More Reflections

This morning was taken up with my monthly meeting with Nils as part of my ministry training.  We discussed spiritual growth and reflection and reflected on my own journey since since this course - some really good points came out of the talk.  This afternoon I attended a meeting with my university portfolio mentor at Great Wishford which put my mind at rest on a number of issues relating to my progress and marks.  all satisfactory but I must work on completing the two "long thin modules".  Tonight we hosted the house Group where we undertook a couple of scripture sharing exercises which I learnt on my "Living the Christian Life" module.  This again went down well with the Group members.  Paul, a member of our group (not the apostle!) suggested that we should study the Book of Job for next term.  I will have to see whether any course material is available for this book.

Freemasonry and Freedom

I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at Whaddon this morning which was taken by Andrew. Stanley Trickett, who had written the book "From Freemasonry to Freedom" also attended but I didn't have the opportunity to speak to him about his book - something which I must do when I next see him as there are quite a few points upon which I would like to take issue. I spent this afternoon at Sarum College and managed to complete 1,100 words of my essay on The Peace.  I hope to get it finished by the end of the week.  Ironically, this evening was spent down at Freemasons' Hall in Salisbury interviewing a prospective new member for the lodge who seemed to be quite satisfactory. 

Pub Theology Again

Another quiet day at home today.  This morning I completed the insurance claim forms for our stolen money and BlackBerry.  I spent the afternoon reading the Canons of the Church of England and the 39 Articles of Faith as a prerequisite to beginning my next module - "Being a Licensed Lay Minister" - apparently we are going to have a quiz on canonical law on Saturday.  They certainly make interesting reading and food for reflection.  Tonight we held our second Pub Theology session. There were only four of us this evening primarily because those others who wanted to come had previous engagements.  We expect this to be slow in starting and are not at all discouraged. The conversation and topics were interesting - especially our discussion on the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury and our hopes and aspirations for the new one, Justin Welby.  Roger provided lasagne and chips for our supper this evening. 

Down Memory Lane - Pork Butchers is King's Lynn

A cold and wet morning started today.  Difficult to get up and I felt it would be lovely just to stay all day in a warm bed.  How I hate these cold, damp and dark mornings.  They really do make you feel like staying at home.  In fact I did, for most of the day - stay at home that is (not in bed).  Sara visited James and Sam this morning whilst I hunted for the currency conversion papers for the insurance claim.  In so doing I cleared away a lot of redundant paper from my study.  It wasn't until Sara returned at lunchtime that I remembered that the paperwork was in Sara's car which she had taken with her!  We made an appointment this morning to see Mary's Head Teacher as the School has refused permission for her to come to Spring Harvest next year.  We shall be appealing this - especially as St. Edmund's is a Church of England School!  I also visited James this afternoon and took a box full of DVDs which we can spare on loan.  We chatted for about an hour and Sam and I reminisced about pork butchers in King's Lynn.  Eventually I had to phone Mum in Grimsby to remember the name of the popular pork butcher's shop where we bought haslet. it was Fredrick Dale's of 31 Purfleet Street.   Sam couldn't remember it and I believe it might very well have closed and been pulled down before she was born or at least when she was still a small girl.  Her family favoured Van Pelt's in Norfolk Street.  Tonight the children played Monopoly and I worked in the study.  No television today which is good.   Today has simply slipped away so quickly and I feel so behind in everything.  Each evening I have the good intention of getting up early and working for a couple of hours before breakfast.  Maybe I'll try that tomorrow! 

Remembrance Sunday

A bright but cold day today.  I decided to attend the Remembrance Day service at West Dean this morning instead of Winterslow.  The service was conducted by the churchwarden, Alan, who as an ex-Naval officer led the service with great dignity and gravitas. We stood for the two minute silence around the war memorial in the Churchyard where I discovered that two of the names remembered from the village both died on HMS Hood when that ship exploded in its battle against  Bismarck.  Quite a story.  We departed quietly with no refreshments afterwards.  I called on Sophie briefly and had a coffee with her.  This afternoon I went into Andover for some shopping from Tesco and also to deposit all the padding and protective covering from our new sofa bed at the recycling station.  With James incapacitated with his leg and wrist in plaster, Thom took his place in the "Last of the Summer Wine" pub quiz team at the Lion's Head.  For the first time in a year, we failed to win - coming a poor second it has to be confessed.  Mick Gong had set the questions which were heavily biased towards a good knowledge of popular music and groups - boy bands, girl bands etc.  We were lucky to come second.  James might have added a few extra points - especially with the anagrams - but I still we would not have won.    

Vocation and Calling

A long but very interesting day today spent at the Diocesan Education Centre (DEC) in Wilton attending my last classroom session for the present module - "Living the Christian Life".  today we looked specifically at vocation and spiritual direction with sessions on journal writing,"thinking outside of the box", looking at examples of biblical callings and the common features and differences between each.  I was particularly pleased that we looked at one of my most favourite pieces of Old Testament Scripture - the calling of Samuel in the Temple. That piece has always given me a lump in my throat from an early age and have always wanted to hear God's call in such a clear manner.  For me, his calling has been more of a nagging.  We worked hard until 4.30 p.m. with 45 minutes break for lunch.  The session on journalling was of interest too and I am so glad that I have been able to stick to a discipline of writing this blog on a daily basis (with just a few exceptions). I feel that I must now also keep a separate journal with my more intimate and innermost thoughts which cannot be published.  It will simply be to explore my innermost self and measure where I am on my spiritual journey.  As I left the DEC I listened to the Saints v. Swansea City game on the car radio.  Normally, Thom and I would have been there but my day at the DEC had prevented that.  Saints were winning

1-0 until a stupid move by our new goalkeeper gift Swansea and equaliser.  The game ended 1-1 which at least meant that Southampton were lifted off the bottom of the league table. Tonight Sara, I and Mary watched "A Passage to India" one of my favourite films from one of my favourite directors, David Lean.  Full of meaning and interest which I enjoy each and every time I watch it.  I see something new and different in it every time - the mark of a good film. 

A Trip to Westbury

At last, some more logs were delivered today so that we can now have regular wood fires in the lounge without worrying about running out of wood.  with the cost of oil being so high it is important that we use wood when possible to keep the consumption of oil to a minimum.  Unfortunately I was not around to stack the logs so Sara and the supplier did it between them.  I went over to Westbury today for a meeting with my fellow student, Ashley, to go through the course work for our current module and the provide moral support to each other.  I am slightly ahead of Ashley but still two half-modules behind my timetable. Right next to Ashley's house is a wonderful example of a west country telegraph pole of the type was frequently found West Wiltshire and Somerset.  I took a photo and sent it to my friend Si who collects pictures of these and also paints them.  Whilst over in Westbury, I called in at Warminster for some new printer cartridges and to buy some items for my packed lunch tomorrow from Morrison's.  I also picked up two large bags of kindling from Shrewton on the way back.  Sara was already out when I returned and I watched some television.  This evening Sara had invited some of her lady friends around for a Jamie at home Party and so I spent this evening in the Lion's Head with Richard.  It was nice to see the pub so full.  We had a few pints together and discussed many topics not least how we saw our futures panning out.  Richard is off to watch Aston Villa take on Manchester United tomorrow at villa Park but should hopefully be back for the Pub Quiz on Sunday night. Back home I watched a couple of Father Ted's with Sara.  Sara fell asleep on the sofa and didn't join me in bed until 6 a.m.!

A day in the village

After a busy week travelling to Brighton and attending other meetings, I had a quiet day in the village today and the car did not move off the drive.  At least it saves fuel.  I visited James at lunchtime.  He broke his ankle and wrist whilst on holiday in Devon when he fell down a skate boarding ramp.  He wasn't skateboarding himself but was supervising his children and testing to see if the ramp was too slippery.  He's likely to be off work for at least eight weeks! I spent a couple of hours with him chatting and exchanging holiday nightmares!  He won't be available for the pub quiz on Sunday and it is doubtful whether he will be able to come to our Murder Mystery Party next Saturday. I decided to watch what I thought was a documentary on the V-1 flying bomb only to discover that it was a two-hour black and white film starring Michael Rennie.  I cannot recall ever seeing it before but it was very interesting.  Tonight I attended a meeting of the Team Council at St. John's and SAura entertained Paul, the only person who turned up for House Group this evening.Afterwards, Sara and I talked to Sara's Dad and wife, Andrea in America  on the Skype link. All in all, quite a lazy day today.   

Obama Wins; FB Barcelona Defeated!!

Well, Obama got back into the White House.  Sara woke me up with a cup of tea this morning to tell me the news.  North Carolina and Indiana did switch to Romney, as predicted in north Carolina anyway, but Romney failed to pick up those "swinging states" of Ohio and Virginia which could have secured him victory.  The final electoral college votes counted, as of this morning, were Obama 303, Romney 206.  270 votes secured the White House.  Whilst it was much closer than in 2008 it certainly wasn't as close a race as had been predicted. Quite a number of my Christian friends and colleagues expressed relief that Obama had secured a second term.  I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at St. John's this morning - there were five of us with Nils.  I prepared for tonight's lodge meeting in Salisbury this afternoon.  Mary brought home her friend Natalie for tea - Mary seems to be a  very popular girl and frequently has friends around.  She is so different from Thom who prefers his own company.  Tonight's lodge meeting was attended by 15 (several of whom were visitors) and we can a Masonic Quiz evening.  True to form, the term of which I was a member won!  No prizes though and the result was close 14 points v. 13 points. We had an excellent dinner of vegetable soup, roast pork and apple sauce, an extremely delicious pear tartine and cheese and biscuits.  It was good to see a couple of Provincial Officers supporting us as well as a Grand Officer.  A pleasant aspect of the evening was time for a leisurely chat around the dinner table after the formal proceedings had concluded.  This meant, however, that I didn't get home until 10.30 p.m. - half an hour later than expected.  I watched the Celtic v. FC Barcelona match in the Champions' League which caused an upset when Celtic beat Barcelona 2-1 - Barcelona's first defeat for three years!  It was a great match which I thoroughly enjoyed watching after such a busy day. Consequently I didn't get to bed until 1 a.m.  A quieter day tomorrow when I don't expect to leave the village.  A church meeting tomorrow night to attend down the road at St. John's

USA Election Day

Another cold start to the day.  Election Day in the United States and so I expect I shall stay up late tonight to watch the results.  Indications are that this is going to be a very close run thing tonight.  I spent the morning in the study preparing for tonight's Chapter meeting in Brighton and Sara attended a Lay Pastoral Assistants' meeting at Cynthia's until about 1 p.m.  I left for Brighton at 1.30 p.m. and arrived at Shoreham at around 3.45 p.m. where I dropped off an envelope at my former best man's house.  As I was leaving he pulled up in his car and we spoke briefly through the car windows!  I haven't seen him for over a year and he is now retired from his taxi business and is a man of leisure.  I parked my car at the North Road NCP car park just after 4 p.m. and after posting more correspondence in the main sorting office close by I attended my Chapter Meeting at the Sussex Masonic Centre where I inducted J into his chair and was, myself, inducted into the chair of H.  It was good to see Peter T, who has taken 29 years to get there, installed as Z.  a lovely evening with good company, even if small in number.  We had an excellent dinner of egg mayonnaise, poached salmon in a spinach and cream sauce, fresh fruit salad and cheese board.  Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves fully.  I decided not to stay in Brighton overnight and as the meeting ended before 9 p.m. I was able to get back to Wiltshire by 11 p.m. listening to the Manchester City game on the radio and latterly the lead up to the American Election night.  Back home, Sara and I watched the early results coming in until about 1.30 a.m. when it looked that Romney would be unlikely to get the key four states he would definitely need to win.  Went to bed feeling that Obama was likely to be re-elected.

Another defeat for Saints

An incredibly cold day again today.  I had no appointments until the evening so spent the day at home in my study dealing with more credit card correspondence and finally activating my old BlackBerry by re-installing applications and synchronising my email accounts.  I am now fully functional again in the mobile communications field but would still be pleased to have a replacement for my lovely Bold 9900.  I received the preliminary mark for my Mission Portfolio - "Very Satisfactory" which will mean another 50+ final mark - well within the acceptable level for the Foundation Degree.  Thom took his Biology GCSE this morning and came back home feeling fairly confident of a good mark.  Tonight I attended a General Purposes Committee meeting of Sarum lodge but was extremely disappointed that only 3 turned up - not enough to carry out any worthwhile business.  I will send a "round-robin" to all the members tomorrow.  Thom and I watched the West Bromwich Albion v. Southampton game on the TV tonight.  Another defeat for the Saints (2-0) which leaves them very much at the bottom of the Premier League.  Nigel Adkins will almost certainly be sacked before too long - ten defeats is appalling.  I cannot see Southampton staying up.  They attained the Premier League a year ahead of their timetable and are simply not prepared. 

Back in Cold Wiltshire

Not a typical Sunday for us today - no church attendance.  Sara was up early to take Thom on his paper round.  It was raining heavily and there was a single flash of lightning and crash of thunder.  It is desperately cold and there has been snow in West Wiltshire and Dorset.  I stayed in the warm bed and read for a while.  I had no intention of going to church today - so many more things which needed attention.  Sara went to Tesco's for some essential shopping and I went through the mountain of mail - many from credit card companies with new cards following my cancelling of them all in Barcelona.  This afternoon I drove into Salisbury and visited Vodaphone where I spent an hour dealing with paperwork connected with the insurance claim on the BlackBerry and getting set up with a new Simcard to put in my old BlackBerry which Thom has kingly given up - he really never liked it. This will see me through until a new one arrives.  I have masses of paperwork to fill in which I'll attend to over the next couple of days.  Thom has a GCSE exam tomorrow so is revising but feeling a bit nervous.  Mary has been in and out of the house with her friends.  They did well in their Cheerleading Competiton at Eastbourne coming fourth - a great achievement considering some of the issues we've had recently regarding their unpreparedness and it was their first time entering such a competition.  They also won another cup for displaying the best sportsmanship.  Apparently judges were watching the demeanour of all participants and Mary's Group cheered and encouraged their rivals which was noted with pride.  Well done again, Mary.  No visit to the pub tonight.  It is so cold and we ate a home made curry to keep ourselves warm.  We have very little wood left to burn and so must eek it out until a fresh supply is delivered.  I went to bed at around 9.30 p.m. for two reasons - because I was tired and because I was cold.  I am currently reading "South" by Sir Ernest Shackleton, which doesn't help to make me feel any warmer!

Goodbye to Catalonia (Barcelona)

Thom and I will be leaving Barcelona with mixed feelings today.  Part of us has enjoyed this wonderful vibrant and historic city and part of us will also leave with the bad memories of being robbed on our second day.  It was hot again in our hotel room overnight and there seem to be constant emergency vehicle sirens going off all through the night.  I woke relatively early and had a shower before beginning the packing.  Thom was up much later and helped put together a few things in the cases.  We decided to walk to Glories Shopping Centre and I drank a mug of cappuccino while Thom had some freshly squeezed orange juice - beautiful oranges.  We chatted about how we would spend the day and decided that we would return to the hotel, complete the packing and then deposit the cases with the hotel's staff in the secure locker room.  quite a number of American tourists had just arrived from the overnight flight.  Being a hotel operated by an American company this is not surprising.  We took the tram to Glories and then the metro (Ligne 1) to Catalunya where we walked down La Rambla stopping to purchase a key ring for Mary.  We wondered around the maritime area and watched as the bridge opened to allow some private yachts to leave the harbour for the sea.  The weather today is warm and we sat outside MacDonald's to eat a fast lunch - albeit leisurely!  We return up La Rambla being careful to keep our hands on our possessions.  We returned to the hotel at about 2.30 p.m. after a quick call in to Carrefour for some Spanish brandy to bring home (a favourite tipple of mine) and had a beer whilst watching the V in the lounge.  We eventually said farewell to the hotel staff and set off for the airport via the tram to Glories, metro to Clot and finally the train to the airport.  Arriving at the airport in good time we found that we had to walk nearly half a mile to another terminal (C) to board our easyJet flight back to London.  Our flight left about half an hour late and we didn't arrive into Gatwick until about 9.20 p.m. and then we arrived at the wrong terminal (South instead of North).  This delayed us somewhat as we needed to catch the Shuttle to the North Terminal in order to be able to pick up the car.  Eventually we left Gatwick at just before 10 p.m. and set off on the long journey back to Wiltshire.  There was ice on the car and we had to swab it in order to see our way out of Gatwick.  We returned home via Bolney, Pulborough, Chichester and the coast road home arriving quite tired at just after midnight.  I eventually flopped into a cold bed at around 1 a.m.

Football and Fountains

Perhaps the most exciting day yet of our visit to Barcelona although it did mean saying goodbye to Sara and Mary as they leave us to return to England for the cheerleading contest in Eastbourne.  They will be staying tonight with my very good friend Peter in Hove - where I often stay when visiting Brighton lodges and chapters.  We all had coffee together at the little coffee shop just round the corner from our hotel before we parted - Sara and Mary to go to the shopping centre out towards Santa Adria and Thom and I to catch the No. 7 bus to Barcelona FC's stadium at Camp Nou, on the complete opposite side of the city to us.  The bus took us through the heart of the city and we saw the other tram routes at the other end of Ave. Diagonal. We had a ten minute walk to the stadium and I was very disappointed not to see some huge edifice on the skyline.  From the outside Camp Nou is most unimpressive and we could have been going to the home ground of Stockport County for all it impressed.  However once inside the story is different.  It seats 98,000 (more than Wembley) and for the most part is open to the elements.  We took the tour and the "Camp Nou Experience" and visited the dressing rooms, chapel, rest rooms, walked through the players' tunnel on to the pitch (well almost); saw the wonderful dug-outs, went into the media room and the post match interview room and sat in the seats in the main stand.  The stadium, apart from the main stand, is uncovered so not a place to visit if the weather is wet or cold. After the tour and a look around the shop we took the bus back to the hotel.  This evening we visited the wonderful Magic Fountain at Espanya (see picture).  The photos I took do not do it justice.  I was amazed at the thousands who came out to see it and the immense number of students dressed in Halloween and other fancy dress.  We stayed and watched the fountain for about an hour before taking the metro back to Glories for a very pleasant dinner of pasta and Gino's.  As I write this, I have just been speaking to Sara, Mary and Peter and all are safe and well in Hove.  Big day tomorrow for Mary in the cheerleading competition. Hope they put up a creditable performance.  Thom and I will pack in the morning when we are feeling less tired.  It's been a long and exciting day today - one to remember with fondness which will take the edge off the nasty day on Tuesday.

A day of sanctity and sanity

Thom and I spent the morning visiting the Sagrada Familia Basilica after having successfully printed off online tickets to avoid the queueing.  The metro train was almost deserted as we travelled from Glories to Sagrad Familia via Clot on the extensive underground system.  We arrived about fifteen minutes before our entrance time (11 a.m.) and we queued for about ten minutes before entering the basilica. What a wonderful and awe inspiring piece of architecture with tree like pillars soaring to an immense height.  It reminded me of both the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals in Liverpool as well as a touch of the extensive mosques in Istanbul.   Despite the enormous crowds wanting to get into the building, its vastness seems to swamp them.  Today is a public holiday in Spain (All Souls Day) and as a major religious festival meant that mass was being said hourly in the crypt.  Thom and I watched from above as the host was distributed below.  I sat for several minutes in the middle of the nave and felt a great sense of the need to pray - which I did; feeling much better afterwards.  Following our traumatic couple of days, I felt an inner peace restored to me. I was determined that we should return with the whole family this evening to celebrate mass together.  There was some reluctance at this suggestion from the children but eventually they agreed to come along.  We arrived in good time and looked around the crypt before taking our seats and reading the lessons in English from a sheet - John, Revelation and Matthew - no Old Testament reading.  An elderly priest conducted the service in either Spanish or Catalan - it was heard for my untrained ear to distinguish, but for the introduction and the peace he spoke in several languages including English.  The liturgical sequence was the same (or almost the same) as for our Anglican Eucharists.  Sara and I took the host and at first both Mary and Thom stayed behind but Thom followed on later feeling he really wanted to do so.  I had prayed for this and felt the Holy Spirit moving in that service.  How strange that this is not always the case in a service in my own church in my own language.  Something for me to reflect upon and perhaps include in an essay. After mass we returned to the hotel and then went out for a proper Spanish meal in a restaurant in the street adjacent to our hotel - two types of paella, steak for Thom and spaghetti (well not exactly Spanish ) for Mary!  We also had pan et tomate and Cantalan sausage selection for starters.  This evening we played cards and drank Cava before going to bed.  A thoroughly enjoyable day.  We all feel that we want to return to Barcelona some day but with a more cautious approach to the crime here.