An enormous apology to all my regular readers. I know a number of you have been concerned that there have been no postings here for a while. I am very fit and well but since returning from the Bahamas on 3rd November I really haven't stopped. Work for Complex Services Limited has suddenly taken off with another employment tribunal looming and some work for a UK subsidiary of a USA company. I also had to prepare and present at my Ambassadors' Breakfast Group - on the topic of legal pitfalls of social media for employers. Coupled with catching up on my other mail, paying bills and taking the Remembrance Day Service at West Grimstead as well as a special Deanery Service for Morning Star (and now preparing for another All Age Service next Sunday), I seem to spending all my time in the study or on my laptop - not a good thing. I can't believe that Christmas is only just around the corner and I have two University assignments to complete before 10th December too!
Life is so interesting though. Sara is now doing some work for one of my Ambassadors' colleagues, has given up editing the Parish Magazine and is attending an Alpha Course at St. Paul's Church, Salisbury, where she is now a regular attender. Mary has also joined the Youth Group there and I have become an Associate Member of that church, attending services there when my duties as a minister in the Clarendon Team permit. It is good to attend St. Paul's as I have a responsibility for outreach (evangelism) at Clarendon and St. Paul's is very much an evangelistic church. Some great ideas being tried out there which I hope to be able to bring to the parishes out in the sticks.
Today (Wednesday) I met with a couple of clients who I met through St. Paul's at their SP2 coffee shop. Excellent coffee at a much reduced price compared with Costa. My work as chaplain at Alabare's .drop-in has also kept me busy and I have been asked to put together Alabare's carol service in Salisbury.
The moral of all this is to be careful what you pray for! God has certainly put me in a position where there is no way I can feel "retired". In fact, I am sure that I was much less busy when I was in full time employment for a large financial organisation. Each day is full of richness. Even Southampton Football Club are now 3rd in the Premier League!
Talking of sport, Richard and I went to the Lights Theatre in Andover last Tuesday for "An Evening with Blowers" - Henry Blofeld of Test Match Special (TMS) fame telling anecdotes about his life as a cricket commentator. A wonderful evening. I could have listened to him for another three hours easily. A great institution. I wonder whether TMS can continue to attract eccentrics like "Blowers", "Johnners", "Tuffers" and the like in the years ahead. I do hope so otherwise the game will certainly lack something. I have renewed my membership of Hampshire County Cricket Club and certainly hope to improve on my attendance next year. A few county games will make for some quieter afternoons.
I must return to my journalling on a regular basis. We all had an absolutely wonderful time on Paradise Island and now we are well back into the real world. I really do not like these long dark nights and look forward to the time when I can again say - the nights are getting shorter. We have, however, had some wonderful sunrises and sunsets and I have put one of those on this posting - taken with my Canon EOS camera given to me as a retirement present by Friends Provident. Enjoy the picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment