Goodbye Poirot

Thom didn't have to be at Peter Symonds College until much later this morning and so I took him to the Wallops for the 9.15 a.m. bus.  Sara was working today and I went into Alabare's head office at Riverside House to see one or two people and to use the chaplaincy facilities before going on to Alabare Place where I was on chaplaincy duty from 11.30 a.n. until 3 p.m.  Although we were not all that busy today, surprisingly so as it was, yet again, pouring with rain, the time did seem to pass quickly as I spent some time with two new service clients.  Sara called in briefly to deliver some some from Morning Star which Mary gratefully received.  I finally left at 3 p.m. and briefly went into the shopping centre to enquire about a lead to connect my iPad with the TV.  Because I was uncertain of the lead type and the cost of the ones shown to me, I declined to take the matter any further.   The one great thing about today, though, was that it does appear (97% certain) that my employment law case has settled.  It will be wonderful if that is really the case.  Monday should see the final agreement reached.  Tonight Sara, I and Mary watched the final Poirot episode (I was the only one who had not seen it before) and a documentary on an expedition to try and locate Amelia Earhart's plane to confirm the theory that she ended up marooned on an island in the Pacific.  We also watched the transfer window close with Southampton not buying any new players but releasing two - Osvaldo (to Juventus) and Puncheon (to Crystal Palace).   All in all, though, and apart from the terrible rain (yet again!), a satisfying day.

Lying

A busy day in the office today trying to settle a case which would free me up considerably to complete my assignments. I felt very refreshed this morning and ready to take on any tasks thrown at me - the important thing being to schedule my time properly and sort out all my various engagements and invites in my diary.  I also took up to All Saints Church some letters of grateful thanks from a number of charities that the church has supported over last year.  Much f my time was also taken up with endless phone calls in an attempt to settle my case.  Unfortunately, whilst agreement seems to have been reached I was unable to communicate it to ACAS in time before they closed.  Hopefully we can finalise it tomorrow.  It will be a great relief to know that I haven't got to spend a considerable amount of potential study time during February in preparing for a trial in March.  Talking f trials, it was announced today that Amanda Knox has been found guilty, a second time, of the murder of Meredith Kercher.  Whilst she can appeal it will be interesting to see if steps will be taken to extradite her from Seattle, USA.  Tonight we had a really good House Group meeting using Adrian Plass's book "Bible Blind Spots" to look at whether lying was an absolute sin and in particular that piece in scripture (John 7:2-10) where Jesus tells the disciples he is going to stay at home and then, after they have gone, slips out to join the festival of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  The question we looked at was if lying is a sin how can Jesus lie t his disciples.  Some interesting and thought provoking discussions ensued.  We shall continue the theme of bible blind spots next time.  

Drains

Not an exciting day today but  an unusual one.  Sara took Thom to catch his bus and I cooked Mary some waffles and maple syrup for her breakfast.  I had a bath this morning and read my devotionals.  Sara went off to do her stint at Morning Star and I met with the new Wiltshire Council representative for works with the Parish Clerk and a number of other parish councillors as well as the police.  We are concerned about the narrow road at Church Hollow and the driving of buses along that stretch as reported by local inhabitants.  We also went on a short walkabout to inspect the drainage gullies to be horrified to find most of them block with the silt, leaves and general muck which has been carried down by the excessive rainwater.  This has led to water being unable to drain away with consequential flooding in The Common.  After our meeting I had coffee with David Marke and some of his friends before returning home to deal with emails and other correspondence. I also had an hour's Skype conference with a client.  I also settled a pleading for another client at short notice.  Sara has been working today and picked up Mary from school to take her to gymnastics where she was delight to have successfully executed an "aerial" - which is basically a handstand without touching the floor.  She really does have a natural gift here.  Tonight I wrote up my journal and I am now bang up to date.  Tomorrow I need to sync. my personal diary with the family one.  I had intended doing it tonight but my eyes are beginning to hurt with all this computer use today.

Exciting Day

An exciting day today.  I met with the vicar of the parish where I am hoping to do a few weeks on placement to help me with my theological reflection module and to help me further discern where God is calling me in my ministry. A very successful meeting and we made some arrangements and agreed dates when this could begin.  This will be fully announced to my present benefice at the end of the week.  Following that meeting I return home where I worked on a couple of cases until it was time for me to drive to Winchester to pick up Thom and drive us to Southampton to watch the Saints take on Arsenal.  Yet more rain tonight.  The traffic was extremely heavy going into Southampton and I decided that instead of following all the traffic along The Avenue, I would take the road into Portswood and enter the city that way.  The traffic wasn't much better either.  Eventually we arrived at our old car park in college Street where I was horrified to find that Southampton City Council are now charging for parking after 6 p.m. and I had to fork out £3 to park the car tonight.  As it was so cold and wet, and there were two hours to go before kick-off, I suggested to Thom that we walk the six hundred yards or so to Chiquito's for some warm Mexican food - which we did.  We found a number of other Saints' supporters in there.  We ordered two special burgers - chicken and pulled pork for Thom and chicken and chorizo for me.  Unfortunately, Thom's arrived with cheese which he had to scrape off - but it did give me an opportunity to try some of his. We were in the restaurant for about an hour and then walked to the ground.  The rain was light by then and we didn't get too wet - although it was very cold.  We enjoyed an excellent game of football from two great footballing sides.  The final score was 2-2 although Saints did score first and were trailing 1-2 for a short time; Southampton certainly played well and Wenger commented that he didn't think that Arsenal dropped two points - he acknowledged that Southampton are a good side.  With Liverpool beating Everton 4-0, there is little or no difference in the table tonight.  Southampton remain marooned between the top eight and the bottom eleven in ninth place - several points separating the upper and lower teams.

The monkey did it at Dean Station

I had planned a quiet day at home today dealing with some Complex work.  However, Thom wanted to do some more filming at West Dean Parish Church this afternoon whilst the light was still good, so to ensure he was back from Peter Symonds College at a good time, I agreed to drive into Winchester and pick him up. As I had some backing to do and, I confess, wanted to buy myself a onesie from Primark (in the guise of a monkey complete with tail!), I drove into Winchester a couple of hours earlier to bank some cheques and do some shopping.  I enjoyed wandering around Winchester for a short while and then returned to the car park to pick up Thom.  We drove to West Dean through Hursley, Romsey and Whiteparish arriving just before 3 p.m. and were greeted by Richard who was playing the detective in the scene.  We wanted to just film outside of the church but found the church door open and Alan and Jane inside who showed us around the works being done to install new heating.  It will be a much cosier church once that is done and hopefully make the church more versatile in the uses it can be put to.  It was good to see Alan again as he hasn't been at many of the services there I have recently conducted. The filming done, we returned home for a short while before we set off back to West Dean again with Paul H to re-film Friday's scene.  Unfortunately, Thom has realised that there was a fine focus on the camera lens and so wanted to do it all again.  The trains were more timely in arriving, the weather was drier and it all seemed to go much better. It was, however, bitterly cold and I was thrilled to be back inside an could put on my monkey onesie - very cosy.  A fairly early night tonight.

Speaking for my lunch at St. Mark's

It wasn't easy to get up this morning after having been up until about 1.30 a.m.  At least I didn't have to take any services in the Team today and was not preaching anywhere else although I had been asked to speak at a lunch at St. Mark's in support of Alabare.  Yet again it was pouring with rain.  It seems that global warming is responsible for the increase of water vapour in the atmosphere which again acts as a greenhouse gas.  This means that there is then more water vapour to produce more rain with consequential flooding.  We had noticed yesterday on our return from Southampton how badly flooded were the roads. I attended the morning Eucharist service at St. Mark's and was surprised to see so many people I knew - quite a number from Alabare who worship there on a regular basis.  The congregation numbered about 150 and I was introduced to the vicar, Jim, by Mary who works with me at Alabare Place.  A very informal type of service - no robes - and the Communion was administered by the laity - the vicar merely consecrated the elements. Marvellous preaching from Morris Munns a Baptist minister who now officiates at St. Mark's.  I also had a long chat with their lay minister who was licensed at the same time as me in the cathedral in September.  We ended the service with a hymn written by Morris about running the race etc. set to Vangelis's soundtrack for Chariots of Fire!  It really worked well and we all sang with joyous gusto. Following coffee, the church was transformed into a giant restaurant and we enjoyed a sumptuous "bring and share" meal during which the Alabare Senior Chaplain, I and other speakers from Alabare spoke  about our work for the charity. I didn't actually leave St. Mark's until 2.30 p.m.  Thom had wanted to do some more filming at Dean Station this afternoon but called it off when the heavens opened and yet more rain fell.  As it happened it did clear up but nobody was really in the mood to spend a couple of hours at Dean - besides there is emergency engineering works on the line today.

Bibles, Butties and Banter

A busy Saturday which started with me attending the Bible and Bacon Butties study group at St. Paul's Church.  It was good to meet up with some familiar faces and, in particular, with somebody who had moved down from Yorkshire who knew the church in which I was first married - St. Felix's, Felixkirk, Thirsk. We also discovered that we knew some common acquaintances from my days at Imperial Foods when I had responsibility for Buxted Poultry's legal affairs. I found the fellowship excellent although the biblical teaching a little basic - I guess that results from my more in depth theological studies at college. We finished at around 10.30 a.m. and I drove back home ready to take Thom and myself off to Southampton for the fourth round cup tie against Yeovil which Saints won 2-0, although it wasn't the easiest of wins and Yeovil did put on a spirited performance.  We were seated low down in the Kingsland Stand where the wind seems to whip around the stadium.  In fact we were sitting immediately behind Ivan's two children and their partners and friends and we briefly exchanged a smile and a wave.  Back home to a nice warm house after quite a bitterly cold afternoon. This evening we had dinner with our friends Klynn and Susan.  Klynn cooked a wonderful T-bone steak with wild mushrooms and spices - a Tuscan recipe.  We had an absolutely delightful night and didn't actually get back home until nearly 1 a.m.

Murder at Dean Station

An interesting day today.  I did a long stint at Alabare Place today and was in much demand by the service users and had several long chats with people using the drop-in.  In particular a lady who has been on the streets for several nights now following her eviction from a flat in Salisbury.  The rules relating to Council assistance for those on the streets is very restrictive and because she is not seen as a priority, and the weather is relatively warm at present, although it is also wet, she will not qualify for extra nights in a shelter.  It was really distressing to have to leave Alabare Place this afternoon without having been able to resolve where she will sleep tonight.  These cool wet nights must be horrible if you haven't got a nice warm home to stay in.  I rushed to Stockbridge to pick Thom up off the Winchester bus arriving just as his bus was pulling off - perfect timing, although I did think I would be late.  Tonight, in the pouring rain, Thom, Paul H, Sara and I spent much of the evening on Dean Station platforms filming Thom's A-Level project piece.  This entailed Paul acting as a murdered man with a bloodied shirt.  We were slightly worried what passengers on trains might think so we will have to hold up a board with the word "Filming" on it when we return next week (it wasn't quite a "wrap" apparently).  Richard, Paul H and I ended the evening having a few pints in the Lord Nelson discussing, amongst other things, the pros and cons of Internet dating!  I thought again tonight about my "parishioner" at Alabare Place and wondered where she had found shelter from this appalling weather.

Looking up a train that doesn't stop!

A bit of a frustrating day today.  following the sudden changes to my day yesterday I promised myself that I would be focussed and get through the "have to do's" today.  In fact I did get quite a lot done including paying the maintenance fee on our timeshare apartment in the Bahamas, paying other bills, some lodge secretarial work, some Complex work and some accounts.  My day was quite frustrated by having to spend the first hour trying to find the times of train which "did not stop" at Dean Station where Thom is filming his murder mystery for his media studies A-level. It is quite easy to find the times of trains that do stop from the Internet but in order to find trains that pass through it was necessary for me to download all 3,669 pages of the National Rail timetable in PDF format.  Now at least I do have the times of trains for the whole of Great Britain until May 2014!  I broke this morning's study by a walk to the village shop to pick up bread and milk and biscuits for tonight's House Group meeting but otherwise was hard at my laptop most of the day.  We had four people for our House Group this evening and we followed the bible study which we did at West Dean last night.  It made for a very interesting couple of hours without me having to do much work by wy of preparation.  Sara was extremely tired tonight and went to bed fairly early.  I stayed up until midnight watching "Amish Mafia" which, although not the real documentary it purports to be, is nevertheless entraining viewing. 

An inpromptu visit to the dentist

A bit of an unusual day today.  Sara took Thom to the Wallops to catch his bus this morning and later went on to Morning Star to prepare sandwiches for the Banquet Run.  I drove over to Whaddon for the Mid-Week Eucharist service which was taken by Nils and very well attended.  Nils spoke about anger after we heard the gospel reading from Matthew of how Jesus had become angry at the Pharisees failure to understand that healing was a good thing to do on a Sabbath.  After chatting with Gordon and Bill, and specifically mentioning to Bill the book I was reading about the growth of the Christian Church in China, I went on the  Staff Team Meeting at the Alderbury Vicarage.  I had to leave the meeting before it finished because I received a call from Sara that Thom was experiencing terrible toothache and asking me to take him to the dentists as soon as possible.  By the time I got home an appointment had been made for him and I went and Sara went and picked him up with me taking him into the dentist's so that Sara was free to pick up Mary.  I parked my car at Alabare and Thom had his teeth looked at by a new relief dentist who diagnosed that some serious dental work was required and we booked him in for his first set of treatment in mid-February.  We called in at Waitrose on the way home and bought mouthwash and some new electric toothbrush heads for him to use.  Tonight, Andrew the curate picked me up and I joined him and three others at Brownie's in West Dean for a bible study group on John's Gospel.  Andrew was as engaging as ever and we had a really enjoyable and fruitful evening.  Sara decided not to join us on this occasion as we do seem to be out a lot in the evening just lately. 

A Tale of Four Cities

Another fully packed day today.  I volunteered to take Thom all the way into Winchester today as I had important business in Southampton and then a meeting with a client for lunch in Chichester.  Four cities in one day, as Sara and I were also due to attend our next Encountering Christianity course at St. Paul's in Salisbury in the evening.  I dropped Thom off at Peter Symons back entrance in Bereweeke Road at about 9 am and then drove down the M3 to Southampton (second city) to visit Staples and buy some paper and other stationery items.  After doing this I treated myself to a cup of coffee in nearby McDonald's (I am not keen on Starbucks for a variety of reasons) and dealt with some emails on my new iPad Mini (what a wonderful invention that is!). I called in at Southampton FC ticket office and managed to get two tickets (for myself and Thom) in the Kingsland Stand towards the Northam End - exactly where Thom wanted to be - for the 4th Round FA Cup tie with Yeovil Town.  Hopefully this should be an easy win for the Saints but we'll likely get a tough team in the Fifth Round.  I then went on to Chichester (third city) for a meeting with a client at The Barn, Harvester on the Worthing side of the city.  We met for a good three hours, had an excellent and good-value meal and I left at 3.30 p.m. having many of the issues resolved which had been causing me some concerns.  I picked Thom up back in Winchester spot on time at 4.40 p.m. and back home by 5.15 p.m.  Tonight Sara and I braved more wet weather to attend the Encountering Christianity course St. Paul's.  It's fairly lightweight compared to my theological training at Sarum College but a pleasant evening all the same.  Sara baked giant cookies for us all which went down well - even if they took quite a long time for us each to consume.  I went to bed tonight at 10.45 p.m. and read some more from my book about the growth of Chinese churches.  Fascinating testimonies contained in it.

Bleary Eyed!

I was up last night watching the 49ers v. Panthers championship game from Seattle which resulted in a narrow win for Seattle - who will now go through to the Super Bowl.  As a result I didn't get to bed until 3.30 a.m. and was woken up by Sara's alarm at 6 a.m. - 2.5 hours sleep.  As a result of this stupidity on my part I found it hard to get up, yet I didn't want to lie in bed either!  In fact I had a bath and read some of the book I bough tin London on Saturday - "The Coming of the Chinese Church" by Paul Golf and Pastor Lee.  Having read Brother Yun's "The Heavenly Man" I have a fascination for what is happening in China and the massive growth of Christianity there - now some 100,000,000 Christian converts.  The book is quite difficult to put down.  Sara went to work much later this morning and I stayed at home and dealt with a load of emails.  I also enjoyed working out some of the functions on my new iPad - something which is going to be a great asset in business - so many functions available in one instrument.  I have to confess watching some daytime TV and catching up on a couple of recorded programmes too.  I picked Thom up from Stockbridge and cooked tea for the two of us - fish fingers etc. as Sara and Mary didn't arrive home from Salisbury until 7 p.m.  It is now just gone 8 p.m. as I write this and I think I shall actually go to bed by 9 a.m. Tomorrow I shall take Thom into Winchester and then I shall make a couple of calls in Southampton before going on to Chichester for a meeting with a client. This will mean I'll miss the Deanery Synod's Standing Committee.  Not sure I will be too upset by that!  I seem to be going to endless meetings at the moment and a few less wouldn't do me any harm!

Action!

Well this will be a bit of a shock after such a long gap. Sara told me today that she was completing her journal and I felt really guilty that I hadn't penned anything here for such a long time - then I discovered she was trying to catch up with some entries in September!  Didn't make me feel quite so bad.

Life has been really busy and this horrible wet, cold and dark weather has made me feel really dreadful.  Following our return from Marrakech my feet have hardly touched the floor.  I have led and preached at three services - so I have written three sermons and on top of that legal work has taken off quite considerably with both Sara and I bringing in new clients who need attention.  I have had trips to Guildford and London but generally haven't travelled very far.  We have experienced tremendous rain and flooding but, fortunately, as Winterslow is high up on a hill, we've been very lucky.   

 

As well as my legal and ministerial duties, I need to complete my portfolio on ethics and have two assignments still to write as I post this.  I am hoping for a "sabbatical" from ministerial duties in February to catch up on all my written work as well as having time to prepare for an employment tribunal in March. 

 

My mother is as well as can be expected and, hopefully, her spirits will rise once we get over this awful weather.  I attended an excellent Men's Ministry Day at St. Barnabas's Church, Kensington, London on Saturday 18th January 2014 with a group of men from St. Paul's.  It was a good opportunity to meet with other members of that church as well as listen to some excellent speakers - notably Ken Costa, Tim Cross and Carl Beech.  Very inspirational.

 

On Sunday 19th, I preached at the Winterslow Baptist Church for the first time and really enjoyed it - a much longer sermon than normal - 35 minutes! They seemed to be happy with it.  The following afternoon was spent at West Dean Church filming Thom's murder mystery with help from some extras from the congregation and the watchful eye of Mike, a former BBC cameraman  whom I have met from St. Paul's.  We spent three hours filming endless takes.  That evening I went to St, Paul's and Mike and I joined Richard for a very quiet drink in the Lion's Head. 

 

So, this is a quick catch-up to Sunday 19th January. Hoping that things will get under better control but such a lot of work, this weather and having felt tired has meant that I have not done all the things I promised to do in my New Year's Resolution.    

Back from Marrakech

Just a short note to all my faithful readers that I have been away in Marrakech for the best part of a week and have now returned to an enormous amount of paperwork and meetings so have had little time to write up my experiences.  Not a very good start to my promised habit of keeping up to date with my journal is it?  I am very busy over the next few days but will update you all before too long.

A Happy New Year to you all!