Halloween - A Quieter Day - Tram Riding

Sara and the kids went out to Carrefour early this morning for some more picnic shopping.  We are going to have a frugal day after yesterday's setback.  After she got back, Sara and I went to Starbucks to bring some coffees back.  The staff were all dressed as zombies and witches reminiding us that it is Halloween tonight.  We stayed in and around the hotel this morning reading - my knidle has been restored - and I downloaded a few free books for Sara to enjoy.  This afternoon, Mary and I, after visiting the local police station to report my stoeln phone's IME number, "cranked" the eastern half of the Barcelona tram system and did a big circular tour of the routes with our free travel passes - the whole journey taking about an hour and a half and enabling me to take some pictures of the trams in different locations.  Mary enjoyed the trip and has been very concerned about my health and well-being following yesterday's upset. She is a lovely person and I can quite see why she is so popular with her peers. .After a short rest, the rest of the familt joined us and we took the tram trip the opposite way round.  It gave us all an opportunity to get out and get some fresh air.  We are doubly cautious of our surroundings now.  Tonight we took a very crowded metro train to the Magic Fountain which we find only operates on Friday and Saturday evenings - Sara and Mary will be back in England then!  We returned to Glories and sat in the open enjoying a couple of beers and cokes.  Back in the hotel we chatted and read some more.  I managed, with the hep of hotel staff, to book ticket for the Sagrada Familia  for tomorrow morning and some open-ended tickets to visit the Barcelona FC stadium some time before we leave - probably Friday morning. 

Robbed!

A truly terrible day today which started with so much promise.  We ate a picnic breakfast and decided we would spend the day in the centre of Barcelona visited several prominent attractions the first of which would be the Sagrad Familia. We caught a couple of metro lines and arrived at the basilica - very impressed by its proportion but I was very ambivalent as to whether I liked it or not.  Impressive it certainly is but gaudy in the extreme.  There was an enormous queue to enter it extending from the entrance at the rear to the front (although when it is finished the front will be one of the side facades). We visited the shop and purchased a guide book.  Thom and I decided we would like to visit it but were unsure that we wanted to queue up for over two hours.  A family did offer us their tickets but we felt unhappy about using them as we would have to say that we had just stepped out.  We decided that we would investigate getting tickets online and come back another day.  We had coffee in an adjacent MacDonald's where we met a lovely group of French Poles and we chatted amiably.  A nice morning.  We took the metro down to the main city park where we had intended to visit the Natural History Museum.  Thom expressed his boredom of Barcelona stating that he would have preferred a holiday in the USA and that he didn't like countries where they didn't speak English. I was beginning to get really fed up and suggested we went back to the hotel and regrouped.  Sara wanted to see more of the park and especially the lake. We walked towards the lake and Mary and I decided we would go boating for half an hour - a bit of time on our own and Sara could have a private chat with Thom.  Sara suggested that I had over to her my BlackBerry and wallet in case they got wet - they were securely in my pocket as I like to be able to feel them in case somebody tries to take them - but I agreed.  Mary and I were no more than ten minutes on the lake when we saw Sara taking photos of us with my camera - our bag had been left in Thom's safe-keeping.  He was scammed - two young men came up to him to talk to him in a quiet voice - as he leaned over to hear them more clearly they took the bag and went off on a bicycle.  The bag had my wallet and BlackBerry as well as a number of other items.  We went immediately to the Catalonia Parliament Police HQ who put me in touch with the British Consulate.  Fortunately our passports were secure in the hotel safe but I had lost 250 euros cash, all my credit cards, my Kindle and my phone.  If only I had hung on to them.   The loss of the phone is the biggest blow - containing as it does so much information I need. We trudged back to the hotel (we only had 4 euros on us) - about a mile where I made frantic phone calls to the mobile phone operator, bank, credit card issuers etc.   Whilst in our room we received a call saying that the police had recovered the bag with many items still inside.  We took a taxi to the main police station to find that our bag had been recovered, all items in tact except the 250 euros and my BlackBerry.  Unfortunately, having stopped all my credit cards, these recovered items are just useless pieces of plastic! Sara was able to get some cash from an ATM and we consoled ourselves with an oriental meal this evening at UDON's.  At least I've got my kindle, binoculars, travel cards and most items back.  Just a major inconvenience without a mobile phone and slightly worried about not having any contact for my journey back on Saturday.  I guess we lived without these things before.  Nobody is hurt and only two items gone - phone and money.  We will survive and will continue with the holiday.

Discovering Central Barcelona

Our first venture out into the centre of Barcelona today.  We started the day by visiting the Glories Shopping Centre close to our hotel where Sara wanted to buy some socks and Thom needed some new pants. We visited H&M where these purchaes as well as a new scarf for Mary were acquired.  I say acquired because as we were leaving the shop the alarm went off as Sara walked through the scanner.  We returned inside to discover that the pants had been neither scanned nor paid for!  They had, howver, been put into the shop's bag by the assistant.  More discussions took place in rapid Spanish and eventually the problem was resolved,  I gave Sara the extra money and we went on our way.  After a breakfast of coffee and donuts we took the Metro to La Rambla and wondered around this area, the adjacent streets, the cathedral and down to the waterside.  We ate lunch in a little cafe off the La Ramba in the old city close to the cathedral.  Instead of eating out this evening we bought some groceries from Carrefour and had a picnic supper in our room with wine.

Flight to Barcelona

We awoke early this morning in our hotel at Gatwick Airport and rather than eat breakfast there we decided to make our way across to the terminal and enjoy the facilities of the Hospitality Lounge,  After leaving our car at the Long Stay Car Park we took the bus to the North Terminal and after a couple of essential shopping items had been purchased went through security where (as usual) Sara sent off the scanner and had to deliver up a large bottle of contact lens fluid.  This happens every time we travel despite her knowing the rules!  Eventually we made our way to the Departures area and waited in the Hospitality Lounge until our flight was called - enjoying croissants, coffee and other delights. Thom bought himself a set of expensive headphones which he has had his eye on for some time. He is delighted with his purchase.  Our flight left on time (11.40 am) and after a short journey time of only an hour and a half we arrived at Barcelona Airport at around 2.15 p.m. (Spanish time). The weather was bright but cool and breezy - very pleasant for me. We visited the Tourist Information office in the Terminal and after being told that it would be a good idea to buy five-day travel cards at any railway station, we trundled ourselves and our bags all the way to the Airport Station where we were told that we couldn't buy travel cards there but would have to go all the way back to the Tourist Information Office where they could be purchased.  I had to trundle all the way back and join a very long queue from another incoming flight!  Eventually we managed to get on a train  to take us to a station about a quarter of a mile from our hotel.  We walked the short distance through some rather "seedy" area of Barcelona before reaching the hotel.  Here we were told that they only had a reservation for one room not two.  I showed them the paperwork I had and the matter was eventually resolved and we were given two adjacent rooms the larger of which had a good view of the Sagrada Famila (Gaudi's gaudy basilica).  This evening we ate in a small restaurant around the corner from the hotel where Sara had salmon, I had a couple of tapas - shrimps and choritzo and the children burgers,  We were also introduced to the delights of tomatoes and garlic bread.  A good night's rest beckons although the hotel room are quite hot and if the windows are opened we can hear the traffic and the trundling trams

Holiday Preparations

A frantic day of getting ready for our trip to Barcelona.  I hoisted the USA flag this morning as it is the United States' Navy Day which marks the anniversary of the end of the States' biggest naval battle of all time - the Battle of Leyte Gulf.  We cleaned out the goldfish and attended to a number of essential chores - cleaning and tidying and packing and finally left the house at 5 p.m. for Gatwick Airport.  I took the A272 rather than battle with traffic along the coast road or the M25 and we arrived at our hotel near the North Terminal at around 7.30 p.m.  We had a meal in the hotel and finally went to bed around 10.30 p.m.

Cheerleading Practice

Yet another dark grey rainy/mizzly day.  Sara was working at the Lord Nelson this lunchtime so I agreed to take Mary and her friend Hannah to Landford for their cheerleading practice.  Having dropped them off, I then retraced my steps back into Salisbury where I encountered very heavy traffic trying to enter the city - it's Friday, it's half term and the world seems to be going westwards towards Devon and Cornwall!  Leaving the car in Milford Hill, I walked into the city centre where I visited the Change Bureau in Marks and Spencer's to buy some euros.  That done, I had a coffee at Reeves before returning to my car and driving back to Landford where I watched Mary and her colleagues go throught their paces.  To my very untrained eye they do seem to have a lot more to do to get to a decent standard for their competition in Eastbourne in a week's time.  Sara spent most of this evening in the lounge ironing and watching the TV.  Sara also made a lovely omelette with bacon, cheese and onions.  We have decided to pack tomorrow when it is daylight and we are both feeling a bit more lively.  A nice glass of red wine tonight.

 

Kindness and Kindles!

Another day of what the Radio Solent weather forecaster calls "mizzle" - misty drizzle.  I had used this term myself so I am rather proud to think that it has now been endorsed by a professional meteorologist - albeit a local radio presenter.  Sara and the Calendar girls featured in the local newspaper, Salisbury Journal, today - fantastic coverage and the Award has been displayed above the door in the Central Stores - I am a little worried about its precarious position as a sudden slamming of the door could signal its demise - shattered into thousands of pieces on the floor.  This afternoon I drove over to Romsey to meet up with a couple (former programme sellers and one an employee of FL) to give them our tickets for the Saints v. Spurs game which we will miss on Sunday.  Glad they can make use of them and suggested that they might like to make a donation to charity instead of paying for them.  Sara feeling rather upset today as one person in the village seems to be shunning her.  I believe it is probably envy about Sara's success and kindness as much as anything.  I have told Sara that it really isn't important and says more about the individual than about her (Sara).  Tonight we held a very successful House Group where we took a piece of scripture - 1 Peter 2:4-10 and used the Sharing Scripture exercise I learned at college last Saturday to share individual thoughts about what it said to different people.  We also had some much more structured intercessory prayers and quiet reflective/meditative time.  This contrasted significantly with watching a DVD from Spring Harvest in which Rod Parsons preached on the same piece of scripture in a very charismatic manner.  Sara was out tonight in Andover with one of her Jamie Oliver parties which I gather was quite successful for her.  My knee has been hurting over the last couple of nights and I couldn't sleep.  I read a few more pages from my new toy (my Kindle)  before dropping off.  Whilst I was asleep, San Francisco Giants won the second of their matches in the World Series.  Two more and they will have secured the title.

Spiritual Diary?

Mary is now off school by Thom still has another three days to go before half-term starts for him.  Sara did her stint at Morning Star this morning and I drove over to Whaddon to attend the Mid-Week Eucharist service.  Although there as a service at Winterslow I decided to attend the one in Whaddon as I wanted to return a book to Bill M, discuss an issue with Gordon M and, finally, visit Staples our stationery supplier for a few items including a couple of neat storage boxes to replace the cardboard boxes in my study. Sara and I had a light lunch of pitta bread and hummus which I had bought at Lidl's.  I spent some time this afternoon setting up my Kindle and working out how to use it.  I also downloaded a couple of free books to try it out including Samuel Pepys Diary - something we've been recommended to read as part of understanding how to keep a spiritual journal and World War II London Blitz Diary (A Woman's Story) - another journal.  This blog is, itself an example of journal writing but it is also important that I keep a note of my own spiritual growth and am able to express my innermost feelings which are not for publication.  The London woman's blitz diary makes extremely interesting reading and really does say a lot about her personality and character.  As a Extrovert Myers-Briggs Type, such inner expressions are difficult unless discussed with the outside world.  I have proven that I can keep a regular record (journal) but can I express my thoughts in more spiritual terms?

Giants!

I found it difficult to sleep tonight.  Sara was huddled up with a hot water bottle because she feels the cold so intensely and I, consequently, was boiling hot as I prefer a cool bed.  I decided to go downstairs and watch the San Francisco Giants v. St. Loiuis Cardinals decider game.  I am an SF Giants fan, having visited the city twice and seen both their old stadium (Candlestick Park) as well as their new AT&T Stadium down near the San Francisco-Oakland Bridge. It was from the AT&T Stadium that this seventh and decider game was taking place - live.  The prize was to represent the National Baseball League in the World Series Finals.  With 3 games won apiece it was going to be a great game.  The Giants were awesome and in the third inning managed to score 5 runs having loaded the bases three times.  St. Louis were never going to recover and the final score was an incredible 9-0 win for the Giants who secured the National League Pennant (Championship) in the pouring rain and will play Detroit, winners of the American League in the World Series.  I do hope we get a chance to see it.   Sara and I worked at home this morning and went into Laverstock in the afternoon to pick up Mary and her friend Izzy from school - they break up for half-term today.  We took them for a drink and cake at Table Table at Hampton Park.  I had coffee and a scone.  We returned to Mary's school to meet with her House Tutor to discuss her progress over her first few weeks of secondary school education.  We were all very pleased.  She is progressing well and making a lot of friends - she seems to be very popular with her peers.  I felt quite tired tonight and so went to bed very early where, instead of sleeping I watched the second episode of  The Sinking of the Laconia which, after the first episode, is very compelling viewing.   Consequently this blog didn't get written up until the following day.  The weather continues to be grey and moist.  Looking forward to some warmer weather abroad soon.

Taxi!

A grey foggy day today with drizzle for most of the day.  It was difficult to get up this morning and Sara finally woke me at 8.30 a.m. with a cup of most welcome tea.  We didn't really get started this morning very quickly .  After a couple of bacon rolls I started work and updated my blog and dealt with some correspondence.  I went over to the doctor's surgery briefly this morning as I was concerned about the wound caused by my attempt at cutting onions a couple of days ago "Jamie Oliver Style" which resulted in me slicing the top of my right thumb.  I was given an appointment with a nurse at their main surgery in Salisbury city centre for 4.40 p.m.  Sara and I spent most of the rest of the day clearing out more junk from the Family Room and archiving some to the loft.  I filled my car with the junk which I took into Salisbury with me for dumping at the recycling centre before going to the doctor's.  I was seen by a young nurse who informed me that I had suffered a "pulp wound" which meant that I had sliced into the capillaries under the skin and this had caused the blood flow. A thick scab was forming which would eventually drop off but she bathed and bandaged it further and gave me a tetanus injection in the arm which she said would cause me to have a sore arm for 3-5 days!  Joy!  Arrived back home through the misty drizzle and won't be going out again tonight.  Mary had had a friend over from Bishopdown Farm (Freya) who stayed for tea but meant that Sara had to go back into Salisbury again.  We are now experiencing the downside of living out in the Wiltshire "sticks".  Mary seems to be making so many friends at her new school - most of whom live in the city conurbation of Salisbury.  This means a 16-mile drive every time we pick up and take back friends. I suspect this will only get more frequent!  Thom, on the other hand, has one main friend who lives in The Wallops - in the exact opposite direction.  I guess this is what happens when you have one child going to school in Salisbury and another in Hampshire.

A Day of Congratulations and Celebrations

Another busy but exciting Sunday.  I skipped breakfast this morning and got to all Saints Church just before 9 a.m. as I was acting as sidesperson for a Baptism Eucharist Service.  The church was by no means full and excluding the baptism party did not number more than about 35 with only four children attending the Junior Church.  Back home by 11.30 a.m. for a light snack of spaghetti bolognaise after which Sara took Thom to his friend's house for some revision and homework study (hopefully). This afternoon Sara and I and the Winterslow Calendar Girls attended the Local Heroes Awards 2012 at the Salisbury Arts Centre.  The Girls won the Fundraiser of the year Award for their marvellous achievement in raising £17,000 for the Salisbury Hospital Stars Appeal Breast Cancer Fund - an amazing achievement.  There were 15 nominations in this category and the Girls received the biggest number of nominations - ten different people/organisations.  What a fantastic way to end their year of achievement.  A wonderful recognition for all that hard work led by Sara.  Those of us who attended went for a quick celebratory drink afterwards and then I had to drive over to Farley for the service to licence Cynthia and Jane as Team Associate Priests - marking the end of their seven years of training and four years curacy.  The service was taken by the Archdeacon of Sarum, Alan Jeans, with Nils preaching.  I gave the first (Old Testament) reading from Numbers and assisted Mandy in directing the congregation up to the altar rail for communion.  Another celebratory feast afterwards with wine and nibbles in the church.  what a fantastic day a great day of celebration.  for me 21st October has always held a special significance - being the date of the Battle of Trafalgar - one of the greatest victories of all time and I have always felt a closeness because Lord Nelson was not born too far away from my own birthplace.  I couldn't think of a better day for these wonderful accolades - prizes for such hard work, determination and focus.

Back to School!

A full day today at the brand new Diocesan Education Centre in Wilton.  After breakfast and packing up my lunch box I set off for Wilton to attend the second session of my "Living the Christian Life" tutorial at the new DEC.  What a great building it is and a great improvement on the former building on Devizes Road which has been returned to the Pembroke School.  We worked solidly from 9.45 a.m. until 4.30 p.m. with 45 minutes for lunch and covered an enormous amount of ground.  We looked specifically at personality types and major forms of Christian spirituality, differing forms of prayer, an in depth look at the Lord's Prayer and the history and spirituality of the different major monastic orders.  My brain was quite steaming at the end of it all and I left the DEC with my car radio on with the commentary of Southampton FC's latest shambolic fixture in the Premier League - a 1-4 defeat at West Ham.  So glad that I had a tutorial today and wasn't able to go to see the disaster unfold.  Saints need to shore up their defence somehow.  Tonight, Richard joined me and the rest of the family for the pub quiz at the Lord Nelson which we lost by one single point!  Had we switched the answers to a couple of questions about the logos of car manufacturers, we would have one by one point.  It was a pleasant evening for all that and a rare treat for Sara and I to go out on a Saturday night.  Whilst we both do go out from time to time it isn't often that we can go together.  Thom did well in answering some of the contemporary questions which would have foxed us otherwise.  Richard and i stayed on for another beer and a natter and walked home by torchlight.

Youthful Achievers

I was up early today to attend a meeting of Ambassador's business group at the Grasmere Hotel in Harnham.  This morning we were given a presentation by the John Thornton Youth Achievers Foundation which raises money in memory of a young Royal Marine lieutenant who was killed in Afghanistan in 2008 towards projects for youths e.g. if a young person has a particular target they wish to achieve then the JTYAF will consider making a grant.  Full particulars can be found at  www.jtyaf.org/.   The Ambassadors' Group donated a cheque for £1,000 towards their funds and a photograph of us all was taken outside the hotel with the cathedral in the background.  I met Sara for a coffee afterwards at the Salisbury Arts Centre and this afternoon, whilst Sara was working at the Lord Nelson pub, I attended to some homework I needed to do before my day at college tomorrow.   A quiet evening at home tonight watching Bad News Bears about a ragtag junior baseball team, starring Billy Bob Thornton.  This is a remake of the 1976 film of the same name starring Tatum O'Neal and Walter Matthau.  Tragically, Sammi Kane Kraft who took Tatum O'Neal's role in this remake as the young female pitcher, was killed only nine days ago in a car accident when the car she was travelling in was struck by a drunken truck driver.  What a tragic loss of talent.

Preparations

A busy day today. The Burnbake Trust came and took away our old sofa bed which Sara and I managed to get onto the landing after having got ourselves trapped in the bedroom for a time! After this I had my usual monthly meeting with Nils, my Training Incumbent, this morning at The Rectory.  The emphasis of my training is changing from learning how to take services and preach to the formation of my ministry which requires me to spend more time in self analysis, prayer and reflection.  This will dovetail into my current ministry module at Oxford Brookes of "Living the Christian Life" where we are currently looking at personality type and matching these with established principles of Christian spirituality.  I have quite a bit of homework to do before my day-long tutorial at the new Diocesan Education Centre out in Wilton on Saturday.  This evening I attended a meeting of the Deanery Synod at Sarum College where I assisted in leading the session on mission in the Deanery.  I arrived back home at around 10 p.m. just as the House Group was breaking up.  James stayed behind for a chat and a beer until nearly midnight.  Eventually Sara and I retired to bed at around 1 a.m.   

Peter Symonds Visit

Sara attended her usual duties at Morning Star this morning and I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at Whaddon which was taken by Andrew.  After the service I attended a meeting at the Alderbury vicarage for photos to be taken for the team website and other uses and this was followed by a full Team Meeting.  I stayed for a lovely lunch of soup and bread and cheese and afterwards, after a couple of errands in Salisbury, picked Mary up from school in Laverstock.  This evening the whole family went to Peter Symonds College in Winchester which is one of Thom's choices for his A-Level studies.  We encountered torrential weather there - thunder, lightning, hail and torrential rain - getting soaked as we moved from faculty to faculty.  I was extremely impressed with the college which has the second best results in the whole of Hampshire and the best results for a state run establishment.   At present Thom's preferred subjects are English Language & Literature, Sociology and Modern History.  A fourth subject could be Law.  He certainly veers towards the social sciences. On the way back Sara and I confirmed to him the need for him to study hard and concentrate on getting good GCSE grades if he wants to go to Peter Symonds.  It is clear that such a good college is going to be overscribed for places next year and so good GCSE grades will be essential.

Writing!

A day of writing today - indeed I only left the house briefly to post some letters in the letter box across the road.  Sara was with me during the morning undertaking her ironing duties and I set about writing my monthly astronomy column for the Parish Magazine (which is overdue) and then setting about dealing with important Masonic correspondence, minutes and the annual returns to the United Grand Lodge of England.  Quite a lot of paperwork to complete and none of it a quick job.  Sara drove Mary and her friends to the Charter Fair in Salisbury - they were picked up by another parent this evening - and Sara also had a meeting with a life coach to see whether or not any of Complex's clients might be interested in using the life coach's services.  Still working through the correspondence this evening.  I had a short break to sweep up some leaves in the back garden and also, I have to admit, to watch a Jeremy Kyle Show episode - I needed something "brain dead" amongst all the cerebral writing.  Hopefully a fairly early night tonight - we've got a nice wood fire going though.

Kiss of Peace

A bright start to the morning but many showers during the day.  I drove over the Amesbury this morning, first to dump some paper for re-cycling following our clear up of the family room and secondly to meet with Ashley to discuss our foundation degree studying.  We met at Costa Coffee in Amesbury, a really nice place for a decent coffee and chat.  Jeff came over today and fitted a new side gate following the disintegration of the old one after a lot of heavy winds.  This afternoon I spent a couple of hours researching my next essay at Sarum College - on the use of the Peace in our Anglican liturgy.  It was interesting to discover that originally the Peace was actually - "The Kiss of Peace" - with communicants actually kissing one another on the lips with deacons on hand to ensure that no "improper conduct" occurred.  Looking forward to writing this essay.

Portfolio Finished!

A really cold and frosty start to the day with ice all over our cars.  Sara and I went to West Dean Church this morning where I led the service and preached on Zacchaeus again.  There were fifteen in the congregation today but no organist which meant using CDs.  This proved to be an amusing challenge for me as we had to change at least one hymn and another was sung to a tune nobody knew - although the hymn itself was very well known. The congregation took it in good humour and it helped maintain a pleasant and informal service setting.  This afternoon I watched a bit of the Preston North End v. MK Dons game on TV from Deepdale which ended in  a lack lustre 0-0 draw.  PNE were lucky to get anything as MKD should have been given a clear penalty.  My friend Malcolm would have been there but it was disappointing to see how many empty seats were in such a magnificent stadium.  I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening completing my mission portfolio for Oxford Brookes University - a task I had set myself to complete this weekend and which, despite several distractions yesterday of a celluloid nature (i.e. watching movies on TV) I have actually accomplished!  I spoke to Mum this evening and told her that I planned to get up to Grimsby for the first week in December which I will combine with a trip to Liverpool. Another clear night tonight - so another frosty morning tomorrow.  Mary is having a sleepover and Thom is supposed to be doing revision in his room - he gets easily distracted like me but he does need to realise that it is important to concentrate on his revision in the same way I have had to really concentrate on completing this portfolio. 

A day of films

The weather is certainly getting colder.  I had intended to cut the front lawn at least today but more torrential rain put a stop to that idea.   This morning I was sorting and putting the laundry away in the bedroom with the television on when Battle of Britain was screened.  This is such a great film that I found myself hooked into watching it!   Sara was out with Mary this morning at cheerleading practice and the day just seemed to fritter away - after yesterday's intense study and preparation I really didn't feel like doing much.  I will get the portfolio done on Sunday which, for me, will be another working day as I am leading and preaching at West Dean in the morning.  I also watched a bit of Titanic this afternoon.  Sara cooked us all a beef curry for supper which was excellent.  This evening Sara and I watched Knowing starring Nicolas Cage.  I had not seen it before and was thoroughly hooked.  so, all in all, I guess today has been a day at the cinema; but it was nice to have a bit of a chill-out day.  Thom did a couple of hours revision and I did deal with some paperwork early this evening.  A blitz tomorrow.  I just wish the weather wasn't so cold and with the price of oil at the moment, I really don't want to have the heating blasting out.

A Day at College

I spent from 10 a.m. until nearly 7 p.m. at Sarum College today - nine hours of study and writing and managed to achieve quite a lot of work.  For the first part of the session I put together the worship sheet for the service I am taking at West Dean on Sunday as well as writing the sermon to accompany it - using last Sunday's sermon as a template as the subject for this Sunday is Zacchaeus.  The latter part of the session was spent in writing up my annotated bibliography, summative reflection and conclusion for my mission portfolio.  My target is to get the portfolio finished by the end of the weekend so that when I meet up with Ashley on Monday I will have something to take to show him by way of a final draft, at least.  Once this is finished I can work on the two half module essays and try and get them completed before we go on holiday at half term.  This evening, I was watched the most amazing football match ever - England v. San Marino which England won at Wembley 5-0.  During the whole match San Marino only entered the English half about a dozen times and Joe Hart, the England goalkeeper touch the ball about six times!  Although 5-0 seems a big score, England's performance should have been much better and they could have easily scored into double figures.  It was good to see former Saints player, Oxlade-Chamberlain, score one of the goals.

De-Cluttering

A day of de-cluttering.  Sara and I had already set aside today to make a start on a massive task of getting rid of old papers, books, documents and other clutter in the Family Room to make it ready for conversion into a quiet room for study, reflection and as a venue for house groups and meetings - especially for clients.  After dealing with some urgent correspondence we spent a part of the day on this task - which also included taking a mass of stuff to the recycling centre in Andover.  This evening we had our house group and reviewed the last two sections of the Dave Hopwood DVD.  Thom and I watched the St. Louis Cardinals v. Washington Nationals baseball game after the house group.  Nationals one the game with a home run from Werth in the bottom ninth which means the series will go to a fifth game.  As the Nationals are "Thom's team" he was delighted.  A day at college tomorrow! 

A Grey Day

Another drizzly wet grey day today.  Fifty Shades of Grey ought to be the title of our weather forecast programmes on TV at present.  Sara did her usual stint at Morning Star and I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at St. John's which was taken by Nils.  Quite a good number in today for such a service - about 9 or 10 - and not the usual ones either.  Back home I set about finalising the accounts for Complex's year end which resulted in me accidentally deleting the complete cash book for 2011/2012!  Quite a few un-Christian expressions were uttered from my mouth!  Fortunately, after the shock and horror of what I had done had subsided I remembered that I had backed up the accounts file on my external hard drive about six weeks ago and I was, fortunately, able to re-construct the cash book in its entirety after about half an hour with the help of the copy on the hard drive and the last two complete bank statements. Added to this, the accounts revealed an abnormally high charge on our mobile phone statements.  Further investigation revealed that part of this (for my phone) was its use in Poland - I had actually forgotten that I had been overseas and the revelation that a charge of 36p is made for every MMS text.  Mary had also inadvertently subscribed to a scam music download service which was costing money to receive unwanted texts!  After two long conversations with Vodaphone I managed to get a block on the scam service and analysed the use of MMS texts.  I have told the family to send pictures by email - which is free - and not texts. All this did put my schedule back somewhat though.  Tonight, Richard, David, James and myself attended the Ambassadors' Quiz Night at the Silver Plough which was being put on by my Ambassadors' Group as a social event.  Simon, the photographer, had organised a very professional event with the use of PowerPoint for the questions and we had a meal of chilli con carne or lasagne with rice, salad, toasted panninis and sour cream and tacos.  All for £5.  Excellent value.  "Last of the Summer Wine", our quiz team name, acquitted themselves again and we each came away with a bottle of wine for having won the quiz by about five points. I know I shall be in for some stick at the next meeting for having got together a "professional" team of pub quizzers only one of which (me) was an Ambassador!  We all enjoyed another round of drinks at The Plough before finally heading back for Winterslow.  A satisfying evening after such a grey day.

 

Revision, Revision, Revision

I woke up refreshed at Peter's this morning but I did detect the beginnings of a cold.  Having completed the installation of my successor last night, I had been quite drained when I went to bed last night and a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed was really appreciated.  Peter and I chatted over tea and toast in the kitchen this morning and Steve, the builder who had constructed our extension in Wiltshire, called round and we had a further short chat.  I drove back to Wiltshire along the coast road and stopped briefly at Southampton to view RMS Queen Mary 2 and Saga Ruby (this is her last season before she follows her sister, Saga Rose, to the scrappers in China. The whole journey was accompanied by either heavy rain or persistent drizzle.  I was pleased to get home.  Tonight I went, with other parents, to Thom's school to understand the GCSE examination and revision timetable and to talk to his form tutor so that a realistic and sensible schedule of revision can be put together.  Quite a few resources are available (more than we ever had in the 1960s) which are varied and exciting.  Back home, Sara and I sat down with Thom and spent over an hour going through the presentation with him and setting ground rules.  Like both Sara and me, he needs to have a good structured plan otherwise he'll just drift.  Sara and I are both notorious for doing that so we really have to stick to a sensible plan.  Watched a documentary on the RAF Nimrod plane before going to bed tonight.    

Civic's Installation Night

A potentially stressful day today as tonight I was installing my successor as Master of the Brighton & Hove Civic Lodge in Brighton.  This required me to learn quite a bit of ritual from the little blue book as well as some additional words and work in what is called the "inner working".  My best way to revise this is to type it out from memory and then go over where my memory is weak. I spent most of the morning doing this.  After an early light lunch I drove over to Brighton - partly along the coast road as there are major roadworks between Worthing and Shoreham on the main A27.  Peter was quite stressed out when I arrived as he was still trying to work out the seating plan for tonight's dinner.I have to admit to feeling quite apprehensive as we entered the lodge room and felt sure that my memory would fail me once the ceremony began.  I did have a few crib notes and was determined to ensure that my successor, Gunther, was installed in a competent and sincere manner. Although the ritual wasn't without its glitches - not just me! - I think we did a fairly competent job and the Assistant Provincial Grand Master made some very complimentary remarks about the way the ceremony had been conducted.  It was an immense relief to me to and I enjoyed the excellent dinner of whitebait, steack au poivre, chocolate mousse and coffee.  It was interesting to reflect that I nearly joined the APGM's law firm.  If I had done so, then I would probably still be in Brighton and would never have met Sara, had children and be pursuing the life I now do.  He made a reference to my dedication and hard work whilst living so far away.  The relief however, of handing over the reins of the lodge cannot be described.  Just immense!  I stayed tonight at Peter's and had a good night's sleep - feeling restful in the fact that I didn't have anymore learning of ritual to contend with this week.  I have a busy enough week as it is.  How the time seems to fly by at the moment!  The nights are soon dark (and they'll be even darker sooner in a couple of weeks) and the weather is certainly turning chilly.  Winter is approaching fast. 

A Sunday of contrasts

 A day of contrasts today.  After breakfast this morning, Thom accompanied me as I drove over the hill to Whiteparish to conduct Morning Worship at All Saints Church there.  The roads seem narrower than ever with the hedges at the side of the road over Dean Hill having grown up tremendously making visibility around the frequent bends almost impossible.  Twice I had to stop either to let a car pass or to allow one to back up.  We arrived at the church just after 9 a.m.  and I was met by the churchwarden with whom I discussed some of the finer points of the service e.g. the processing, the choir, the hymns and the banns of marriage which I was required to read.  The service went well and my sermon involved a small playlet with the help of the other churchwarden who ha a loud voice.  His sudden (planned) interjection of my sermon shocked one of the congregation but other than that I think they enjoyed did - Thom certainly did.  I stayed for about half an hour to chat and have coffee and then Thom and I left to drive to Southampton to watch the match against Fulham.  One of the choir members was also a Saints fan and so, at the beginning of the service, I assured him that the service wouldn't go on too long as I didn't intend to miss the game either!  That raised a few laughs.  I stopped at Ower for fuel and to change from my ministerial suit into casual trousers and Saints shirt!  We arrived and parked in Rockstone Place (although the parking was difficult today), had a lunch at our usual chippie and walked to the Stadium.  It appears that the programme sellers have been made redundant and programmes are now sold by smartly dressed (suited and booted) employees of SFC and at the food outlets in the ground.  I guess it was costing the club too much to have individuals selling the programmes.  They would get 10% of the sale proceeds, I gather, and a free seat for the game.  That was probably costing quite a few thousand pounds a year.  Southampton started brightly going 1-0 up after 4 minutes.  Fulham equalised and then went 1-2 up in the second half.  Saints managed to pull one back in extra time and almost won the match but the final result remained 2-2.  At least we got a point and we are still just outside the relegation zone.  Sara had cooked pork medallions and roast vegetables for supper tonight and I went down to the Lion's Head for a couple of pints with Richard.  Finally got to bed at 1 a.m.

LLM Admissions

It was hard to get up this morning as I didn't get much sleep last night.  I had a bacon butty for breakfast and after sorting out some paperwork, quickly, I caught the Park & Ride bus into Salisbury to attend the Admission and licensing Ceremony of Lay Ministers in the cathedral.  A wonderful service with all three bishops officiating and the Bishop of Salisbury giving an excellent sermon.  The service lasted about an hour and a half - a little shorter than an ordination service - with five ministers to be admitted - the students of the year below our own.  I felt a great warmth and peace come over me as I realised that it will be the turn of me and my fellow students to be walking up the nave of the cathedral in procession with clergy and lay ministers to receive the authorisation of our own ministry from the bishop in exactly one year's time.  I felt exceedingly privileged to have been selected for admission next year and am being trained to use my gifts for preaching and teaching the Word.  We are all called to be ministers in some form or other but to see and hear the appreciation of the senior clergy for this particular authorised ministry was heartening.  Following the service in the cathedral I joined others for lunch in Sarum College and an afternoon meeting at which Canon David Runcorn gave a talk entitled "Singing a Song in a Strange Land?" which was essentially a discussion about how Christian ministers can sometimes feel like "exiles" - set apart from a society with different views and values on Christian life. He echoed many of my own thoughts about how the church must go into the secular community more - something which has been done in our benefice quite a lot recently - fresh expressions of church such as pub theology.  Tonight I revisited my sermon for tomorrow's service at Whiteparish.  Apart from a few minor tweaks I am happy with it.  I am also leading the Morning Worship as well as preaching and have been told this evening that there are some Banns of Marriage to read out too! Must remember to add a prayer for the couple.  Thom will be coming to Whiteparish with me as we shall be going on to Southampton for the Saints v. Fulham game immediately after the service.  Looking forward to the football after quite a busy week.  3 points would be good! 

Loading the base

An early morning start today, as it was the first Friday in the month which meant a meeting of Ambassadors' Business Breakfast Group.  Today we had a talk about credit card and debit card transactions and how they work from a merchanting point of view.  Following the meeting, I went into Sarum College and spent the day writing my sermon and service for Sunday at Whiteparish and began putting together the portfolio for the Mission in God's World module.  I finished the introduction but still need to complete the Annotated Bibliography and Summative Reflection.  I have the latter sorted out in my mind but the Annotated Bibliography will require a further review of the books themselves.  This evening I decided to chill out and the whole family watched a Abram/Spielberg film - Super 8 - which I didn't find all that inspiring or particularly well put together despite the Spielberg label.  It had elements of Close Encounters and Alien but didn't quite work for me.  Thom and I stayed up until 2 a.m. watching baseball from Turners field  on TV - St. Louis Cardinals v. Atlanta Braves which ended late due to a pitch invasion of bottles (see picture) and cans following an esoteric ruling about an in-field dropped catch - or rather failure to attempt to catch the ball, which would have been an attempt to "load the base".  Apparently, the umpire's objection came later than it should have done but was still ruled to be effective.  Atlanta Braves believed that late ruling lost them the game. Whatever the intricacies of the rules, I ended up going to bed very late!

Wiltshire Freemasons' 2017 Festival Launch

Another busy day today.  I spent the night downstairs last night as I was involved in a constant territorial war over bed space last night.  Sara spread herself out over the whole of our king-sized bed pushing me forever to the side and I kept finding myself clinging on to the edge of the bed for dear life to stop myself plunging to the floor.  I soon had had enough and decided to sleep on the sofa downstairs.  I was wide awake by 3 a.m. and watched an Air Crash Investigation programme about a China Airways flight which nearly plummeted into the ocean after taking off at  Los Angeles.  I did get some snatches of sleep but still felt a bit groggy in the morning.  I drove to the Park and Ride in London Road at mid-morning and met up with Lee H at Cafe Nero before we walked to the City Hall for the Provincial Grand Lodge lunch - cold meats, hot minted potatoes, salad etc and cheese and biscuits with white wine to wash it down.  This afternoon we witnessed a very colourful and exciting Provincial Grand Lodge meeting at which the wives and partners of those brethren receiving appointments and promotions to Provincial Grand Lodge were invited to watch their partners being invested followed by a dramatic launch of the 2017 Festival to the accompaniment of Copeland's Fanfare for a Common Man with smoke effect, ticker-tape, "explosion" and sweeping coloured lights.  Not quite the opening ceremony of the Olympics but quite spectacular in its own way.  Following the launch we were invited to wear our Festival Jewels (see picture).  This evening we had six people at House Group where we reviewed Dave Hopwood's DVD entitle "Signs" which we will continue to unpick next time.  I do hope I can get a decent night's sleep tonight as I have a business breakfast to attend in Salisbury at 7.30 a.m. and a day's work at Sarum College to prepare my sermon and service at Whiteparish on Sunday. 

Sarum Installation Night

Sara did her stint at Morning Star this morning and I went to Whaddon to attend the Mid-Week Eucharist at St. Mary's Hall.  I needed to see Jane D to discuss the format of the service I am taking on Sunday morning at Whiteparish and, as they are undertaking a stewardship campaign, I shall take the gospel reading from St. Luke ("the eye of the needle") rather than Mark's reading on divorce.  Much easier for me.  It was a small attendance today but as I had not taken Eucharist for a couple of weeks, it was very welcome.  I drove straight back home to find that Sara had already finished at Morning Star and was back in her study.  I had a telephone conference with a client in the Midlands which lasted about half an hour and then spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the paperwork and myself for tonight's lodge meeting - which is our annual installation meeting.  Although members' attendance was a bit thin on the ground we had a large number of visitors attending including a large Provincial Team - some 35 or more diners in all - and it was good to see the dining hall so well filled.  A really enjoyable and convivial evening with good food and company.  Nobody won the key/box draw which now stands in excess of £650!  I really enjoy my Freemasonry in Wiltshire and over the next year will almost certainly lessen my involvement in Sussex and support Wiltshire more.  When I arrived home I found Sara watching Dallas which has now replaced Desperate Housewives in her soap affections.  I decided, after a coffee, to go up to bed and leave her with JR and the rest of the motly crew!

Pub Theology Kicks-Off

Woke this morning quite late (for me) at 8 a.m. in Hove.  After a wash and a cup of tea I sat in Peter's lounge looking at the readings I am preaching on at Whiteparish on Sunday - Mark 10:2-12 - Divorce. That is going to be an interesting challenge. In fact, I am tempted to tell my story and ponder the question - would God really punish somebody for after removed himself from an unloving relationship into one where the person can grow their spirituality?  Indeed, I have already written a reflection on this as part of my course and may use it for the sermon.  I will speak to Jane D (Associate Priest at Whiteparish) for her views on this as she knows the congregation there better.  Peter cut the wood for Mary's shelving and the top board of her built in wardrobe which he carefully wrapped for me to take back to Winterslow today.  After this we enjoyed a cooked breakfast at Wheelies where, as usual, Peter attempted to put the world to rights and described how he felt local politicians were no longer in control of Brighton and Hove.  As we are both former councillors in the twin towns our conversation inevitably turns to local politics at some point!  I left Wheelies at 11 a.m. and began driving along the A27 back to Wiltshire when I hit a massive traffic queue on the Shoreham by-pass.  I therefore left the main road and drove along the A283 to Storrington then through Pulborough and Petworth and back home along the famous A272, photographing a rather good example of an old fashioned telegraph for for Si C on the way.  Sara was out when I arrived back home and I wrote up yesterday's blog as I had been away overnight and needed to catch up.  This evening we kicked off with the first Pub Theology meeting.  There were seven of us which was a nice number - all invitees - and Roger put on  a meal of sausages, chips and onion gravy which is being paid for by the church.  The conversation flowed well and we discussed such topics as "why the need to go to church and why those who are non or rather un-churched no longer go";  "what is and how do we pray?"; "the creation story"; "the need for the church to be more visible in the community" - all great subjects which show there will be no shortage of conversation in the weeks and months ahead.  We let the un-churched lead the debate and the level of conversation was very high.  It has been agreed that we shall meet again on  the second Tuesday in November as I shall be away for the first one.  We need to keep the momentum going and may very well make the meetings fortnightly rather than monthly.  I feel very confident that this initiative is going to succeed and I am really excited about it.

 

 

Portslade Masonry and The Stanley Arms

Another long and busy day today.  I spent part of the morning dealing with correspondence and company accounts as yesterday saw our year end for the accounts. Matthew the plumber arrived this morning to fix Sara's study radiator which only seems to work when the hot water come son - not the rest of the heating! and to deal with the leak above the kitchen.  we now have a big hole in the ceiling which will need replacing and will necessitate an insurance claim.   I drove into Andover at lunchtime to dispose of a couple of large boxes of paper at the recycling centre and to deal with some banking arising out of the accounts work I did this morning.  Late this afternoon I drove over to Hove to attend a rehearsal of the installation ceremony which takes place next Monday.  We rehearse at Benfield Junior School and were there from 7.30pm until 10.30pm.  There is still an awful lot of learning to do before we can put on a good ceremony - and only one week to go.  I really haven't had the chance to learn my words with all the study and other work I am doing here in Wiltshire.  After the meeting, Peter and I retired to The Stanley Arms where I was introduced to APA beer (American Pale Ale) which is deceptively strong - a very light ale with an SPG of 4.7.   We walked back to Peter's through Portslade and I really enjoyed the chance to have a long walk after a long drive and a three-hour meeting.  Peter and I chatted, as we always do, until past 1 a.m.  I had Neil's old room at the front which has an exceptionally comfortable bed so slept well.