Touching the Void

Sara took Thom to the Wallops this morning and I went to Parkwood Fitness Centre for my first induction session on how to use the equipment.  Unfortunately they didn't seem to be expecting me so after a few discussions amongst the staff the general manager, Gary, took me around and suggested and showed me how to use three pieces of cardio-vascular equipment and some weights.  I really enjoyed my session and had a coffee afterwards in the coffee lounge before going on duty with Alabare as chaplain.  The duty session was reasonably quiet until almost the end of my shift when one of the clients needed to speak to me.  Thom wasn't at Peter Symonds today and so I didn't have to rush off to pick him up at Stockbridge.  This meant I was somewhat late.  Mary needed picking up from a friend's house in Devizes Road at 6.30 p.m. together with that friend who was sleeping over, and so, as I was already in Salisbury it seemed sensible for me to stay in Salisbury and so I went to Evensong again in the Cathedral although, unlike last night, the organ playing was more limited as they wished to clear the cathedral by 6.15 p.m. in readiness for a youth concert that evening.  In fact that suited me as I wanted to get away in good time as I had to walk back to Alabare, pick up my car and then across the city to Devizes Road.  Having picked up Mary and two other girls to bring them back to Winterslow, they all went off to youth club at Barry's Field.  Sara and I watched again the Lent Group film (me for the first time as I was out last night) - Touching the Void which was, in places very harrowing but which will inevitably lead to some fantastic discussions amongst the members of the group as we progress into Lent.

My last Deanery Synod meeting

I took Thom to catch his bus at the Wallops this morning and then returned home to work in the office until lunchtime when I went into Sarum College and spent the whole afternoon writing up my first assignment for my ethics module which I was delighted to have completed by the end of the afternoon and submitted it to Sara for proof reading.  I attended Cathedral Evensong this evening with some magnificent music from Vaughan Williams in the form of an anthem setting words by George Herbert to music. I wasn't so keen on the organ voluntary at the end.  I returned to Sarum College to attend my very last Deanery Synod meeting (I am not seeking re-election for the next triennium) and was delighted to hear that the Deanery had raised about £8,500 for Morning Star as its Deanery Mission Project.  This had enabled Morning Star to buy the caravan for David and future guests of theirs as part of their "halfway" house before they return back into society full time.  A really wonderful achievement for the Synod.

Back to Sarum College

Woke early this morning and read my devotionals. I took Thom and picked him up at Nether Wallop today.  Back home in the morning, I got together all my study material for a day at Sarum College after I had attended Mid-Week Eucharist at St. John's (there were five of us this morning) and also visited the new Parkwood Leisure and Fitness Club at Bishopdown and signed up as a member for 12 months.  I have a formal induction meeting on Friday morning.  I spent the rest of the day at Sarum College in the library writing up all my notes from the Intercessions course and getting myself organised to tackle the two assignments on Christian Ethics which I have found so difficult to get started. Working in Sarum College's library is a great help - the atmosphere exudes "academia" which is very encouraging.  I briefly met our Baptist friends' daughter in the corridor by the photos of all the STETs students including Linda from our own parish.  By co-incidence, Richard, her husband, sent me an email suggesting that we meet up for a beer at the Lion's Head tonight and I also received a similar request for our other friend James.  It was really enjoyable to spend an evening in their company drinking real draft ale.  It made me realise that it was quite some time ago since we had done this and I was hard pressed to remember the last time I had had a pint of draft beer in a pub.  I am always driving when I attend various functions and so don't tend to drink. It was also my mother's 85th Birthday today and I telephoned her to wish her a Happy Birthday.  I had sent her some flowers via a local florist which she received this afternoon okay. We had a chat.  she had been to the hairdressers and was due to go to see a consultant at Hull Royal Infirmary about her back problems tomorrow. She is going out for a birthday meal on Friday.

The Great Bake-In !

I took Thom to catch his bus at Nether Wallop this morning and worked at home for most of the day.  Our friends Andrew and Kath left us this morning to return to the Lake District via a meeting in Manchester.  I had promised to bake a cake for tonight's Exploring Christianity course at St. Paul's.  I have only ever baked a cake once before - many many years ago - and not terribly successfully.  I was really expecting anything much better.  Sara supervised me as I mixed up the ingredients for a Victoria Sponge cake which was then placed in the oven for 30 minutes.  The result was two models of the surface of the moon which we debated as to whether to place in the bin.  In the end, by upending each half, filling the centre with jam and spreading butter icing over the top we were able to produce something quite edible although it certainly wouldn't have won any prizes in a village show or in the Great Bake-Off.  As they had had a really busy day yesterday they didn't get up very early and we all had a late breakfast - mid-morning.  I had originally intended to go into Sarum College to write up my first assignment for Christian Ethics but as it started to rain heavily and much of the prep. work I could do in the study, I decided to stay at home today.  Sara was working on some of the invoices she was having to collate for her new employer.  Sara picked up Thom this evening from Nether Wallop and I read some of the material for tonight's Exploring Christianity course at St. Paul's which we attended, complete with home made (very rustic looking) cake. The resultant cake was well received - especially by Keith who would eat anything I think - and was actually very tasty - thanks to the butter cream spread on the top - over half of it was consumed and even Mary had a slice (she is very discerning) when we got back.  Tonight we talked about Grace - how appropriate.  Returning home, and feeling quite shattered, we both went to bed quite early.  Tomorrow I want to make up for some lost time and go into Sarum College after Mid-week Eucharist.

Rose Croix Evening

It was Sara's turn to take Thom to the Wallops with me picking him up mid-afternoon.  I prepared breakfast for me and our guests which we took in the dining room - toast and cereal.  Andrew and Kath then went off into Salisbury to pick up their daughter to take her into Southampton to buy white goods for her new house and we didn't see them again until about 10 p.m. - apparently they had supper in our special restaurant - the Jade in Exeter Street.  Sara went into work (going through hundreds of invoices to put on the database) and I spent the time until 3 p.m. on correspondence and study work.  After picking up Thom from Stockbridge I returned home, spent another hour in the study before going to my Rose Croix Chapter meeting in Salisbury.  We had no candidate tonight so the ceremony was very much in the form of a demonstration.  a pleasant evening with a pleasant dinner to follow - vegetable soup, chicken chasseur (off the bone), fruits of the forest pie, cheese and biscuits and coffee. I sat with some members from City Lodge and one member from Tisbury Lodge who was a from Hull.  That's now two masons down here whom I know from Hull!  I was home before 10 p.m. in advance of our guests who went to bed fairly soon after returning.  Tomorrow I intend to spend quite a bit of time in study - writing up my first assignment for the ethics module..

At the Baptist Church with Baptist Ministers

Sara was up early this morning to take Thom to the shop to begin his Sunday paper job - not only does he deliver Sunday papers but he also sorts them all out for the various rounds on a Sunday.  Our guests and the children slept in and we didn't have breakfast until 9.30 a.m. - toast, pain au chocolat and fruit juice etc.  The children decided to stay at home this morning but Sara and I took Andrew and Kath to Winterslow Baptist Church where we all received a really warm welcome.  Andrew and Kath were even given chocolates because they were visiting for the first time (I was deied one because I had previously preached there!).  David M led the service and Pastor Peter preached - although his preaching turned out to be more of an interactive session with us getting into three groups to explore Isaiah and its prophetic messages about Jesus.  In the period leading up to Easter the Winterslow Baptist Church is going to explore this theme entitled "The Road to the Cross" looking in particular at the Old Testament prophesies with a view to understanding the thread which runs through the whole of the bible culminating in Jesus's life on Earth, death and resurrection.  The service was well attended with many children and we enjoyed coffee and a natter afterwards with many of our friends. We had intended to have lunch at the Hampton Inn today but we found it was fully booked.  Instead, Kath and Andrew went to spend time with their daughter Beth moving some furniture into her new home in Wilton and we all met up again at 3.00 p.m. at the Hampton Inn for a very late lunch.  In fact this worked out much better for all of us.  After lunch they went back with their daughter to put up curtains etc. and after a brief tour of Parkwood Fitness and Leisure Centre which I am thinking of joining, we returned home for some more "lazy time" watching Poirot.  I phoned Mum to see how she was and she is worried that her kidneys may now be a big problem.  She is going to see her doctor again tomorrow.  Andrew and Kath returned back to our house just before 10 p.m. but went to bed quite early.  I stayed up a little longer but was in bed before midnight tonight.

A Visit to Sindlesham

Sara and I were both up early this morning - Sara to take Thom up to the village shop and me to get ready to drive to Sindlesham near Reading to represent Wiltshire Masters' Lodge at a meeting of the Berkshire Installed Masters' Lodge where my secretary, Chris, and I were being received as honoured and distinguished guests!  I arrived at the Sindlesham Centre in really good time - 9.35 a.m. for a 10.30 a.m. meeting and after checking my emails and telephone messages I went inside for a pre-meeting cup of coffee.  The lodge room is very light and airy and I was amazed at the number of Grand Officers attending the meeting - I have never seen so many Grand Officers outside of a Annual Provincial Meeting.  I felt very humbled as a Provincial Officer only!  We were treated with very kind hospitality and enjoyed a talk from the Vice-President of the United Grand Lodge of England's Board of General Purposes who spoke about the need for Grand Lodge to gear itself up for the changed cultures within England and Wales and many of the problems - e.g. declining numbers and an adherence to old rituals and ways of doing things, are very much in common with why there are declining numbers in the Church of England. It constantly strikes me that both of these ancient institutions are suffering from similar malaises.  After an excellent light lunch of home made fish pie and vegetables and cheeseboard (only two courses you will note) I went across to Lord Harris Court (sheltered accommodation for elderly Freemasons and their families) and spent a quarter of an hour with Sarum Lodge's oldest member, Bart Bloom, who is 91 years of age.  I briefly met his daughter before we spent a short time together catching up on news.  It was good to see him and to note that although his body might be frail his mind certainly isn't.  I drove back in the sunshine via Basingstoke and was home at 4.15 p.m.  I listened to the West Ham v. Southampton match on the radio and Saints were losing 2-1 when I arrived home (they finally lost 3-1 at Full Time).  Grimsby town failed to win their match at Grimsby in the semi-final of the F A Trophy and so won't be going to Wembley this year. Our friends Andrew and Kate did not return back to our home until 10 p.m. so didn't see a great deal of them although Andrew and I watched a bit of the spoof film "Airplane" before finally going to bed.

Old Times

Being the third Friday in the month it was time for Ambassadors' Business Breakfast again at the Grasmere House, Hotel in Harnham.  Since my last visit the flooding had worsened and the new lake (which had previously been the Water Meadows) was now lapping up half of the hotel's gardens and the ground water must have, I estimated, risen by a good foot if not more.  We were treated to a talk on the design of websites for social media and mobile devices by Urban Media of Salisbury - a very interesting and informative talk.  After the meeting I called in at Bookers and In-Xcess to purchase some items - notably the old fashioned light bulbs which can no longer be purchased in Tesco's or other normal outlets.  In-Xcess have a wide range of the old fashioned bulbs at very reasonable prices.  The chandelier on the landing was missing a couple of bulbs which couldn't replace because of the need to make a special trip to Netherhampton Road to purchase them.  I  then went to undertake my stint as chaplain at Alabare Place. Although I was there on duty for about four hours I had very little to do - it seemed the bright sunshine weather was keeping many of the service users away. One user asked to see me next week.  He is an avid reader and I promised to bring in some more books for the Alabare Place library next time.  I called in at Waitrose on the way home to buy some meat for tonight's chilli con carne.  At around 6.00 p.m. our guests for the weekend arrive, Andrew and Kath, two Baptist ministers from the Lake district.  Andrew studied law with me at Liverpool and became a solicitor working in private practice in Lancashire before re-training as a Baptist minister and working part time for the CPS at Barrow-in-Furness.  He and I, not only were on the same course together at Liverpool John Moore's University (JMU) but also members of the Christian Union and Legal Society there where he first introduced me to a more evangelical/charismatic form of worship with which I was unfamiliar and uncomfortable at the time.  We were also in the same  Halls of Residence for two years. We had a family meal this evening and caught up with each other's news.  They are down to help their daughter move (she is a STETS lecturer at Sarum College) in advance of her marriage in April.  Andrew and Kath now run a Chapel and Retreat in the Lake District and I look forward to having the opportunity of going up there some time.  We watched a couple of my favourite Fawlty Towers episodes "Waldorf Salad" and "The Kipper and the Corpse" which remain as funny now as when they did the first time I saw them.  I really do have to reflect upon how we two law students, later on both became church ministers - each remaining in our original denomination - and finding a deeper vocation than that which we first practised.

Spring cleaning/Recycling

Nobody had to get up early this morning but out of habit I still got up at 7 p.m. and made tea for us both.  I had not had a very good night partly because Sara was tossing and turning (I went downstairs and watched some TV from 1 a.m. until 2.30 a.m.) and we had more wind and rain in the night.  The flagpole was swaying quite a bit when I went downstairs so I dismantled it - yet again!  The pole has been up and down more times in the last seven weeks than in its entire history!  I started, today, to go through lots of old papers in the study and managed to clear some space on my desk.  It has been annoying me over these last few weeks, paper mounting up over paper, and today's blitz left me feeling much more in control.  I threw away loads of old minutes and agendas from various committees and organisations I work with and decided to be quite ruthless - somebody somewhere has them all neatly filed away.  From April I will not be serving on any church committees - just attending the odd meeting and in October I will be relinquishing my role as lodge secretary which will mean a substantial amount of paper going across to the new secretary.  Much of my records is in electronic form anyway and can be put on a memory stick.  I also had a very long telephone call from Nikki of the British Titanic Society asking for some information about Cunard personnel.  We hope to meet up with here and Richard at the titanic Convention in Southampton in April. This afternoon I drove into Andover to deposit the old kitchen blind and Dyson vacuum cleaner at the household recycling centre. Then on to the bank and Tesco for some goodies for tonight's house group.  Back home I continued my clearing up in the Family Room and Study ready for our guests for the weekend.  I even started writing up Ashley's notes on theological reflection for my folder.  This afternoon I really felt like cracking on with my academic work - feeling so much more motivated.  I feel that God's plan for ministry is starting to come together and I was quite focussed tonight with our house group - talking about how we should interpret scripture using an extract from Adrian Plass's "Bible Blind Spots" and John's Gospel. Some very good discussions.  I have to be up early tomorrow for Ambassadors' and my chaplaincy duties at Alabare.  I can't believe that a week has come round so quickly.  time is really flying.

A little bit of DIY

I didn't sleep particularly well last night especially as Sara was tossing and turning - first hot then cold - and consequently waking me up periodically.  Eventually, at 7 a.m. I got up and made tea for Sara and myself.  Sara took Thom to Nether Wallop to catch a bus for Winchester so he could go into college for a couple of hours (it's Half Term this week) to finish off some work.  I drove to Whaddon and attended Mid-Week Eucharist which was taken, at short notice I understand, by the curate Andrew who, with his usual cheerful self, took the service well with an interesting homily about Jesus healing the blind beggar on the second attempt.  Much of Andrew's preaching at the moment is in preparation for Lent which is now less than three weeks away.  I had a chance to have a good chat with Gordon who told me that his ill wife was hopefully coming out of hospital this week.  That will be a great relief for him not to have to keep travelling up to the hospital.  Back home, I dealt with the mail that had arrived and wrote some letters.  This afternoon I successfully installed a new blind in the kitchen and set about tidying up the family room for our long weekend guests - two Baptists ministers one of whom studied law with me at Liverpool.  Sara went to a ladies luncheon group meeting in Salisbury and returned home about 3 p.m.  Mary spent most of the day (with a sleep over tonight) with her friend Izzy.  Tonight, after a dinner of home made chicken curry, I was picked up by Andrew and went with him and David M from the Winterslow Baptist Church to Brownie's in West Dean for her House Group where we had a very enjoyable and fruitful meeting discussing John 8.  Not too late to bed tonight.

Rain and Hail

It rained again in the night and I found myself keep waking up.  Really couldn't get a good night's sleep with so much going round and round in my head.  Eventually did fall asleep and woke up at 7.30 a.m. - in fact Sara brought in tea this morning.  I decided that even with the bad weather I needed to get some exercise and go for a long walk.  Sara took Mary into Wilton today to attend a days "gym camp" for her to practise her gymnastics.  I set off with walking boots, warm socks, trekking pole and waterproof jacket and hat to walk the 2.5 miles circuit to East Winterslow and back.  Just as I left the house it started raining again but it was light and refreshing.  Arriving at Hill Farm in East Winterslow the light rain turned into a torrential downpour.  I sheltered temporarily in the mouth of an open garage but deciding that it wasn't going to let up and wanting to start on the journey back I braved the elements and carried on walking.  I got drenched!  However, I could do nothing other than carry on and over an hour later I arrived back home.  Not a very swift walk but after a shower and a hot cup of coffee I felt quite refreshed and invigorated.  I sat down to write some letters and quickly called in at Truffles where I had another coffee with our curate, Andrew, and one of the Baptist deacons, David.  I then drove over to Amesbury to take some bottles and cardboard to the recycling plant and on the way back ran into a huge hail storm.  The weather really is appalling at the moment.  More letters were written this afternoon and I set about putting all my diary appointments onto my iPad so as not to forget any.   If I can keep up with putting appointments on it, it will become a very useful tool.  Taking them off my pocket church diary I was struck by the fact that currently I do not have any engagements on a Sunday in it!  This will of course change when I start my placement. 

New Dyson - the Day's Highlight!

Woke early again this morning to find the weather overcast.  I did hoist the USA Flag for Presidents' Day but as the day progressed so did the wind and the rain and I had to take it down again.  Sara took Mary for a dance rehearsal at the City Hall today - but having got the timing wrong was out from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. She did some work for the carpet cleaning company and also bought a new Dyson vacuum cleaner - our old one (some 13 years old) having finally given up its suction after it had given up several bits of itself over the years.  The new one is absolutely amazing - such powerful suction and it will be will be such fun to use.  I spent the day going through the papers on my desk which seem to have hardly been depleted.  Bills were paid, letters written and I attended to quite a few Masonic issues which needed to be sorted including sending out all the agendas for our next meeting together with dining slips and minutes. I declined an invitation to a meeting in Brighton choosing to attend one in Salisbury on that day.  The cost in money and time was too prohibitive to go over to Brighton again. Thom spent nearly all day in his room and I did, eventually, get his new phone number signed on to our Sure Signal box.  It rained heavily this afternoon, just as I had decided to go for a walk.  I am really missing my walks because of the appalling weather which keeps us indoors.  I can see how those with dogs keep fit - they have to go out - whereas it is so easy to stay in the warm and dry.  More rain is forecast for the rest of the week.  How dreary.  I think another early night (after Poirot) and an early morning walk - perhaps!

Bright Morning Star

A bright and sunny day today - blue skies.  I woke up early, in fact Sara woke me to say that there was something big and bright in the sky in the east and I got up to confirm to her that it was the planet Venus which is now a very bright "morning star".  Through high powered binoculars I was able to discern its gibbous shape and conclude that it was extremely close to Earth - hence its incredible brightness.  It will be with us for some weeks now getting higher and higher in the sky as it pulls away from the Sun.  This brightness and clarity of the sky produced an extreme frost and the cars were covered in ice. This morning Sara and I attended St. Paul's Church where we met up with our old friend Anthony in the foyer.  The church was packed with a baptism performed by Brian Meardon.  The service was an All Age Service (no Holy Communion at all at St. Paul's today) with the children staying in to see the baptism and enjoy a wonderful sermon from a lay person who talked about God being "a rock".  The talk included the throwing out of  seaside rock pieces to the children.  Anthony really liked the service and although a non-Christian, seemed to find it very stimulating, not too evangelical, and I think was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing.  St. Paul's certainly seem to have got it right - large numbers of congregation from all walks of life and ages and attractive to the non-churched too.  Anthony came back with us for lunch, after a brief stop off for some paint for the kitchen,  and spent most of the afternoon with us.  Sara cooked Toad-in-the-Hole which we enjoyed although Mary seemed to be spending most of the day with her friend Izzy!   After Anthony was taken home by Sara, we watched a little bit of a Poirot episode before the BAFTA Awards came on.  I decided to go upstairs and read for a while before going to bed early.  I find it much better to go to bed early and wake up early.  Half term has now begun and we have the children with us all week. I must try and get the study sorted this week - both the room and the academic work. I have a firend and his wife from Liverpool days arriving for the weekend.

Sir Tom Finney - RIP.

No college or early morning breakfasts to attend this morning but I did have an appointment at Amesbury Costa Coffee to meet up with a potential joining member for Sarum Lodge.  We chatted for about an hour during which he received news that his mother's partner had passed away that night so the meeting was cut somewhat short.  As it happened, Mark and Amanda Zammit were also having coffee there and we chatted for about 15 minutes about my placement and how Amanda was getting on with her academic studies.  She has been unwell and has not started her portfolio so there are at least four of us struggling with last terms module.  It was quite re-assuring and I now have some ideas on how best to put the portfolio together.  Back home, after some shopping at Lidl's, Thom and I watched the Sunderland v Saints FA Cup Round 5 game n TV which a weak Saints team lost 1-0.  I really don't understand why we put out such a weakened team.  We are more than safe in the Premier League and this year we had a really good opportunity to go far in the Cup.  Quite disappointing.  Sunderland are already through to the League Cup Final against Manchester city who, later on this afternoon, beat Chelsea 2-0 to also go through to the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup.  Grimsby lost the first league of their League Trophy semi-final against Cambridge United 2-1 but will be playing Cambridge again in the second league at Blundell Park.  It was announced that Sir Tom Finney has died and there was a one minutes period of applause for this great England and Preston North End footballer. Perhaps the greatest England footballer of all time.  I have a really soft spot for PNE and I am really sorry that he has died.  However, he was aged 92 which is an incredible age.  My good friend Malcolm, a lifelong PNE supporter, told me that Sir Tom was often seen around the ground and along Sir Tom Finney Way, the road outside Deepdale Stadium which was renamed in his honour.  A great footballer and a great man.  His fountain, outside the Stadium, is a really fitting memorial already depicting the famous photograph of Tom playing football on a waterlogged pitch. Very iconic.

Valentine's Meal

I took Thom to the Wallops today - more rain and wind.  There was no Ambassadors today but I did have a meeting with my mentor at Church House this morning at 10 a.m.  It also being St. Valentine's Day I had agreed to call in at Waitrose and purchase one of their special Valentine's meals for two - consisting of a starter, main dish, side, dessert, chocolate and wine - all for £20.  I chose some brie and tomato tartlets for starters, steak and potato gratin for main (to be eaten with peas and beans) and New York cheesecake and a rose wine.  My meeting at Church House went well and we discussed some different topics for me to pursue for my ethics course which I will read up on over the next few days.  I spent over three hours on chaplaincy duty at Alabare Place where I had a couple of private consultations today.  The weather is truly miserable again today - massive rainfall and huge winds.  tonight was particularly grim.  Mary brought home a friend this evening to join her at Youth Zone and also for a sleepover.  A lovely quiet girl who seems to be a good influence on Mary as we hardly heard them all night.  Sara and I enjoyed the Valentine's meal I cooked and watched some mindless TV - in fact we actually enjoyed a couple of episodes of Fawlty Towers which always lightens any mood - Basil the Rat and The Anniversary. The whole house was buffeted by the most horrendous winds.  The flagpole has been dismantled now for several days (I have seen quite a number damaged around the countryside) as a safety precaution and to preserve it.  At the moment I am loathe to re-erect it as these storms are coming upon us quickly and in increasing number and intensity.  The whole country is now suffering really badly.

Down to the New Forest

Sara took Thom to Nether Wallop this morning as I was attending Morning Office at All Saints with the Rector and Curate followed by my monthly 1:1 with the Rector as part of my ongoing ministerial formation.  although I shall be on placement at St. Francis's during Lent and Holy Week we arranged to have a meeting at the end of March to touch base.  Geoff was working on repairing the carpet thresholds when I returned and I had coffee and watched some of the skiing from Sochi (Winter Olympics) with the British skier, James wood, coming 5th - a great achievement for this young lad who has learnt how to ski on the erstwhile dry ski slope in Sheffield. I then had to rush off into Salisbury for a meeting with Ashley, my fellow student, at Sarum College where we caught up on things and gave each other some guidance on our respective assignments and modules. He had had a meeting with our common tutor, Stella, on Monday and I am meeting her tomorrow.  I had a late lunch at Waitrose aft.  Sara picked up Thom at lunchtime and took him t the new dental surgery on the site of the old psychiatric hospital on Wilton Road where he had two fillings.  He came back home realising the importance, I think, of looking after his teeth.   I changed into my Masonic clothes, picked up my regalia and headed south for a meeting of New Forest Installed Masters' Lodge at Christchurch - in fact the meeting was at Mudeford very close to where the caravan park had once stood where, as children, we had spent a couple of Whitsun holidays in the 1960s.  A really enjoyable evening and I met up, once again, with Mike Codd, the former Assistant Provincial Grand  Master for Hampshire and Isle of Wight.  I was accompanied on this occasion by my secretary, Chris, who I discovered is also a keen astronomer.  I nearly didn't get to the meeting as, within sight of Christchurch  I had to take a major diversion because the river Avon has burst its banks and the road was badly flooded.   The flooding down here is terrible and we are expecting another 40 cm of rain over the next 48 hours.  Winchester is now under threat.  It just continues and continues.

False Alarm

I woke early this morning although Sara took Thom to the Wallops today and I picked him up a teatime.  Sara did her stint at Morning Star this morning and I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at St. John's Church which was presided over by Nils. There were eight of us in church this morning - quite a number short of the usual.  I drove down rather than walked because the weather was again so wet. Another awfully grim day today.  Sara went into work, picked up Mary and took her to gymnastics whilst I seemed to spend the afternoon battling with our security alarm system which kept going off at random intervals throughout the afternoon.  Eventually, more by luck than judgement, I managed to get the thing to stop going off by pressing a lot of buttons.  I have no idea in what order but it did eventually stop.  I am sure that the howling wind and cascading rain has something to do with it.  Our neighbouring village, Pitton, is under water for most of the High Street.  We have friends in one of the houses which looks to be badly flooded.  Managed to complete and submit my two articles for the Parish Magazine in good time as well as completing some Church of England papers. Another early morning and late night tomorrow - I am attending Morning Office and then a meeting with my Training Incumbent, followed by a meeting with a fellow student and then down to Mudeford, Christchurch for a meeting of New Forest Masters' Lodge where I am one of the guests of honour.  My days are so very full but now it's time for bed and a bit of a read before going to sleep.

Saintly Resurrection

I didn't sleep all that well last night.  Bearing in mind that I didn't go to bed until 2.20 a.m., had drunk a couple of mugs of coffee after returning from a heavy meal at the Brighton Masonic Centre coupled with the pounding rain on the windows (yes it was raining again) it is not surprising.  My alarm went off at 5 a.m. and I carried on snoozing until I eventually got up at 8 a.m.  I showered and dressed and went downstairs for a cup of tea.  The weather was truly atrocious - rain, rain, wind and rain. Not a gentle pitter-patter on the windows but a hurricane force pounding as though several hosepipes were being trained on the house's windows.  Peter and I continued our discourse until nearly midday - neither of us wanting to venture out in this appalling weather and I certainly wasn't relishing the 85-mile drive back to Wiltshire. We eventually parted and I drove along the main A27 road back to Winterslow, stopping for some lunch at Arundel and an ice cream at Carlos once back in Hampshire. I arrived back at around 2.20 p.m. in the middle of listening to the afternoon play.  I received a phone call from the Wiltshire Provincial Grand Master with some interesting news and then drove to the Wallops to pick Thom up from college.  This evening Sara and I attended the fifth session of the Exploring Christianity study at St. Paul's.  Tonight we talked about the Resurrection.  One member of our group who wasn't a committed Christian when we started announced that they are now but want to learn a lot more.  This does show how good Alpha course are and I hope to spend a bit of time at St. Francis's with their alpha Group which has an amazing 22 participants.  tonight Southampton played Hull City at Hull winning 0-1.  They have, tonight, gone above Newcastle United by two points into 8th place in the Premier League table.  They look such a competent and confident team.  From their days down in League 1 they have certainly resurrected themselves back to top tier football.

Down by the Seaside - Brighton

A really long day today which once again started with heavy rain.  Thom was feeling unwell so didn't go into college today.  As it happened that solved a problem as I was spending the afternoon and night in Brighton and so would not be able to pick him up this afternoon - Sara also had to take Mary to ballet and so could not have been in two places at the same time.  The morning seemed to pass extremely quickly.  Sara left for work at around 11 a.m. and I realised I wouldn't see her again for over twenty-four hours.  I tried to get away at 1 p.m. but didn't leave Winterslow until 1.30 p.m. arriving at Peter's house in Hove at 3.40 p.m.  Bruno, our Masonic colleague, had arranged to pick Peter up and take him into Brighton and arrived at exactly the same time.  I quickly changed and got my regalia and other pieces together and we set off just after 4 p.m. for a quick rehearsal.  It was very good to see old friends again - many of whom I realised I hadn't seen since March last year.  I enjoyed a good ceremony (3rd Degree) and thinking I wouldn't have to take any part at all - for the first time in several decades it seems! - I was suddenly called upon to act as Junior Deacon for a part of the ceremony.  As a Senior Provincial Deacon in Wiltshire I could hardly refuse - so I still haven't attended a meeting of my mother lodge without doing some work!  Maybe one day. We enjoyed a really excellent meal after the meeting - Spanish omelette, Lancashire Hot Pot and Jam Roly Poly pudding and custard.  Peter and I arrived back at his home at around 10 p.m. and over a number of cups of coffee we chatted about a wide variety of topics until 2.20 am!  We had so much to catch up on.  A really enjoyable evening topped by me winning a bottle of sparkling wine in the raffle. In fact I had to ask for some raffle tickets immediately before the draw was made as I been missed when they came round with them.  I ended up winning second prize!  "Fix" I hear you cry!

Bread

The weather was a little drier today.  Sara decided to stay at home this morning and I went to the 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion service at St. Francis's where I was joined a little later by James.  We had coffee together after the service and I was introduced to two of the lay ministers with whom I will be working when my placement commences next month. I stopped off at the village shop and bought a lovely thick loaf of bread to have with some jam.  Back home, after the service, I found that Sara and Mary had gone off to Tesco for the weekly shop (Sara had not been able to get the order in on time online and so had to resort to having to drive into Salisbury and do a normal shop).  I caught up on yesterday's sport on the TV and watched the Manchester United v. Fulham game this afternoon.  This evening I went to St. Paul's for a really good talk by the chief executive of the Trussell Trust who turned out to be a good speaker. his topic was 1 Corinthians 5 - about yeast, and he had two pieces of bread to illustrate his point. I was greeted by Mike M who has become a good friend of ours at St. Paul's and it was also pleasing to see so many people we now know including the McKeowns from Winterslow.  There is the feeling of a revival going on in Salisbury with many people from the countryside coming into the city churches.  Had a fairly early night tonight as I am off to Brighton tomorrow and will be having a rather late night tomorrow evening staying with our friend Peter in Hove.

Intercessions

A very early start this morning as I was attending the Men's Breakfast Meeting at St, Francis's this morning with James and our old friend Anthony.  Unfortunately because I had a full day of lessons at Sarum College today, I missed the speaker, Anthony Delaney, but did have a hearty breakfast of egg, bacon, sausage, beans and mushrooms.  I also managed to catch up with one or two people from St, Paul's and CityChurch.  I arrived at Sarum college in good time and spent the day in lectures and tutorials on intercessions - something I have been doing for a long time but today we looked more in depth behind the theology of prayer.  The weather was foul again today with the rain and wind hammering on the windows.  Thom and Sara went into Southampton today and Thom took his friend Callum with him (they met by the entrance of the West Quay Shopping Centre) on my season ticket.  The game against Stoke seemed to go in its usual way - by half time the teams were level on 2-2 and nothing the Saints could do in the second half could change that scoreline.  Saints' always seem to draw against Stoke - a difficult team to play football against.  Stoke will be delighted with that result but Saints are disappointed as a win would have put them above Newcastle United.  Tonight I had an early night, or at least that had been the intention after a long day of study, but ended up watching a Hornblower episode and the wonderful film "The Shawshank Redemption".  Feeling quite tired tonight and finally went to sleep just after midnight.  Unfortunately heavy rain and high winds kept me awake for a good deal of the night.  

Thom's 17th Birthday

Sara took Thom to the Wallops this morning to allow me to drive into Salisbury to attend the Ambassadors' Breakfast meeting at the Grasmere Hotel.  It being Thom's 17th birthday today, I first of all called into Waitrose to get some cash to give to him as a birthday present.  Thom had already indicated that he didn't want to open any presents until this evening.  After the breakfast meeting I returned home for a short while before visiting a couple of parishioners rom West Dean, where I am a regular officiant, who had not been to church recently because of illness.  We had a lovely chat for half an hour over coffee before I had to rush off for another meeting with the parish clerk concerning some legal issues involving the parish council which I, as Deputy Chairman and a lawyer, had been asked to look at.  Fortunately this didn't take long and I was at Alabare on chaplaincy duty by 12 noon.  I picked up Thom from Stockbridge this afternoon and also bought Cara a lovely little miniature watering can containing grape hyacinths as a "birthing" present - I usually buy her something on the children's birthdays.  Peter, our next door but one neighbour called in for afternoon tea and cake - cherry cake and chocolate cake which Sara has baked that afternoon together with our best china cups, saucers and plates - quite a treat.  Mum phoned briefly to wish Thom a happy birthday although Thom is not very good when it comes to receiving unexpected phone calls.  I was a little upset with his abruptness - he later told us that he had not had a very good day at school.  I went out for a brisk walk to the Lord Nelson and had a pint and a chat with some of the locals.  This evening we ate an Indian takeaway from Stockbridge - another unusual treat these days - and I watch a Star Wars movie upstairs.  Another long day awaits tomorrow.

Christmas Dinner

Up early again this morning and did the 9.00 a.m run to Wallops with Thom.  Sara took Mary into school instead of her catching the school bus and afterwards she went on to Parkwood Leisure Club where she had her induction session.  I spent the morning in the study sorting out some Masonic paperwork and correspondence including drafting the summons for the next meeting and beginning the writing up of the minutes of the last meeting.  At lunchtime I met up with Richard at his house and we loaded has and my car with all the crockery he had from a Copenhagen coffee shop which had been owned by one of his family's relatives.  This we took to Alabare's head office in Salisbury for onward distribution to a number of projects which, having seen a sample of the crockery, were fighting over it!  It is good to know that it is being put to good use.  I also received my permanent pass card which allows me entry to the chaplaincy office at their headquarters - a useful resource.  I now feel like a more permanent member of their staff albeit on a volunteer basis.  Richard and I then drove to St. Paul's and enjoyed tea and cake at the SP2 Community Centre coffee shop. We spent about an hour there chatting and drinking coffee before we went our separate ways - me to Sarum College where I spent a couple of hours sorting out my study papers and thinking about the contents of my two assignments - both look as though they will be about the justification of war.  Tonight Sara and I went to Bills back in Salisbury for the Ambassadors' Christmas Dinner.  Excellent food but the service could have been much better.  Unfortunately there were only 17 of us and we did miss some of our other colleagues.  It was, as usual, pouring with rain but it made for a nice evening out for Sara and me.  We so rarely go out together on our own these days.  It also never ceases to amaze me just what a big "village" Salisbury is.  So many co-incidences and acquaintances.  Both Sara and I know and are known by so many people - especially Sara.

Dad's Taxi Service

I took Thom to the Wallops this morning as it had been agreed that Sara would pick him up today and I would take Mary to her gymnastics class in Wilton.  Getting up early was good and I felt quite invigorated to get on do some work today.  It was raining again and extremely windy during the night.  I attended Mid-week Eucharist at Whaddon where I saw Gordon, one of our retired clergy and a former chaplain to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Wiltshire who told me his wife, Dorsi, was extremely ill and now in hospital in Salisbury.  We shared a few reflective moments together rand I drove him home after the service.  He has good neighbours who are ensuring that he gets up to the hospital on a daily basis.  I returned home and Sara went into work.  I sorted out some papers for tonight's lodge meeting - only four more meetings to go before I retire as secretary as a part of my New Year's Resolution to give up quite a number of activities and consolidate those I am continuing with.  To this end, I am also divesting myself of a number of roles (and committees) within the church and concentrating on main ministry and chaplaincy.  I also sorted out my university notes and module papers as I begin a fresh module on Saturday - Intercessory Prayer - and looked at the module papers on Moodle.  Diaries were also updated.  This afternoon I picked up Mary from school and took her for coffee at Waitrose where she met up with her friend, Maya.  Sara also suddenly appeared and joined us for tea.  Afterwards it was a quick dash to Wilton with the girls where I dropped them off for their gymnastics session.  Sara was to pick them up later after picking up Thom at the Wallops.  I returned to Waitrose, has another cup of coffee and then on to Crane Street where I dropped some correspondence off at Church House and then joined my colleagues at Freemasons' Hall for a meeting of Sarum Lodge.  a small gathering this evening with three visitors one of whom was a Grand Officer who had moved into the area and was now living in Winterslow.  Another of the visitors indicated a wish to join the lodge and I was able to give him the required papers. I am hopeful that the membership can be increased.  A good and enjoyable meeting overall.

More Flooding and Sin (or where is Noah?)

Up very early again this morning to attend the joint Ambassadors and Bollanack & Bishop networking breakfast at the Grasmere House Hotel, Harnham.  No one minute elevator pitches today which made for a more relaxed breakfast chat.  I had an opportunity to have a good chat with the senior partner of Bollanack's offering my services as a legal consultant should the occasion arise.  I returned back home after calling in at All Saints Church where I hoped to pick up a copy of the parish magazine but found there were no copies there.  I did, however, have an opportunity to have a nice chat to Janice, the organist, who was practising some tricky pieces.  Apparently she thought that I had been due to preach on Sunday in Winterslow, which would have been nice, but I couldn't recall seeing it on the rota.  No problem as I am now having a free month off from Clarendon duties and I explained to Janice that I would be going off to St. Francis's for a short spell during Lent and Holy Week.  Having been unsuccessful in obtaining a magazine, I called upon Peter, who lives next door but one to us, as he is the local deliverer.  He recently lost his mother, with whom he lived, after a long illness and he was delighted when I called.  We had coffee together and my quick call for a magazine became a half an hour pastoral visit. Sara and I have invited him to join us for afternoon tea on Friday when I get back from chaplaincy duties and picking Thom up from the bus.  Back in my office, I dealt with some legal work and handled quite a bit of correspondence.  I was reasonably happy with the amount I got through although there is always more to do! It started raining very heavily tonight as Sara and I set off for St. Paul's for our weekly study group - Encountering Christianity.  Tonight we tackled sin and some analogies were drawn with the Titanic disaster.  do we hide our sin from the world just as the extent of the damage and chaos below decks didn't at first reach the calm of the upper decks!  Returning home via Pitton we encountered terrible flooding and at one stage we really could have believed that we were motoring along a river.  I drove slowly to avoid flooding the engine and at times also had to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid deep "lakes".  We are in for more of the same tomorrow.  Will it ever stop?  I cannot go for my long walks in the woods because it is just too boggy. Another day in the office tomorrow I think.

Meeting upon Meeting

Despite only going to bed at 3.40 a.m. I was not feeling at all tired when I woke at 6 a.m. this morning - I guess the sleep in the early evening yesterday worked its magic.  I had a lovely bath, read my devotions and bit more of my book about the growth of the church in China.  I worked in the study on Complex matters today and generally dealt with the end of month accounts including sending out a few bills.  This evening, after picking up Thom from Stockbridge, I had a series of three separate meetings.  First of all, a meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee of Alabare held at Salisbury District Hospital (5 p.m.), followed by a committee meeting of Sarum Lodge at Salisbury Masonic Centre (6.30 p.m.) and finally a meeting of the Winterslow Parish Council (7.30 p.m.).  By the end of the Council meeting, at 10 a.m., I was beginning to feel quite tired and the short night was now creeping up on me.  as I write this it is just 11 p.m. and time for me to turn in.  tomorrow I have to be up early again to attend a business breakfast meeting at the Grasmere House hotel in Harnham and then want to spend the rest of the day getting my tribunal case settled as well as hopefully, finalising the accounts for a probate I currently involved with.  Finally, it would be good to start work on my theological assignments!  

Super Bowl!; Super Church!

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A great day today.  We had another bit of a lie in as Mary had a friend staying over and so didn't stir until quite late; Thom did his paper round and we didn't need to go to church until 11 a.m. as we had decided to go to St. Francis's in Salisbury - the church where I am to spend a couple of months shortly on placement.  Maya's father came over at breakfast time (10.15 a.m.) to pick her up and shortly afterwards Sara and I drove into Salisbury to attend the informal service at St. Francis's.  We immediately met people we both knew - two from Friends Provident days and also James from Winterslow and Penny, the pioneer minister whom I've met on a number of occasions in connection with my chaplaincy training and also she has come and seen me preach at Porton.  It was a very lively service with lots of children and worship songs quite common to Spring Harvest.  A really warm, friendly and spirit-filled occasion.  There was an informality yet spiritually uplifting feeling to the whole service and I know that I am going to really enjoy my placement in this joyous place.  We stayed only a short time for coffee as we had to get back for a Tesco's main delivery.  Sara cooked roast chicken and roast vegetables for a very lunch - absolutely yummy, and then I went to bed at around 5 p.m. in order to be up to watch the Super Bowl game with Thom at midnight.  The game started with high expectations for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos but it soon became evident that they were no match for the Seahawks defense.  A "safety" within seconds of the game set the tone and Seattle Seahawks won the Super bowl by 43-8 - a massive whitewash.  Both Thom and I were hoping that the Broncos would win as the Seahawks has defeated our teams - the Panthers and the 49ers.  I finally went to bed at 3.40 a.m. and was up again at 7 a.m. A long day tomorrow with three meetings in the evening!

Another great win for Saints but a defeat for England's rugby team

Being Saturday I had a bit of a lie-in this morning and then spent an hour or so in the study.  Thom did his paper round and Mary was having Her gymnastics friend, Maya, staying over tonight.  Sara and I did something unusual together today - we went shopping together - actually only to Lidl and Tesco to buy groceries and a present for her great nephew, Kenny's sixth birthday.  I also went into Maplins to see if I could get a lead to allow me to view iPlayer clips on the TV but found the cost the same as in the Apple Store and was also told that only certain apps. could be shown on the TV - iPlayer not being one of those.  This afternoon, Thom and I followed the Saints' game against Fulham on the TV - with Southampton winning 0-3.  A great win which keeps them in 9th place, only two points behind Newcastle and sending Fulham to the bottom of the table.  Grimsby also managed a significant 4-1 win against Tamworth in the FA Trophy winning themselves a semi-final spot.  It looks as though Thom and I may be going to Wembley again with the Mariners!  Thom and I also watched the France v England Six Nations rugby game which England lost, at the very last minute 26-28. It seemed so certain that England were going to win their first match on foreign soil in this years competition.  Sadly it wasn't to be!  A quiet night at home followed this evening with catching up on some of our recorded TV programmes.