Engagement

Well, there is so much to report since I last blogged - not least the news that Liz and I got engaged whilst on a short break in Venice.  A proposal made by the Rialto Bridge on a cool evening with gondolas bobbing up and down.  I got full marks from my daughter for having chosen such a romantic place for the deed!  Such wonderful responses from both families and friends and especially our respective Christian communities and children.  We are both so incredibly happy and looking forward to a wonderful future and ministry together. We are planning the wedding for December now. Life has become very busy again.  Although I have completed my academic theological studies, gaining a Cert.H.E. in Ministry with Merit from Oxford Brookes University, I have still to complete three assignments to satisfy the National Readers' Council Board for me to be able to transfer my licence to another diocese should I wish to do so. My subjects are  doctrine, teaching others and preaching and leading.  Essentially it means three further essays which I should be able to write fairly easily as I do enjoy essay writing.  what I didn't like about the Oxford Brookes course was having to put together portfolios!  Life just gets better and better.  I am looking forward to having my son Thom back home with me for the Easter break.  We are hoping to pop over to Germany (probably Berlin) during the break to help him research his current novel set in  WWI Europe. This is a very brief canter as I am writing this approaching midnight and feeling extremely tired.  So goodnight for now.  Hopefully another blog very soon.

Devotional Saturday

A quiet Saturday at home - my partner is away on a retreat and I have spent today (Saturday) on housework this morning and writing my sermon for tomorrow this afternoon. Thom came back early this afternoon from his mother's so I now have him with me this evening.  Had hoped for a quiet evening too - still there is plenty of room in this house to find a quiet spot. Currently working in the study reading my devotionals - the story of Joseph in particular. Received the news last night that my uncle in Norfolk had died after a short illness.  He reached the age of 88, three years more than my grandfather, and did not suffer - dying very peacefully.  I received the news driving back from a meeting and fish supper in Swindon.  Not sure yet when the funeral will be but hope we can make it despite holidays pending.  Nice not to have to go out anywhere this evening. A film and a light supper beckon.  Looking forward to preaching again tomorrow to a lovely congregation.  Trying also to get to grips with learning the language of bridge.

Thought for the Day - God's Love

I thought that I would share this with my readers today as it was upmost in my thoughts this morning - even before I  read it.  Love reflects love and it is a reflection of God's love for each and every one of us - we are all creatures of His great love.  We honour Him most when we show love to others especially on an individual basis - a one-to-one with Christ:

‘Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.’ Romans 12:10 NLT Deep within each of us is a desire to run our own lives, and in some cases other people’s lives too. As a result we become experts at manipulating one another. This desire for control brings about different behaviours. Here are six of them you must be aware of and avoid if you want good relationships: 1) Emotional blackmail. ‘Do what I want or I’ll get angry and go to pieces.’ 2) The guilt trip. ‘How could you do this to me after I’ve done so much for you?’ 3) The eternal illness. ‘Don’t upset me. Can’t you see I’m not well?’ 4) Help from beyond the grave. ‘Your dear father would have agreed with me.’ 5) Divine revelation. ‘God told me you should do what I want.’ 6) Humiliation. ‘Do what I want or I’ll embarrass you in front of others.’ These are powerful tools we use to get others to do what we want. And not only are adults good at using them, teenagers can be masters of manipulation too, especially if they’re not thinking straight. ‘I want this thing so badly I’ll go and do something stupid (even if it hurts myself) if I don’t get it.’ An argument that becomes a dangerous cry for help is the worst nightmare of many parents of teenagers. Manipulation is a game any number can play - right in the privacy of our own home. But those who engage in it pay a high price in conflict, hostility, and resentment. What’s the answer? The Bible gives it to us: ‘Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.’

Shall we Dance?

After a lovely break over Christmas and New Year its very hard to get back into work mode and, until two days ago, I still had two teenage children with me.  Sara returned from the USA on Wednesday and Mary has returned to live with her and her man whilst Thom, having spent a day back with his Mum, is still with me and looking forward to watching the Panthers' game on TV on Sunday night. We hope to make it a lovely lads' night in and hopefully, watch the Panthers advance to the Super Bowl. In the meantime, there is a pile of paperwork on my desk and the problem of trying to shoehorn in all our commitments.  Liz and I have started going Ceroc dancing together (she has been going for about two years) and I had my very first introduction on Monday night when I had the pleasure of "dancing" (and I deliberately put it in parentheses) with about forty different women - all of whom seemed to be far better at it than me.  The problem is that with Ceroc dancing, like so many other forms of dance, the man always leads; so whilst a female beginner can be led through the steps by the man, the man also has to learn the steps through which he then leads the lady!  If the woman forgets a move she can be forgiven (blame the man) but if the man forgets a move the whole process comes to a grinding halt (as I found out on quite a few occasions).  Anyway, I have signed up for it and Liz and I think it would be quite good fun to get proficient at it so we can really enjoy ourselves on the dance floor on future occasions. My first reaction was "Oh dear, I'll never be able to hack this", but I am determined to learn and improve on quite a few moves to at least appear proficient at dancing - besides which, it is something Liz and I can share and enjoy and is a rather fun way of keeping fit and hopefully losing some weight. I'll let you know how I progress through these pages. Holidays also booked to Venice and the Bahamas and possibly another location during the year. Life seems to be so much fun and I continue to really look forward to enjoying 2016.

Happy New Year - 2016

Wishing all my genuine readers and followers a Happy and Blessed New Year.  2016 has started well as I celebrated it with my new lady and my children - seeing in the New Year at my new home with champagne and a game of charades. New Year's Day saw us eating together a roast lamb joint meal with lots of fun and games.  I feel really positive about 2016 after all the turmoil of 2014 and the changes of 2015 - most of which ended up being all for the better.  It's lovely to have my children with me albeit tiring as a one parent family - endless cooking, cleaning, washing, entertaining etc. not to mention work.  Having booked a short overseas holiday away at the end of the month will break up the flatness of the usual cold and drab January.  God has been exceedingly good to us and I am now looking forward to progressing my ministry during 2016 with some more preaching and teaching and pastoral work with the homeless.  There have been some wonderful devotional studies over the past few days. These blogs will probably be on a weekly basis in future rather than the former daily one but hope that you still enjoy reading them.  Don't forget that you can also read my sermons after they have been delivered at http://pulpitmichael.blogspot.com. God bless you all.

Darkness into Light

Well we are into December - how this year has flown.  Much to reflect on when we reach New Year's Eve but so far I think I can say that 2015 has been a year of significant consolidation following the upheaval of 2014 and, now that I am living in my own property with my children staying frequently, life is so much better. I am really looking forward to 2016 which I believe will be an even more wonderful year.

This week has been relatively quiet - more Christmas shopping (a lovely walk around Salisbury's Christmas Market on Saturday), lunch also that day at Anokaa's Indian Restaurant with an old Friends colleague, Anthony, when he met Liz for the first time, and finally that day we attended the magnificent Darkness into Light Advent Procession Service in the cathedral.  On Sunday, after a family lunch at the Radnor Arms, Liz and I joined Penny Joyce and the Christian Community here at Old Sarum when we had tea in the Community Centre and discussed ideas for more Christian Events here.  A quiet evening in followed.

So far this week I've cycled into Salisbury a couple of times for more Christmas Shopping, and also visited my old Dorking office to meet up with old colleagues at a retirement do for one of them, Lynda. They will all be leaving Friends/Aviva at the end of the year. I painted a water colour from one of the photos we took up in the Lake District earlier this year and gave it to Lynda as a retirement present together with an artist's kit for her to try her hand at painting herself in retirement.  She seemed extremely pleased. I have started writing and painting again which is a sure sign that my dark days are over. Looking forward to going up to Humberside to see Mum and bring Thom back next week.  Still a few presents to buy and all to wrap before the trip.

Pre-Advent

This week falls between the Festival of Christ the King and the First Sunday in Advent when we begin to reflect on the Second Coming of Christ.  Right in between the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving (on Thursday 26th November) which also sees a series of special NFL games throughout the country.

Now is a time to reflect upon the coming Christmas season. For me, I was actually ahead of myself this year (last year I hardly knew it was Christmas after the turmoil inflicted on my life in the Spring). I spent several hours on Wednesday shopping in Gunwharf Quay, Portsmouth, and I am pleased to say that I managed to get quite a few items.  Not only do I have Christmas presents to buy but my brother-in-law, sister and daughter all have birthdays between now and Christmas Day - so more presents to purchase.

I started a really heavy cold this week which has left me feeling extremely debilitated and haven't slept all that well.  On Thursday the children's beds and bedroom furniture arrived and so we now have proper sleeping accommodation in the two double bedrooms as well as on our "Eyrie" third floor.  The new house is slowly getting to look like and feel like home but there are still a large number of boxes to empty. Mary is staying with me at the moment whilst her Mum moves into their new home in Amesbury.  Its good to have her staying. Seeing an old friend in town tomorrow for lunch which will be good and have a free Sunday - no service to prepare for and deliver.  Just hope this cold will go away soon and leave me feeling a lot better.  The one thing which doesn't help my head though is having to listen to all these crass commercial Christmas Muzak tapes in the shops. Drives me potty!

Into the Sunny Uplands

During the Second World War, Winston Churchill, at the darkest and loneliest period for Britain, announced that the winning of the Battle of Britain would bring the country from out of the dark valleys of despondency back into the bright sunny uplands. Since my last post in May 2014 I have been walking through a dark shadowy valley like that described in Psalm 23, but like the psalmist, I have kept faith with God throughout and he has brought me into the sunny uplands as described by my great political hero, Churchill. I have felt I have been in a dark tunnel but that, like so many railway tunnels, there are tracks which will eventually lead you out provided you have the courage and resolve to keep on them.  For the past 10 months I have been seeing the glimmer of light at the end of that tunnel grow lighter and lighter and now, ironically in these colder days of November, I can feel the warmth of those sunny uplands as I emerge from out of that dark tunnel. The future looks bright (not necessarily "orange" as the advert went) and as I write this in my new home at Old Sarum, I am feeling very optimistic about 2016 and the exciting times and events which it will bring. It is most important, though, that I continue to walk along those tracks put down by God to lead me to the destination he has set for me.

I would like to thank all my friends and family and followers for their kind support during these "tunnel months" and look forward to writing this blog regularly again  for their benefit and especially the benefit of my children who can read of my happier times (I have purposefully not blogged during these last dark months). In particular, I have to give especial thanks to my new and beloved partner, Liz, for the faith and support and love she has shown to me during 2015. I look forward to us walking along the tracks ahead together into that bright future.

Yet More Reflections

Yet more reflections today.  I am conscious that I haven't written up my blog since Saturday 26th April when I was on my residential course at Sarum College.  We had a second day on Sunday 27th which ended with lunch that day.  That afternoon Thom and I played some golf - he is getting rather good.  As this week progressed my life has changed irretrievably.  I am currently on self-imposed retreat at Champneys at Forest Mere, near Liphook in Hampshire.  Originally intended as a time for reflection about the way I wanted to see my ministry going. This morning I took Morning Prayer with myself and the words of the psalms and reading were a great help.  It is hard to see where God is taking me at the moment. I also recall the road to Emmaus and continue to hope and pray that God will continue to walk with me through all the times ahead.

More Reflections

Today is the first of two residential days at Sarum College as part of my ongoing Lay Ministry Formation Training.  all the students from all years met in the college chapel this morning for morning Prayer after which we went off into our own individual groups.  Today I spent the whole day on Session 3 of Theological reflection (Level 5) - a subject I really feel draining.  I have never been, by nature, a particularly reflective person but one thing this training has done over the past two years is to turn me into one.  Over the last few weeks I have done a considerable amount of reflection and feel quite drained.  Whilst I think it can be a help in trying to solve problems it can take the problem to a deeper level too and over analysis can be a problem.  Having said that, I think it can also help clarify issues and simplify the problem too - its such a pity that the process is so complicated!  In spending today and tomorrow here at Sarum College, I have missed one of the best football games at St. Mary's this year - Saints v. Everton.  Sara took Thom and his friend Callum into Southampton and Callum sat in my seat.  It was really good for him to take a friend and with a 2-0 win over Everton, it was a really good day out for them.  Tonight I spoke briefly to Sara on the telephone before going down to the bar for a few glasses of wine with fellow students - two of whom are having problems themselves in their parishes.  A good night of chin-wagging which helped us all.  I think that the evening in the bar is, without doubt, the highlight of the weekend and, as Sara has said, where most work gets done!

Al Murray's view on the Sexes!

On duty at Alabare this morning but before going I popped into Parkwood to use the pool and steam room - I had intended to use the gym and swim but time didn't really allow for this.  My time at the Drop-In Centre was a bit restricted today as I had to be back home to change into my dinner suit to attend a Masonic dinner at Highworth, north of Swindon - in fact, Highworth is the most northerly of all the Masonic centres in Wiltshire Province.  The weather today was pretty dire - heavy rain this afternoon and the journey to Highworth was appalling. I was trapped in a long queue (for one mile) entering Marlborough and again at the interchange with the M4.  I have, however, found a way of avoiding that interchange by following some cars which seemed to know a short cut and with helpful confirmation from my SatNav I was able to get onto the A419 with relative ease.  I arrived in Highworth with about ten minutes to go before the meeting but then got hopelessly lost on a housing estate with endless (well in fact they did end!) cul-de-sacs and eventually arrived at the venue five minutes late.  It seemed, however, that two important members of the Provincial Team had also had similar problems and so I was able to enter the lodge room ahead of the main event of the evening starting - the installation of a new worshipful master. The meeting was being held at a Community Centre which was itself a labrynth of rooms and corridors.  A good meeting with an excellent roast lamb dinner to follow.  I sat with a number of other reigning masters and had a good night.  The journey home was quicker than going although I did meet with fog as I got nearer to Andover and arrived home at around 11.15 p.m.  Sara and I stayed up to watch Al Murray sermonising on the differences between women (X) and men (Y).  X apparently signifies mystery, the unknown, etc. whereas for men the Y signifies WHY!!!!!????  Despite the colourful language, I thought his explanation and exposition of the differences between men and women very true (as well as amusing!)    

Food Poverty

I didn't sleep at all well last night - so many things running through my mind - and feeling very under the weather.  I took Thom to The Wallops at the later time of 9.15 a.m. and spent the morning at home doing on jobs like weeding the front drive - the weeds have shot up with the alternating rain and warm weather. Sara went into work for most of the day.  This lunchtime (1pm - 3 pm) I attended a meeting at the Salisbury Conservative Constituency Office with a representative of Church Action on Poverty and representatives of the other faith groups in the city to discuss a proposed Inquiry into food poverty in the UK - to be looked at specifically in various places including Salisbury.  An important event which will need much planning. As the chaplain to the Albare Place drop in centre I have been asked to be involved in the process and will be pleased to help - although today with lack of sleep I do not feel as enthused as I might otherwise have been.  I drove Doug G and myself down to Bournemouth this evening to attend the Sarum Night meeting of Boscombe Lodge No. 2158 where they had a live First Degree Ceremony.  Being the closest meeting day to St. George's Day we had the usual themed dinner (and same food) which consisted of Fiery Broth (oxtail soup with chillis), steak and ale pie, bread and butter pudding with clotted cream and cheese and biscuits.  I left a good deal of the soup and removed the pie crust from the steak and ale pie.  I resisted the clotted cream and didn't touch the cheese tonight. Such a contrast (leaving food) after attending a meeting about food poverty earlier today.  I was so tired this evening that I actually dropped off in the meeting itself.  I arrived back home at 11 p.m. and Sara and I watched a programme on Monty Python during which she also nodded off.  I need to good night's sleep tonight in order to feel better as I really feel tired and low tonight.  

Heavy Workload

Realising the need to complete my funeral assignment by this Friday (three days away) I decided to spend the day at Sarum College working on it  I also took the opportunity to write up this blog as several days were missing and I needed to catch up.  Therefore I worked in the library at the college from about 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. after which I drove to The Wallops to pick up Thom from the Winchester bus.  It was raining when I left the college and any thoughts of perhaps hitting a few golf balls with Thom after I picked him up were lost-besides he said he was very tired when I picked him up. Sara had to go to Porton for some essential groceries this evening (our local village shop being closed) and brought back a Chinese takeaway as she didn't want to cook anything.  It was well received by the kids.  Didn't sleep at all well tonight.  At least I did finish writing up my essay on funeral services and Sara will proof-read it tomorrow so I can send it off one day in advance which will take some pressure off my life.

Back to Work Tuesday

Back to some normality this morning except that Mary is really feeling unwell and did not go to school today.  Thom is back at Peter Symonds College and I took him to the Wallops this morning.  Sara was working after a spell at the gym and I stayed at home today going through a mountain of mail and paying bills.  Over the last few days I have not opened much mail and so set to, with gusto, to see what the postman had brought.  Quite a lot of paper ended up being shredded or placed in the recycle bin and I had a clear out of quite a lot of documents which had been littering my desk. It was a reasonably productive day and I ascertained that it would no longer be possible for Thom and I to have our season ticket seats in the Family Enclosure (Thom having reached 17 but he is still entitled to a concession - albeit it will be twice the price of a Junior's ticket and my ticket will go up by £80 outside of the Family Enclosure.  We would be looking to move to the Chapel Stand behind the goal but need to think seriously whether we can afford it.  Part of me thinks that the club is pricing its fans away but the other part of me recognises that Saturday afternoons at St. Mary's with Thom are incredibly important.  I suspect we will find the money from somewhere for the this year at least but it may be that Saturdays may turn into golf days if Thom can maintain his interest. In fact tonight he and I went back to Grateley to hit a few balls on the driving range - he really is getting the hang of it but needs to slow his swing down a bit. We went for a drink afterwards at the pub in Grateley. It would be really good if he enjoys his golf long term and I am sure the money we could save from the football would easily pay for membership of a club or green fees. Back home I wrote up the minutes from the last Lodge meeting (only two more to write up before I will have handed this task over) and sent out agendas, minutes and dining slips to the members and guests.  Tomorrow it will be a day at Sarum College working on my funeral assignment and writing up my journal which is now somewhat behind.

Easter Monday - Back on the Golf Course

The weather was quite oppressive today.  Quite a physical day too - Sara and I went to the Fiotness Centre where I walked 2 miles on the treadmill and rowed one kilometre and then went to pool and swam a few lengths.  Sara went off to try and find some shoes to buy and I met up with her later at Waitrose for a free coffee and sticky cake (putting back on all those calories I had burnt up!).  We both went to Matalan where I bought a couple of shirts and some trousers and Sara bought shoes which suited her (having failed to find any others in town).  Back home I mowed the bank which was quite heavy work and afterwards took Thom to Grateley to play a round of golf on the Par 3 course there.  I think he has a natural gift for golf and with some practice think he will be able to play well - certainly much better than me.  I started to play at his age (or a year or so later) when I went to Liverpool and bought my first clubs from Woolworth's - saving up my weekend job to purchase clubs as and when I could afford it.  He seems to really enjoy it and it would be good to get him really interested.  Back home I phoned James to see whether he would like to go for a drink with Richard and myself but he was not available.  I met up with Richard in the Lion's Head at 9.15 p.m. and had a really good talk about quite a number of things which are affecting our lives at the moment - we are both facing some changes ahead especially Richard who will be moving to Poole in a couple of month's time.  I will really miss our Sunday evenings.

Easter Sunday - Farewell to St. Francis's

A joyous yet sad day today - we celebrate the risen Christ but also it is my last day at St. Francis's on placement.  I attended both the 9.30 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. services this morning where I was brought up to the front and interviewed about how my placement had gone. I presented the two humorous books to Paul and Tom who both seemed really delighted with these small tokens of gratitude.  Tom and I have agreed to be friends on Facebook and will keep in touch and I had a pleasant chat with Paul after the service. We shall miss each other's company but life marches on.  James and family attended the 11.00 a.m. service so there were six of us from Winterslow in the congregation this morning. I assisted Paul and Tom with the distribution of the bread and wine (Tom and I distributed the wine) to well over 150 people.  A big service.  I likened the end of the service (and also felt emotionally too) as similar to the last session of Spring Harvest when you have enjoyed the intense spirituality of the event but now know its time to move back to where you come from.  I have quite a few pieces of Academic work to conclude and will spend May concentrating on that.  Tonight the children wanted to go to Poole to the greyhound racing and so I took Thom and Mary down there.  Thom had a winner in the first race (£8.90) and I had a winner in the last (£31.60).  Mary had another barren night and so I shared my winnings with them (£10 each).  That way we all came away feeling that we had had a reasonable night out.  It only cost us £4 to get in (all of us including the purchase of a race card).  Mary is too young to be charged an adult rate and I am too old so we only had to pay £1 for Thom and £3 for the race card.  A  cheap and entertaining night out.  Not sure where a night of gambling stands as far as Christian Ethics is concerned!

Easter Saturday - A Quiet Day

Quite a lazy day today.  Southampton were playing Aston Villa away - it was not possible to get tickets this year because it was necessary to have attended six away matches already to qualify (we have attended none this year) and by all accounts it wasn't the most exciting match of the season - a 0-0 draw.  With Newcastle losing at home to Swansea, Saints remain 3 points above the Toons in 8th position which looks to be where they will end the season. Grimsby managed a draw yesterday away to Alfreton and their position in the play-offs remains uncertain. The weather has remained bright today but we all seem to be suffering from coughs and colds and Sara is feeling quite down at the moment.  Tomorrow sees the end of my placement at St. Francis's and this will be a very sad moment.  I have made some good friends and contacts and really enjoyed my time there.  I went into Salisbury this morning and bought a couple of light-hearted humorous books to give to Paul and Tom - one entitled Rules for Reverends (What theological college didn't teach you!) and the other a book of cartoons by Dave Walker who publishes cartoons in the Church Times.  An example is at the head of this entry. 

Good Friday

This year I joined the procession of the Salisbury Churches Together (St. Thomas's, St. Francis's, St. Paul's, St. Mark's etc.) from the West Front of the Cathedral to the Guildhall via the Poultry Cross - handing our hot cross buns and balloons to passing shoppers with biblical readings and hymns along the way.  A really great witness.  It was amazing just how many people I now know from the different churches and whilst I joined the St. Francis's group I could easily have joined others.  I was actually joined by James from Winterslow who is now regularly worshipping at St. Francis's and we walked from the High Street to the Guildhall and afterwards had coffee together in Costa coffee in the Market Square.  This afternoon I attended the Good Friday service at St. Francis's which was jointly led by the curate, Tom, and the lay minister, Ida.  Following the service I went for a swim and steam room at Parkwood before returning home.

Maundy Thursday

Another very full day today with it being Maundy Thursday - one of the most important in the Christian Calendar - the day in which Jesus Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his friends.  It has, therefore, become a significant Christian Festival and one which I look forward to each year (although last year I felt it had been over-complicated at Farley).  Today is also the day in which all church ministers are invited to confirm their vows in the Cathedral (bishops, priests, deacons, lay ministers, lay pastoral assistants and lay worship leaders).  Salisbury becomes full up with clergy from all over the Diocese.  I drove Cynthia from the Clarendon Team with me and we parked in the Cathedral School grounds (the old Bishop's Palace) and she went off to robe up in the Chapter House.  I joined the curate's wife, Sarah, and Mary from Alabare and sat at the front in the southern aisle from where we had a reasonably good view of proceedings and the pulpit. The service is known as the Chrism Service for the various oils used are consecrated - oil for baptism, oil for the sick and last rights, and oil for ordination.  This ancient rite has its origins in the Catholic Church.  Lay Ministers, not being ordained, re-affirm their canonical vows of obedience but are not blessed with oil. Following on from the service, in which the Bishop spoke in his sermon about the importance of the church's role in a society where food banks are now becoming an important norm, there was coffee at the west end of the cathedral and a chance to chat with fellow students, clerics and tutors.  A really nice service.  I took Cynthia and Judith home afterwards via Waitrose to pick up a pizza for Thom's lunch.  This evening I attended the Maundy Thursday service (the Last Supper) at St. Francis's led by Paul.  A very simple and moving service.  The chairs were arranged in a circle around the altar in the middle of the church.  We shared a granary loaf and real wine and each person read a sentence from John's Gospel.  There was no foot washing but water was poured into a bowl as a symbolic gesture.  We ended the service by going out into the grass area behind the hall where the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was performed.  We then quietly dispersed just as the disciples would have done after the arrest.  Simple but meaningful.  No vigil.

Ear Piercing

Attended my last staff meeting at St. Francis's today and as usual it was a delightful mixture of bible reading, reflection, reading from Bill Hybel's Axion, further reflection, prayer and finally twenty minutes of business.  There is such a lot going on in this church and a requirement for more and more people to get involved.  I shall really be sorry to leave.  The mixture of prayer and humour makes for a wonderful style of working environment.  I called in at Waitrose after the meeting to pick some stamps, returned home and ate the remainder of my Chinese meal from last night as my lunch.  I took Mary back into Salisbury to have her ears pierced and met Sara at Claire's.  The whole process didn't take very long but I must admit I thought that it must be painful.  We had tea and yum yum cakes at Waitrose before returning home.  This evening Sara and I went to Parkwood to use the pool and steam room - the latter in the hope of clearing our chests as we both have very chesty coughs at the moment.  Now typing up my blog for the last three days whilst Sara watches Rev. and is chuckling at some other comedy programme on the TV.