As I write, I’ve just finished two weeks serving as a juror at a local county court. It came at a particularly difficult time of year for me, as I tend towards slight depression during the shortest days of the year. I’m also recovering from a nasty fall and have managed to pick up aContinue reading “The Wonder in the Waiting”
Tag Archives: Christianity
Changing Clothes for Changing Seasons
I’m writing this just after the season of International Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris which showcased new ‘looks’ for the Spring/Summer season of 2026. While none of the outfits I’ve seen in the press would either suit or attract me, even if I could afford them, I’ve been reflecting on howContinue reading “Changing Clothes for Changing Seasons”
Clearing Away the Cobwebs
We’re just at the start of September, my favourite month, not only for the first sights and scents of autumn but also for the sense of a new beginning, a second ‘new year’ in the calendar. As children and young people start returning to schools, colleges and universities I look to the next few monthsContinue reading “Clearing Away the Cobwebs”
Filling Our Bowls
On most of the surfaces in the room where I write these blog posts, I have china dishes of all shapes and sizes, many inherited from my mother. Two of these in particular always catch my eye. The first is this small round dish with a picture of roses painted inside. I’ve had this dishContinue reading “Filling Our Bowls”
Taking a Dip
We’ve recently returned from a holiday in Sorrento on the Amalfi coast of Italy. Though we enjoyed ourselves, the weather was rather hotter than we’d hoped: I always struggle with temperatures above 23⁰, particularly if the humidity is high too. The day I started drafting this blog post saw the highest recorded temperature for theContinue reading “Taking a Dip”
Passing the Message On
I’m not very good at judging the size of crowds. If I go to an event and someone asks me afterwards how many people were there I always struggle to answer. If it’s a number I’ve been able to count on my fingers, then I’m fine but beyond that, I can’t tell if there wereContinue reading “Passing the Message On”
However Far We Travel …..
I’ve been reading recently about the NASA astronauts who returned to earth after an unexpectedly long stay on the International Space Station. What should have been a stay of one week turned into 286 days for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, due to technical problems. Although space, and science generally, aren’t things I’m interested inContinue reading “However Far We Travel …..”
What is Holding Us Up?
A bungalow near where I live has been covered in scaffolding for months while building work has taken place, with extensions to the side, back and into the roof space being added. The scaffolding has helped to shape and support the expansion of the building. I’m amazed at how much scaffolding has been used forContinue reading “What is Holding Us Up?”
A Journey to God’s Heart in Prayer
Recently I’ve begun making plans with my husband to fly to Italy for a week’s holiday in a few months’ time and we’re now working through all the admin which is involved: passport renewal, travel insurance, transport to the airport, currency, luggage allowance. Now, a few weeks after booking and inspired by a worship serviceContinue reading “A Journey to God’s Heart in Prayer”
Bridging the Gap
I’m not one of the people who likes to watch endless videos of animals doing amusing things on Facebook. I know that if I got drawn into doing that regularly, that I’d waste far too much time. However, recently I spent several minutes watching film of a panda trying to move from one structure inContinue reading “Bridging the Gap”
Following the Posts Which Matter Most
How do you remember things you need to do? When you’re in the middle of one task and an idea comes into your head or you remember that you’ve got to buy and send a birthday card or gift within the next few days, what do you do? I often use Post It Notes (StickyContinue reading “Following the Posts Which Matter Most”
Turning Down the Colours of Holy Week
One of my favourite “coffee table” books is the catalogue of a 1990s exhibition of photos taken by some of the people who, in the 1940s, established Magnum Photos as a collective of photojournalists. Still in existence today, its archive includes many of the most iconic images of the intervening years. Almost all of theContinue reading “Turning Down the Colours of Holy Week”
The Bridge of Prayer
I’m fortunate enough to own a beautiful bone china coffee service: it’s almost 100 years old and though it’s too fragile to use, seeing it every day gives me great pleasure. The next oldest item of china I’ve got is a plate decorated with the famous Willow Pattern, which I found abandoned on a kitchenContinue reading “The Bridge of Prayer”
Where Should We Keep the Greatest Gift?
As we get towards the end of Christmas week, even though we may have more festivities, whether New Year’s Eve parties or simply meeting with friends over the coming days to look forward to, thoughts begin to turn to the end of next week when many people will be taking down their festive decorations andContinue reading “Where Should We Keep the Greatest Gift?”
Unexpected Items in Bagging Area?
As our supermarkets get busier at this time of year, if we’re shopping in person the queues to pay for our goods get longer, inevitably. Few people remember a time when there were no queues in the run up to Christmas but how the queues and payment systems operate has, of course, changed over time.Continue reading “Unexpected Items in Bagging Area?”
The Only Way to Go
Recently a friend was telling me about her mother-in-law’s first experience of being in a car when a satnav was working. In her mid-eighties at the time, Margaret seemed fascinated by the disembodied voice coming into the car giving very specific directions to the driver, her son, who was obeying every twist and turn ofContinue reading “The Only Way to Go”
From a Flicker to a Flame
Recently we suffered a power cut at home, just as I was looking forward to my morning coffee, Fortunately, the power was restored within half an hour and, as it was daylight, I didn’t need to search for candles. How much we depend on light; how often we take it for granted. The first thingContinue reading “From a Flicker to a Flame”
Disappointment
I started drafting this post on the day that GCSE results for 16-year-old students were published in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Following the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, which saw teaching moved online and otherwise disrupted, and the adjustment made to grades for the past two years to take account of that, thereContinue reading “Disappointment”
RSVP
In these days when much of our communication is digital, I’m sure I’m not the only person who misses the thud of a fat envelope on the doormat containing a long, news filled letter from a friend or relation. A WhatsApp message, even one full of pictures, just isn’t the same. I like to readContinue reading “RSVP”
The Shadows We Cast
Aren’t shadows fascinating? We all project a shadow when we walk or sit in a strong light which throws our body shape onto a hard surface, usually the ground or a wall. Who remembers making animal shapes using their fingers and throwing them onto the wall by the light of a film projector or bedsideContinue reading “The Shadows We Cast”
Sunlight Through the Shadows 