May I start this post with a personal question? Are you an ‘um’ person or an ‘er’ person? We all recognise those hesitations and the situations in which they happen: when we’re feeling nervous, answering a difficult question or just playing for time. We’ve all been an ‘um’ or an ‘er’ person at some timeContinue reading ““Um….. er””
Tag Archives: Christianity
Psalm 23 (and a half)!
As the evenings lengthen and spring appears, local fields are full of sheep with their lambs. I’ve just driven past such a field and even through the fairly heavy spring rain which was falling, it was lovely to see the mothers watching over their lambs and the lambs seeking the shelter of their mothers’ bodies.Continue reading “Psalm 23 (and a half)!”
I Followed Women
I followedAwakened by instinctAs dawn broke. I followed womenKeeping respectful distanceAs they wound through quiet streets. I followed women quietlySlipping through sun’s strengthening raysAs they left the sleeping city. I followed women quietly clusteredCurious about their destinationAs they hurried furtively. I followed women quietly clustered closeCarrying jars and clothsAs they came near Golgotha. I followedContinue reading “I Followed Women”
I Followed a Man
I followedAs a donkey carried a manAlong a coat strewn road to Jerusalem I followed peopleAs they pushed and jostledOne another towards Jerusalem I followed people surgingAs they shouted “Hosanna”Along the triumphant road to Jerusalem I followed people surging through city streetsAs they argued about the manWho’d led them to Jerusalem I followed people surgingContinue reading “I Followed a Man”
Packing for Holy Week
As tomorrow is Palm Sunday, like Christians everywhere I’m about to begin my journey through Holy Week towards Easter. There are so many preparations to make before setting out on a journey aren’t there? I sometimes find that I spend the first two days of a trip simply recovering from all the effort needed toContinue reading “Packing for Holy Week”
Please Take a Seat
Last week I went to a study day on Ignatian Spirituality at Penhurst Retreat Centre in East Sussex. This was my first visit but certainly won’t be my last. Just stepping across the threshold of this beautiful 17th century Jacobean manor house was so calming. There was a wonderful sense of peace and, despite theContinue reading “Please Take a Seat”
Who’s in Control?
At some point this year and possibly sooner rather than later, I’m going to need to get a new laptop computer, my current one is at least eight years old and now runs very slowly. I’m dreading having to make the change in case any important files, especially files of photos, go missing while they’reContinue reading “Who’s in Control?”
Navigating the Icebergs
One of the books I received for Christmas was a biography of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the polar explorer. The particular edition, simply called Shackleton and written by Roland Huntford* had long been on my reading list following good reviews I’d read. I also feel a ‘personal’ connection with Shackleton, as Charles Green, who was theContinue reading “Navigating the Icebergs”
Finding the Perfect Space
I’ve always enjoyed driving, despite the ever-growing volume of traffic on the roads (highways.) Sometimes, I even find it relaxing. On regular journeys, I have landmarks I look out for as a way of making the journey pass more quickly: simple things such as a particularly attractive building, a strangely shaped tree or a favouriteContinue reading “Finding the Perfect Space”
A Box of Delights
Who likes eating chocolate? Most of us, probably, if we’re honest. My love affair with chocolate started with the simple ‘one finger of chocolate’ bar that I was allowed after lunch in early childhood. Since then, I’ve always enjoyed tearing open the wrapper and the shiny foil inside and sinking my teeth into that delicious,Continue reading “A Box of Delights”
Don’t Lose Your Place
I love reading and have done ever since I was first able to turn those strange shapes on the page into the gateways to new and absorbing worlds inhabited by fascinating people. At any period, I’m usually reading two books: one chosen by majority vote of the book club I belong to and the secondContinue reading “Don’t Lose Your Place”
Peeling Back the Layers
A few weeks I visited the Museum of Brands in London’s Notting Hill Gate area. It was fascinating to look at the many packets and tins spanning the decades from Victorian times to the present. (There are also fashions, household appliances and toys to see; it’s a great, nostalgia fest if you’re in London.) AlmostContinue reading “Peeling Back the Layers”
Days at the Beach
Today is a ‘beach’ day. I’m not actually on a beach, though it’s certainly beach weather: a lovely early summer’s day with blue sky, light cloud and the warmth of the sun. It’s Monday and by 10.30 a.m. I’d been able to achieve things from both today’s and tomorrow’s To Do lists. I’d done theContinue reading “Days at the Beach”
Holey, Wholly, Holy
What is the point of a hole? A hole represents the lack of something; for example, the appearance of a pothole in a road often represents a lack of, or poor, maintenance. I know that driving over, or dropping into, a hole in the road leaves me feeling very shaken and insecure if I haven’tContinue reading “Holey, Wholly, Holy”
The Things We Carry
Walking through my village over recent weeks, I’ve noticed how few people are empty handed. Most people walking along are carrying something. One man carried a reel of electrical cable over his arm. Was he an electrician by trade going to work in someone’s home or was he going to repair or replace something inContinue reading “The Things We Carry”
Putting the Pieces Together
After my husband Paul, spent a couple of nights in hospital, I bought him some jigsaws to complete while he recovered and he hasn’t stopped doing jigsaws since then. Apparently, that makes him a fully-fledged ‘Dissectologist’! Now we live surrounded by them and he can’t pass a charity shop without going in and buying anotherContinue reading “Putting the Pieces Together”
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
I really enjoy drinking coffee. For some years now I’ve chosen to drink decaffeinated coffee as I found that caffeine seemed to affect my sleep but, once I’d got used to not having that instant ‘hit’, I’ve been happy with my choice and I certainly sleep better. At home I usually drink instant though IContinue reading “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”
Thawing Out
Recently I defrosted my large top-opening freezer; a job that should be done far more often than it is but which I find physically challenging. I always make sure my husband is at home so that if I do fall inside while trying to dry the inside walls and floor of the freezer, or ifContinue reading “Thawing Out”
Don’t Mind the Gaps
As 2021 draws to a close, my thoughts are turning, not so much to a review of the year almost finished, as to the year that’s about to start. Normally in this last week of the year I go back through my diary and list any special days out I’ve had: trips to the theatreContinue reading “Don’t Mind the Gaps”
Tales of Christmases Past
I’m finally into single figures in my countdown towards December 21st, the shortest day; the day I hope will prove to be the turning point in my annual battle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD.) It’s an arbitrary landmark really and last year proved to be a false dawn as the effects of SAD affected meContinue reading “Tales of Christmases Past”
Sunlight Through the Shadows 