Welcome to the monthly blog …
The last box loaded on, the house still and echoey, soulless and empty. Silence. Can you cast your mind back to the last time you moved? Research by energy company E.ON found that 62% of people found moving the most stressful life event, so perhaps you’ve pushed the memory to the back of your mind!…
A headline caught my attention yesterday. It read “Perhaps it’s better to admit the truth.” The article, about the Irish dimension to Brexit, actually threw little new light on the problem, but the headline raises a broader issue. Is the word “perhaps” actually needed? Is there any doubt about the benefit of admitting the truth? In the previous week this very question…
Last week I was taken aback by this headline: “It’s time Christians waged war on Christmas.” Reading on I saw that this was an article by the journalist Tim Stanley, who was objecting to the sheer tackiness of the commercial trappings of Christmas and to the cultural appropriation of his faith by non-Christians. His suggested response is to boycott shops which overdo…
As I write this our nation is going through a time of uncertainty, unprecedented in peacetime. Over the coming month we may see a final decision on Brexit or another postponement of that decision. Maybe an election will be called or perhaps a further referendum proposed. Despite the torrent of words from commentators, right now no-one really knows. This is not the…
Dear parishioners and friends, Saying goodbye to people and places you appreciate, as well as work you have enjoyed, is never easy, but our last working weekend in Frittenden and Sissinghurst was both hectic and happy. The sun shone. A good time was had by all. A record number of adults and children came to Saturday afternoon’s joint “Messy Church” for all…
Dear parishioners and friends, So, as first announced in December 2018, the time has come. After six very happy years here, Angela and I are now retiring. Officially, it’s on September 30th, but the last two weeks of September are part of my annual leave. They will be used for the final preparations for our house move to Loughborough in mid-October. My…
Dear parishioners and friends, Nowadays, many people are fortunate to be able to take holiday breaks increasingly often. Possibly at weekends, midweek, winter, spring or autumn, as well as during the peak summer period. Although it can still sometimes be hard to make ends meet, generally our society is more affluent than it used to be. Outside of the peak summer season…
Dear parishioners and friends, When Angela and I worked in France and our 3 daughters were born in Provence, we were intrigued by a French tradition. As well as sending birthday cards, they also often sent greetings on the feast day of the “saint” you might be named after. It was rather like having two birthdays a year. In my own life…
Dear parishioners and friends, May is one of my favourite months. England’s green and pleasant land can be absolutely delightful, with a flourishing abundance of fresh new growth, blossom and wild flowers. It’s no surprise, then, that May is extremely popular for celebrations and festivities, as well as country walks. During May we usually have our annual church rogation walk, when we…
Dear parishioners and friends, On Easter Monday this year (April 22nd) I’m planning to take part in the Frittenden Fun Run, as I have done once before. Although I was a very keen club, cross country, distance and marathon runner from school and college until my early 40s, recording some quite respectable results and times, my knees then started playing up, despite…