New Kid on the Blog

Don't worry, I'm not drowning in the depths of despair or anything like that. I am just a little bit less of my usually cheery self than usual (or as a newspaper recently described me - a bit less of a 'jolly Motorcycle-riding Vicar'). The news that has brought about this alteration to my disposition is that the friends with whom we share ownership of a property in France would like to 'buy us out' and in return for a share of our contributions over the past five years, less a few expenses. would have complete ownership of the property (which they pretty much have anyway). An odd thing to feel upset about, but on reflection I realise this is because of a number of factors which I do think its worth mentioning here - partly because this is meant to be a place of reflection and meaning as well as home to my occasional rants! Firstly this represents the end of a certain stage in our friendship with this other family. Not that we aren't friends still, but tha...

As the wind whistles around my blog and the tumbleweeds blow up the street you may be forgiven for thinking that I have given up on blogging altogether. I haven't, honest, and I do try and get around and visit as many of the blogs I link to as possible as frequently as possible! I still value the insight and food for thought I get from my blog buddies, I like the challenges I read from those who see things differently to me and I wish I had more time to offer my own reflections here for those who are kind enough to respond and react. It comes down to time - blogging takes thought and time (though you may not think so looking at the quality of some of my previous posts!). I have discovered that the time I have for blogs and twitter and Facebook, all of which I enjoy and appreciate, has had to take a back seat to the other things which fill my life - particularly my Ministry, my family and my friends. I am sure you'll all be pleased at my attempts to have some kind of work/li...

Hmm, before I say anything else I should say that I might not be typical of most Clergy in what I do with my day off... It's been an interesting day, for some reason I didn't sleep at all well last night and I was kindly left alone for a lie in until 9am! My little girl had a long sleep too as she has been in the local Pantomime, and is staying up considerably later than she is used too. But more of that in a moment. When I did get up I did the usual breakfast/shower/make myself beautiful routine followed by writing a 'Thought for the Week' to be published next week. On reading some headlines about 'The Church' I was struck again how Church only seems to be news when there's a division or a mistake or a disagreement that can be highlighted. So I did a thought about the local church and where the true face of the Church can be seen. I have nearly caught up with 'thought for the week' column on this blog so I may well publish that one on time next...

It has been a good day. Having been ill for a couple of days this week (just a bug or something I ate) I was concerned that getting the last minute planning done for our special service this morning might not be achievable - but it was, the music group did well, the readers read well, the children leading prayers was good, the Puppets were fantastic - even my short thought (rather than sermon) was well received. It was a very unusual service in some ways. We had a visit from the 'Chuppets' - the local Community Church Puppet group who retold (in a very engaging and entertaining way) the story of Jesus stilling the storm. Because this was an unusual visit we had a 'Mission Community Service' which was the only morning service (except for an early Holy Communion) for the five parishes of this group. It meant that we used the format for what is called 'A Service Of The Word' and this allowed us to have a different feel and shape to our Sunday by Sunday worship...

I had most of today off and got lots of bits done, bits around the house, looking after a poorly little man (gorgeous son has had a bug for a few days, has spent some time conked out on the sofa). I also got to ride for a bit this afternoon (yesterday turned out to be too busy after all). Just an hour or so out on the bike, a quick blast to clear away the cobwebs and take some perspective time! This evening was enjoyable but also quite hard work! It was an Art & Craft show preview at the village hall next door. There is an incredible amount of extremely high quality art, some (much) of it moving and profound. The display is on all weekend, mainly comprised of artworks by local people and was a reminder of how many gifted people there are in these villages, if not every community. As part of the evening some of us were asked to share our favourite poems, I shared two, one by Gerard Manley Hopkins and the other by John Betjeman. It was a great evening, but a lot of people wante...

Looking back over various posts, twitters, fb updates and all the integrated social media stuff I do I am slightly concerned that I give the impression that I am over-busy.... Yes, I am busy, and keen to let people know what ministers do, and that we have plenty that keeps us occupied, but I realise that I am implying by my postings that I am stressed out and overworked. I'm not. I have days where I work ridiculous hours, I admit, when from getting up in the morning to getting to bed late I seem to be doing stuff for Church. But I also have days where I spend a lot of time at home, I get to do some reading, be with my wife and family, get a bit of admin done (a chore but not too painful) and have the evening at home in front of the telly, or whatever. I try to get some balance in my life, and I am enjoying the place I am and the ministry i have the privilege to exercise a huge amount. There are also some significantly rewarding parts to the role which I perform, people who make ...

I have had in the back of my mind to blog for the past few days, but sitting down and committing thoughts to paper, or ether, has been an elusive process for me. Thank you for birthday wishes, it was a very good weekend with some pleasant surprises - particularly some of the friend's lovely wife invited for the celebrations. Good party on Saturday night, the local pub did us proud, with a smaller, very pleasant, meal out together at a pub on the blustery seafront at Lyme Regis on Sunday. I can recommend the Harbour inn (apart from slightly grumpy restaurant manager, but I think Maitre D'Hotel's are meant to be like that, tradition or an old charter or something). Monday saw a day 'conference' on the title of 'Moving On With Your Mission Community' to which I went (late, due to Assembly commitments with the local school) with two 'Lay Leaders' from the local Churches. It was a day which talked about the difficulties and joys of learning to work in...

Like so many things, blogging seems to have fallen by the wayside in the past few days, not that I can pinpoint any particular reason, just lots of distractions. It certainly isn't because of the snow! Despite most of the UK being covered in snow, and (according to the media) most of the world grinding to a halt, we have had hardly any here in the mild South west. Actually, looking at the weather map it looks almost as if the snow has been avoiding us, and only us - further west has had some heavy snow, and further east, and further north, the south is coast, so there's not been a great impact there - until you get to France where they too have been snowy. So, much to the chagrin of my wife and offspring, the snow has pretty much bypassed us so far (apparently this might not be the case next week!). I couldn't do much travelling yesterday morning, but by the afternoon it was fine to be out on the roads and I scooted off to do Wedding Preparation afternoon with a couple ...

Today's word is 'blearghhhh' because that's how I feel - bit nauseous, bit tired, glad I don't have a meeting tonight. I'm not moaning, its partly because I've been trying to catch up on various things, including writing magazine letters, shredding lots and lots of bits of paper I don't want to take with me when I move, meetings (some better than others) and various admin bits - I'm just doing lots of things and have got lots done, not a bad thing at all. Right now, as well as feeling slightly ropey, I've also got a bit of a caffeine overdose which a couple of hours with the children will soon deal with. I do like the fact that being with my gorgeous offspring (I am biased, I know) completely takes me out of myself and I just get on with playing, readings stories, feeding, bathing or whatever needs doing. I think that every now and then (well, most days) I need something that takes me 'out of myself' and makes me just get on with stuff!...

It's a funny thing being appointed to a new Parish - whilst still very much concerned for the wellbeing of my current Parishioners and with carrying on as regardless as possible in living out and developing the vision of our Team, I am also starting to drift in focus towards what needs to be done, and all the exciting possibilities of my new role down in the Wild Westcountry... I say this because we (the family) have just been down for a few days to meet up with the Diocesan Surveyor, who cares for and supervises the work on Clergy homes for the Diocese of Exeter. We talked bathrooms and kitchens and carpets and curtains.... New windows and doors are being fitted, gates fixed, gardens sorted etc etc, knowing that this place will be our home, and seeing more of it is making our move in October more and more a reality. For those of you who don't know about the system of Clergy housing in the Church of England, let me enlighten you. Part of the role of a Stipendiary Parish Prie...

I've been thinking for a few days now about what exactly to say, having spent another few days away in Bergerac, SW France I found myself overwhelmed by the hospitality, the welcome and the generally positive attitude of the people I met and spent time with. Above all it was great fun, my friend Nick and I got some work done (he did the difficult stuff, I held the hoover and cooked the meals!) and we spent some evenings in local bars chatting with the locals and had some meals at friends houses. But what amazed me is the limited experience of many French people of the Church. For the majority of them 'the Church' is the Roman Catholic Church, and they don't have many good opinions of that. The fact that a Priest (me) would sit and eat and chat with them was a real novelty and they were warm and friendly towards me as we discussed (in faltering French and varied English) what I believed and how the Church of England was different to their own expression of Church. N...

Yes, we are back from our holidays, three whole weeks in gorgeous Dordogne, South West France. My Franglais just about managed to get the message across when it came to such essentials as 'where is the toilet?', 'a large black coffee please', 'may i have the menu?' and 'a beer, please'. I also learned that a mispronunciation of 'merci beaucoup' (thank you very much) can be easily mistaken for 'thanks, nice ass' (merci, beau cul) - though fortunately that was from a rather amusing book I read called 'Talk to the Snail' which gave the lowdown on French life in a witty and amusing and sometimes rude manner - rather than through personal experience. I have decided that i want to live in France, but my limited French and the lack of Anglican positions makes this a complete fantasy! Unless I get that blockbuster novel written or make a living through writing and do the Vicar bit on the side (yes, I would do this job unpaid if I coul...

The reason I've been AWOL over the past few days is because so much has been going on! On Friday we celebrated my baby sister's graduation, as she received her degree from Cambridge University, followed by a nice lunchy thing with my mum and my other two younger siblings. Its the first time the five of us have been together for years, so it was fun, and tiring! Then the evening was spent at the Bishop of Ely's garden party, which was a very pleasant way to pass an evening, and a chance to be with lovely wife for a few hours, and my fantastic colleague and acting Team Rector, Fiona. A woman with the ability to spot a pastoral issue at 100 paces, and the best sense of humour in the clerical world. On Saturday I got to go back to Ely again for a great celebration in the Cathedral as two new priests were ordained who are part of our Team. They are both voluntary (also known as Non-Stipendiary Ministers, but that's a post of its own) and have given a huge amount to our ...

Eric, from erichasissues , has provided me with a five question interview which I am to give answers for. It's my own fault for asking for them! The idea is, if you want a go at this meme, to ask me to send you five questions to be answered on your blog - that's it. If this is the case comment and put 'interview me!' (along with your email address formatted x [at] y.com so that the evil 'bots' can't pick it up) OK here goes 1. On Music: You mention in your blog that you would bring your “Guitar” to the remote cabin. Being interested in music as I am, what kind of guitar is it, what kind of music do you play, and for how long? I have a few guitars, a fender of indeterminate name which is an electro-acoustic steel 6 string. It tends to be the one I take around with me to Church meetings and services as it makes a lot of noise, good concert hall style body with lots of resonance, but i'm not happy with the action and some fault in it means I've ...

Been busy for a few weeks, but thought I would take up the mantle again! This Week's blog talkers discussion starter: Tell us … What are your opinions on the subject of giving personal information out in your blog entries? Do you use the real names of the people you blog about? Have you ever had a bad experience with someone getting ‘too much information’? I’d like to know: Do the people that you blog about ever complain that you are blogging about them? I've tackled this a few times over the past few years blogging - though I'm not sure I've ever talked about it online, I've thought lots about it. Doing what I do, which involves lots of 'pastoral care' I avoid mentioning situations or names for much of what I do, because most people in this area would probably recognise what or who I am talking about, and because pastoral ministry is so strictly confidential. As for personal information, most of my details are available publicly because I am a public fig...

Lovely wife has expressed unhappiness at me posting pictures of our young folk on the internet, so I have removed those postings. Sorry.

I don't know what you have planned for your weekend (rather an obvious statement, as most people who read this blog are half a world away) but I hope it's a good 'un. This is one of those weekends where being a minister really cuts into family time. In the UK it is Mothering Sunday (not Mother's Day, that's a card company invention...but i may well post from the vantage point of my high horse on that later) and I would really quite like to make a fuss of my lovely wife who does so much to keep our family together whilst i am running round like a blue-bottomed buzzy insect thingy. We both take as much of a share as possible in looking after our children, and I make sure that whenever possible I am around between 5-7pm to cook and/or feed and/or bathe and/or read stories at bedtime with Jack and Katherine. I also try to do my bit with housework etc because I am quite certain it's not a wife/mum's lot in life to be a housekeeper! (More often than we all cont...

Not likely to be a long post, due to things to plan for tomorrow. Maybe when planning is finished I'll write some more. Thanks for sticking with me over the past few ropey days! When I blogged last night I felt rather like i was at the end of my resources so didn't really say that much. It was a tough day with little man being potentially very ill and perhaps needing an I.V. drip, but all that worked out in the end. It was made all the more tiring by spending lots of time in the car, taking little man and lovely wife to hospital, getting back to pick up gorgeous girl (daughter) from primary school, getting stuff to a local shop for the end of fairtrade fortnight, which my wife was involved in organising for the village, getting daughter sorted out and looked after by friends a couple of villages away, getting back to hospital, and then having to make sure everything was in order for the Marriage Prep day today before getting food sorted and kids to bed etc etc. It was a lon...

Apart from busy-ness i have had good and bad reasons for not blogging over the past few days... Good reason -- my birthday on Weds meant that the evening which i might have used to blog in, was used in a nice meal out with wife and a couple of friends. Thanks Jem for birthday wishes Bad reasons - very very busy, lots going on, foremost of which has been ongoing poorly-ness of my beautiful baby man - his bug meant that he got quite dehydrated, which meant that we have had to go to the Doctor a few times and actually ended up spending much of today in the local hospital. Fortunately he's not 'clinically dehydrated' and it looks like the bug is on the way out, so they let him come home tonight and we are just giving him lots and lots and lots to drink. Thanks for the good wishes. Sorry I've not been blogging, and sorry to the folks i normally visit regularly on the blog scene who i've neglected. Am now almost keeling over on the keyboard due to fatigue so will try ...

Got up this morning to discover that our little two year old man had been sick in the night, so having run a bath for him and got wifely person to sort him out I found myself turning up very last minute to Church at 8.30am (though the service started on time, which i am very pleased with). Between services I found he had been sick again whilst i was out and that stuff was coming out the other way too (hence the title of the post). Remarkably he wasn't complaining, though was obviously not at his best, and though he was sick on and off all day and unable to keep food down he seems to have got through the day well. I looked after him for a couple of hours this afternoon whilst Jo and Katherine (baby girl) went out for a walk with the dogs and generally splashed about and got messy in the soggy Cambridgeshire Countryside. The two Church services I took part in today went very well, considering that at the start of both my mind was elsewhere! there was a real sense of the Spirit of...