25/06/2009 by admin.

I have a reasonably unusual surname. In my home town everyone else with that surname was related to me, however distantly. Just recently the social networking site Facebook has revealed several people (around 60- 70 in total) who have the same surname.  These are resident in the UK, the USA and Holland. A few are also distantly related but, for the most part, not. The same surname in Holland may have a different origin. We even have a special Facebook Group. Much simpler to be Smith or Jones.

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23/06/2009 by admin.

Our local park has a duck house on the duck pond about which I have already written. At the same time the local Preservation Society also donated a fountain which worked, but with an ever declining gush. for a few weeks then fizzled out to nothing. Today it is working again but passers-by must be taking bets about how long it will last at full power. In this torrid weather it has a nice cooling effect so we hope for along time.

Another nice feature is that someone has restored the clock on the nearby stable block which has a most charming soft chime. The effect is quite rural since it sounds rather like an old village church clock. Some people complain about it disturbing their sleep but they must be very light sleepers.

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20/06/2009 by admin.

The readings for this Sunday include the famous story of Jesus calming the storm and rebuking His disciples for not relying on their faith to allay their fears. A human failing of course - to believe that when times are bad, for whatever reason, they will never get better. And yet they always do, not necessarily in the way we would want - but they do. This is the basis of all consolation.

I thought about this yesterday when a good friend of mine was buried, over two weeks after he had died, with a moving ceremony which included lots of his favourite jazz and ballad music as well as hymns and readings and most heartfelt and honest tributes from his brother and his widow’s cousin. Now the process of  healing begins as it always does and, as they say, life goes on in its Wordsworthian diurnal course, without him but with his memory still alive, whatever you may believe, or not believe, about his immortal soul.

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14/06/2009 by admin.

Satire is still alive, perhaps nowhere exhibited better than by Bird and Fortune but the Rory Bremner show now seems to have been pulled by the cash-strapped C4. There are of course other examples of TV satire - Have I Got News For You being the best example from the BBC. I try to write some on my on political blog but the trouble is that quite a lot of people take it seriously especially disaffected Tories! Are the times too bad for effective satire? I hope not though the popular old line often occurs to us as we read our newspapers these days :

 ”You wouldn’t believe it if you read it in a book !”

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12/06/2009 by admin.

Have you seen the size of Mandy’s… :: Benedict Brogan

This is not only politics (for which I apologise) but also contains the wonderfully funny speech by William Hague in response to the Government’s latest initiative. If he wasn’t earning hundreds of thousands elsewhere he would be the next best stand-up comic I know!

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10/06/2009 by admin.

I’ve been spending some time trying to select music for the thanksgiving service for the life of a dear friend or rather to work with his widow in doing this. Of course in a way this has been a sad task but, on the other hand, I am so pleased that I can do something for him that would give him ( and me) pleasure. Like me, he loved jazz so there will be some jazz. And we both liked show music so we’ll have a song from Camelot. He didn’t much like what he thought of as “heavy” classical music and I never presumed to try to persuade him that the most intimidating thing about classical music is that it’s called classical music. Still we shall have some 20th century classical music - William Walton - because I’m sure he would have liked it had he known it. I knew him so well and I’m sure he’ll tell me later if he didn’t like it.

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04/06/2009 by admin.

I have recently discovered the value of meditation, admittedly through learning about religious meditation but “irreligious” meditation is, I believe, equally beneficial. It’s hard at first because it involves trying to clear your mind of all thoughts and fears which is a difficult process. It can be done but learning how to do it involves being in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed which, in  itself, can be difficult. Mantras (or repetitive prayers) are useful. I wish I could do it better and find a quiet place more easily and more often!

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02/06/2009 by admin.

Whatever one thinks of the monarchy one must admire HM the Queen for her diplomatic silence on the present Parliamentary troubles. Of course she has very few residual powers left but she must be involved to some extent in any talk of constitutional change. I don’t think politicians of any party, at the moment, have any real sense of history. The Crown still gives assents to new statutes (though the present monarch has never refused to sign, -yet!), the PM asks her permission to dissolve Parliament and - this could be important - it is she who sends for the person she thinks can best form a new administration after a General Election. Usually this is straightforward because she will  send for the elected leader of the Party with most seats. The difficulty comes with a “hung” Parliament when she does have the power to question party leaders beforehand on who might best be able to form a coalition government and , subsequently, to appoint the person she thinks stands the best chance.

At the very least the Queen and her advisers must have some say in any changes though it is, of course, up to politicians in the end to reject her opinion or any  private or legal  advice she receives but this should not be done lightly. We are still subjects, not citizens. This is not ultra monarchism - just a statement of fact.

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