During a short break in Cheshire, my wife and I decided to visit the North Wales coastline and encountered the notorious 20 mph speed limit. For the tourists, there were many opportunities to look closely at the surroundings but after a while, even that became a challenge. I thought there were two types of drivers:…

Before I share a dictionary definition, let me ask a question. Do you ever suffer from Church fatigue?  One definition states “extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness,” but in the context of the question, I prefer a comment from an old man some years ago: “My get-up-and-go has got up and went”. This subject…

Decimal currency change in the United Kingdom occurred on Decimal Day, Monday, 15 February 1971. The traditional system of pounds, shillings, and pence (£sd) was replaced with a base-10 decimal system where the pound was divided into 100 new pence. I wish that similar action had been taken with the “introduction” of the metric system.…

A recent incident reminded me of a young Welshman who attended our church before being promoted to a position in Cardiff. We had enjoyed his company in our home on many occasions, so a few years later while he was visiting London, he thought he would call and see us (in Felixstowe) “on his way…

A novel I read some time ago contained a story of a town in the USA where a well-known character, called Ike, lived. He had always been known by that name, and no one had bothered to find out his birth name. One day, his brother moved to the town and was so much like…

 A recent incident reminded me of a humorous story from many years ago. Two ladies were enjoying coffee in their local café and passed the time looking around at the other patrons and guessing what occupation they might have. One man, who they agreed was possibly an accountant, stopped as he walked past their table…

Several years ago, I recall singing a hymn that included a phrase about prayer, “Take it to the Lord and leave it there.” For some time, I assumed it meant that having prayed about something once, it was no longer necessary to ask God again. This misunderstanding came to mind during a recent daily Bible…

Improvements to hearing over the years have undergone considerable changes, from the need to shout (still an option) to the use of ear trumpets, and now to modern digital aids linked to mobile phones. However, there is a significant difference between hearing and listening. I recall an occasion when my wife asked if I had heard the…

A recent incident reminded me of a daily task I had to undertake, with others, in the early days of my banking career. Every cheque that was “drawn” on the branch where I worked had to be examined for 13 specific things. When teaching at the Bank’s training school, this was known as SWEDES CLAMPS…

I understand that those who live with, or care for, a dementia sufferer quickly learn two (of many) important lessons. The first is to avoid saying, “I already told you”, and the second is to say, “You do know”, when, of course, if the person did know, s/he would have said so. I was reminded…