Two weeks ago we had a partial solar eclipse on 25th October. On that day I was driving down to London at about the time the eclipse was happening. I resisted the temptation to look at the sun for several reasons, one being I was driving around the M25 with hundreds of other motorists! However…

I have to admit I have always enjoyed bonfire night. I grew up with catherine wheels – that never seemed to go in the right direction, rockets and sparklers in the back garden and a bonfire that had grown in size over the previous weeks. My grandma’s bonfire toffee kept the local dentist in business…

I had the delight of meeting Rev Saul Tadzaushe and his wife Tariro at Heathrow recently. It has been a long and frustrating wait but the relief and common warmth between us was evident in the smiles and the greetings as Saul and Tariro came through those doors, after over 24hours “on the road/in the…

We have recently been “entertained” by the in and outs of politicians, so many U-turns we might well be feeling dizzy. In the time elapsed between writing this and it being published who knows who our prime minister will be, let alone the other members of the cabinet, or even if we still have the…

A few weeks back I spent a few days in North Yorkshire. We walked from the village we were staying in, along the edge of the North York Moors to Lastingham. The church at Lastingham has a Norman Crypt that dates back nearly 1000 years. In 563 AD Columba set out from Ireland to found…

A business man was reflecting on his position whilst sitting in church. He took time to pray to Jesus. “I have used my talents, started several businesses up, made them profitable with big dividends for the shareholders. I attend church every Sunday, give regularly, support the church mission work. Why do I still feel unfulfilled?…

Cobwebs, of which there are many, are something to be be brushed away in my house. No sooner has one been removed, than another appears. However one misty morning recently I noticed this beautiful cobweb in our front garden. It was hanging complete between the stalks of various plants in a flower bed, and was…

We have just been through a period of celebrating harvest. Despite the driest summer I can remember, and our lawn certainly seems to reflect that, we have had a harvest of figs, peaches, grapes, chilies, beans, potatoes and onions…oh and of course courgettes a plenty! One of the things I’ve noticed in the parched flower…

This morning I had cause to ring my local GP surgery to arrange a home visit for a lady in our village. It was interesting being on the “other side” of the doctor-patient relationship. I rang the patient telephone number and a cheerful recorded voice, (of one of my former colleagues) gave various options for…

This last 11 days have been extraordinary. The headlines every day on the TV have been about the death of the Queen and all the various different ceremonies and rituals that have had to be held, in different places. The King has almost had to be in two places at once, appearing in London for…