Today is the day when the conception of Mary is remembered. As we continue on our Advent journey we give thanks for Mary and her role as the mother of Jesus.                                                                     The bible reading set for today speaks of a different aspect of parenthood- that of adoption. Paul writes of how we have all been…

When I was a young child, I would often lay awake at night and my imagination would run wild. My parents were trying to be helpful by leaving the landing light on so that my sister and I would not be afraid. However, the long shadows that this threw across our bedroom doorway only served…

I recently attended the funeral of a dear lady who had been a member of our church. She had moved down to East Anglia as she was living with dementia which had progressed to the stage where she was unable to continue living on her own. When I first met her it was clear that…

A few weeks ago, I had a fun night out with a group of friends to see ABBA Voyage, a show that celebrates the music of the ‘70s band, famous for winning the Eurovision song contest in 1974 with the song “Waterloo,” (for which the UK awarded them “nul points.”) They went on to be…

Sam was 24 when, on 3rd May 1917, he was making his way to the first aid tent, having received minor injuries on the frontline in the battle of the Somme. He was caught up in a bomb blast as he crossed the trenches and killed outright. “Fortunately” his body was recovered and he was…

Our accommodation during our visit to Northumberland was in a house as part of the Chillingham estate. The castle itself was not marked on our road atlas but the Wild Cattle centre was. These cattle are completely untamed, have been untouched by human hands and never had any veterinary interventions. The castle was like a…

On the second day of our recent trip to Northumberland we planned to go to Ross Sands. Our host suggested this was the most beautiful beach in Northumberland, often deserted as it is only accessible after a walk through fields and sand dunes. My husband “googled” it and found this review, (which made us smile!).…

Have you ever travelled along an unfamiliar road and missed the sign telling you which direction to take? We recently spent a few days in Northumberland. Our host at the B&B we were staying in suggested a walk to a place called Cateran hole where there is a small opening in the ground with steps,…

I was recently dead heading a rose bush and noticed how a branch had grown across the top of a brick wall and had in fact eroded part of the brick. Admittedly the bricks are soft red bricks, but it seemed surprising that a plant with supple green branches could “overcome” the inanimate hard brick.…

I must start this TFTD with an apology. I was recently attending a meeting that involved Methodists from outside the Ipswich Circuit on Zoom. A gentleman asked me how Bill the dog was – which surprised me somewhat as I had never met the guy before. It transpired that he had read the TFTD form…