Late last month we visited Saint Alban’s cathedral at Saint Albans. Did you know that the spelling of the name of the place came about because of an error in the application to become a city in 1877 when a Parliamentary Draughtsman accidentally omitted the apostrophe. Whether that error would matter to the saint after…
A week ago, we elected a new Government; but writing this over the weekend before the election I am at a disadvantage. I have a shrewd idea of the outcome but not its detail. Of one thing I am sure, however confident our new leadership may appear to us, there will be things they must…
Today feels very urgent and important. Those of us who qualify to vote will play our part in a democratic process that has evolved over the years. Even if we choose not to exercise the right to vote we are still doing something democratic. Dartmoor’s ancient settlement of Grimspound dates from the Bronze Age which…
Those of you reading this who have childhood memories of going to church may be able to remember the first hymn book you used. My faith journey can be traced by the hymn books I have used and the hymns I have known and loved. The first was Hymns Ancient and Modern, with no hint…
It is easy to get downhearted about the state of things. An election campaign makes us think and it can bring out the worst in us. On holiday on Dartmoor recently we visited the ancient Wistman’s wood; a mysterious wooded area of great beauty. Around the margins new oak seedlings are flourishing. The destruction of…
The walking guide that we followed assiduously said, ‘when you reach here you have crossed Foxtor Mire and are alive to tell the tale’. It was probably irresponsible for two people of broadly sound mind to cross a notoriously dangerous Dartmoor bog when there was no compulsion to do so. But what is compulsion when…
The daily bible readings recommended this week (see the centre of the Methodist Prayer Handbook if you have it) are from the book of Ruth. The overall theme for the week is ‘Faith in Providence.’ There are many interwoven themes in Ruth but that of Providence runs through the book. Providence means different things in…
We recently saw a staged adaptation of Herman Melville’s story, ‘Moby Dick’ or ‘The Whale.’ In the version we saw, a small company did an excellent job of evoking the sea, the gore, the fear, and the insanity at the heart of Melville’s tale. Miles from the sea, with no white whale in sight it…
Whenever an old wireless or early television broadcast is replayed it is obvious how much the use of language and valuing of accent and dialect have changed over the years. When we listen to or watch a news broadcast we no longer hear, or even want to hear the same stereotypical ‘BBC voice’. We are…
Thirty years and a fortnight ago I first sat in my study and looked out over the top of the cherry tree in the garden below. Flowers in the winter and leaves in summer have always been there. I moved out when our first baby moved in to ‘his room’, but when he grew up…