Congratulations (and many thanks) to anybody still reading my fairly frequent blogs. And, welcome to those who “catch up” occasionally, and anybody whom I don’t know who may have stumbled across these blogs in their “e-explorations”. I doubt very much that my attempts to write will, in say,200 years from now, be the subject of academic study in the same way Shakespeare and Dickens is today! My blogs are more of a personal diary which act as a reminder to me of events, either fairly recent, or from a more distant past. Being aware that anybody anywhere in the world can access what I write, naturally, I’m somewhat cautious as to the amount of detail I may include!
There is little to write about the last four days including today that is different to any other four days leading up to, and including, a weekend. This October seems a typically autumnal month with little hope now of a final fling of summer. Storm Alex came and went a few weeks ago, leaving the usual mix of showery weather with parsimonious periods of bright intervals. Annoyingly, the opportunity to “cower in the Caribbean” is just not there, the cloak of covid-19 negating any possibility of long-haul travel to warmer time-zones.
Out of the blue, I found myself considering the acquisition of a new vehicle to replace the car I had bought in April 2014, a decision I now find hard to justify having driven less than 1,000 miles since November last year. It was a nice idea, though!
Roger joined me for lunch at the Parks Inn on Friday. Expecting the Restaurant to not be so busy, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who had the same idea as us, almost filling the place. I enjoyed a lamb shank with cabbage and mash and was once again delighted that within five minutes’ walk, there was a decent eatery – right on the doorstep.
Yesterday, Saturday, my intention to make progress decluttering the “master bedroom” so that it’s original purpose in life can be restored, morphed into a binge session of watching Netflix’s excellent series, “The Crown”. In a nutshell, this series is a drama-documentary charting in considerable detail, the Royal Family, Politics and World events from the time of George VI. Inaugurated in 2016, the series is, so far, in three parts of (I think) ten episodes in each. It must be very strange for the existing monarch and her (still living) family and contemporaries, who can also watch The Crown, to be portrayed by actors. One has to question the accuracy of the dialogue. That is not a criticism, it’s more of a mystery. Are sufficient records available for a reasonable script to be created? Obvious mistakes appear to be very few and very far between. The London Smog of December 1952 seemed to be portrayed superbly. There’s much for me to learn from this series, and I look forward to seeing how the more recent history is portrayed.
For the first time, I just made it in time for the 9.30 Eucharist at Christ Church, Burbage this morning. Sadly, our recently appointed Rector is unwell and on the Prayer List. All the usual Covid precautions were in place, and my place in the church was marked with a sticker with my name on it. I felt reassured, that is, until, partway through the service, I became aware of a late-comer sitting immediately behind me, within less than a metre from where I was instructed to sit. Only at the end of the service did I ascertain who he was – he should have known better! I found it hard to concentrate on what was otherwise a fine service in a church I had not worshipped in since attending the regular Wednesday morning service of traditional Holy Communion some years ago. Other annoyances are ongoing and really, I should just accept change has to happen, if only to keep someone in a job. Not only do I refer to a slight (unnecessary) re-wording of the Lord’s Prayer, but now, the Apostles Creed, which has been similarly updated.
Years ago, as a young boy, and then as a teenager, I recall that, spanning the top of the stage at the St. John’s Parish Rooms, Brooklands, Manchester, was a banner (which greatly irritated my father, who was Lay-Reader), which proclaimed “The Church is Marching On – Are you in Step??? Obviously, I’m not!
Thanks for reading, David.
David's Cruise 