Rabbis wrestle for the soul of Judaism Something very unusual happened last week. I found three things of interest in the Church Times. Two things were only of minor interest: Dr Mark Barwick is retiring as Chaplain of St Alban’s, Strasbourg, on June 1st. And the Ven. Dr Peter Hooper is standing down as ArchdeaconContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 175”
Author Archives: europhilevicar
Through a glass darkly – 174
The days go slowly, but the years go faster. It is ten years ago this week that we made our first and only trip to the States. It was a package tour with Great Rail Journeys, a kind of retirement prize after I had just done eighteen months [post-retirement] locum work at Holy Trinity, Brussels.Continue reading “Through a glass darkly – 174”
Through a glass darkly – 173
Madeleine Bunting: The Plot: a Biography of My Father’s Acre I have been reading a difficult to categorise book by Madeleine Bunting, a former Guardian journalist. The book is an oblique history of her father and the small plot of land that he loved on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. Her father, JohnContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 173”
Through a glass darkly – 172
I made the mistake, a few years ago, of buying a book that got rave reviews in the Church Times. The book was The Nazareth Manifesto by Sam Wells, the prolific and very effective Vicar of St Martin’s in the Fields. It was a disappointing book, but two things stay with me. One was aContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 172”
Through a glass darkly – 171
Downsizing is a slow process. As you pick up items and remember where and when and why you acquired them. And then think of a few reasons for not throwing them out. So too with books. Many books hold associations, both of places and of people. I remember reading four volumes of George Orwell’s CollectedContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 171”
Through a glass darkly – 170
Birthday Girl It was Susie’s BIG birthday in the week. We had a celebratory lunch with our friends Mike and Wendy at Left Field, a bijou restaurant on the edge of Bruntsfield Links. It was a Sunday lunchtime, and warm sunshine flooded in on our window table. The other window had an excellent view ofContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 170”
Through a glass darkly – 169
To the Sea by Train The most enjoyable book I read in January was a Christmas present from Jem and Anna. Andrew Martin is prolific railway historian and novelist, and To the Sea by Train is a historic, anecdotal look at the golden age of British railway travel. In 1846 there were [apparently] 272 railwayContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 169”
Through a glass darkly – 168
We’ve never made much of our wedding anniversary. Though I think that four years ago we flew back from Kyiv very early in the morning, after a truncated night. And I offered to buy Susie an anniversary breakfast in the airport at Frankfurt, with lots of Bavarian sausages and scrambled eggs. But she didn’t feelContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 168”
Through a glass darkly -167
Christmas into New Year That was Christmas that was. We were delighted to have Jem and Anna, Freya and Oskar, with us in Edinburgh for a week. It was the first time since I retired that we have had family here over Christmas. [We have been variously in High Wycombe and Watlington, in Ankara, Kiev,Continue reading “Through a glass darkly -167”
Through a glass darkly – 166
I bought a diary last week, a Quo Vadis executive planning diary. As a sign of confidence in the future. But I don’t have anything to put in it yet. Except for the dates of the [grand-] children’s birthdays. And the programme for next year’s Six Nations rugby matches. STOP PRESS And the date ofContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 166”
Through a glass darkly 