europhilevicar

Through a glass darkly – 136

Back to Maredsous Maredsous is a Benedictine abbey in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It was founded as a priory in 1872 on the initiative of Beuron Abbey, a major Benedictine house in Germany, and was raised to the status of an abbey by Pope Leo XIII in 1878. Since 1926 the abbey has been awardedContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 136”

Through a glass darkly – 135

Down in Wycombe “You’re a lovely old man”, the girl at the check-in desk said to me. I’m not sure if it was a compliment. This was at Heathrow on the return journey. Of which more below. We are just back from ten days down in Wycombe. Craig was away for a week walking theContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 135”

Through a glass darkly – 134

I have always thought of France as a sovereign nation; a centralised country that occupies an easily identifiable chunk of western Europe; a country that was our ally in the two world wars of the twentieth century; a country that has a proud record in rugby’s Six Nations, and which won the football World CupContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 134”

Through a glass darkly – 133

Tony Judt We were in Callander in June on the way north towards Arisaig and Skye. Normally it is just a coffee stop. But this year we bought some [very] expensive shoes in the Rogersons factory shop. And I was pleased to find a clean hardback copy of Tony Judt’s The Memory Chalet in theContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 133”

Through a glass darkly – 132

Thank God for Christian friends. That God calls us not in isolation, but into relationship with other members of his family. In recent days we have been pleased to see David Smith, onetime Principal of Northumbria Bible College, and the lead tutor on my MTh course at ICC. Glasgow, some 15 years ago; we hadContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 132”

Through a glass darkly – 131

After last week’s very effective cataract operation, I have been looking through a glass more darkly than usual. A big Thank You to Dr Mary MacRae at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion and to the NHS. The Colditz Story In the word’s most chaotic second-hand bookshop, in the Seamen’s Mission in Mallaig, in June, IContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 131”

Through a glass darkly – 130

Politics on the Edge Our week in the Hebrides last month felt like living on the edge of the map, if not the edge of the world. I took three books with me to read, and came back with eight ! One of them Tony Judt’s The Memory Chalet, which I will write something aboutContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 130”

Through a glass darkly – 129

Setting off up north The garage in Dalkeith from whom we hire a car asked how old I was this year. When I told them I would be 79 shortly, there was a sharp intake of breath between the teeth. But they obligingly said that this year would be possible, but it might well beContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 129”

Through a glass darkly – 128

Election Special We are about halfway through this election campaign. ‘Two bald men squabbling about the ownership of a comb’ was Borges’ verdict on the UK war with the Argentine about the Falklands. That isn’t a fair description of this election. None of the major party leaders are bald, unless you count John Swinney. ButContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 128”

Through a glass darkly – 127

En Marche We are just back from a family holiday in Barneville-Carteret [see TaGD 126]. As a resort it reminds me strongly of French life of an earlier age. My first French textbook, starting the language at CH in 1956, was called En Marche. The following year we progressed to the second book En Route.Continue reading “Through a glass darkly – 127”