writing – Through a glass darkly

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 – 153

Books can be evocative. I clearly remember being given a paperback copy of John Le Carré’s Tinker Tailor, Sailor, Spy back in the mid-1970s by Mme Anne Warter, then Directrice of the Paris bookshop Nouveau Quartier Latin, and reading it with great excitement on the rather second-rate Silver Arrow train from the Gare du NordContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 153”

Through a glass darkly – 137

A shrinking world As autumn turns to winter it has been a quiet few months. Susie and I limp around, as if preparing for a Senior Citizens’ three-legged race. We had a day down in Berwickshire at the beginning of October, when I was preaching in Fogo. An old village church and a welcoming congregation.Continue reading “Through a glass darkly – 137”

Through a glass darkly – 124

Back to school again With hindsight I may have over-invested in the 60 Years On reunion down at CH. It was a long way down and back on the train, and involved two nights in a modest but friendly hotel in Horsham. For what was in truth a modest event: mid-morning gathering for coffee; aContinue reading “Through a glass darkly – 124”