Goodhand in Banbury

 It really doesn't seem possible that a year has now passed since we moved. However when we look at the back garden we can tell things have moved on. It was just a bit overgrown and neglected. The wooden structure must have once looked good but it was falling down and dangerous.   So no choice a major clearance was required before we could start to restructure  Its always hard to rip things out but we really had no choice. It left us with a lot of bare fencing and a long garden in need of dividing up into areas. Thankfully at the bottom corner there was some paving ready to take the new greenhouse. But a bit of extra paving was required. I might be getting too old for all this heavy lifting !!! Area ready for Greenhouse What do you do with a falling down structure?  You up cycle it to make a new border. Unused wood and raised beds take shape. Not too bad so far. So some trellis constructed to divide the garden with new planting and a view from the back door.   M...

On Wednesday 24th May Methodists will recall the conversion of John Wesley who, in spite of already being a priest in the Church of England, felt something was missing in his life. On this date he was to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit which gave to him an assurance that God really did love him. He then without intending created the Methodist Church while remaining an Anglican priest.  He managed to share a Gospel of God's Love for all. He managed to hold the tension between experiencing God's presence, a gift from God not earned, and the need to put into action that Love that had touched him and was available for all. John cared and understood that the coming of Jesus was not just about saving the soul for eternity but the transformation of life in the here and now. At a time when our own society is so riven by division built on lies and hatred about others, so as to gain and retain power, these words of John are still powerful and true. Why is it that so many peopl...

 Having read David Baddiel's excellent book 'Jews don't count' which really helps to gain a proper understanding of racism towards Jews I had to read his latest book 'THE GOD DESIRE' Baddiel writes 'A close friend once said to me: but don't you want to believe in God? I said: yes. Desperately. That's why I know He doesn't exist.' This book is well worth a read. It has not altered my belief in God, rather it has helped to crystallize an understanding that has formed in my own mind over many years in relation to how I view death. I am going to die and death is a reality. I believe there is a God, for me as revealed through Jesus. So I trust in some way I will live but I am not hung up on what that looks like. Believing this means I can get on with living now trying to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Mind you if I  mention to my children in passing I am going to die they don't like me saying it. But I will. It's an end but not The end. B...

Sunday 23rd April we had the pleasure of attending a song cycle in The Levine Building at Trinity College. Our grandson's Godmother Katie (soprano) was giving a performance during the Spring Song 'A Grimm Weekend of Song' with a performance of 'The Girl with no Hands' This was part of the Oxford Leider's Young Artist Programme. The recital was inspired by the fairy tale 'The girl with no hands'. There were new commissions alongside well-known pieces. The songs expressed very wide emotional experiences from loss, isolation, enduring love, motherhood and trauma, emotions often experienced by women not always expressed. Katy Thomson sang amazingly conveying various emotions, Rustam Khanmurzin(pianist) was brilliant on piano and David Antrobus the narrator gave a wonderful support as he told the story, with one powerful piece about refugees. While there were three on stage being the focus there was one other individual to admire. The page turner for the pian...

No Responsibilities truly liberating A long standing college friend of my wife came to see us in our new home.   In conversation she asked what I was doing. I think at first I was defensive in the sense of justifying my time - oh how ministers fall into that trap.   “Well apart from the garden, the extension, child minding, finding time to do walks, started up running, going to church and being on the coffee rota’ etc etc etc.   What she was actually coming round to saying was for her ‘It’s great to no longer have responsibilities?’   Pondering that has made me further realise why I intentionally said `I wasn’t going to do anything for at least a year.  Taking on any role would mean being responsible, making a commitment that might stop me doing what I really want to do.   At present I want to be available to help our daughters and our grandchildren. That needs a certain flexibility and to allow us to have time for ourselves. The sense of being ‘responsible...

  We took a very long walk around the amazing grounds at Stowe. Would you believe you can rent this property on the left for a holiday? The grounds give you the feeling of a walk through countryside but every so often a structure appears . Had to pop into the parish church. Classical structures abound. While buildings are interesting but so are trees like this.  Stowe house itself. Just so good to walk and walk.