The Moon also Sets

We got back a bit late. You know how it is. We should have been here for Sunday and the Egg Throwing, but it never happened.  You get on the South Coast, you never want to leave.  And Burton wouldn't get off West Bay Beach until he'd counted every grain of sand.

And then we got caught up at Stonehenge and... well, anyway, we're here now.

But Eileen's not. Just a sign saying "Sold" and a big empty house. And some big blokes in leather jackets who told us to clear off or they'd hurt us.

I wonder what it all means?  Surely she hadn't read this?

And I wonder what she did with all the valuables she took off us for safe keeping?

Tomorrow Never Comes

And about all the pain well, you know it was worth it
You could do it again but I just don't deserve it.
Let us part in the rain so the clouds hide
the despair and the sorrow I feel on the inside and
let my tears dry by the light of a setting sun.
And tomorrow....

Weathers

This is the weather the cuckoo likes,
And so do I;
When showers betumble the chestnut spikes,
And nestlings fly;
And the little brown nightingale bills his best,
And they sit outside at 'The Traveller's Rest,'
And maids come forth sprig-muslin drest,
And citizens dream of the south and west,
And so do I.


This is the weather the shepherd shuns,
And so do I;
When beeches drip in browns and duns,
And thresh and ply;
And hill-hid tides throb, throe on throe,
And meadow rivulets overflow,
And drops on gate bars hang in a row,
And rooks in families homeward go,
And so do I.
 
Thomas Hardy

Hnaef's back

Nice to see Hnaef and Mrs Hnaef back.  I needed a hand.
Now, where did I put those boxes?

Cut-price Election

Fascinated that the Labour party apparently had a competition for a witty anti-David Cameron slogan.  I was at college with David Cameron in the 1980s and I was slimmer, fitter and generally had more free time then.  I don't remember what "Dave" was like then, if indeed I met him in the two years our careers overlapped,  probably because he was much posher and more well-liked.  But in any case, if "Dave" can fix it so we all go back to, say, 1986, that's fine by me.  I'll go and dig out my hockey stick.

But I digress. The thought struck me that, if the Labour party are so short of dosh that they have to get well-wishers to send in poster ideas, perhaps they could adopt the whole "Vision On" approach to it?  The next Labour Party Political Broadcast could consist of the camera shifting through a "Gallery" of posters designed by 9 year olds and Bob Crow, while cheesy music played in the background.  First prize could be a flight on a BA plane or a trip in a train, next time either are allowed to run.  It would save New Labour money, and we wouldn't have to see Gordon trying to smile in that scary way.  So everyone's a winner.

The Stone the builders rejected

The Trinity in Glory - St Alban's Holborn

A Sad Farewell to a Prophet

Stations of the cross: St Alban's, Holborn.

Hot Cross Buns Galore

It's a tradition with us that we eat a special luxury hot cross bun each on Good Friday.  And this year as usual we'd ordered fifty or so in specially from our favourite local baker.  I say local, of course, being the English countryside the "local" baker's is miles away.
Anyway, the delivery arrived this morning and there's just me.
I know it's a tradition, but I've still only managed to get through twelve so far.

It's gonna be a long day.

A mother's nightmare

...and a Father's, too.

Image from St Alban's Holborn

Last Supper and New Moon

I had a visitor the other day arrive on the site searching for "Last Supper and New Moon".  It's an interesting combination of blog search terms.  Because, without reading the mind of the searcher, I'm going to guess that (s)he was checking out the theory that the darkness at the crucifixion was caused by a solar eclipse.  It would chime in nicely with the Victorian Liberals' explaining away of everything miraculous.

Well not this one.  Like the Beaker Folk, Jews like their celebrations - or certainly the Passover one - at Full Moon.  And at Full Moon the moon is opposite the sun in the sky.  So you don't get a solar eclipse, which only happens at New Moon when the moon is right in front of the sun.  Lunar eclipses, of course, happen at Full Moon.

Real confusion

It's suddenly occurred to me that two blogs in the blog roll on this website, "Of Course I could be Wrong" and "What does the Prayer Really Say" are in fact different blogs, written by different people.
I've spent a long time wondering why I'd added the same site twice and why the site was so varied in its outlook, and suddenly it's all become clear.

I have a similar problem with the Guido Fawkes and Ekklesia sites, but thankfully I managed to get that one sorted earlier.

Authentic Footwashing

What with the Moot House being empty, I clearly won't be having the Footwashing ritual this year.
Every year they've asked me if they can have an authentic Seder meal.  And every year I've said that's fine, as long as all male Beaker People can ensure they're as authentically qualified for such a meal as is surgically possible.  Then every year they wince and the issue turns to can we have footwashing.

So I point out that's fine.  But to be authentic, it's no good those feet being nice clean middle-class tootsies, beautifully pedicured and bathed and talcumed before anyone else can touch them. 

No.  If they want footwashing then the washees must have walked barefoot up the road from the White Horse, across the meadow, through the alpaca enclosure and then down the gravel path to the Moot House.

So far we've never had a year when anyone was prepared to go through with this.  But I've always been firm.  If they do all these things, then and only then will I delegate one of the other members of the leadership team to wash their feet.  What do they think I am?  One of the staff?

All day long I have held out my hands

Image from St Alban's, Holborn