I have manged to lose the original copy of the Hundred Years book.
I misplace things regulalry - like, every day!!! - but seldom do things actually disappear.
This evening I had the recycling bin contents out all over the lawn. I know I had the book within the last two weeks. Buut it wasn't there. I have promised it back to the original donor, and in fact I have never actually lost anything before.
It's really beginning to frustrate and annoy me somewhat.

People keep asking me about the change of Prime Minister, and what a shame it is for "Timmy" being knocked out of Wimbledon.
Was he? Surely he wouldn't have lost if he was as good as you say? When did he last win it? Oh - he never has??
So he's not really THAT good then...
etc

Cyncical? Surely, I'm just realistic.
There's a major difference between how 'good' something is and the profile it receives.
Its called marketing.
Usually I think one is in fact inversely proportional to the other.

I am so adrift from current affairs. But really things like that seem so uninteresting, uninspiring, and so often irrelevant.
Shamefully though, I genuinely don't know what people are talking about when they mention more or less any 'celebrity' or TV programme, or politician.
D was today rather pleased to see John Denholm (or somebody?) back in the cabinet.
I haven't the first clue who he is, or why that matters.

Not sur eif I'm proud of this, or embarrassed by it.
Football. That's the one with the ROUND ball isn't it? No bats.

I think the current affairs thing is a little embarrassing sometimes, but the celebrity thing certainly is not.
The couple who live next door to me cried, rowed and went into unfathomable despair for days when Saints failed to win promotion to the Premiership. Now I like them, and we get on well enough (though it is true that we seldom meet) but this kind of behaviour (which goes on all around me all the time among many other people) is reallyhard for me to understand.
Is it really the case that people's state of emotional well-being depends on the success of others?
Are their lives really so devoid of personal satisfaction and achievement that they live these feelings through some other person or body?

Hence the popularity of TV soaps I suppose. Biscuit's the psychologist, we must chat

Nice link.
I spoke to her this morning, as she was busy preparing for her D of E course in the Forest that starts tonight.
But its gone a bit pear-shaped with her boyfriend's house moving. Actually, I suspect it hasn't and she 'misled' me with the original plan. He moves out of Uni Halls on Saturday, and was due to move into the shared house on Sunday - July 1. But now he can't move in until Tuesday, July 3.
So guess where they want to stay for those two nights in between...?
And guess where all his stuff is being stored...?

I'm due to pick them up on Sunday after the course, but we have a Big Reunion weekend at church, so they may have to wait unti mid afternoon. That won't go down well.
hey ho

What a crazy day!
Started manic enough, as we all managed to sleep till past 7.30 - which has been unhear dof lately. Complicated by the unwrapping of copious presents after breakfasts for F. 11 today. Quite ridiculous.
SHe spent two hours at her new school, a special session set up for all those girls (about 12 of them) who are coming alone from their primary schools. Good idea.
I arrived at work to find a man wandering about the corridors looking for our office so he could deliver the new water cooler/heater.
Followed closely by a delivery of 1000 A3 plastic ring binders. Exciting, eh?
Met Tx at the secondary school about midday, after I picked up the HUndred Years book from the printers and so that she could bring the boxes home for me.

Then it got busy...

3.20pm - Home to meet from school
3.40pm - Take S to his swimming lesson
4.00 - 5.00pm - Sally

She flicker and she sparkle and she change all my points of view

5.15pm - Home to find a plumber in bits on the kitchen floor with Tx exasperated by his late arrival, and upset by the failure of yet another washy mashy. F suggesting dinner out
5.30pm Burger King. How glamorous!
6.30pm - Home. Upstairs, change for Guides. Come on.
Time to check emails. Cell has been re-arranged for OUR HOUSE tomorrow night. Aaaargh!!
FG confirms we are ON for moving the furniture this evening. It isn't raining.
6.45pm - Leave to pick up friends for Guides
7.05pm - Leave Guides and drive straiht round to FG's house.
He's already busy in his shed, emptying 'stuff' to find the sideboard.
It's a SIDEBOARD for goodness sake, not a desk. He promised us a desk that we could use inthe vestry to transfer all the accounting software and paperwork out of the church office. Not a sideboard.
And certainly not a VERY BIG, TALL and HEAVY sideboard.
It didn't fit even in our People carrier, after I had taken ALL the fekking seats out.
The legs wouldnt come off.
So we carried it. Four of us, down the middle of the road, across the main road and into the church.
And on the way, one of the cars that moved over for us was driven my MOC, our admin pixie, who will no doub ttomorrow lecture me again about overdoing things. She's very lovely, but considers me rather eccentric.
And what are the chances - her daughter is the tenant who lives in the house owned by FG whose shed we have just raided!!!
8.25pm - leave the others chatting at church to pick up the Guides.
8.45pm - Home.

So I have forgotten to ring Biscuit, on the last day ever of her school life. She's coming to the Forest tomorrow to do her silver D of E. Hopefully, we'll catch up this weekend.
And my mobile charger has taken a holiday to Lost Island. Which, I hope, is where the original copy of the HUndred Years book ahs gone. Struggling ot find this. I can see myself emptyingthe recycling bin tomorrow .
Seriously annoyed with myself for losing that.

We have a 'parochial visitation' on the 2nd July.
Fantastic.

Sideboard, right? What a crap word.
We have been collecting these lately.
In the last few weeks I have tried to use:

coupon

and

beaker

Sideboard is one of these words. Others will turn up.

A humble 'hi' to everyone who hits this insignificant speck of dust on the pinhead that is blogland.

For the first time in two years of blogging, we have passed 1000 visitors in a calendar month.
I know thats really not many. That's not the point.
I'm grateful and flattered that most of those are regular readers. You know who you are.

I'm always intrigued how hits fluctuate so much.
Tagging I expect, which like everyone else I have been known to attempt to 'manage' now and again with some carefully selected random rudities.
But that is like 'friends' on myspace. friends my a*se.
Maybe its affected by the time of day? or how many others have posted so you appear in that 'latest updates' thingie for a bit longer.

What counts are those people who come by just to see whether or not I have posted anything.
To you guys, I'm sorry when there's nothing new here. Thanks for being there anyway
I'm probably busy living - or reading your blogs!

Sorry too that I so rarely post comments.
Perhaps I'm just shit at that kind of thing.

Just submitted Stage 3 of my action against Lloyds.
They are, as expected, playin gall the right cards as predicted.
We are 14 days away from filin gcourt action to claim back what amounts to nearly £3K of charges! its a slog - I am struggling to persist.
D has been a shining example of hanging on though, and recently received an order from the court that his case has been successful.
I think the OFT have made some kind of ruling recenlty, but lets see how far this goes. Still no record of any bank even counter-claiming, let alone actually going ot court to face the charges.

NOt like me to be such a financially driven beastie, but the amounts we are talking about make it well worth pursuing. I have so many ways to put this money to good use, not least an imminent university course.

S was funny today. he actually asked to go to bed after dinner, around 6.30 and was asleep within minutes. He's had a tough time of it lately - three performances of the Summer Concert on Thursday, PE and Multi-Sports after school on Friday, a Pirates and Princesses birthday party on Saturday, not to mention F having her friends in to celebrate her 11th and a trip to see the grandparents yesterday! Poor littl eman is exhausted. his life is typical of all the kids really - I suspect rather too busy than is healthy.
I was only able to do the bank claim tonight because today and tomorrow are the only days on the calendar with nothing booked in for ages.

I'm wondering now if I haven't been a littl eover-zealous with a letter I wrote to school thins morning.
On Friday, his teacher denied him a sweet (??) in front of everyone because he is a vegetarian!! OK, I do understand her point and I appreciate that she was taking some notice. But a SWEET??? I've explained that we are not strict veggies and eat fish, eggs, dairy produce etc. The kids will even eat ham and cocktail sausages if they get the chance, so it really shouldn't have been a Big deal. I also re-iterated my point about his "too easy" spellings and expressed how disappointed I am that they didn't respond to my first letter on this.
The school does let down the higher achievers I fear. Well, not the school exactly, more the general OFSTED led education system. Seems that once the kids get to a certain level, the focus is moved from them onto those who haven't made it. the better ones remain unchallenged. I guess we are lucky thatboth S and A should be classed as high acheivers, but its unfortuante that this is effectively becoming a barrier to their growth. Missed a phone call from the head this afternoon, so I will call her tomorrow. We get on well (three years ago I was a guvnor...) so it shouldn't be a problem.

And Tx eye has been diagnosed at last. We reckonit is an allergy to her new pillows!
Two nights of sleep with the old pillows out of the to cupboard and its much better.

Do you have a 'top cupboard'?
Or a "side"?
Everything in this house gets put "on the side"??

Tonight I ain't not listening to nuffink.

Arrived at the office this morning to find another couple of albums have arrived, this one courtesy of Slam at De5ign4. He's a top bloke, and good to see him now getting more airtime on the DJ circuit in these parts.
So I will be listening to, and annoying everyone else with, Selcted Ambient Works by the Aphex twin.
Very nice indeed.

After that, I have Plastikman's Closer to enjoy.

But how many albums in the pending tray is that now?

I never bargained for this when I took the job on, and its a difficult challenge. Our last treasurer has made such a convoluted pickle of it all that we are struggling ot get going.
PM and I had a meeting here last night to decide on our strategy and with the help of Mr Vicar (or should that be "Priest-in-Charge"…) who is turning up for everything at the moment and seems very encouraged by all that is going on, we made a lot of progress by concluding that the best thing to do is start over again. Establish the bank balances (why do we have SO MANY accounts?? There must be eight different ones...) at the end of May, then use a hand-written meyhosd of book keeping to at least manage the Sales and Purchase Ledgers.
We've established that nothing has been banked since MARCH!!! But today I understand that PM counted up all the monies in the safe and has something ridiculoous like £1700 to bank tomorrow.
It will come together, but I would pray that it doesn't reveal itself to be even more complex.
of course it could, when we are faced with the administrater's resignation in a few months time.
That's the same person.

Hmmm....

Tomorrow I'm delivering a white board to the church office in a vain attempt to introduce some management to the centre. PM and the church secretary have agreed to support the idea and use it themselves, so that it at least appears not to single out th administrater...

Sent the Hundred Years Book to the printers today. We are doing the cover sin house, and the printer is doing us a favour by adding them and stapling for no charge. So the bill is only going to be £65.00 for 100 copies. D has agreed that we can pay for this from the office, so I am going to try a retail price of £1.50. I'm hoping that the picture cover and a couple of updated chapters will justify it being more than the original £1.00 I was considering.
July 1st is to be our big 'reunion' event, following the Summer fete on the Saturday to which the same 'old boys' are invited. So far, we have about forty people saying they will come along to help us celebrate quietly 140 years.
Our plan is to have a big "do" next year to mark the official consecration of the place in July 1868.

Tx has been out over there this evening joining in with a gardening party. We leave it always too lon gbetween these sessions, but by all accounts the place is looking really at its humble best now. Vic was there at that AS WELL!

I've been at home trying to fit stupid bast*rd magnetic locks on some of the kitchen cupboards. Baggins is surfing on her feet now, and just opens and empties anything she can get her hands on. Several times a day!!
trying, without success. It says on the tin that the magnets work through doors up to 28mm thick.
But obviously not on doors on 18mm thick. Buggery plop.

Found the name sof two people I know also going to Fulham Palace on the 5th.

Spoke to Biscuit - exams going "kind of OK-ish" (Philosophy tomorrow).
And Kink says I should have no dificulty finding a laptop on eBay for £500.

Its a scary thought. My first experience of a PC.
PC = Piece of Crap.
OK viruses, come and get it!

I'm writing this live, as a kind of thought experiment.
It's a Great day - one of those I always remember being so special I would consider them almost sacred.
That moment when you first put any album inot he CD drive is always important, but when its a Marc Almond album it takes on deeper significance.
Stardom Road is the album that three years ago no-on ethought they would ever hear,a s he lay paralysed after The Crash.

So, to mark this occasion, I'm going to jot down thoughts and feelings that occur to me as I lsten, for the very first time, to the best singer/songwriter of the last thirty years.

I Have Lived
Sweeping string arrangements - a big opener. The voice is most definitely back and he is singing with more passion than even on the last couple of albums. A wonderful choice of song with pertinent lyrics (as they all are). I too, have lived. So he's managed that already - singing to me about my life. Stunning.
Aznavour has written some incredible songs. Full of baggage.

I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten
Not a big fan of Sarah Cracknell. her voice has mature and she complements him beautifully. Sounds like something off the Tenement Symphony. Ends too quickly - rather a clumsy fade?

Bedsitter iMages
Such a lovely voice. I'm getting sentimental. Just a simple guitar, and it builds quickly, but he's not scared to sing.
Lots of words. Bouncing along now - supremely confident. You can feel the musicians are keeping up withhim. Leading from the front of the sound. Arms outstretched. Welcome back, Marc…

The London Boys
Camp. Gay. Pompous. Glamourous. Seedy as fuck. Bowie was never like this. Or was he?
Seems somehow to be an old song - evocative of a Soho gone.

Strangers in the night
Seems a bit coy? Bit of a show tune.
This doesn't seem to work somehow...

The Ballad of the Sad Young Men
Where have I heard this before. Anthony Hegarty is SO good - he undersings even better than Marc does!!
Perfect mixer. This is an AWESOME song - that piano is really hurting.
This is about the life I haven't lived, but feel so close too.
There's always been another man inside of me, a darker, lonely side. Longing for adventure, loss and excitement.
Here he comes again, on that trumpet
Here come my first tears of the evening....

OK so I've had to pause it now...

Stardom Road
Whatever he hasn't got, its here. He has not any of these things in abundance.
Blessed be the persecuted.
You won't get that load
Up Stardom Road
Superlatives are worthless. Defiance reins. Strings wash the shore of loneliness.
I'm still here. No-one will ever be Marc Almond. Thank heaven for individuals.

Kitsch
Here it comes. Opens like a John BArry soundtrack.
Foot tapping. Eyes streaming.
Tears fall like diamonds - shattered on the desk. A celebration of the panal.
Gloriously pompous - yet empty for all that. tasteless. garish - tongue in cheek and wonderful!!!
Sublime. Memorabilia. Plastic thngs on pencils
Keychains and snowstorms.
For alll the shiny people.
Now I'm laughing aloud. AMong the best things he's ever done.

Backstage I'm Lonely
This I've heard of - his tribute to the late great Gene Pitney. No doubt all performers feel this and he captures it perfectly. The fears and ghosts are back.
And the guitar is so trashy.
Doesn't capture the pain of the original. Too celebratory?
He overcooks this one

Dream Lover
Most familiar song on the album.
Scratchy vinyl effects as per Open All Night. This is the Lonely Ballerina.
Very much like the songs of that period.
Why doesn't this work? Is it too slow.
In fact, it goes right back to to Child Star off Fantastic Star.
he really does bring out a much darker side to the lyrics, very cleverly. There is desperation and melancholy that is lacking from the uptemp original. Love the ending

Happy Heart
Hmmm... what's going on here? I'm entirely disinterested in this one.
This is a song for all those people for whom my music has made memories out of moments in their lives.
That'll be me then.
Despite myself, I love him.

Redeem Me
I don't miss the me I used to be. I'm inspired too - happy with the me i am. No regrets for what I've been, accepting that all those experiences have made me what I am now.
Celebrate live. Live and love it. Take it, dig for diamonds. Beauty will redeem the world.
Kissed in doorways covered in glitter
Held my arms out loved the litter
This just oozes with confidence and happiness.
Ironically, redeeming the previous song?
he's done it AGAIN - this is MY SONG!!!

The Curtain Falls
He has stated that the next album of original songs will be his last.
And he is happy with that obviously. So we share that. No sadness. No ending.
Truly, truly scrumptious.
This is Judy Garland on her knees.
Overwhelmed with the wieght of his own genius. Honest and humble.

Playing the whole thing again.
Emotionally drained. Exhausted.
Still crying and laughng at the same time

Special meeting of the PCC tonight to discuss the impending Parochial Re-Organisation that is effectig the whol eof the deanery over the next few years.
And we have to deicde, before may 2008, whether or not to apply for the suspension of St. Dnys to be continued. I think we agreed that we are in favour of maiintaining the status quo for as long as possible and will go for our 'priest-in-charge' to remain under that title for the following five years. In 2014 we will be 'trimmed down' according to the Sheffield formula to our allocation of 0.64 of a vicar.
Tonight we discussed our options in terms of 'moving forward' with our neighbouring parishes, but I was frustrated that we didn't get to discuss how having 0.64 of a vicar woould actually effect us, regardless of how he divides his time.
Only four of us asked any questions.
Come on guys - it's your decision too. If you don't understand, say so. There was every opportunity!

I like Fathers' day. OK, so its a commercial invention, but if you don't pander too much to the pressures of getting sh*t and spend time with the kids instead, you can have a really good day.
Mine went like this.

Woken by the Baggins as usual around 6am.
Conscious and showered just after 7am.
Children alive, and crowded into the bed when I came out the bathroom.
Some fantastic handmade cards. A wins this year. She did some kind of weird map thing, with locations on including "Marc Almond's House" (which she spelled correctly) and "The John Foxx Music Store".
LC has just about learned to write her name, which is a weird feeling.
Traditional box of licorice allsorts. Yummy!
With S help this morning I finally got round to raising the headboard on our bed, and fitted the shower again (it fell down again agter my faffing around a week or three ago…)
Not the best service at church - CS not so inspired this week as usual – but the new speakers sound great. I still have to find out exactly why entries for the weekly newsheet get re-typed and hevily edited. Who does this - its all very frustrating and unnecessary? Collection money is regularly falling, though we had another 6 new faces this week.
And we were all given a geranium to plant out, which the kids did after lunch.
Kink and D arrived within seconds of us getting home after the service, and managed to eat just about everything left in the house. Took them over to the office to pick up a few bits and bobs, including an old iMac that she wants to 'play' with. F bought her invites with her for next weekend's birthday party and gotthose printed out. I have booked cinema tickets to see Shrek III.
Expect disappointment. The second film was poor, and I suspect this will be one sequel too many...
3pm, and the sun shining brightly.
My choice - Netley Abbey

Not so good for hide and seek cos its too big, but we fell about laughing after inventing a crazy game throwing tennis balls throught he windows! It's really touching to see how well LC and Stan in particular seem to have taken to boyfriend D. He makes a lot of effort with the kids, and generally seems to be well liked. Talks to me and Trx as well, without too much trouble. Rubbish hair and very bad taste in music, but that's by the by.
Gave me a copy of the first 'device" album though. One day I'll get round to playing it!
Kink gave me a copy of the new/old Tolkein novel "The Children of Hurin" which I will enjoy - superbly illustrated by Alan Lee, and her sister sent a Key Finder thing that bleeps.
ha ha - very funny! Its infuriating - goes off every few minutes

Big Sunday tea and they went off home about 8pm.
After that I had a few minutes on the phone to Biscuit (exams again next week) and rang my daddy who thanked me for the John Barry CD.

Bed time occurred around half-past nine.
Tx eye has gone silly again. All red, swollen and looking very sore.
She is overdoing too many things.

Back from the last hour or so of the Access festival.
It was a bit crap.

best part was the wonderful "Faceometer"who is a talented and funny singer/songwriter.
Mirfee was there, which gave a fine opportunity to exchange some music.
I now have six more albums to find time to listen to, four of which are by artists I have never heard before:

Artificial Perfect - Ade Fenton
Everything - Tones on tail (Daniel Ash - ex Bauhaus)
(and such a crap name for a band...)
Lord of the Rings - Bo Hansson
(cheesy neoprog? Not sure...I've wanted to listen to this for ages. Widely regarded as a genius of his genre, this 1972 album is supposed to be the best of all the book-inspired albums. Fog on the Barrow-Downs is certainly a moody track...)
Various - Tonto's Expanding Head Band
Comes from the same psychedelic/pre-electro seed as other stuff i really like. Or is it just weird hippy shit. Written by the legend that is Malcolm Cecil though, so worthy of a little more respect

The other artists that I know already of are Amon Duul II Made In Germany and the weird and wonderful Foetus Love whose work I have long admired from a safe distance.

I hereby categorically refuse to get into 'prog'.

And then tonight, by way of a contrast, Kink's partner Dan has just dropped in with a 'unmastered' (???) copy of the first album by his band device called Obstacles and Playgrounds

It was weird having them just pop round for dinner tonight.
Choosing (again) to cam in the Forest rather than stay with us overnight.
there are increasing more times nowadays that I begin to feel like someone's dad

Official confirmation today of my invitation to the 'retro future' preview at Fulham Palace on July 5th
One is VERY excited. The medieval gardens there seem to me the perfect place to exhibit Cathedral Oceans.
I wonder if it will be outside.
Train fare £28.00 and there IS a late enough train back. All is good.

Except that some tw*t has decided to post a link on the forum that links to a site that 'reveals' JF's date of birth.
He's an Aquarian apparently. is that good?
I hope this doesn't in anyway reflect badly on Ris. It's a very sensitive subject, and really shuldn't be aired like this.

Finished the transcript of the Hundred Years centenary booklet!
In time for the Fete and reunion Day of 30th June. Hurrah. And I have an appointment booked with the author of the original edition, 98 year old Miss D. R. Beer next week to present her with a copy. Excellent.
Just a couple of scans to do for the cover and then get it printed.

A has an overwhelming desie to learn kayaking, after her experience at Brownies on Monday night???

It's eyes down here for the Confirmation tomorrow evening. Tx went for a rehearsal last night and is calmly looking forward to it. the other two candidates have said how amazed they are at her composure. In fact, one of them described herself as "bricking it". How lovely…

Listening now as I write to a recently discovered recording made by Louis Gordon just ayear or so after he started working with Foxx. Its called "Movements For No reason" and is easil yth emost Foxx-like/electronica of anything he has done since. Apparently his latest release "Goodbye Walnut Road" is in a similar style, but I haven't 'acquired' a copy of that yet.
I like this early stuff better than "Closed Gone Fishing: at least, which is a bit too nice and Lilac-Time for my rather more hardcore taste.

And speaking of Foxx, good to have a decent catch up with Ris tonight. I hope his inspiration to get on with stuff at the site really does materialise now - he is certainly full of enthusiasm. The man himself just never stops, and has just over the weekend publicly declared his involvement with Art Hurts. I've got an invite to the premier of his installation, at Fulham Palace onJuly 5th which is really exciting. He's going to not only talk about CO for half an hour after the presentation (which is going ot be BIG) but also then perform a unique piece of 'treated piano' music to accompany a reading from The Quiet man. Only 20 of us have been lucky enough to get these invites to what is otherwise a Press and Media event.
If only it were ot on the night before we go on holiday!!!!

That has come round very quickly. I must get round to cadging a roof box this weekend, and sort out a full set of new tyres onthe car.

Baggins has an allergy to somethng or other, and a hot blotchy rash.
Its good to taste Piriton again - I love that stuff!

… is just beginning to challenge me, as most men I'm sure when faced with a pile of washing to put away.
I know it will only get more difficult, but already I am struggling to separate those that belong to my ten-year old from those of her eight year-old sister. Even some of the three year olds get confused as well.
Part of the trouble also is the size difference between LC and Baggins.
It won't be long before they are BOTH in clothes designed for two year olds. At the mo, LC is in 2 - 3s and Baggins in 12 - 18mths...

Socks present a similar challenge, because A has very large feet for her age, and the school ones are pretty much the same sizes!!

Tonight is the only night of the week with nothing "on". So of course we are very busy catchng up with everything!

Another day that started way too early - which perhaps accounts for my exhaustion! Both Tx and I feel absolutely knackered right now. we were both awake with Baggins before six again this morning.
Some good fun time with her in the garden, and it meant I had time to fix drawer locks and prepare my reading (Phil 2) before breakfast.
An uneventful servcie (but over 50 people in (!!) and I did manage to talk withto new people. Even Mad John, who is back with us after several weeks in hospital. Still mad, but that's the way of it.
The new speakers (well, two anyway) sounded good if a bit too late. I guess they have to get used to the musicians and vice versa. We are SO blessed to half at least twelve versatile musicians in our congregation. Today the service was accompanied by piano, guitar, bass, clarinet, violin, bongos and three singers. It seems that Tx and I are the only ones in the place with no musical ability whatsoever!!

Picked F up from her Guide camp at 2.00, and both she and her friend were exhausted, filthy and starving.
Got home and Stanwas out at a party, getting tired, filthy and starving.

I can't be doing with this oppressive heat.
God give me rain…

Here's an extract from the centenary booklet prepared for our Churhc in 1967.

I'm so keen to work up an arcHive:

*****

In the lower part of Priory Road, almost opposite the Hard by the river, is a corrugated iron building which used to be the St. Denys Mission Room, though its presen tuse for commercial purposes gives no indication of that fact. It was dedicated “To the Glory of God and the Poor of the Parish” when the Rev. B. G. Hoskyns was the vicar; but the stone tablet recording this has long since been removed.
Sunday evening services conducted usually by laymen were well attended by folk from the roads nearby. Sometimes the Vicar, the Rev. L. S. Etheridge, or the assistant curate, would take the evening services. There was a monthly celebrationof Holy Communion.
Evening services and Sunday Schools were taken by Mr. reginald Hooley, a very sincere and inspiring man. His mother and sisters helped the mission, and the large Christmas tree was an annual excitement, laden with presents for all, which they had accumulated during the year. On Monday afternoons there was a Mothers’ Meeting, run by Mr. Hooley’s mother, who read beautifully.
Once a month on Monday evenings (this was about 1907) there were “Penny Readings”. The name probably originated from the days when few people could read and would pay a penny to have books read to them; but in the days I could remember, though still known by that name, they were concerts. The room would be crowded with adults and children, very orderly and appreciative, and among those who entertained us were the brothers Walter and Arthur Lewer with their songs and humourous duets, Miss Bellamy with the almost inevitable rendition of “Scissors”, and the Misses Springett on violins.
There were flourishing Sunday Schools, eight classes in the morning, at which one had to learn a sert Bible text as well as the Collect for the Day in order to gain full marks; also an afternoon open session.
The Hard opposite was undeveloped and very different from its present state. There was a rickety slatted jetty to enable small boats to land at low water. that was all. No, not quite all. In the mud, under the stones, Sunday School boys found very tiny crabs, and would bring them into school to tease the girls.
In those days Mrs. Brunditt and I were children in the Sunday School. Once a month the children walked from the Mission in twos to the Church, to join with the Church Sunday School children in a service there. The summer treat was held in Perkins’s park, where now stand all the shops from Brookvale Road to Highfield Lane and the new residences of Abbots Way and Russell Place. In later years we were taken to the New Forest.
Subesquent leaders at the Mission were Mr. edward Thomas (whose son took Holy Orders) and, after him, Mr. Reginald Currell. Under them the servcies and Sunday Schools and many other activities were continued. Later, our friend Reg. Currell, responding to the appeal of Bishop Etheridge of Kaffraria, brother of the Vicar, went out as a missionary teacher to South Africa where his wife Freida had to suffer the tragedy, first of their only son Ivor meeting accidental death, and later the loss of Reg.
When Mr. and Mrs. Currell went to South Africa the leadership fell to me and Mrs. Bruditt, ably helped by my brother Harold.
Miss Stephanie Cotton and Miss Dorothy Oldham used to run a Girls’ Club on Wednesday evenings, much enjoyed by the members, but not by the infuriated occupant of the house adjoining, who complained of the noise and did his utmost to interfere with our worship on Sundays. The lectern from which I read the Lessons and preached was by a window on the neighbour’s side. he would put down planks in the garden near the window, put on clogs and dance to the music of the gramophone! It was rather disturbing for both preacher and congregation!
One very sunny Sunday afternoon the corrugated iron room was intolerably hot, so we moved the School to the Hard by the river-side; but the children’s interest in my Sea of Galilee story was somewhat distracted when some of the absentee boys came swimming along in the river!

It always feels so good, just fiddling about with those little things at home.
Like the kids…

A helped fix a new bulb in the outside light, and S and I have just fitted a new headboard onto our bed. We've also had the fridge and freezer out this morning to clean up the glass of milk that LC decided to pur under there yesterday.

Soon the Digital Village opens up and we can head down there to pick up the Quarrtet of new speakers for the church.
There's a working party in the Centre today, and they are expecting to wire them in in plenty of time for the wedding blessing that takes place at 4pm.
The first one for 9 years.

It isn't even 9 o'clock yet!!!

Well, its official. At a short service after the Archdeacons' Visitation (yes, two of them - Bournemouth and Winchester) in Chandlers Ford this evening I am now, officially, the youngest serving churchwarden in the Diocese. How bizarre.
That honour also singled out my predecessor - and he is four ears younger than me.

Ha ha ha ha A Freudian slip. I wrote "ears" when obviously I meant years - but the AD of Bournemouth does have the biggest ears any man has ever been blessed with…

Though my colleague found it rather boring - and pretty much the same as last year - I am still being carried along on a wave of enthusiasm and found the whole experiencing very rewarding. The experience of a midweek service is a very refreshing one.
I really don't think this feeling can be anything other than a genuine 'calling'. It feels so right that I should have been brought here, now to serve the church in this way, and sitting in prayer tonight with 200 others I felt confident, warm and open. And yet also, perhaps for the first time, I have become aware that even this move into His light is just another step in some greater direction. I hesitate to consider where it may lead me, but as I look around and into the future, I wonder if there isn't a minister in me?
It's a strange, at the moment undefined blur of a feeling.

There is just so much more to this than the minutii of last night's Building Committee meeting for instance, and the complex issues of Church Centre Management. It seems almost certain now that we are set to lose our administrater within the next few months - perhaps just in time for our Mission Audit which begins in the summer!!!! Aaaaagh... but then the Holy Spirit is bringing on other people all the time and we should not despair.
It is a sign that He is at work, moving obstacles out of our path and turning them into strengthening, bond-making challenges.
It was encouraging to see Mr vicar at the Building Group meeting in the Old Church last night. He has never attended before. And on Monday, though I wasn't there, he made his first appearance in five years at a Fete planning meeting. Prior to that he's done the chefs on Friday, and the website workshop before that.
Said tonight that e just feels carried along at the moment, and is keen to support all the positive things that are going on here.

And to think, we are threatened with Pastoral re-organisation within the next couple of years as well.

I've just watched this through again (twice, on a loop).
It is, quite simply, incredible.

Left me breathless.
Is there anyone, anywhere doing anything like this stuff?

To my mind, this DVD encapsulates what I understand John Foxx to be about - there are so many ideas and images flowing through the pieces that seem to focus and reflect perfectly elements of just about everything he has ever done.
When I first heard the album I was blown away, but with the visuals it moves into a different dimension all together. I am more convinced than ever that the last track, Metanym, really brings us full circle and leads back into tracks like Glimmer and Mr No, which sent out the roots that became Tiny Colour Movies; I hear the soundtrack to the Quiet Man story, with its blurred girls and figures with no outlines; even the very the last image brings together fragments of the sleeve art for the John's later singles (from TGS and IMW) - Rauschenburg meets Duchamp, meets, well, who exactly? Surely everyone, and yet nobody I know...

And its not just the sound. The images too, moving and breathing on the screen as if liquid, seem to come alive in exactly the way that stone doesn't. Walls and statues are introduced by us to gardens, not to wild places. They don't occur naturally. The Garden isn't a wild place, it is an organised, managed environment that represents man's attempt to structure and organise his surroundings. Without constant attention, they become wild, neglected. The figures abandoned within them are people from our past, the invisible women, overgrown by time and displaced into memory. And yet we can still catch glimpses of them, now and again. They are moments in time that transcend time, moving like smoke. Non linear. As you watch, the stone faces and walls become organic - the fusion of formal carving and unchecked vegetation, of motion and stillness, is simultaneously calming and threatening, confusing and reassuring. One becomes the other in such a way that I'm not sure quite how I can listen to the music on its own again. But when I do, I expect to find something else entirely!

My favourite tracks are now Spiral Overture, Serene Velocity, Fog Structures and Metanym - and here's another fascination of it: while the whole offers so much more than its component parts, that doesn't undermine or in any way detract from the intense beauty of those unique pieces. I have often wondered why all the Cathedral Oceans pieces are in fact individual (quite short) tracks and don't just dissolve into one another like the images do? Watching it again now I begin to understand. If they were not separate entities, the interaction between them would not be so magical and they would each lose something.

Somewhere in my overgrown, rambling logic lies the key to this deeper understanding. It remains lost, but isn't it akin to the way people work: alone, in societies and in crowds? Whole philosophies evolve from this kind of perception, and its then you realise how little you understand of it after all. Which by itself adds to my belief that this is an artwork of fundamental significance.

© birdsong 2007