Looking down on my father’s dead face for the last time my mother said without tears, without smiles without regrets but with civility “Good night Willie Lee, I’ll see you in the morning.” And it was then I knew that the healing of all our wounds is forgiveness that permits a promise of our […]
Blog: Pictures-Books-Reflections
Greenness
Posted on by James Woodward
Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall Heard only in the trances of […]
University Challenge
Posted on by James Woodward
Sad – perhaps – but a day away from Temple Balsall and two rather problematic journeys down the M40 – rain and snow – ice and fog sent me to the TV for relaxation! I was gald to watch University Challenge. I failed to get into the Kings College team in 1980 and […]
Speak in poetry not prose please?
Posted on by James Woodward
‘Listen, now, verse should be as natural As the small tuber that feeds on muck And grows slowly from obtuse soil To the white flower of immortal beauty.’ ‘Natural, hell! What was it Chaucer Said once about the long toil That goes like blood to the poem’s making? Leave it to nature and the […]
What will you do when you grow old?
Posted on by James Woodward
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, I grow old … I grow old … I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, […]
Pray for Zimbabwe
Posted on by James Woodward
Here in Temple Balsall we know soemthing of the human cost of the present and longstanding unrest of Zimbawe as we have a number of resisdents who lived there and love its land and people. The statement from Anglican leaders is a model of prophecy and Christian action – The Primates of the […]
In Praise of Snow…
Posted on by James Woodward
Walking in it is best! My back garden… Driving isnt fun – thank goodness you are not in charge of transport for London……
Bringing Dementia out of the shadows
Posted on by James Woodward
It is easy to knock the Government and I wonder sometimes if any of us really understand the complex and demanding nature of modern governance? Today I want to commend the Governments excellent initiatives around Dementia. Let me remind you about the plans. The ambition is to set up memory clinics in every town […]
Hugo Young
Posted on by James Woodward
Curiosity, Hugo Young argues, is the essential ingredient of the best journalism. The only way to understand any world, especially the ever complex, always churning, often deceiving world of politics, is to craft the right questions and then go in search of the answers. It was when he moved from the Sunday Times to the […]
CandleMas
Posted on by James Woodward
The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit., ‘Meeting’). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the […]
Giving shape to Old Age
Posted on by James Woodward
In the Old Age of the Soul I do not choose to dream; there cometh on me Some strange old lust for deeds. As to the nerveless hand of some old warrior Te sword-hilt or the war-worn wonted helmet Brings momentary life and long-fled cunning, So to my soul grown old – […]
Slumdog Millionaire
Posted on by James Woodward
A rather cold afternoon in January is a good time to rediscover the joys of cinema – and my goodness – what a film – deserving every possible acclamation. So here is the plot!!! Slumdog Millionaire opens with a police inspector in Mumbai, India interrogating and torturing Jamal Malik, also played by Tanay Chheda and […]
Garlic Mushrooms on a bed of Rocket
Posted on by James Woodward
Ingredients 1/2 lb mushrooms, preferably button 1 packet of rocket or 1/2 an iceberg lettuce (finely shredded) 250g (1/2 pt) whipping cream 1 garlic clove, crushed 3 tbsp sunflower oil Pepper and salt 1/2 grated nutmeg or flat tsp ground mace 1 tbsp chopped chives Method Wipe the mushrooms with some damp kitchen paper and […]
VALUING AGE?
Posted on by James Woodward
Later today I shall travel down to London for a small event to mark th epublication of this book. Thanks to my old boss Richard Harries ( now Lord Harries ) the party is to be held in the House of Lords. Here is a little taste of what I want to share with guests: […]
Memory
Posted on by James Woodward
Alzheimer’s Patient Oh, how can this be? You and I are losing me Some day soon May be morning Many be noon I will no longer be the me You and I know as me And the answer seems to be Words, and thought, frequently scramble And my conversations seem to ramble. Oh, […]
Patience
Posted on by James Woodward
patience An absolute patience. Trees stand up to their knees in fog. The fog slowly flows uphill. White cobwebs, the grass leaning where deer have looked for apples. The woods from brook to where the top of the hill looks over the fog, send up not one bird. So absolute, it is no other […]
How are we to understand our Life?
Posted on by James Woodward
SO MANY DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF TIME How long is a man’s life, finally? Is it a thousand days, or only one? One week, or a few centuries? How long does a man’s death last? And what do we mean when we say, ‘gone forever’? Adrift in such preoccupations, we seek clarification. We can […]
Sissinghurst
Posted on by James Woodward
Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History by Adam Nicolson, Harper, 2008 There are some places that have an extraordinary ability to get inside one’s mind and heart. Sissinghurst is one such place. I have only visited once, nearly 30 years ago – a day trip out of London. I still remember its charm, the […]
Spiced Fish and Rice
Posted on by James Woodward
Another discovery to share with you: If you prefer an even more oriental flavour, a splash of dark soy sauce can be added – experiment with it and make it your own special recipe. It’s such fun to do – keep tasting and add new ingredients a little at a time so you don’t […]
Obama and the weight of expectation
Posted on by James Woodward
If you had to choose another job I wonder what that job would be? Perhaps the move from being a teacher to a builder? Out of the kitchen as a cook into a hospital as a nurse? Away from the desk to a more physical job where papers and computers […]