The old man comes out on the hill
and looks down to recall earlier days
in the valley. He sees the stream shine,
the church stand, hears the litter of
children's voices. A chill in the flesh
tells him that death is not far off
now: it is the shadow under the great boughs
of
Blessing or Curse? You decide!
Posted on by James Woodward
1 million spams and a virus bring down Bishop of Manchester & Church of England email systems.
The central offices of the Diocese of Manchester were without email from 3-13 March (10 days) following a virus infecting its servers and an unprecedented amount of spam. Th
Be Free
Posted on by James Woodward
Rumi has written some of the most astonishing poetry - read on
In the end you disappeared, gone beyond sight
Strange, the path you took, leaving this world
Strange how the beat of your wings destroyed the cage
And you flew to the world of the soul.
You were a nightingal
Memory Lingers Here
Posted on by James Woodward
I sat in Newcastle City Centre on a Friday morning amidst the great cathedrals of that place – the shops and cafes full of worshippers and looking quite satisfied with their commitments to these rituals.
I picked up my mug of fair-trade coffee and sat outside in the square
Clementine Churchill
Posted on by James Woodward
Clementine Churchill
by Mary Soames
(Doubleday 2002)
One of the great wonders and advantages of second-hand book shops is the real sense of getting a bargain! Don’t you love buying something at a fraction of its original price and somehow feeling that you are pounds in
The Art Gallery Walsall
Posted on by James Woodward
I blogged about the Black Country on Saturday 6th of March. One of the best developments there is the spectacular Art Gallery built in Walsall. Here is a taster to tempt you!
The New Art Gallery is sited in the centre of the Walsall. It was built with £21 million of public fund
Forgiveness??
Posted on by James Woodward
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC was created by Nelson Mandela’s Government of National Unity in 1995 to help South Africans come to terms with their extremely troubled past. It was established to
The Black Country
Posted on by James Woodward
I have lived in the Midlands as long as I have lived anywhere - and the roads, its districts and scenery are like familiar friends. I hardly need a map - and can sometimes even anticipate possible hold ups on the ever conjested roads. It seems strange to feel that I shall soon be
Creationism?
Posted on by James Woodward
Theos has announced Biggest evolution and God survey ever launched today.
Among its key findings, the report reveals that:
Only 54% of people know that Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species (3% believe he wrote The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and 1% think he wrote T
Chagall and his brilliance
Posted on by James Woodward
Chagall: Love and Exile
by Jackie Wullschlager,
Allen Lane 2008.
£30 580pp
This book must rank as one of the best pieces of writing that I have come across for many a year…. And regular readers to my blog will know that I have a certain enthusiasm for books! It really i
Valuing Age
Posted on by James Woodward
Authors are vain creatures - and reviews of their own books are anticipated with some interest - here is a review from the Church Times.
Valuing Age: Pastoral ministry with older people
James Woodward
SPCK £12.99 (978-0-281-05779-5)
SAUDI ARABIA has an extreme
O Greening Branch
Posted on by James Woodward
O greening branch!
You stand in your nobility
Like the rising dawn.
Rejoice now and exult
And deign to free the fools we are
From our long slavery to ignorance
And hold out your hand
To raise us up.
Hildegard of Bingen
David Jones
Posted on by James Woodward
After the war, Jones entered the Westminster School of Art, where he developed an interest in Post-Impressionism and studied under the English artist Walter Sickert, among other influential teachers. He also became increasingly attracted by Roman Catholicism, and in 1921 he co
Time Out
Posted on by James Woodward
I remember as a student in London buying the weekly magazine Time Out to catch up on films and see where cheap theatre tickets could be bought. Always a mine of information and very candid and illuminating reviews. I wonder of it is still in print?
I am back in Temple Bals
Forgiveness??
Posted on by James Woodward
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 pe
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
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 so am
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
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, each