Well it’s September and who would know it – where has the summer gone…. if we ever had one?
August is over and for many it is back to work and school and the daily grind. For some this is very stressful, added to which is the uncertainty caused by the present economi
An Ageing Church?
Posted on by James Woodward
I gladly spent the last weekend of August, in the Windermere Centre, which is the United Reformed Church residential training centre, set in the Lake District. We gathered to explore some of the questions and issues surrounding age. The group was open, ready to listen an
Temple Balsall Heritage Weekend
Posted on by James Woodward
MORE THAN 900 YEARS AFTER KNIGHTS TEMPLAR FIRST MET AT TEM
The force of Nature
Posted on by James Woodward
I can’t believe that many people need to be convinced that we live in a fragile and unpredictable world.
Can any of us have the imagination to enter in to the fears and terror of those two million people who are fleeing their homes as Hurricane Gustav nears New Orleans.
Holiday Reading Part Three
Posted on by James Woodward
As ever, a mixture of books make up the secret of a good holiday read. My first has been waiting for some time. Richard Hoggart (Promises to keep: Thoughts in Old age) was published by Continuum in 2005. Delightful, modest, engaging and wise are words that most come
God’s Architect
Posted on by James Woodward
What an achievement!
This book weighs in at 498 pages of text, plus another 100 with gazetteer and references. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin is best known as the apostle of the Gothic Revival, his polemical books Contrasts and The True Principles of Pointed or Christian
Holiday reading Part Two!
Posted on by James Woodward
Broken Promises is one of the themes in Michael Levy’s fascinating account of his life and fortunes as a friend and fundraiser for Tony Blair. A kind holiday present from my brother, who managed to make a contribution to my expanding collection of political biographi
Britian from Above
Posted on by James Woodward
Watching Andrew Marr's Britain from Above (BBC1, Sunday) gives us an extraordinary picture of our country. Clogged roads and railways, the smoking nation's ageing arteries, run between massive landfill sites and even more massive sewage works. Ships crawl, bumper to bumper,
Ten things you probably didnt know about Temple Balsall
Posted on by James Woodward
Tucked away between Knowle and Balsall Common this cluster of buildings is one of the West Midlands best kept secrets.
Here are some things you may like to know?
We have one of the countries oldest timber framed buildings which was the preceptory of the Knights Templar
In Praise of
Posted on by James Woodward
The Bank Holiday!!
First a liitle bit of explanation and history :
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom and also in the Republic of Ireland. There is no right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population not employed in essential serv
In praise of …..
Posted on by James Woodward
Barmouth Beach
Let these image speak for themselves......
The space and sea and mountains are breathtaking....... praise be!
An Ageing Mind?
Posted on by James Woodward
Tradition says that as you get older, you gradually lose your marbles as dottiness and dementia take over from the acuity of younger days. In this cogent book, Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, shows that this i
Sabbatical Reflections after two months return!
Posted on by James Woodward
It is now nearly two months since I returned from my sabbatical. I have spent some time ( but not too much!!) reading English Bishops reflections on the Lambeth conference. What surprises me most is the latent anti Americanism that come from their pens. Here is my tribute to the
Kettles Yard
Posted on by James Woodward
Kettle's Yard is an art gallery and house in Cambridge.
Kettle's Yard was originally the Cambridge home of Jim Ede and his wife Helen. Moving to Cambridge in 1956, they converted four small cottages into one idiosyncratic house and a place to display Ede's collection of early 2
On my Bookshelves
Posted on by James Woodward
and waiting to be read....
a bit serious ...... any suggestions??!!
Holiday Reading – Part One
Posted on by James Woodward
Readers of my book reviews will certainly know that novels and thrillers are not particularly high up on my list. This book, however, is absolutely wonderful. Written by Robert Harris (The Ghost, Arrow books 2008), it really is a page-turner of the first order. I had, of c
Make me a Christian?
Posted on by James Woodward
This is the Reverend George Hargreaves who thinks Britain is in a state of moral decline and that a return to a more 'Christian' way of life would stop the rot. He and his team of mentors aim to show how, by convincing a group of non-Christian volunteers to live by the tea
A New Day
Posted on by James Woodward
Do you ever just marvel at the wonder of life? Mysterious, surprising, endlessly pregnant with possiblilities. I love the peace and quiet of a Sunday - an early start and sitting sliently watching the day emerge.
Today the sunrise was cast the midst and damp from the grass. A c
Back from vacation!
Posted on by James Woodward
As I drove down the Kenilworth Road towards Temple Balsall I always get a slight sense of apprehension about what I might find! The roads are quiet and I hope that most have been on holiday which will surely affect the e mail in box and paper on the desk - but not so!
Engraving and Printing
Posted on by James Woodward
Jenny Uglow is a masterful biographer and historian. She has that ability to so describe a scene, a place, a situation that we are taken beyond the facts into the life behind them.
In this book (Nature’s Engraver: a life of Thomas Bewick). Uglow takes us to my belov