Category: Blog

As adventures in reading go this wonderful volume is a sheer delight. Skilfully researched and lucidly written the author inhabits the space with creative care. The passion and love of the subject matter shine through the text as each chapter inhabits history, place, art and wri

The Glorious Life of the Oak John Lewis-Stempel Doubleday 2018 As the 'hibernation' ( see my post 22 December) continues helped by persistent rain I turned my attention to this book recommended by the sister of a friend and colleague. It followed my use of the im

Jan Morris who died on 20th November 2020 Pre Christmas hibernation has started with a necessary limitation of Covid 19 travel. So being nourished by some good writing seems a pre requisite of survival and even a little flourishing. This collection of random, reflective, tho

‘The trouble with you is that you are never grateful,’ was the heartfelt challenge from parent to child.  It made me wonder :  Are we grateful? In these dark days of winter and with all the anxieties of the pandemic let us remind ourselves about gratitude. Gratitude

Many years ago, I was asked by one of my teachers to look after his papers. I am working through a number of boxes. Each box ( carefully organised) contains dated collections of papers. They are lectures, draft book proposals, book reviews, talks and sermons. They are an extraor

A sermon for Advent Sunday 29th November 2020 Windsor Great Park It is very good to be with you this morning. I am recording this  homily in Salisbury (Cathedral). I moved from Windsor some five years ago to be Principal of Sarum College in the Cathedral Close. From the win

by Bruce A. Stevens, London, Lexington/Fortress, 2019. This volume stands in a tradition that has had an international influence on our understanding of the nature and practice of spiritual care in older age. The author succeeded Elizabeth MacKinlay as the second Wicking

So the rain pours (and pours) in Salisbury and what better escape than to read the fabulous writer Rachel Mann. Two declared spoilers as I offer this review - first I am a great admirer of Rachel. She is a wonderful writer and teacher and at Sarum College we are delighted th

In lockdown 2 work at Sarum College continues with online teaching and preparing for the coming months of recovery but I am determined to catch up on some reading. Do you have a pile of books by your bedside that you have dipped into, put down and picked up again? Perhap

So - tasked with the opportunity of exploring and writing history - which period would most capture your imagination ? In the execution of this (perhaps labour of love) what would your choice be - broad and long or short and deep? The mastery of primary and secondary information

We are touched by many lives that enrich, challenge and enlarge us. My own time in Birmingham (1990 through to 2008) with the privilege of ministries across the conurbation brought me into contact with many and varied people. Rachel Waterhouse was a towering spirit - a p

What makes for a good politician ? What might the history of politics and politicians show those seek power? Andrew Adonis has produced masterful biography of Ernest Bevin who he describes as Labour’s Churchill. I was glad to be reminded of both the man, the story and th

Where do you come from? Where is home and where do you feel most alive? What places have shaped your growing, your choices and held the ups and downs of your journey? Do we really know where we live and what has shaped the soil, its history and buildings? These are some

I have been reading political biographies for longer than I care to remember––and although they are entertaining, sometimes psychologically fascinating– there persists in the world politics an extraordinary mixture of of light and darkness, of naked ambition and human

I am listening to the BBC News as I share this post - and aware of how uncertain and fragile our life continues to be. Changes in infection rates, uncertainty in the jobs market and chaos with our holiday plans continue. Here are some thoughts on recent months: I wond

Beethoven : A Life in Nine Pieces by Laura Tunbridge Viking 2020 I have steered away from musical biography - often impenetrable, for insiders who know the language, the history and the details of the music. These 230 pages are quite different from the pen of the Oxford Uni

I first met David Sheppard sometime in the early 80s just after my ordination. He was present with his wife Grace at an opening of an exhibition in Liverpool city centre. It was held at the Diocesan Church House - now a popular Tapas bar ! The artist had completed some of t

We can often feel most alone when we in the noise of activity of others So what is loneliness? Loneliness has been defined in different ways. A common definition is “A state of solitude or being alone”. The other definition is “Loneliness is not necessarily about bei

As a young man in my early 20s I wanted to change the world!   Becoming a priest was part of a passion of aspiring to build a better world by nurturing communities and people where all flourish. That we should be happy and enjoy ourselves – is deep within God’s