As promised! The story of the bike ride! When I was approached with regard to being involved in the 100th Anniversary of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal back in August, I jumped at the opportunity. The organiser, Kevin Murray, asked if St Paul’s could be the starting point for 100 motorbikes, each of which […]
Tag Archives: vicar
I wake up some mornings and look, sleepy eyed into the bathroom mirror and think ‘What happened?’. You see it all looks such a mess – the hair, the face, not just bed crumpled, but full of longer term creases. However I feel inside, the outside picture is that of a 63 year old woman […]
It has been a couple of weeks since I’ve added to my blog. This is not because nothing has happened, in fact it has been quite the opposite; the past week or so has been an incredible mixture of being exceptionally busy, times of trauma and moments of great blessing. Two weeks ago the festival […]
The past week has been one of mixed emotions as I’ve announced my impending retirement at the end of this year in many ways it seems months away, but I know only too well that once the summer holidays are over, the weeks will fly by. There are many conversations still to have and so […]
🖤🖤 ‘Secrets behind the collar’ is my story. It is the account of the traumatic events not only of 2020, but also of the abuse suffered during my childhood and teenage years. If you are reading my ‘Secrets’ blog for the first time, you may wish to go back and begin reading from where my […]
This week I am publishing one of the most difficult letters I have ever chosen to write. Please note that I used the word ‘chosen’. Much of the subject on my ‘Secrets’ page is about things I have been coerced or even forced into. To write this letter last year was my choice. It was […]
Tuesday saw us return from a wonderful week long break in Devon. It was everything we hoped it would be. It was a week of total switch off, the first for me in eight months, and I hadn’t realised just how much it was needed. Of course, any busy person returning from a break will […]
I am currently sitting in the quiet of my son’s home in Devon. It is a lovely barn conversion in a coastal hamlet, only metres from the hotel he manages. It is secluded and it is silent, other than bird song, and I am enjoying the spectacular views and a much needed retreat from parish […]
I have to say that as I am writing this, I am beyond excited about the prospect of tomorrow: the 17th May and the day I get to lead my first live, face to face POUND class in almost seven months! I had only really just got my classes up and running before the first […]
I find that I am forever finding and placing new pieces in the metaphorical jigsaw of my life, and in particular in the traumas I experienced. This week, as I reflected upon conducting the funeral of one of my parents’ oldest friends last Friday, more pieces fell into place. As I listened to her son […]