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IT IS FINISHED!

At last I have finished ‘Journey through Lent with Jesus’.  I had hoped to finish it by the end of October.  This was because of the need to get it to reviewers well before the beginning of Lent, which starts on 1st March this year.  I quickly realised that that was not achievable, but I did finish it on 15th November.  The first week of November I wrote the seven sections for Passion Week, going through the trials which Jesus had in front of the Jewish and Roman authorities.  That was not too bad. The second week was Holy Week and consisted of the sections on the crucifixion.  I found that emotionally draining in a way I had not expected.  But Easter got written on Monday15th.  Hallelujah!

I then sent off the last two sections to my friend David who kindly did the proof reading, and I sent it all off to my brilliant book designer Clare on Friday 26th, as well as the wording for the front and back covers to Nat Gillett who has done all my covers.  I now have the head space to get engaged with things like social media and marketing.  Wish me luck! 

STREET CAROLS COMING

We are gearing up in Philbeach Gardens for our Christmas festivities on Saturday 11th December, including mulled wine, procession of carols down the street and a church service.  Linda is masterminding the decorating of the street.  My job has been to make the official applications for permissions from the Borough, including a very short road closure, 16.00 -16.30, while the procession is going down the street. On 25th I delivered, with our friend David Trodden, fliers to every house in the street, and most of the basements.  It will be a lovely afternoon, if the weather is kind.

GOODBYE CAR – HELLO TRAVEL

The month started with us becoming carless.  Our 13 year old Citroen Picasso needed major work on the gears, and it did not make sense financially.  We were wanting to  change it anyway because of London’s new ULEZ restrictions.  We are now seeing how we get on without a car.  So far I was able to go on a 2-day retreat at the monastery in Crawley Down by train and bus.  Last weekend Linda and I had a lovely, though cold,  pre-Christmas break in Canterbury. We stayed in a lovely Georgian terraced house only 5 minutes from the cathedral and almost next to a great little pub.  The cathedral services for Advent Sunday were magical. 

FILM

I have seen 5 films this month:

‘La Fracture’ – an excellent French film about the crack-up of a relationship and of French society.  Highly recommended.

‘Mothering Sunday’ – a slow but quite absorbing study of the debilitating effect of long-term grief, set just after the First World War.

‘Il Buco’ – an almost silent Italian film about a very deep cave and an elderly cowherd.  Good, but I preferred his earlier equally wordless film  ‘Quatro Volte’ (Four Seasons). That had two actors that really stuck in my mind – a sheepdog and a tree.

‘Drive my Car’, a long (3 hour) slow Japanese film which had 100% critics’ approval on RottenTomatoes but which I did not much enjoy.

‘King Richard’, about the father of Serena and Venus Williams and their emergence as tennis stars.  OK, but it did not need to be 150 minutes.  Lazy film-making.

MUSIC

Two discoveries this month: Through taking Sunday services at Holy Trinity Prince Consort Road, I found out about  weekly recitals in Imperial College and have been going each week.  It started with the wonderful piano quintet by Schumann, and the equally wonderful Romances by his wife Clara.  Check them out on Youtube!

Today’s discovery:  On Tuesdays there are wonderful lunchtime concerts at St Stephen Walbrook (Christopher Wren’s masterpiece).  Today it was Schubert’s ‘Arppegione sonata’.  Next week Mozart.  Balm to the soul!

ADVENT

Sunday was the start of Advent, so we prayed the Advent collect in Canterbury Cathedral.  A fantastic prayer, and one which we are supposed to say each day up to Christmas.  Give it a try!

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,  now and ever. Amen.