What’s the Story in Dalamory

I am delighted to see that the government have dropped the clause relating to incitement to religious hatred, in the new Ant-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill. There was something insidious in the way that Islamic groups were using the proposed new legislation to lambast journalists or anyone who dared to stand up for women's rights in the Muslem religious context. I cannot ever imagine being brave enough to withstand thousands of abusive emails and many death threats. Apparently some British women journalists have been themselves terrorised in this way.

The trouble with being tolerant is that it is hard to speak as I have just done. But things like this need to be said sometimes.

I didn't have many decorations up this year – a tree, a few cards and some extra candles. Had my eye o­n some beautiful holly in a friend's garden but I suspect the congregation got there first. Anyway, the adornments in the house are now taken down and stored for another year. It is gratifying to find there is suddenly more space and light.

Being off sick for so long has saved me from much of the paperwork, but there is a rather daunting form in the In-Tray, all to do with enhanced disclosure under the Child Protection Legislation. I suppose there is no excuse now that the Christmas Season is well and truly over.

I bought some beautiful new “funky fur” wool to make ponchos, (as I thought) for my grand-daughters. Unfortunately the pattern has proved too much for me. Now if you are someone who knits or crochets you may find this hard to understand. But it is all to do with not knowing the shape of each pattern piece. I could do with some straightforward diagrams as well as written instructions for each row. Anyway, I have now given up and am simply knitting scarves.

Knitting is reckoned to be good for the soul and to ease all sorts of ills. There are men who knit, old ladies who knit and filmstars enjoying the craft. Even Miss Marple knits. That's good enough for me.

It is amazing to see how many people in the blogging community have taken up the Asian Tsunami and changed the usual character of their entries. It makes me wonder what weblogs would have been like during the Second World War, for instance. Mind you, we would probably all have been shut down for the duration. There are a rash of reality programmes coming along set in the 1950s…….. billed as history.

Oh dear, that was my childhood.

I've been enjoying watching the rise to fame of Jamie Cullum – jazz crossover performer. He has been dubbed the new Dudley Moore. The CD is an acquired taste; I rather suspect it might be more fun to watch and listen to o­n DVD. However, if you like jazz and enjoy old and new songs plus improvisation it might be worth having a go.

See it at Jamie Cullum Twenty Something

Modern campervans are a wonderful invention. It is possible to stop for bacon and eggs no matter the weather. Such beauty is not to be denied, even in the face of tragedy in Asia. Like many another, I have made my donation to the disaster appeal. Like many another I still feel helpless, and have to confess that I am unable to watch much more TV coverage. An editorial in the Times recently, suggested that the appeal had been so widely subscribed because it has been the holiday period. That makes me think about all the other needs in the world. It is impossible to think about being able to support them all personally, it would be a case of quickly become overwhelmed. Reading blogs throughout the net, the same themes are very much in evidence. Perhaps we are seeing the start of a global cyber revolution.

I do hope so.

I trust that John Bell will allow me to use his words…..

God gives us life
when all around spells death
and some have died;
and few are clear that hope is near
or fate can be defied.

Happy New Year ………. a strange greeting to offer to all and sundry when you think about it. Some people are having a terrible time: some are newly bereaved, some are overcome by the events of the past year, some are sick……. so Happy New Year, can be thoughtless at times. But life is all about coping with what comes. I have been thinking a lot about choices rececently. We cannot always be certain that our choices are for the best, but we have to live with them nonetheless.

It is at this time of year that I look back and think of friends and relatives all over the world. I also think of those who have died, and know that they are still very much alive in me. We should never underestimate the way we affect those lives we touch. I am the product of my upbringing and encounters with folk along the way. No-one else has walked my walk. I am grateful to those who have walked beside me. As a Christian, I cannot imagine not knowing that Jesus is with me. I can't explain it, nor do I want to. (Terrible admission for a Minister I suppose) – but I am deeply thankful, and in the hardest times of life it is important to hang o­n tight even in the reality of there being no words.

I'll content myself with saying – A peaceful New Year…….

   Bought this for Him Behind the Wheel – guess who is currently trying to make sense of it. Tracing the ancestors is not as easy as the TV programmes make it seem. Absorbing nonetheless. The o­nly way to deal with it is to take things slowly and write as much information down along the way. The book can be found at Collins tracing your family history

Happy reading.

The last day of 2004……. feels as if I should say something significant. It has been a difficult year for me healthwise. It is not easy to accept that the passing of the years is taking its toll. The answer seems to be to take each day as it comes, be grateful and pace myself.

If o­nly I would listen to the sane and sensible part of me.