St Mary the Virgin Church

An early very happy Christmas! Some years ago we had the opportunity as a family to spend Christmas with friends living in Peru. Christmas in Tropical temperatures – a wonderful prospect! But would we miss the seasonal darkness with its twinkling Christmas lights, the cosy fug of a living-room with curtains drawn, the chink of glasses fending off the winter gloom? Funnily enough, no! We soaked up the heat and savoured wearing sandals and T-shirts. We loved the Spanish-style Christmas Night celebrations which only got into full swing after midnight, needing to slip away in the early hours to carry […]

BBC 4th Dec at Danescroft BBC 1 6-7pm BBC 2  5-6pm         Homegroup 2nd & 20th December 8pm at Tuckmill Cottage               Emmaus group 6th & 20th December 9.15am at Cherrybrook

Does God have a Brexit mast that he nails his colours to? While you ponder this, I will nail mine. By the time the Referendum came I reckoned I was 70% Remain and 30% Leave. Only one vote though… I share this not to argue a position, more the opposite. Where we were living at the time of the Referendum turned out to be part of the experience for me. Coastal North Devon is ‘purple’ on the political map – solid UKIP territory (back then), and a large Leave majority. My instincts are pro-European. (If of interest, mainly because of […]

‘You can’t please all the people all of the time,’ sighed God, as the sports results came in on another Saturday afternoon. Not everyone’s prayers for victory could be answered. Not that so many prayers are uttered these days – though desperate times bring desperate measures. A sporting theme this month, only slightly apologetically. For it’s the time of year again when those who devotedly follow a football team, or of other sport, can have their hopes of a title or a promotion teetering on fulfilment, or they may be staring into the jaws of relegation. As Bill Shankly, one-time […]

Once upon a time there were three lovely parishes called Escot, Feniton and Payhembury. They nestled cosily together in the equally lovely valley of the River Otter. One day the new Vicar said, ‘We need a strapline.’ ‘What’s one of those?’ came a sensible enquiry. ‘Keep up!’ piped another up cheekily, ‘it’s one of those trendy phrases people feel they have to have these days.’ So the parishes talked amongst themselves and said, ‘How about Love, Hope and Faith? What things could be better? – and three to match the three parishes.’ ‘Excellent!’ cried one, ‘Bingo!’ cried another. ‘But we […]

Just under 30 years ago I met Margaret Thatcher. Well almost – I was in the same room. Whatever you may think of her, she was a scientist, and thankfully understood at a pivotal stage that we humans may be changing our climate. She was therefore a strong advocate for new government funding of research, and the creation of a centre to do this: the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research at the Met Office. In 1990 she formally cut the ribbon. My first Met Office job was in the Hadley Centre. Roll on nearly 30 years. Two Anglican […]

Jesus’s ‘Beatitudes’ carry familiar phrases – ‘Blessed are the meek/Blessed are the poor in Spirit/etc’. A recent Facebook post offered a wonderful modern-day ‘Beatitude’: ‘Blessed are we who laugh at ourselves, for we shall always be entertained.’ It was accompanied by a photo of three monkeys in fits of laughter. Wise, as well as witty, words. (With thanks to the ‘Clergy Coaching Network’ Facebook group for this ‘Beatitude’.) February is not renowned as a fun month. Winter’s cold and gloom have their welcome, even if the days lengthen. As a child of the ’60s, my domestic  soundtrack included Flanders and Swann’s songs. ‘February’s […]

There are many things I don’t understand. One of them is why anyone would wish to be Prime Minister. Particularly now. I’m grateful that strangely someone does. How swiftly the message of ‘peace on earth to all men’ can recede in Christmas’s wake. I shan’t wade into the Brexit debate. But at the start of this New Year the political wrangling and many uncertainties cast a heavy shadow. ‘The hopes and fears of all the years’ we sung; these now seem condensed into an event in March around which debate has become increasingly toxic. ‘Here’s a New Year message for […]