I have a lot of respect for the Archbishop of York, so when he cuts up his clerical collar as a protest about President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe I take notice.

Lovely imagery in the daily readings I sometimes use, for December 9.

The author, drawing on Amy Carmichael, talks of our hopes for the future as pictures we paint. Some fade, and as they do so they sap our energy. We need to leave behind our old hopes/pictures/images and notice the new ones that God is giving us.

He moves on to the idea that our whole lives are like a picture that God is painting.

A verbatim quote would be even better, but I'm cautious about copyright - so, what can I say? Buy the book! (Much of their material is on-line, but I have not been able to track down the comments on the daily readings, which the above is an example of.)

All this is from Celtic Daily Prayer, published by the Northumbria Community and printed by Harper Collins (in the U.K.) 1994 onwards. My edtiion is ISBN 0 557 02845-9, but later editions also include Night Prayer. The short orders for Morning, Midday, and Evening Prayer are easy to use, and over the twelve or so years that I have been using it I have found the daily readings inspirational.

Last night had a great time with my sister listening to the "Buffalo Gals" at a local village hall. They were very lively and great fun, representing traditional American (Appalacian) music with fiddle, banjo, etc. interspersed with good humour and percussive step dancing. Good fun. Check out their site and listen to tracks on it.

This afternoon went for a pleasant walk during a sunny gap in the rain, except the rain started again - but there was a brilliant rainbow to look at over Corsham church.