The Dawn Treader: Richard's cabin

Green Cone

Richard — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

We've been working hard this weekend digging a hole for our new Green Cone, subsidised by Wiltshire Council. It does not look much, but much of it is buried underground: we had to dig a hole over 2 feet deep and about 3 feet in diameter.

We can put food scraps in the Green Cone, which will "digest" them and create just water which will drain into the soil. Impressive, huh? This saves filling our dustbin and landfill sites with food waste. We'll see how well it works.

We considered doing composting, which we did in our last house, but don't have a large garden and the composter equivalent to the green cone (the Green Johanna) requires balanced quantities of food waste and garden waste all year round, which would be a challenge.

http://www.recycleforwiltshire.com/component/content/article/208.html

Roger Clifton retires

Richard — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Roger Clifton, Team Rector for Corsham and neighbouring parishes, held his last services in St Bartholomew's Church today.

The church was full for the main service at 10:00 this morning. The uplifiting worship for the festival of All Saints, with an excellent choice of music and hymns and a great sermon by Roger, was followed by refreshments and speeches in the Town Hall.

A moving morning. We wish him well, and shall miss him.

Contentment

Richard — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Here's some challenging quotes that I like

All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.

Blaise Pascal, French mathematician (1623-1662), Penseés

The man to whom little is not enough will not benefit from more.

Columbanus (7th century monk)

Catching Rogue Traders

Richard — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0100

At the Corsham Chamber of Commerce yesterday we listened to a fascinating speaker - Sue Wilkin from the local Trading Standards office. She deals with relationships between businesses and their consumers.

I thought I knew a fair bit about this, but some new regulations were brought in last year. I learned that:

It is now an offence for businesses to engage regularly in unfair commercial practices, such as refusing to replace faulty goods. Trading standards officers can now make use of the civil courts to deal with such businesses.
Traders who give quotes in the consumer's home for work to be done, such as replacing damaged roofing, have to offer a seven day cooling off period during which the consumer can change their mind.
Goods sold have to be sufficiently durable, so retailers do have an obligation to compensate consumers whose microwave ovens fail just after the guarantee period has ended! They cannot say, "You did not buy an extended warranty: go away!" (This is not new, this is from the Sale of Goods Act.)

E&OE. While I believe this information to be correct in English law, I take no responsibility for its accuracy or any consequencies if you rely upon it. Check it with authoritative sources such as aTrading Standards Office, Consumer Direct, or a lawyer.

Religion and Climate Change

Richard — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:17:00 +0100

An interesting article in The Week today (3rd October 2009) comments on how the original data on global surface temperatures, which has underpinned the climate change hypothesis, has vanished. Apparently the original data collected by Wigley and Jones, and drawn on by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has been lost although "adjusted" figures remain.

The question is: if there is no scientific data to underpin beliefs about climate change, then is the movement really a religion?

Tropical videos

Richard — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:01:00 +0100

Here's enticing GVI video footage of Steph & Josh's whereabouts. Although I think the videos are from a previous team, they are great to watch.

Steph GVI Pta Gruesa, Mexico; Josh with GVI Seychelles.

Sunshine on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Richard — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:28:00 +0100

Click on photos to see them full size.

Hornets are rare in Britain?

Richard — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:27:00 +0100

While enjoying lunch in the garden recently, before the wave of wet weather set in again in Wiltshire, I was distracted by a large wasp on a nearby plant. This turned out to be a hornet. Further investigation revealed hornets coming and going from a nest in our neighbour's roof space.

I'm not sure whether to be pleased that we have rare insects in our garden (to complement an impressive variety of butterfly species this year), or look forward to our neighbour having the nest destroyed before the wasps become overly pervasive later in the year.

What are Steph and Josh up to?

Richard — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:34:00 +0100

Here are links to the blogs for Steph and Josh's marine conservation work with Global Vision International (GVI) over the Summer, and newspaper coverage of art exhibitions at which Josh is exhibiting paintings and photographs at the Corsham School and the Pound Art Centre.

GVI Seychelles (Josh). He's based on the main island, but will do a short visits to Curieuse where there are giant turtles!

GVI Mexico (Steph).

Pound Art Centre (Wiltshire Times)
2007 'A' Levels (Wiltshire Times)

Original articles included photos which don't seem to be available online. There are similar articles in the Gazette & Herald.

Family Celebration

Richard — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:03:00 +0100

Last weekend we enjoyed a family celebration at Stourhead for Dad's 80th birthday, finishing with fireworks.

More photos.

Sailing in Falmouth

Richard — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:05:00 +0100

Last week I enjoyed sailing in the Falmouth area with friends. We chartered the yacht Alcyone from Cornish Cruising. The winds were Force 4 to Force 6, which gave us some exhilarating sailing at sea. We also enjoyed the beauty of harbours such as Fowey and the Helford River, as well as some tranquil sailing up the River Fal: we reached Truro on a high tide. Of course we found some good pubs too. "Glad to be alive 2!"

See album for full set of photos of sailing and scenery.

Cursillo involvement continues

Richard — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:45:00 +0100

Three years ago, following growing and enjoyable participation with Bristol Anglican Cursillo, the Bishop of Bristol appointed me as the clergy rep to be part of the leadership team (so a trustee and Spiritual Director) of this growing Christian community.

I've decided to step down from this role, but hope to continue to be actively involved in this valuable ministry. I value the ongoing fellowship and support, and the way people are encouraged to look at their life with God through the three lenses of piety (that is prayer, or devotion), study, and action.

Apart from our regular renewal events (Three Day Weekends) the life of the community centres around regular small group meetings. I was pleased tonight that we held the first meeting of a new group, after rearranging the groups to include the record number of people who joined at our weekend earlier this year.

Robin Hood Ministries

Richard — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:42:00 +0100

In my work as management consultant and coach (Finding True North) I've been asked to do some interim management work for Robin Hood Ministries - to head up their staff team part time for six months to help steer the charity through its current growth stage.

The charity is based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, and helps alleviate poverty in various countries by supporting projects that help communities to be more self-reliant.

They also encourage businesses to support them through the initiative Business Against Poverty.

Swine Flu reaches Corsham High Street

Richard — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:35:00 +0100

At the weekend I found myself talking to someone out walking her dog. She was recovering from Swine Flu and lives not far from us.

She'd been diagnosed as having Swine Flu because of aching greater than that she'd experienced with 'flu before, and having started a course of Tamiflu recovered well and quickly.

Glad to be alive

Richard — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:25:00 +0100

Travelled to London on the train yesterday afternoon for a trustees meeting of Accts MMI. The train manager happily announced that we were running ahead of schedule until we were near Reading. Then the train stopped for quarter of an hour while the manager and driver inspected the train and the police arrived. It turned out that children had placed timber and concrete across the rails - and been seen running away so probably got caught by the police.

The train ploughed through this material without most people noticing, and even the braking seemed fairly normal. I feel for the driver, though, as he must have seen this at the last moment and for a few moments had time to wonder whether the train was about to derail and he was about to die.

Thank God for RUH

Richard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:27:00 +0100

I am thankful for the care that Toni has received at the (NHS) Royal United Hospital in Bath. The doctors and nursing staff have been encouraging, attentive, caring, sensitive, and thorough. Following a good operation and recovery Toni has been able to go home just 48 hours after her operation. Brilliant!

Wisley RHS Gardens

Richard — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:40:00 +0100

After a gift of Royal Horticultural Society membership for the year, we are exploring RHS gardens, starting with Wisley.

For more photos, see the album gardens.

Can mere law-makers lead?

Richard — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:10:00 +0100

I find myself wondering: in what sense does the government (of the U.K.) govern?

What would Adam Smith think of our handling of his economics?

Richard — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:53:00 +0100

People seem to like to claim that important historical figures are on their side. One example is the way people will argue about whether Charles Darwin believed in God. The example I want to explore here is the “father of modern economics” Adam Smith. I believe in business, in the sense that I see that trading is a way of creating wealth. This is one of Scotsman Adam Smith’s precepts.

The first day of the rest of our life

Richard — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:30:00 +0100

Following another trip to Heathrow today, both our children (is that the right word?) are now overseas doing marine conservation work for the Summer. So Toni and I will have to adjust to not having children around, as after the Summer they will both be at university.

No doubt there will be a sense of loss here, but as I always seek to be optimistic we'll settle for a celebration meal with some Pimms on this warm, light, evening!

Logos Hope at Canary Wharf

Richard — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:47:00 +0100

Logos Hope is the latest ship in Operation Mobilisation's fleet. Renamed and commissioned at the end of last year, she replaces their ship Logos. A former car ferry from Scandinavia, she is the first of their ships to be refitted for purpose rather than used "as is."

I spent a few hours in London seeing her, having an on-board tour, and viewing the extraordinary vast bookshop on board. Along with her sister ship Doulos she tours the world seeking to bring something of the Christian message through word and action at every port. Her schedule is such that it may be another ten or twenty years before she visits the UK again, and it is a strange sight to see her moored alongside modern office buildings in Canary Wharf.

She is crewed entirely by volunteers. The refit has been good: although the ship still feels like a car ferry in places, she is far more comfortable and homely.

Scarlet Tiger Moth

Richard — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:38:00 +0100

Pretty enough to be a butterfly, but it's not, we have lots in our garden this year.

A satisfying week of work

Richard — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:41:00 +0100

This last week I have been pleasantly busy with work through my coaching and consultancy business (Finding True North). Having set the business up at the end of 2007, I find that it is gently growing, as I seek to help individuals and businesses to be more creative and profitable by operating in a way that draws on their unique personality and strengths.

This week I have completed consultancy work for a charity to help them to review their needs for larger premises, facilitated a vision-building workshop for some Church of England parishes that want to work as a team, and continued to provide spiritual direction.

A couple of contacts are pending for providing coaching training for the management team of a Wiltshire firm, and individual coaching for a recently promoted company director. Leadership and Management funding from the government for coaching and training continues to be a way to help these things to get started in the present economic climate.

This is all satisfying, as I like to spend more time delivering the service than seeking clients!

Great video from CMS

Richard — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:30:00 +0100

Cheer youself up with this - remember to turn your sound on!

Will Europe be Christian?

Richard — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:19:00 +0100

There are some interesting discussions going on about the development of faith in Europe. Grace Davie has pioneered research in this area and written books on the subject. She comments on the current discussion hosted by the Guardian.

Grace gives an overview there, but her comment that the church has an important role to play, but does not have control, seems central to me.

I write this because I have been pointed to a video on YouTube which draws attention to the changing demographics in Europe. It contends that Europe will be Muslim in a few years because of changes in birth rates. Clearly Europe, and Britain, are becoming increasingly multi-racial. According to the videobirth rates among "native Europeans" have dropped below a critical level which guarantees their extinction as a majority culture. It then predicts that Europe will become predominantly Muslim, as distinct from Christian and from the current trend towards secularism. This prediction seems fraught with hazardous assumptions, such as: immigrant communities will continue to have "higher birthrates," and that they will want to overthrow the culture that they are surrounded by rather than value it or develop it.

The video finishes with a "call to action" for Christians, but it seems intended to scare and to evoke a racist response in order to protect ("Christian") "civilisation as we know it." For this reason I do not find the seven minute video easy to watch, but here's the link to it.

What do I think, from a Christian viewpoint?

Firstly, it's no good being protectionist about our Christian culture, we need to do better. It has a lot of holes in it, as is shown at present by the scandal over the expenses of some Members of Parliament. The good news is that the public does care about such abuses, and has a sense of ideal morality to which it aspires.

Secondly, it is clear that our culture is changing and not static, we need to have an idea of the way that we would like our culture to develop, and live in a way that will bring it about. We need to be intentional about our own way of life and the development of society, not just "let it happen." As Gandhi put it, "Be the change that you want to see in the world."

Thirdly, the Bible does not set out a vision for a homogeneous Christian culture. On the contrary, it describes Christianity being lived out in different ways as it continues to spread through different cultures. It took courage and wisdom on the part of early church leaders to allow this. Healthy church growth has worked for its culture, and needs to be culturally and racially diverse.

So, finally, let's build a Godly society in which the teachings of Jesus are alive, expect it to be culturally (and racially) diverse and to benefit from those varied expressions, and don't expect to control the way it happens!

Tolstoy's "spiritual side"

Richard — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:31:00 +0100

Here's some great material from Phil

http://wandering4loveofgod.blogspot.com/2009/05/lev-tolstoy-reflections-on-his.html

Words for Islam

Richard — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:10:00 +0100

I think Barack Obama deserves a reputation as an excellent wordsmith, helped as I understand it by at least one British speechwriter!

I was impressed by his inaugural speech, and now I'm impressed by the speech he gave at Cairo University yesterday. Although criticised by some Americans for not holding to account Muslims for the actions of extremists among them, he does tackle extremism and I am impressed by the way that he seeks to travel a conciliatory middle path on Israel and Palestine and on women's rights.

Full text here.

Commons furore continues

Richard — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:16:00 +0100

I have some sympathy for the MP's at the centre of the current row over their expenses. Many of us have joined a new organisation and received induction training about the process for reclaiming expenses. I wonder how many of us have chosen not to claim all that we were allowed to?

On the other hand, I find it incredible that expenses payments have been made to MP's for interest costs of housing loans (mortgages) that do not exist. I assume that these amounts, thousands of pounds, were reimbursed without sight of any receipts. Would you reimburse expenses in that way? So I wonder whether the system is more at fault than the individuals, and believe that it is right for the Speaker of the House of Commons to resign as he is accountable for this. Some of the claims appear to me to be theft, so shouldn't the police be taking a look at those?

There is clamour for an independent body to be responsible for reimbursing MP's expenses in the future. Yet how is it possible to set up an independent body that is not accountable to Parliament? Maybe Her Majesty should be getting more involved!

I note that leaders of the political parties want to oust those who have "broken the rules," yet the rules themselves are unsound, and the MP's collectively are responsible for those rules. In this there are levels of penitence. As a start we have MP's who (in effect) apologise because they have been caught, then there are those who recognise that they should not break rules, but what about bigger moral concepts that people have betrayed trust, been dishonest, and that right and wrong are not all about obeying rules?

As founder of much of the culture that supposedly underpins our democracy, surely Jesus would turn in his grave (if he were still there), but at least as a society we do care when such abuses are brought into the light.

Saatchi Gallery

Richard — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:02:00 +0100

Today enjoyed a visit to the Saatchi Gallery in London, with much impressive material on permanent display as well as art from a school's competition.

Finished Jamison CD's

Richard — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:39:00 +0100

I've finished listening to the Finding Happiness CD set, and my previous summary seems to hold good. The end point is that seeking happiness by clinging to one of the Eight Deadly Thoughts is an unhealthy route, and we need to let go of them, or shed them. This resonates with my view that living life to the full is about getting rid of the things (such as sins and unhealed wounds) that get in the way of us being ourselves. One may imagine that this is a route to selfishness, but the true self we discover is one that is able to heed the needs of others because we no longer feel a need to be self-protective.

On the way Christopher seems to have a bit of a rant, even if it is a wise rant, about the way in which youth culture in western society behaves as if all that anyone needs is to have friends, and that if everyone has a good close friendship group then it does not matter what is happening in the world because everyone is OK. He says that this is insufficient, and that people need to relate to wider community, and wider values, such as the church.

He also observes, more obviously, that in today's society we seem to keen to be busy, and to see such busy-ness as a good thing. This is shown by the approval given to the reply "keeping busy" when someone asks how one is. Activity is not necessarily a good thing, and - to use Stephen Covey's analogy that I like - the activity of climbing a ladder has little value if the ladder is up against the wrong wall. This links back to Christopher's main theme: if we are seeking to find happiness it's no good just being busy, or chasing after today's idols, we need to choose a route that will take us to the goal we seek.