125 cyclists stopped over in Brighton on Sunday evening. They arrived late afternoon at my church, Brighthelm, where there was a reception for them, a meal and overnight accommodation. Most were cycling from London to Paris, to arrive there at the end of the COP21 climate summit. Like the other pilgrims (see my last post,Continue reading “Time To Cycle”
Author Archives: Alex
Paris
It was a humbling experience to be in Paris last weekend when pilgrims arrived from all over the world. I had walked with the UK ‘Pilgrimage2Paris’ group for a day, between Burgess Hill and Brighton, and saw them off along the south coast the next morning. It was great to see them again at theContinue reading “Paris”
Along life’s cycle-path, remember to stop and smell the sea
My daily ride to work has to be one of the best, if not the best commuter routes in the world. The sea looks different every time. Even on dull, damp, autumn mornings, it’s something worth looking at. It’s so easy to rush by it. I may be late for an appointment. There’s stuff toContinue reading “Along life’s cycle-path, remember to stop and smell the sea”
Multiplication
Light-bulbs are boring. Carbon emissions are boring. Reducing your footprint is a worthy aspiration, but it’s reductive, it closes down and diminishes. It’s putting the cart before the horse. Carts are boring. You can jazz them up, but it’s still a cart. The interesting bit is the horse at the front – that living beingContinue reading “Multiplication”
Starlings
These past two days, starlings have been gathering in the little oak tree in our garden. Individually, they’re not very attractive birds. They often look scruffy and they sound terrible – and they make a lot of sound. But when they soar and wheel in a murmuration out to sea at dusk, there is littleContinue reading “Starlings”
Front Gardening
This is only the second front garden I’ve had. In the last house, the back was so large I just kept the front as lawn. Here, though, the back is small and quite shaded; also I want to leave enough space out there so that the tent can be put up to dry if weContinue reading “Front Gardening”
Meat Is Murder III
My daughter and I have been abstaining from the flesh of dead animals since Christmas. For me, it’s at least my third attempt to be vegetarian, but it feels more serious this time. Here are my reasons: – Eating meat or fish requires an act of violence to be carried out against a living being.Continue reading “Meat Is Murder III”
Home is where the fridge is
Today I went to the funeral of a minister who had been a great support to me early in my ordained ministry. It was a good, faith-filled celebration of the life of a remarkable man, for whom I’m very thankful. He had been a frequent visiting preacher at my church in Battersea, which I leftContinue reading “Home is where the fridge is”
Blank sheet garden
This is our new back garden: It’s a bit of a dump, isn’t it? The builders have trodden a lot of the grass into the soil, which seems to be a heavy clay, heavily compacted, very muddy. If you’ve seen my previous gardening posts, (e.g. Garden, from 2012) you’ll see that this new garden isContinue reading “Blank sheet garden”
Farewell garden, and I thank you
The long-running saga of our house move is drawing towards a conclusion. It looks likely that we’ll be moving just before Christmas (not very good timing for a minister, but there you go). I have completed my checklist of gardening tasks, and can now report that the garden is ready for the move. I have:Continue reading “Farewell garden, and I thank you”
Alex Mabbs 