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- 12:55 @soveren i would do rafael nadal in a heartbeat if i were single. murray doesn't do anything for me. to each his own... #
- 16:21 hi tweeters...have hit a stone wall in writing tomorrow's sermon :-( #
- 17:17 have finished my sermon, thank goodness. most of the church will be at walsingham so a rump congregation tomorrow... #
- 18:22 waiting for water to boil for macaroni (first stage of macaroni and cheese) #
- 18:35 For @kalandaka : this is what your English relatives are up to: is.gd/17vek #
- 23:03 RT @soveren: wow, this took me all day bit.ly/XRtCY (@chrishansenhome VERY impressive!) #
- 23:05 @robmarais Macaroni, cheddar cheese, eggs, butter/margarine, and milk--plus salt and pepper. That's it. #
- 23:11 @devinjay i managed to finish the sermon, thanks. may not post it as i don't think it was my best, but may change my mind after tomorrow. #
Jun. 21st, 2009
Today's Father's Day URL
Jun. 21st, 2009 11:56 amThose automatic programs that serve you recommendations for purchases appropriate for various events sometimes go awry. Spectacularly awry.
This week and welcome to it
Jun. 21st, 2009 07:50 pmMonday was resting and recuperating. Our friends Leslie and Louie were in town and we had dinner with them Monday night at a restaurants in Soho, Chiang Mai. It's (obviously) a Thai restaurant (Chiang Mai is a city in northern Thailand) and it was just first-rate. I had vegetable tempura and then mee of sort sort (I forget what it was) which was extremely good. More of Chiang Mai later.
Tuesday I again rested, and in the evening attended our Lodge of Instruction, where we tried to rehearse a Passing, but did not really have enough people to do it. We tried our best, though. I must crack the book and memorise the Senior Warden's part in the ceremony, which is quite extensive.
Wednesday was our Deanery Synod meeting. Usually these are quite teejus, and tonight I was a bit apprehensive as I had understood that four people (including me) were running for three seats on Diocesan Synod. Fortunately, one dropped out, and there were no nominations from the floor, so I've been returned again to Diocesan Synod, which allows me to stand again for Bishop's Council and the business committee of Bishop's Council. So that was good. I was also returned as representative to the Diocesan Board of Finance, which is one of my favourite jobs—oddly enough. I attended the meeting not having eaten, however, because of the antibiotic pill I need to take.
We heard from the NHS Bereavement Officer for Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospital Trust. He was quite interesting, and their program for helping people whose relatives or friends have died in the hospital is quite good. They become a one-stop shop for notifying those who need to know about a death. They also serve as conduits for organ donations, and expedite things for people whose religious beliefs require a swift burial. However, he went overtime.
We then had a presentation from one of the Diocesan Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection people, who spoke of the new guidelines on that subject. She didn't have enough time to do the subject justice, I'm afraid. It's a really important set of guidelines to help incumbents, churchwardens, and church members deal with the complex rules and laws now cocooning child/vulnerable adult protection. Luckily, there are diocesan training days for the incumbents and Protection Officers for each parish.
Got back late and we decided to go to Nando's for a chicken dinner. They were just about to close the kitchen, but we got in just in time.
Thursday was Goliath Chapter in Southgate. I actually got there ahead of time, and the place was packed. For some reason, lots of members and guests decided to attend. One of my Lodge brothers was being exalted, so I felt I should attend to support him. The ceremony went well, and, oddly enough, the food was very good. Our new Assistant Secretary (who is responsible for food) did a super bang-up job and I am grateful that he did. I'm glad he is doing it rather than me.
The Metropolitan Grand Inspector attended, and in conversation in the bar after the ceremony I discovered that he is also a dual citizen (born in New York of a British and a something-else parent) but he travels regularly to the US on his British passport (which lists New York as his birthplace) and does not file tax returns (many US expats don't). I was surprised, and kind of made a fool of myself telling him that (1) as he doesn't have a US passport he is in violation of US law, and (2) while he doesn't consider himself a US citizen, he actually is as he hasn't formally renounced it. Oh, well. I'm not ambitious in Masonry.
Friday noon I had lunch at Chiang Mai (see first paragraph) with Dr. David, my favourite mohel. He is a urologist with a large circumcision practice in Atlanta, GA. He comes to London two or three times a year and we now get together for lunch or dinner when he gets here. I had Green Chicken Curry and it was lovely--no pea aubergines but slices of adult aubergine, spicy as I like it, really good. We will have to go there again soon.
Friday evening we had dinner at Nando's in Soho with our friends Leslie and Louie, who have now returned to Singapore but had been here for a couple of weeks. Louie is a shopaholic and brought home a leather harness (he modelled it in the shop for us but I wasn't fast enough to take a picture) as well as lots of other stuff unavailable in Singapore. He's a teacher, and his school informed him that as he had been to a place where there is swine flu, he would have to stay away from the school building for a week. Two other friends of L&L ate with us—they were here to attend a friend's civil partnership. I noticed that the one sitting directly opposite me had his fly undone during the whole dinner. How do you tell a perfect stranger that his fly is undone?
I wrote my sermon yesterday for this morning, and delivered it today. Wasn't one of my best so I don't think I'll reprint it here. However, I was sitting at my computer this morning looking at email before breakfast and saw a shadow on the curtain from outside. I opened the curtain, and there was a fox cub standing on the windowsill! Before I could get my camera he was gone, jumped to the ground and then jumped over the fence.
Tuesday I again rested, and in the evening attended our Lodge of Instruction, where we tried to rehearse a Passing, but did not really have enough people to do it. We tried our best, though. I must crack the book and memorise the Senior Warden's part in the ceremony, which is quite extensive.
Wednesday was our Deanery Synod meeting. Usually these are quite teejus, and tonight I was a bit apprehensive as I had understood that four people (including me) were running for three seats on Diocesan Synod. Fortunately, one dropped out, and there were no nominations from the floor, so I've been returned again to Diocesan Synod, which allows me to stand again for Bishop's Council and the business committee of Bishop's Council. So that was good. I was also returned as representative to the Diocesan Board of Finance, which is one of my favourite jobs—oddly enough. I attended the meeting not having eaten, however, because of the antibiotic pill I need to take.
We heard from the NHS Bereavement Officer for Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospital Trust. He was quite interesting, and their program for helping people whose relatives or friends have died in the hospital is quite good. They become a one-stop shop for notifying those who need to know about a death. They also serve as conduits for organ donations, and expedite things for people whose religious beliefs require a swift burial. However, he went overtime.
We then had a presentation from one of the Diocesan Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection people, who spoke of the new guidelines on that subject. She didn't have enough time to do the subject justice, I'm afraid. It's a really important set of guidelines to help incumbents, churchwardens, and church members deal with the complex rules and laws now cocooning child/vulnerable adult protection. Luckily, there are diocesan training days for the incumbents and Protection Officers for each parish.
Got back late and we decided to go to Nando's for a chicken dinner. They were just about to close the kitchen, but we got in just in time.
Thursday was Goliath Chapter in Southgate. I actually got there ahead of time, and the place was packed. For some reason, lots of members and guests decided to attend. One of my Lodge brothers was being exalted, so I felt I should attend to support him. The ceremony went well, and, oddly enough, the food was very good. Our new Assistant Secretary (who is responsible for food) did a super bang-up job and I am grateful that he did. I'm glad he is doing it rather than me.
The Metropolitan Grand Inspector attended, and in conversation in the bar after the ceremony I discovered that he is also a dual citizen (born in New York of a British and a something-else parent) but he travels regularly to the US on his British passport (which lists New York as his birthplace) and does not file tax returns (many US expats don't). I was surprised, and kind of made a fool of myself telling him that (1) as he doesn't have a US passport he is in violation of US law, and (2) while he doesn't consider himself a US citizen, he actually is as he hasn't formally renounced it. Oh, well. I'm not ambitious in Masonry.
Friday noon I had lunch at Chiang Mai (see first paragraph) with Dr. David, my favourite mohel. He is a urologist with a large circumcision practice in Atlanta, GA. He comes to London two or three times a year and we now get together for lunch or dinner when he gets here. I had Green Chicken Curry and it was lovely--no pea aubergines but slices of adult aubergine, spicy as I like it, really good. We will have to go there again soon.
Friday evening we had dinner at Nando's in Soho with our friends Leslie and Louie, who have now returned to Singapore but had been here for a couple of weeks. Louie is a shopaholic and brought home a leather harness (he modelled it in the shop for us but I wasn't fast enough to take a picture) as well as lots of other stuff unavailable in Singapore. He's a teacher, and his school informed him that as he had been to a place where there is swine flu, he would have to stay away from the school building for a week. Two other friends of L&L ate with us—they were here to attend a friend's civil partnership. I noticed that the one sitting directly opposite me had his fly undone during the whole dinner. How do you tell a perfect stranger that his fly is undone?
I wrote my sermon yesterday for this morning, and delivered it today. Wasn't one of my best so I don't think I'll reprint it here. However, I was sitting at my computer this morning looking at email before breakfast and saw a shadow on the curtain from outside. I opened the curtain, and there was a fox cub standing on the windowsill! Before I could get my camera he was gone, jumped to the ground and then jumped over the fence.
