The new team gets together

Friday 27th February 2015

Minsteracres Retreat Centre where, with a wise facilitator, the six of us (clergy and Readers) spent the day discussing how we are going to work together as a new team of ministers in North Tyne and Redesdale.

Recalling good teamwork, I see how it depends on being able to rely on each other without any competition within the team: you don't try to be the goal scorer when it would be much more successful to pass to a team member who is in a position to score.  And you do have to share the same goal!  (Ours is something along the lines of helping people to be aware of the divine love working in their lives, to draw out God-given gifts, to encourage the hope and thankfulness that that brings.)
     See Thought for the Day page

Spring

Monday 16th February 2015

Snowdrops on the Rectory glebe

After the middle of the day working in the study, I'm off to conduct a rehearsal for tomorrow's service with the installation of the new Team Vicar.

Sunday...sun day

Sunday 8th February 2015

After Parish Communion at St Cuthbert's Elsdon

"Red sky at night: shepherds' delight"

Saturday 7th February 2015

Trying to take this picture from the glebe paddock delayed my setting out for Evening Prayer!

A day of admin

Wednesday 4th February 2015

 

Sunset over the crags on the way back to Bellingham after having gone as Rural Dean to Wark (where the recent rector has retired) to provide baptism certificates in response to a family's request. 

     The rest of the day's admin was, more conventionally, at my desk, computer or telephone.

February moonlight

3rd February 2015

A stay at the diocesan retreat house

Thursday 29th January 2015

 

And the travelling didn't get any less bizarre.  To get home I was given a lift to Hexham but had made a mistake about the bus timetable.  The 3.45 had just gone and there is no 4.45 to Bellingham (17 miles) on Wednesdays.  I called on my solicitor to see if he could give me a lift, which he could  --  if I waited two hours.  I walked to the vet's and found a willing driver, although it would take her a few miles out of her way.  So I tried the mart where I found someone who was going home via Bellingham and off we went in his car at 4.50  --  on schedule!

Odd journeys

Monday 26th January 2015

 

I just managed to get the horse exercised and return past the road-scraping machinery before the road was completely closed (somewhat to Molly's concern).  In the absence of my car (currently in intensive care), I caught the bus that should have taken me to Hexham railway station.  However...

 

...the bus stopped amongst stationary traffic and flashing hazard lights to pick up a stray dog which nobody else could catch.  Luckily the bus driver was good with dogs and I had in my pockets dog biscuits and baler twine.  So we put it on an improvised lead and I took charge of it to the end of the route, where the driver parked the bus and proceeded to the nearby vets who would look for a microchip to find its owner.  (I then caught another bus instead of a train.)