A great garden is an image of paradise, in more than one religious outlook. Perhaps this is because within such a garden, all the very best of the natural world is taken by human ingenuity, and then gifted and skilled gardeners weave their own design and creativity into it. Our dreams become realised through aContinue reading “Great Gardens of England: Hidcote Manor Gardens, near Chipping Campden”
Category Archives: spirituality
The British Library and the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms
Recently I found myself in the British Library in London, and among the large number of visitors who had flocked there to see the exhibition on The Anglo Saxon Kingdoms. There displayed for us to see were certain treasures of the age before the Norman Conquest. Here were the magnificent original illuminated manuscripts, the highlyContinue reading “The British Library and the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms”
Book Review: Out of the Forest by Gregory P. Smith
Over Christmas a biography came to me which is one of the most compelling and moving accounts I have ever read. Out of the Forest (published by Penguin Australia) is the memoir of a man who spent ten years living as an alcoholic drug-crazed recluse high in the New South Wales forest, (with occasional forays downContinue reading “Book Review: Out of the Forest by Gregory P. Smith”
The Virgin Birth and the Power of the Supernatural Truths in the Christian Faith
The Christian faith rests on the awesome truth of several supernatural events – the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation, the Transfiguration, the Resurrection and the Ascension – and last year, I watched again “The Nativity”, the TV mini series first broadcast by the BBC at Christmas 2010. I remember the series had a strong impression onContinue reading “The Virgin Birth and the Power of the Supernatural Truths in the Christian Faith”
Heaven on Earth: The Joy of A Capella Harmony Singing with The B Naturals
What is the greatest musical instrument of all? I believe it is the human voice. Nothing compares to the joy of a capella harmony singing – in perfect pitch, of course, and under the tuition of an inspirational musical director… or how about four musical directors, one for each voice part? Recently I took partContinue reading “Heaven on Earth: The Joy of A Capella Harmony Singing with The B Naturals”
New Christmas Anthology: Merry Christmas Everyone
I’m delighted to announce that I’ve just received 2 boxes full of copies of a new Christmas Anthology, for which I am one of the contributing authors. This is “a festive feast of stories, poems and reflections” and entitled Merry Christmas Everyone. The anthology is published by the Association of Christian Writers. It covers theContinue reading “New Christmas Anthology: Merry Christmas Everyone”
A Creative Way To Grow, to Journey Through Our Lives and to Be Replanted in Eden
Dandelions. They are strong and beautiful. They grow even in thin, dry, tough places. They have a deep root system. And when they die they give their seeds so other dandelions can grow. Recently I was at a Creative Arts day at Christ Church, Orpington in Kent, which centred around the theme of GrowthContinue reading “A Creative Way To Grow, to Journey Through Our Lives and to Be Replanted in Eden”
Algorithms and Magical Thinking – at St Mary’s Church Warwick and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
How do we deal with the unpredictabilty of the world we find ourselves in? Recently I’ve been challenged at two quite separate events to consider the ways in which we look at the world and handle the unpredictability and unaccountability of our lives. One event was held in St Mary’s Church Warwick where I heardContinue reading “Algorithms and Magical Thinking – at St Mary’s Church Warwick and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford”
A Special Place in Warwickshire to Reflect Upon Our Wills and Fates: St Peter’s Church Wootton Wawen – Saxon Sanctuary
Our wills and fates do so contrary run That our devices still are overthrown; Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own. Shakespeare: Hamlet, III, 2, 602 Surely the best places to reflect upon the universal truths that lie behind Shakespeare’s words above, are the many historical sites to be found in hisContinue reading “A Special Place in Warwickshire to Reflect Upon Our Wills and Fates: St Peter’s Church Wootton Wawen – Saxon Sanctuary”
The Throckmortons of Coughton Court, Warwickshire: A Family Forever Linked to those Who Conspired to Murder their King
Approaching Coughton Court, the ancestral seat of the Throckmortons, near Alcester in Warwickshire, we may admire the mellow sandstone sixteenth century house with its dramatic battlemented gatehouse tower and lovely timbered north and south wings. In front is the most exquisitely laid-out garden packed with abundant lavenders. Everything about this house and its surrounding groundsContinue reading “The Throckmortons of Coughton Court, Warwickshire: A Family Forever Linked to those Who Conspired to Murder their King”
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