I love it when a plan comes together*

*It's not often I am able to quote George Peppard's John 'Hannibal' Smith, but I thought this occasion was fitting.

I don't have time for a long post - 2 essays in 13 days, and a mountain of revision to start - but while I am excited, I thought I should write a quick post about my summer placement.

All ordinands at Westcott have to do a 'long placement' of 8 weeks in a parish setting. Most married students are placed in Cambridge during the summer, and this was the plan for me. However, an impromptu discussion with my father in law has resulted in another solution for me. The plan is that we will be going to Sheringham in Norfolk for June and July. I will work with the Priest at St Peter's, and DrLanky & LittleLanky will be able to spend lots of time with Dad/Grandad.

It's a relief to have something sorted, and to know the place I'll be going. It's a relief, also, to know that DrLanky will have plenty to do while I'm working.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Come on Lancashire!

I know we're only 2 games into the season, but what a start from Lancashire. An innings victory wrapped up inside 3 days at Aigburth against title hopefuls Somerset must be the cause of a few pints in Liverpool tonight!

Having said that, Lancashire have had good starts before. Lets hope they can keep it up this time.

Oooh, I want some

Just a quick post to say that the clever people at moo.com have come up with these interestingly rounded business cards. They look very good, and I think I shall have to think of a reason to get some. I've used their standard moo cards in the past for publicity for services at the Chaplaincy in Lancaster, and the quality is amazing.

Come on Stanley!

Accrington Stanley have had a great run of results lately:

Stanley 3 - 1 Southend
Stanley 3 - 1 Northampton
Stanley 4 - 0 Hereford
Aldershot 1 - 1 Stanley
Crewe 0 - 0 Stanley
Stanley 3 - 0 Port Vale
Stanley 3 - 1 Burton Albion


That's 7 without a loss, and some decent margins of victory. the important news is that after tonight's victory over Southend, they are now in a play-off spot. They just need to keep going now.

A few weeks ago, they had a number of games in hand compared to the teams around them in the table. As a follower of the team, i was doing the maths, and working out where they could be if they won all their games in hand. It almost never happens, but here they are, in a play-off spot.

Come on Stanley!

Common sense prevails in Lancaster

I've blogged before (here and here) about the application to install wind turbine(s) at Lancaster University (my former employer), and it finally appears that the council have approved a scheme, albeit reduced from the original plan for 2 turbines. In my humble opinion, this is great news, and a great example to other universities and public bodies.

As I prepare for ministry into the Church of England, which claims to care about God's earth, I am left wondering where I might find evidence of a similar example being set on renewable energy. Why can't we commit to at least auditing our estate, and looking at the energy saving opportunities? I'm not saying we ought to install solar panels on each and every church building (though that may be appropriate in some places), but we should at least have a plan.

If we have a plan, we should be telling people about it!

If we have a plan, someone please tell me where it is!

Shrinking the footprint seems a very noble enterprise, but where do I find evidence of it 'on the ground'?

I detect a ministerial soapbox in construction...

For further details of the Lancaster application, see here: Virtual Lancaster News Blog: Lancaster University gets go ahead for Wind Turbine

Spring forward?

A fellow Ordinand at Westcott has reminded me that I haven't blogged in ages, and I actually have a lot to say.

The second term at Westcott has been as busy as the first. That's despite the fact that I had fewer contact hours per week; somehow it just seemed busier.

Partly, this was because I was involved in a couple of additional services in the college. One was an Iona style night prayer, and the other was a prayer and praise service where I was called upon to "play" my guitar. After many years in the complex and un-pigeon-hole-able world of ecumenical chaplaincy, these two occasions were right in the middle of my comfort zone, though not the guitar playing part. And it felt good!

The daily offices at Westcott can be wonderful, but they are, on the whole, fairly dry affairs. They also take me back nearly 15 years to when I was last a full part of a "normal" parish church. This is good but strange, so having a couple of opportunities to revert to my most recent type has been great. Many thanks are due to those involved in making them happen, and let's hope there are many more to come.

With the arrival of the easter vacation, I feel that, for the first time since arriving in Cambridge, I actually have enough time to be a father, a husband, and a reasonable student. Days contain walks into town and along the cam, work on greek translation, reading and planning for essays and impromptu socialising with our friends in the college. We're also getting on top of our housework for a change. Now I just need to add in some guitar practice, and life will be in perfect balance. All of this is aided by the dry Cambridge weather and an explosion of colour and beauty with the spring flowers and tree blossoms.

With Easter Monday, term time will return, and I'll sink beneath the waves until the exams are over in May, so I'd better enjoy the next few weeks. Maybe I'll blog a little more while I have the chance.




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Location:Harding Way,Cambridge,United Kingdom