All that glitters

Am I the only person to detest the ubiquitous "cash for gold" adverts?


With the arrival of LittleLanky, we've been watching more tv than usual (because we're at home more), and the credit crunch seems to have spawned a proliferation of jewellery buyers; these seem to have taken the place of the "have you been injured at work?" adverts.


Although I concede that, primarily, I find these ads irritating, my point here is that I can't imagine who they're aimed at. I also can't imagine many people are sending in their big hoop earrings and heart shaped pendants.


Hopefully, as we climb out of recession, they will disappear as quickly as they arrived on our screens.




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Cricket's coming home?

If the recommendations in David Davies' review are implemented, the Ashes will become one of the so-called 'crown jewels' of British sport, meaning that they will have to be on terrestrial television. The BBC's report is quite upbeat on the chances of this happening, but I can't help feeling a bit tentative about the whole thing. The income from Sky TV is massive for the ECB, and I can't see them being too happy with slashing that amount to bring the Ashes back to terrestrial TV. The ECB will argue that the income from TV rights has helped to fund a resurgence in grass-roots cricket, which has to be good. I just hope a workable compromise can be found so that the needs of the viewing public can be satisfied along with those of grass-roots cricket.

Handle with Prayer

The Church Mouse has details of a proposed new BBC2 series which has a C of E Priest as the central character. It's called 'Handle with Prayer' and it stars Tom Hollander - a proper actor! I think he'll make a good vicar. One to watch out for.

Bloody Shameful

I have no time for the red-top tabloids in this country. I can't see what positive contribution they make to society, unless you count titilation as a positive contribution. I was particularly horrified, then, to read this trash on the Sun website. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a massive Gordon Brown fan, but I think that he needs to be given a bit of credit here.

We're talking about the Prime Minister of the UK! That's a pretty demanding job, you know. He works all hours, and probably barely gets time to spend with his family. I was actually very impressed that he takes the time to hand-write a personal letter to the family of each deceased soldier! When was the last time you hand-wrote a letter? I know I haven't written one in years.

I realise that the family concerned is grieving, and that they have their own, possibly legitimate, complaints against the UK government. I also acknowledge that I will (hopefully) never know what the family is going through, and how it feels to lose a child in warfare. My problem with the whole thing is that it comes across as a tabloid-engineered publicity stunt against the PM. I thought that when I read yesterday's 'story', but it was confirmed when I heard on the Today Programme that the Sun had recorded the phone call between the soldier's mother and Gordon Brown for use on their website (the Sun story said that the lady recorded the call on her answerphone).

It seems to me that the Sun have taken advantage of the family for the sake of a cheap story against Gordon Brown, and the more they persist, the more convinced I will be.

Ultimately, I really can't understand what the fuss is about. Here's how I see it:

• He hand wrote a letter in an age where email and phone calls are the norm, and even typed letters are rare! I think this is impressive.
  
• His letter is not a generic template; it's clearly specific to the situation. He could have just signed a spell-checked generic template, but he didn't.
  
• His handwriting is poor - big deal! So's mine.
• He made some spelling mistakes, and performed minor corrections. That's what we used to do before spell check!

Finally, at the risk of being labelled a pedant, and I don't want to sound disrespectful here, but someone who is criticising another person's use of language should maybe check their own a little more carefully:

"Jacqui hit back: "I don't want to sound disrespectful here, but it was an insult to my child. There was [sic] 25 spelling mistakes - 25."

I don't mind the open and honest critique of our politicians, but I resent the disproportionate influence the Sun has over UK voters. They are determined to get Brown out, and through their cheap stunts, we will probably end up with Tory Boy at the next election. A phrase involving a frying pan and a fire springs to mind!


**UPDATE**
Nick Baines has posted in a similar vein.

Clever, clever babies

This article is fascinating! Especially to a new parent. Apparently, research shows that a baby in the womb has already started to recognise the accent of their mother. So much so, that when they are born their cry has characteristics which are linked to the same accent. They show this by observing a different type of cry in families with different accents/languages.

I already knew that the whole process of growing a new life was amazing, but this just confirms it. I don't think it proves a watchmaker type argument for the existence of God, but it does make you stop and think a bit.

Triple-cross posting

David Keen, whilst cross posting one of my posts about a post by Mike Peatman, has linked to a great set of graphical representations of some epic movies including Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

The church of the state

I saw the news today that the name of the new Bishop of Peterborough has been announced. The wording of the press release made me think, though. I know the C of E is the established Church, but it does seem odd that the Prime Minister's Office make the formal announcement. No offence to Peterborough (it's a very nice place), but I would have thought the PM's office have more pressing issues to deal with.

That would be an ecumenical matter

Mike Peatman is obviously not quite busy enough yet in his new role! He's found the time to pen a rather witty Father Ted style summary of the Pope's offer to accommodate some of our more conservative brothers. Go and take a look!

Just hold on a minute!

On the Today programme this morning, it was claimed (though immediately clarified) that the M1 was the first motorway in the country. I don't think so! I think you'll find that the M6 Preston bypass was the first stretch of motorway to be completed in the UK, opened by Harold Macmillan in 1958. The BBC's web article is better!

Lancaster City Museum had a good exhibition to mark the anniversary, but it didn't seem to warrant the national coverage given to the M1's anniversary. Of course the M6 doesn't go anywhere near London, so that probably explains the lack of coverage.

Trawling the archive, I see that there was a story on the BBC news site in December, but I don't remember it making national radio, or spawning a musical!

All Saints

Just returned from my first 'Reflect' since the birth of LittleLanky. Thanks to all who have kept the ship afloat; there seems to be a healthy number of attendees with some new faces.


Tonight I was bold! I experimented with a 'Litany of the Saints', which I've only ever heard before. I got some music from Mr Walton, and with the help of a WAV file and a few minutes rehearsal, it all worked out ok.


The nice thing about it being an ecumenical service was that there was a good number of Roman Catholics who weren't phased at all; they helped everyone else to pick up the responses in quick time.


I also got the opportunity to play one of my birthday presents; Howard Goodall's Enchanted Voices. I'd heard bits on Classic FM, but the entire album is very very good. It's very good Reflect music too.

RIP David Shepherd

I thought I should mark the fact that former Test cricket umpire David Shepherd has died. I first started to get interested in cricket during the early 90s when I was off sick from school and was therefore able to watch my first test match from start to finish on BBC TV (those were the days). I remember being intrigued by the characters in the white coats, and in particular, David Shepherd's reaction to 'nelson' scores (multiples of 111). He would hop around on one leg until the score moved on again.

The thing I admired most about Shepherd was that he seemed to command respect from the players without sacrificing his sense of humour and character. This is something I think all managers should seek to emulate.

Not all Anglo-Catholics want to go to Rome (except for maybe a holiday)

Whilst I've been offline, the Pope has thrown a helpful hand-grenade into the Anglican Communion; just when we needed one!


It seems that yet more Anglican Priests will be offered the chance to join the Roman Catholic Church, albeit in a very special way!


I have a lot of Roman Catholic friends, some of them priests. If I was in their shoes, I would be mightily unimpressed with this. For those who have made an often difficult decision to lead a celibate life, I can imagine that this arrangement may be most unsatisfactory.


Mike Peatman gives the matter some consideration on his blog here, and he makes me wonder about the practicalities of the proposal. What if an entire congregation wants to go to Rome with their Parish Priest? Do they all go? And what about the buildings? Don't they belong to the Church of England and its trustees? Sounds like a nightmare to me.


The other big issue in all of this is the usual balance approach taken by our media. There is an assumption that all anglo-catholics are conservative traditionalists. Thinking Anglicans had this press release from the Society of Catholic Priests (a Society of Anglican Priests - I know its confusing) and Affirming Catholicism (another group of Anglicans). It says this, and I heartily agree:

To suggest that the departure from the Church of England of those who hold more conservative views will remove the catholic wing and tradition from the church is entirely wrong. Churches and parishes which have a catholic tradition and are served by priests, both male and female, are growing and flourishing and look forward to the future with enthusiasm.

We welcome the offer made by the Pope to those of our brothers and sisters who no longer feel that the Anglican Communion is their spiritual home. We hope that this will not impede swift progress in the Church of England towards the ordination of the first women bishops in this land. 

Back to work

Many apologies for the lack of posts over the last three weeks. The arrival and subsequent busyness have kept me away from the blog.

Anyhow, I'm back at work today, so normal service may just resume.

LittleLanky

LittleLanky was born yesterday morning at 00:05, weighing in at 7lb 13.5oz. MrsLanky had a rough time with a prolonged period of unsuccessful induction followed by a caesarean section.

Phew! Now the hard work starts.


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Still in the hospital

Still no baby.


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Bored now

Having been in the hospital for more than 24 hours, MrsLanky and I are officially bored. Come on LittleLanky, we'd like to meet you.

Induction has commenced, so hopefully things will speed up soon.


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The wonderful NHS

I know there's a lot of opinion on the web about the NHS and how good/bad it is, and I thought now would be the time to post about my view of the antenatal care we have received. Today marks week 38 for LittleLanky, and we've just had our final antenatal session, which covered the wonderful world of breastfeeding (including fake boobs).

I know there's a lot of variability in antenatal care across the UK. We have friends and family whose experiences have been scattered along a very broad quality spectrum, and my first observation is that care seems to be better in smaller towns/cities. Lancaster (so far) has been a great place to be pregnant. We've had abundant access to our wonderful community midwife, who we have seen for the vast majority of our appointments; all of the other midwives we have seen have been professional and personable.

In recent weeks, we have had the pleasure of attending the local NHS-run antenatal classes. At first, MrsLanky and I weren't keen, but we were soon convinced of their value. The midwife who runs the classes is great! Her enthusiasm and positivity is infectious; whilst her knowledge and experience are reassuring. I feel like we're much better prepared than we cold possibly have been through books and websites.

MrsLanky has also taken advantage of the NHS physiotherapy service due to a number of pregnancy related ailments. The physiotherapist has been excellent, and we didn't have to wait months for a referral.

The quality of care we have received has been superb throughout; if you're thinking about having a baby, come to Lancaster!

Gareth Malone, and my telly face

I really enjoyed the final episode of 'The Choir' on BBC2 last night. It was one of those occasions where MrsLanky and I break out what we call our 'telly faces'. This is where there's something on TV which is really captivating and inspiring, and it causes an inane open-mouthed smile to appear on each of our faces. We know we're doing it, but we just can't help ourselves.

Last effect night this was exaggerated further by the compelling nature of the programme. MrsLanky and I both sing, and we both believe in the value of singing in churches and communities. So you might say this was a match made in heaven even before the opening titles finished.

On last night's show, Gareth Malone showed again how a little bit of vision, and a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm, can bring together even the most hopeless (and I don't mean that in a pejorative sense) groups of people. He also showed the value of caring and compassionate leadership, and I think that's what the people of South Oxhey were really craving; the music was an excellent vehicle which was, in a sense, incidental.

In an age where the church has faded into the background for many people, it's not surprising that there are places and people in need of this type of leadership. We just need to clone Gareth Malone, or maybe get him to lead a module at theological colleges, on the subject of leadership in communities.

UPDATE - It looks like someone else agrees with me

Happy engagement

The midwife we saw on Friday went through the usual routine of feeling around for the position of LittleLanky, and she wasn't sure which way round it was. She thought it might have been breach, so she sent us for a scan at the hospital. After a nervous wait, we were squeezed in for a scan which confirmed that the baby is actually nearly fully engaged. Needless to say, we were relieved at this outcome. It does mean, though, that labour could start at any time! Scary.

So scary, in fact, that yesterday was my most productive day at work in a long time! I'm desperately trying to work through my to do list so I don't disappear on paternity leave leaving disaster in my wake!

Singing in the emerging church

Maggi Dawn has posted about the role of live singing in an emerging church setting, and I agree with her. Live singing is a wonderfully adaptive aspect of worship, and I'd add that you don't need to be restricted to the model of a choir. I've been working for ages with the music of the Iona and Taize communities, and if you want to get people engaged in part singing really quickly, then this is the way to do it. One strong and confident leader and a roomful of people who think they can't sing can do some amazing things with an african chant or a simple Taize canon.

Maggi also mentions Gareth Malone, star of the BBC series The Choir. If you haven't already seen the programme, you can catch the final episode on Tuesday next week. From watching the programme, I recognise the joyful feeling when a roomful of people really click with a piece of music.

The final thing I want to do is to encourage anyone who can hold a tune that they can actually lead people in singing. I only have an average singing voice; I'm certainly not a soloist. I do, however, have a loud voice and I can sing in tune. Along with a good knowledge of the piece you're teaching, this is all you need!

Having said all of this, I also accept that there are people for whom participating in singing doesn't 'float the boat', and I think as leaders and teachers, we need to respect that. This is why I always try to make it a relaxed affair with as little pressure as possible.