Gosh 3 weeks and I've not written anything! Life has been so full - but then I have been setting up my own webpage,which if you are not a computer geek can be troublesome - I'm not - and it was! But it is there for all to see at http://home.btconnect.com/minnowend.co.uk so do go there and have a browse as I am trying to do a few things that might
a.) promote the Christian Faith, and
b.) interest people, and
c. )amuse.

But if you log on regularly both to this and that we might entertain, keep me, as a 64 year old retiree parson, off the streets, and also from getting ready for the bath chair, which I dread! One of my son jokes regularly that, when when have been here a couple of years we are off to the old folks home and he will cash in. (Little does he know about all that I have left in store for him!!!!) AND what he doesn't know, is that by the time it gets to that point, we shall have taken ourselves off to Beachy Head with the idea of jumping together because neither of us fancy the other options. The problem is, we shall get to Beachy Head (and what a lovely place it is!) and forget why we went there in the first place: we shall have an ice cream, a bit of lunch, and say: "What a nice day we have had - shall we go home now?"

Actually, jumping off Beach Head is a ghastly idea. What do you think about when you fly through the air with the greatest of ease with the thought of hitting the ground and being so ....

As a Christian I have never seriously contemplated suicide - there have been odd occasions in deep depressions (oh yes) when the thought has flashed through one's mind - but seriously contemplating it? No. Life is too precious - a gift of God - and I do not think I could ever take that step. But then I have never had a debilitating or terminal illness which threaten to remove all life forces, choices and abilities.

Gosh, serious stuff for a friday night!!

Yesterday I went down to London for a hospital appointment. Once that was over I went on to The National Gallery. It must be 40 years since I last went there, but it was as magnificent as ever. I went to renew my acquaintance with the Impressionists, but also to look at the Titian that need £50,000,000 to keep it there. I went, I looked, I loved the colours, I loved the vibrancy, but being a philistine, I found the subject matter completely unmoved me. I came away saddened that anyone would even thing that any painting is worth that amount of money. I went back to Turner, to Van Gogh, to Manet, Monet and all the others, and had a very peaceful hour and a half. But fifty million pounds for one picture? No way. When the country is going through such difficult times with finance, murdered children, struggling schools and an NHS which cannot afford drugs for very ill patients(unless you luckily live in the right postal area), then surely we have our priorities wrong.