a blog by howard jameson @ gatheringgrace.org

Not quite sure how to answer this...

The future of exercise

I blogged last night about the aches and pains of being an overweight non-Sportsman who tries to run to make his brain work, but suffers knee and foot pain in lieu. A suggestion that I should consider cycling was made on Twitter, but that's an even worse alternative. Can you see me in lycra?

So is cycling a real alternative? I know there are none of the weight bearing issues that come with pounding the lanes, but I find that the thing about running is that I keep a more or less steady pace irrespective of uphill, down dale, or across the flat - that just seems to suit my muscles (loved swimming as a boy), whereas cycling seems to demand a much greater variance in the speed at which muscles have to work, especially around here with so many hills.

Besides, just for the minute I have about 50 miles to run in just over a month to make a total of 500 miles since August 17th last year - and I will be really pleased with that, even though I am still to lose more than a couple of milligrams in weight (unless our bathroom scales have given up and are taking the mickey).

Any opinions out there?

I need a steady pace, fresh air, cheap and easy enough to do regularly...

Stoning a Bishop...

(sort of).

A bit of a frenetic end to June - the annual clash of Fetes and School things and our own boys' end of term things - with the added garnish of (the otherwise pretty good) Clergy Residential, makes for tired bunnies and weekends with no space at all...

Bishop Bill Ind was excellent value on Sunday evening at our Flower Festival Evensong. One assumes that as a Bishop he can preach without notes because it is material that travels with him, rather than the weekly demand to create new things to say, but it was not the worse for that. He challenged us to see ourselves as the heirs of those who built the Church (hence his references to stones). He was greatly amused by a very nice plaque in the vestry which says something like...

This School Room
was built by
the Rt. Revd. (somebody or other)
Bishop of Salisbury
(way back when in the 19th Century)

Anyway, as +Bill pointed out, like stuff he did. Some poor local chap probably built it - and may well not have got paid very much either.

A big day tomorrow

Our little boy finishes at his school of the last four years and being Head Boy has to give a short speech. I know I'm going to cry, bless him. These four years haven't been a doddle for him but he's done good.

Stupid small print

Stupid, stupid small print.

I saw this in iTunes...

... and thought of somebody who would like it, so I clicked it, then "buy series pass" here...

...then this...

(Its all going very well at the moment isn't it?)

But it wouldn't "gift all episodes" because the small print says...

...which I don't think is the impression given by my previous three clicks.

Clergy Residential seminar

Thanks to those who turned up for the seminar - it was good to air the material (hope it was a helpful as many of you said) and thanks for chats afterwards. Sorry I was unable to do one-on-ones and try to help setting up things like Google Calendars and syncing with Outlook, and other such questions.

As I've finished with it for the time being this is the pdf version of the booklet I handed out, so also the one or two who said they couldn't make it can download it...

Seminar booklet

UPDATE: The above version is designed to print out as a booklet from a pdf reader.

This is a version which is a series of A5 pages which will be easier to read in a pdf reader, but won't print out the same.

A5 Seminar pages

A hot day

Second full day of the Clergy Residential -boy it's been hot and humid. Not too able to sleep at night but had a long nap this afternoon. Feeling a little peopled out I went back to my room and put on La Boheme, only to wake up nearly two hours later at the final chord.

Some interesting conversations and outstanding speakers. There is still some holding back between Clergy, although better than recent years.

Final sessions tomorrow and then should be home late afternoon.

Was really struck by this afternoon's session by Mark Greene on Boaz in the book of Ruth where he mentioned "redemptive leadership", which for him was the same as "second chance leadership".

Lots of jokes this evening at the revue not many of which are printable on this blog, but the hymn of praise to the Wonderbra (for £14.99) was something else.

Being Human

Just had Baroness Greenfield speaking on the neuroscience of what makes us human. Mind blowing stuff.

Now sitting on the lawn with a Guiness trying to avoid the tennis. Once Borg is out I lose interest.

Clergy Conference

Up, up and away to [insert weather pattern here] Derbyshire for our Clergy Residential.

Looking through my stats page on the blog I got a lot of hits yesterday on the page that I advertised as the content of the seminar I am taking on Tuesday; presumably it is people still not decided what they are doing (rather than people who had decided and are now wondering why on earth they chose mine).

4 days in the company of other Clergy is a somewhat artificial environment, but interesting line up of speakers and some friends I look forward to meeting up with.

More busy days

Just seem to have been on the go pretty constantly...

I enjoyed twittering our Safari Supper this evening, memorable for hills and the hostess who was embarrassed after asking us if we had grand-children, but other than that fine (we've had much worse). After striking a whole big pile of to-dos off the list I almost feel like I can start to look forward to the Clergy Residential next week. Can't remember the theme, can't remember who is speaking and the prospect of time in the bar with a lot of Clergy fills me with horror, but there will be good bits, I'm sure.