Since the Queen’s state funeral last week, there have been calls for the eight pall bearers to be awarded with some kind of a medal. Personally I don’t think it is necessary for they were only doing their duty but were there really only 8 pall bearers? How about the other eight in Scotland who did an equally fantastic job?
Sadly, the devolved nations get forgotten far too often.
I had a senior moment the other day when I had run the washing machine with a full load but without the detergent though I had remembered to add the conditioner! It was only when I saw the capful of Persil sitting on the counter top in the utility room that I realised what I had done. Sadly, it was too late as the cycle had ended.
I was tempted to run the machine again this time with the detergent but decided against it as the clothes were washed in a hot cycle the first time round and that should have killed all the germs. In any case, with the soaring energy prices, I am not prepared to give the energy company any more than required!
The last week in November saw us both going away on that much awaited holiday. We have both come back much rested but with the Mhinisteir missing a tooth! More on that later….
Among other things, the Mhinisteir wanted to visit the University library so we decided to have our holiday in that famous city where his alma mater is. We also got to stay in my favourite self catering cottage which was bliss.
For the first time ever, the Mhinisteir was left to enjoy his holidays; there was no emergency. Hallelujah!
Before we left, I landed with a family issue to deal with so I started the holiday with that hanging over my head. Thankfully it was dealt with midway so I was able to enjoy the rest of the holiday.
As we are still unable to visit our own dentist in Edinburgh, the Mhinisteir has been going to a private dentist in the city and so while he was there he had an appointment with the hygienist and so off he went. About an hour later, the Mhinisteir rang me on my mobile to say that one of his tooth was broken during his time with the hygienist and that he has an emergency appointment with the dental surgeon.
Two hours later, the Mhinisteir came back to the cottage with a tooth missing. The dental surgeon had no choice but to remove the offending half tooth. Thankfully it was one of his wisdom tooth.
We were booked to go for a special lunch two days later but I was prepared to cancel our booking because the Mhinisteir looked a sorry state.
Anyway, we did go for that special meal and we had an amazing time. It was so wonderful that we went back there again on the last day of our holiday. The restaurant is called Sticks N Sushi and specialises in Danish/Japanese infusion food. They have some branches across England. I hasten to add that this place is not for the price- conscious. I had the miso soup and nigiri on both occasions and they were both exquisite. The Mhinisteir doesn’t like anything raw so he had a good selection of “sticks” that he ate with rice. He also had the Mio sparkling sake as an aperitif and thoroughly recommends it and their selection of desserts. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t able to try any of their desserts thanks to my allergy but I was more than happy with my jasmine tea which again was very good.
The only downside was that the staff were not wearing masks and there was very little social distancing between the tables.
Another place that I would thoroughly recommend is a Thai restaurant called Thaikhun; again they have branches across England and a few in Scotland. We have visited them before but it is always for a takeaway. The Mhinisteir loves their food and I can have their pad thai which is non spicy. On this trip, I discovered that there is another dish called street noodles that is also non spicy. In fact, I like it more than their pad thai.
In the Shadow of the Shahs is a wonderful biography by Farifteh V. Robb. I would say that it is one of the best books that I have read in my life!
It is a book that talks about the challenges faced by the author in her country of birth, Iran. It is about her trying to survive the political revolution and about her new life in the United Kingdom. In the process, she a Persian muslim discovers Christianity and becomes an Anglican Christian.
However, I hasten to add that this book is not at all about “Praise the Lord” after every second sentence. Farifteh transported me to this beautiful country that is called Iran, educating me about how life was during the time of the Shahs and at present. Her conversion story is so beautifully intertwined that you wouldn’t even realise it!
It was also very interesting to read about the Anglican Church in Iran! I am ashamed that in the western world, we are fighting over church buildings and other trivia while for the Christians in Iran, just existing as a Christian is an everyday struggle and dangerous.
POSTGRADUATES PASTOR screamed the advertisement in the latest Church Times. Hang on a minute. What on earth is a postgraduates pastor?
I was intrigued by the title and decided to read further. This church is a Church of England but just that they don’t seem to be very proud to be part of the CoE because there is no where in the advert this is mentioned. I had to go to their website to get this information and even then it is in very small print at the bottom of their webpage.
Anyway, back to the main story… They are basically looking for a Vicar for postgraduate students! Why? Will their usual Vicar not do? The advert ends by saying that many of these students have the potential to be future world leaders!
This jogged my memory to the time when the Mhinisteir was an ordinand in Edinburgh. We used to worship in a Church of Scotland that used to call itself a professional church meaning it was a church for high flying professionals! Its no wonder that the homeless man outside the church never came in!!!!
The Church of God is for everyone!
I read in yesterday’s Telegraph about the Balmoral Clock above the Balmoral Hotel in Princes Street in Edinburgh. I know the Balmoral Clock very well as we used to live in Edinburgh. My office was very near Princes Street so I was there at least a few times a week. The Mhinisteir and I used to depend on the clock for accuracy whenever we went that way. I learnt through the article that the Balmoral Clock runs three minutes ahead of time to help people catch their trains on time at Waverley Station! It has been that way for the last 118 years!
Since March, we have been unable to get to our usual dentist in Scotland. There is one in the nearby town but they are not open as they are still sourcing for PPE!!!
Anyway, the Mhinisteir had some work in the big city and so he decided to fix an appointment with a dentist there. They are private and expensive. However, we don’t have much of a choice at the moment.
According to him, he got a good service. They were not able to do any cleaning so he just got a comprehensive check as a new patient. The bill came up to just over £200 but we think it is worth it.
However, I still can’t get over the fact that he had to pay £30 for the PPE. Way too dear!!!
This week, we were greeted at the Vicarage door by these figs from a member of the landed gentry.
The figs were absolutely gorgeous. I turned some into fig fritters. They too were delicious.
One of the wonderful things about belonging to a rural parish church is that there is no division between Jews and Gentiles. We have a good mix of ordinary folk like me and members of landed gentry who co exist without any problems.
This is not the case in cities: once when I was in a Church in Edinburgh, I was told that that particular church was a professional church meaning it is only for professional people!!!!! Fancy that????? The Church is for ALL.
The same thing happened again in the English city where we lived. Folk who came to church from the nearby social housing developments were not even acknowledged. How ridiculous!!!!
I was reading this morning that the ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND has been officially renamed to NATWEST. Really? Nobody told me about it after all I bank with RBS. It would have been nice to be informed of such a big change. No, I wasn’t expecting a personal telephone call from the CEO. Just a computer generated impersonal letter would have sufficed.
When I lived in Edinburgh, I used to visit their headquarters often. Up in the highlands, I used to visit their mobile banks. I got such a thrill when I saw these mobile banks on the road. They would be parked in such majestic settings often near the sea. I have such wonderful memories. Now with the change they will always be memories. As I get older, I don’t seem to like changes very much!
Lesslie Newbigin’s A South India Diary caught my eye when I was browsing through the Mhinisteir’s library. The reason why it caught my eye was pedantic. I just had to take the book out to be sure that Newbigin did indeed have two Ss on his first name!
As you can see from the photo, This is a very old book published in 1951. The title was too attractive for someone fascinated by India. Furthermore I realised that Newbigin was first ordained in the Church of Scotland.
Lesslie Newbigin was a British Clergyman who became the first Bishop of South India. The book is really a diary of Newbigin’s time in India as the first Bishop of South India. It is a very interesting read even though at times it can feel repetitive as his days were very long and usually taken up by the same things (meeting people, attending meetings, conducting worship, solving disputes etc). It was an eye opener to read about another culture but also to learn of the challenges faced by converts to Christianity in that culture.
As Newbigin had a good way with words, this book gets a 3/5.
Secret Diary Of A Church of England Vicar's Wife 