just going to spending some quality time here for the next few days
so it will be quiet over here!
Cornwall
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Category Archives: family
weekend of highlights
The weekend went pretty quickly which is no surprise as it was a weekend of ‘highlights’.
It started off on Friday night with a trip to the BFI to see Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, a stunning film which, although 3 hours long, flew by and was over far too quickly. The BFI is running a great season of Audrey films if you want to catch one.
Saturday was a unique day in that ALL the Ryans went to see The Gills play. We beat Northampton 1-0 which was a well deserved 3 points. It was ‘interesting’ having Sarah with us and the boys are still analysing whether we toned down our behaviour in their mothers presence!
Sunday, however, was the major highlight of the weekend with Thomas, our cute little firstborn, turning 17. I reflect on the 17 years and wonder where they all went. It’s quite weird as I feel I have been ordained for ages (even though it is only two and a half years) whereas Tom’s birth seems like just yesterday as I can clearly remember every single detail of that amazing day 17 years ago. A large part of the weekend has seen a number of people telling my how lovely Tom is … it makes you even more proud to hear others acknowledge what you can see.
The downside and fear of this day is that Tom is now old enough to start driving lessons! The upside … soon he will be able to give me lifts and pick me up from places! We are proud of you Tom!
new year family style
Christmas and New Year have been excellent friend and family times.
We celebrated the New Year in style …. twice. We started with an amazing meal at Viners Restaurant who did amazingly at serving us all as one large party. The video gives a taste of the joy we were experiencing. (there are other more incriminating videos of celebrations but you will need to look into facebook for them!)
Following this we celebrated the New Year early so that the younger children could stay involved with sky lanterns and fireworks. The lanterns looked amazing as they floated above our heads before being caught on the breeze. A good way to let go of one year and welcome in another.
Later in the evening a fewer of us returned to the cliff top at midnight to release a couple more lanterns and welcome in the New Year.
The next morning we celebrated together again at the Beach Hut for lunch before we had to reluctantly pull ourselves away from Cornwall and return to Kent.
Thanks to everyone – my family and friends for making this a very special time!
fireworks … bikers … taize
If I don’t mention the football then the weekend was a pretty cool one. The free firework display put on by Medway Council on the Great LInes was excellent … although someone behind me quite rightlywondered which persons had lost their jobs in the cuts to protect the budget spent on gunpowder!
Sunday in the cathedral was quite amazing too. The 1030 Eucharist was a good service as it always is with our musicians always seeming to be able to aid our worship magnificently.
During the afternoon in the evensong slot we had a remembrance service for bikers. This was an incredibly moving service as people placed photos of loved ones around a bike on the pulpitum platform. It was also a great time having Loose Cannons, a rock band, play as we processed in as well as singing Sweet Town Alabama during the service. Again this was very moving.
In the evening I led the Taize service. I simply love this service. The simplicity, the repetitive chants, the candles and the music help people to connect with God in a meaningful way. I chose Romans 8:31-39 and Romero’s The Long View which were pondered during the 10 minute blocks of silence. It is the silence in particular that I love in this service.
So … that was the weekend…. pretty varied …. and pretty pioneering for a cathedral too!
what makes a good weekend?
The weekend has been a great one for being with friends and spending time with the family.
The weekend got off to a great start with a ‘blokes’ curry night at the best curry house in the world where we ate and drank well. It’s been a while since we have done this and all agreed we need to do it more regularly!
On Saturday we watched Despicable Me at the cinema. A good and funny film if somewhat predictable … there are only so may different ways to spin the same sort of story of person presenting an evil persona in order to protect themselves from their past. It’s worth a watch.
This morning at the cathedral was tinged with sadness as Dan conducted the girls choir for the last time in the 1030 Eucharist. Dan goes on to new things and I will miss his skill and passion around the place. God’s speed matey!
Watching the football this afternoon was good, even though the result was rubbish! Spending time with other friends later this afternoon was good and mad as well.
What makes a good weekend? Time with God, laughter and chilling with friends and family ….. this weekend had all of that so it was a top weekend!
the queen and the nuns
I clawed back a day off yesterday and went to London as a family. We went especially to watch Sister Act which was simply amazing – and a surprise for our children. Many will know that at Christmas we and Andrew and Sarah buy each other 5 tickets for the same show as a Christmas present … this year we have been a bit slow but my Sarah got a good family deal 2 weeks ago and the dates worked.
We were in row D which was brilliant. I have never been so close to the stage before and being able to see, close up, the facial expressions as well as the voices gave a whole new experience to our families. Sheila Hancock played a fantastic role as we expected and hoped she would. The show was great and I wondered about talking to Scott, our Director of Music, about stealing some ideas for our Eucharist service on a Sunday …. who knows what might happen!
Before the show we, as a family, visited Buckingham Palace – another first for us. The day before Sarah booked tickets after wondering what we could do with the children during the day as it seemed a shame to miss out on a day in London and just go up for the show.
I must admit I was not that impressed with the idea. Being a good socialist who really is not a fan of the Royal Family the last thing I wanted to do was wander around the palace and rub shoulders with lots of Royal Family fans! I was, however, very impressed. The hand held guides give loads of information in an incredibly accessible way and the rooms were simply stunning! I guess we all know they must be … but to see them was quite breath taking.
I guess, for me, the most interesting thing, and stressed a fair bit by the guide, was that this is a ‘working palace’ and that there are very few of them around in the world. Beautifully crafted items that would be museum pieces elsewhere are in everyday use in this setting which is pretty impressive – even to me as an anti-royalist! I did wonder about the many churches that could learn from this philosophy – of making sure we use the things that are precious to do us, rather than just lock them away. There is something that enhances the beauty of an object when that object continues to be used for the purpose it was designed for. When it becomes a ‘show piece’ it seems to lose dignity. But … I digress!
Walking around the state rooms was a pretty good experience – even for someone like me! So I guess I am saying it’s worth a visit!
cornwall space
We have had a brilliant week away with good friends in Cornwall.
We had a wonderfully relaxing time with special people and outstanding views – one such typical sunset in the picture with people silhouettes chatting as we watch.
It’s always great to go away with people you can just switch off and relax with – talk when you need to and sit quietly when you want to.
I have returned again, as we did in January, feeling really blessed and relaxed along with being very conscious of the special people we have around us.
The space has again enabled me to see members of my family and friends in a different way. It has enabled me to gain perspective once again on a lot of things. The space has allowed God to do some stuff in my head too – something there about ideas needing spaces etc etc.
I am back now – and I’ll have to wait and see if the space-idea formula causes anything to emerge!
It was odd this morning, though, waking up and hearing nothing after a week of waking to the beautiful sound of the waves. I realised how much I miss that from my Weymouth days and how I had got to take it for granted and now, more worryingly, how much I’d forgotten I loved the sound.
The bad thing about holidays, though, has got to be the coming back – it is hard getting into the work mode again … but it will come quickly – after all how much does it take to get into my sort of coffee and chat work mode!
21 today!
Today I have been married 21 years to a beautiful girl.
Most of you I know will be wondering how she has managed to cope with me for so long!
I share the same wonderment!
But … she has and I think it’s been a great 21 years.
Thanks Sarah
Day 17: reflect, write, cocktails
I’ve had a pretty quiet day today with very little people interaction and so I feel quite tired and drained. I love being with people, and hate having to think and write.
Today I have got to grips with what I wish to say on Sunday nightin the homily part of the service. I guess I have found it a challenge to be able to speak about something in a different culture which I do not really understand. I will be looking at the 1 Cor 13 passage on love, so there is lots to pull out but the listeners will be glad that I am focussing on a small part.
This evening I went to Sacred Cocktails with David at Chanatee’s. We were competing with a party so it was not a great turn out but we had a good chat about the idea behind sacred Cocktails and what it is all about. David mentioned that cocktails in Seattle was getting bigger and bigger; I think the same must be the case in England as withing minutes of joining the Sacred Cocktails Facebook group, 2 friends had commented along the lines of ‘we can do that here in Rochester!’ Maybe we will!
As I look ahead to the next few days I think I am really looking forward to going home. I really like Seattle, but I feel like I have been away quite a long time and just want to be home now. I’ve gained a mass of stuff here and, I hope, made some friends that I will stay in touch with; but there has also been a sacrifice to be here. The family have missed me and I have missed them and we have all missed out on the last 3 weeks of each others lives, which is hard to explain but feels really weird. I think wwe all feel quite disconnected from each other, and I don’t like that feeling.
Tomorrow is Saturday which is a quieter day again. Not too sure what I am going to do tomorrow but think I will go downtown and hang out at Pike Place and Capitol Hill and see what I notice. If anyone wants to join me, give me a shout or drop me a text!
climbing the mountain
Saturday … a great day.
I got up early and had a morning stroll around Fremont with my camera. I love taking photos when the place is just waking up … the mist was rolling up the lake and slowly embracing the footfalls of the bridge. It was good to watch.
I had an early breakfast in Roxy’s Diner …. very large with a bottom-less cup of coffee which I already know is something i am going to miss when I leave here. I managed to grab a quick chat with Tom on the mobile to wish him happy birthday and then also managed a longer chat with everyone over skype, which is an amazing tool for times such as these, and probably better quality than the paid for call I made earlier in the day.
I then went on a hike in The Cascades with Matt and Phil from COTA, two excellent guys who gave up their Saturdayto give me an experience I won’t forget in a while. We walked a couple of miles but ascended 1100 feet to Rattlesnake Ledge and were rewarded with some stunning views which I have uploaded in the flickr album. You need to scroll down the bottom to see the newer photos. The pic here is the view from the top of Rattlesnake Ledge. Following that experienced a nbit more American culture … FatBurger and Krispy Kreme
It has been a great day and in a bout 30 minutes Karen will pick me up and we are going to meet some Canadian visitors and have dinner with them. Tomorrow will be quite a packed day … but that’s tomorrows blog innit!
The Shiny Headed Prophet 