Hogmany 2024

 

Boxing Day 2024

Boxing Day, a day to recover from yesterday's excess, or indeed to contribute much more to that weight problem.  The day begins slowly, dreich weather greets the dog walkers, dull clouds span the horizon dampening enthusiasm for the Boxing Day walk.  However, already one or two well wrapped joggers pass by full of an enthusiasm I do not copy.  

They say Boxing Day was the day boxing fights occurred but while such events may have taken place, often illegal prize fights, it appears the idea may have developed over a great many centuries.  This being the Feast Day of St Stephen in some types of church, boxes were placed at the door where money collected was used for gifts to those in need.  Later, a gift box on that day was given to servants, tradesmen and employees, or others in need, and servants were given the day off, usually.   Today, for many it is merely a shopping trip, though with all the goods collected over the previous 24 hours you might wonder why?  Shops will be open, staff forced to work, money collected abundantly, yet folks will still grumble.  Those with no money will of course not participate in such dealings.

The day continues with Twitter revealing masses of pictures showing families dressing matching pyjamas.  Now where on earth did such a trend begin?  And indeed why?  A family with young kids may do such a thing, but placing photographs across social media does indicate an outlook I do not share.  Twitter also offers many people telling us cheerfully if their sick relatives, or indeed how grannie died during the night!  Now this is relevant to those who know you, it is not relevant to the entire world.  I suspect with many users who have fled Twitter and joined BlueSky the algorithm offers anything to fill the empty spaces.  This is why I receive info on Pakistan politics, Brazilian murders, and things in Chinese or Malayan that make no sense to me.  The tarts are much more obvious also.

Christmas tv, which I avoided, was full of Black and White films from before the war, action films from 30 years ago and kids stuff, which all the grannies watched.  

Today, in between the spam from online shops made use off in the last month, we see Twitter filled with pictures of royalty walking to church.  People, often in wheelchairs, line their path offering gifts to the multi millionaires who care not a jot about them, certainly not about the cost of heating and the lack of a winter fuel payment.  What is it about England that they need a monarch to bow down to? 

The Princess fills the pages of the media while propaganda informs us of their popularity, but in Scotland that has waned much in recent years and dim Willie will not become a welcome addition to Scotland.

All in I find Christmas is lost in sentimental slush, present buying, supermarket visiting and money laundering to pay for it all.  It's a relief to be in a church and find a stable environment (stable, geddit?). 

Christmas Day 2024

 

Christmas Eve 2024

It was Christmas Eve in Sainsburys, 

All was riot and struggle....

Bruisers fought their way through the mob,

Me, I was too puggle..d.

Last desperate shop to fill every cupboard and the freezer.  After all the shops are closed tomorrow and will not be open again until, er, Thursday...  We might starve in the meantime.  

However, the number of fathers trailing around the supermarket with one child, the dad just as lost as the kid, was entertaining.  Not unusual to see dad's leading the child but less so in such shops.  Mum will have forced them out to get things done at home, this giving her free time and less hindrance for advice from both!

 Talking of starving at Christmas, judging by the number of people now wearing items 'Size Fat,' I am not convinced many will suffer malnutrition here.  Those that might have been to the Food Banks, ours works on Wednesdays so they either went elsewhere or got double rations, I wonder which?  I suspect the Salvation Army or someone else will be offering food tomorrow, I think they did last year.  I must ask about that, usually something is mentioned.

 

A quick glance at the tv schedules for the tv that I never watch shows that apart from a religious service most BBC one and two offer kids type movies, game shows with added celebrities I have never heard off, the News and weather, and little else.  I would watch some of this to see what I am missing but expect within a short time I would be moving away from that.  Possibly the wireless will offer better, I will look that up later tonight while supping from the Bottle of Jura that was accidentally opened before Christmas, I know not how.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, 

and an understanding of what Jesus coming means for us all.

Christmas Market 2024

May Day 2024

Wiki

Being the first of May I gathered wild flowers and green branches, picked up a garland or two and danced around the Maypole with similarly dressed strangers.  The great fire we lit kind of annoyed the neighbours however, not only was it just dawn it was dawning on them their house was on fire also.  Never mind.  Just like Rome in past times we celebrated the first fruits of Spring, bought from Tesco's clearance shelves, and danced the dawn away.

Such activity has little religious meaning, though it was added here and there, it is just that a proper Spring ought to be upon us, and Summer is around the corner.  Good times lie ahead and people naturally rejoice.  Usually they rejoiced so much the authorities had to clamp down upon the rejoicers!

During 1889 the 'Marxist International Socialist Congress,' mostly male middle class types, called for, among other things, the 1st of May to be a day of demonstration calling for an '8 hour day.'  Thus it has continued one way or another as a day to fly red flags and march with clenched fist against the oppression of the ruling classes.  

I added a red flag to my flowers, green boughs and garlands as I, with many thousands of others, marched through the town centre in the mist this morning.  We will stand up for workers rights, for individuals rights, and for a lawyer to clear up the mess left behind as we sit here in the local police station where the local Stasi have imprisoned us for 'Breach of the Peace.'  

Go celebrate...

A brief scan of the Online Mail this morning reveals just how much money is being lost there.  The page is filled with celeb stories and patched up with tales of US reports.  Actual 'news,' always slanted to suit the DM, is almost impossible to find.  The 'Daily Mirror' is of course no better, we know the writer has had his space reduced and is under orders to use 'clickbait' at all times.  

I feel no sadness at the death of these rags.  If they offered news, news with a sensible opinion it would be worth reading, however, in the desire to survive there is no chance of that, clickbait is all.  The papers that offer more reading either use paywalls and/or have dubious owners rendering their writers opinions somewhat slanted to suit the boss.  In the end I search Twitter to find the news, often from far-right or far-left organisations.  This is not always readable stuff!  

People require an easy to read fact filled open-minded free press, the UK does not have one.

 

Talking about oppressive governments I came across this the other day, a psalm/song that ought to be used at all the gatherings of the great and the good.  They consider themselves to be 'gods' even if they do not use that term, this psalm indicates their duty and their responsibility, and God will call them all to account, just as he will us.  

     A psalm of Asaph. 

1  God presides in the great assembly;

    he renders judgment among the ‘gods’:

2  ‘How long will you defend the unjust

    and show partiality to the wicked?

3  Defend the weak and the fatherless;

    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

4  Rescue the weak and the needy;

    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5  ‘The “gods” know nothing, they understand nothing.

    They walk about in darkness;

    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6  ‘I said, “You are ‘gods’;

    you are all sons of the Most High.”

7  But you will die like mere mortals;

    you will fall like every other ruler.’

8  Rise up, O God, judge the earth,

    for all the nations are your inheritance.

Easter Sunday 2024

Christ has risen,

He has risen indeed!  

Considering how many have taken off for the holidays we had a reasonable turnout this morning.  Several new families are appearing, all black African types, with children, which is good indeed.  We need young folks arriving, so many are not as young as they are, and those who were once young are now adolescent and have run off to find themselves.

A visiting retired speaker, whom we know and like, though he is a 'liberal' regarding theology, which is why I will not refer to his sermon as it was somewhat 'loose.'  At times I wondered what he really believes.  The Anglican church in England is indeed a strange place.  

Whoever decided to lose an hours sleep on Easter Sunday requires to be shot in my experience.  I was half asleep all morning, and even though I snoozed once I got home, I am still weary.  Lose an hour next Sunday and it would be OK!  

The weather is grey, the people I passed did not reflect joy and gladness, though dogs heading for the park certainly did.  Traffic was slow, the holidays mean people are away, Easter means chocolate eggs fill the kids hearts, and folks are visiting family.

For the most part we were happy, the visiting vicar loud and cheery which left me exhausted, and people ran for home and a large family lunch.  

I cooked mine in the microwave...

Good Friday 2024

 

Good Friday:  Richards sermon on Palm Sunday appropriate for use here today.