Bernie and I are off to Oxford this weekend. I'm picking her up from her University, and she's visiting friends who are studying there, while I have a reunion of old friends, some of whom I haven't seen since student days.
I am also looking forward to Mass at the Oratory, my late mother's parish church, and of course to a few hours in the wonderfully refurbished Ashmolean.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Sunday, 2 January 2011
New Year
A Happy New Year to both my readers...
We had a great New Year: a counter-cultural family came to stay (as they do every new year) and so we went for lots of walks in the day time and played lots of games as the evenings drew in, as well as musical and dramatic entertainment from the kids.
This year's show was Peter Pan, including the adaptation of a current hit (originally by Elton John) for the Crocodile (played by Goldie decorated with green tinsel) which began:
It's a little bit funny - this ticking inside...
And as they are a Catholic family too, they came to Mass, joined in saying prayers and so on. As ever, what we strive for is that mix of Faith and Fun: it seems to be a winning combination.
We had a great New Year: a counter-cultural family came to stay (as they do every new year) and so we went for lots of walks in the day time and played lots of games as the evenings drew in, as well as musical and dramatic entertainment from the kids.
This year's show was Peter Pan, including the adaptation of a current hit (originally by Elton John) for the Crocodile (played by Goldie decorated with green tinsel) which began:
It's a little bit funny - this ticking inside...
And as they are a Catholic family too, they came to Mass, joined in saying prayers and so on. As ever, what we strive for is that mix of Faith and Fun: it seems to be a winning combination.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Monday, 4 May 2009
A good weekend...
Ant, Charlie and Dom were away for the weekend, camping with some friends; Bernie opted to stay at home as she had some work to do for her Art GCSE coursework. So I had a fairly free Saturday, and was able to mend my bike and dig the garden.
I guess we'll never know what that old tease Voltaire meant at the end of Candide, but I always find gardening very therapeutic. Particularly in our case, where the garden we inherited had been neglected for years, then transformed into a building site while we had some work done; so it is now a matter of reclaiming yard after hard-fought yard. But we make progress.
On Sunday, after Mass (where our PP once again preached (on unity and loyalty) in a way that shows why he should be a traditionalist, if only he hadn't been brainwashed at seminary...) we went to our friends to help pack up the camp, have a picnic lunch, play rounders, mess about, chat, eat drink, and get home very late indeed.
The kids had (ours and theirs) had all survived th camping, despite the cold; and they all get on really well, so a good time was had by all.
I guess we'll never know what that old tease Voltaire meant at the end of Candide, but I always find gardening very therapeutic. Particularly in our case, where the garden we inherited had been neglected for years, then transformed into a building site while we had some work done; so it is now a matter of reclaiming yard after hard-fought yard. But we make progress.
On Sunday, after Mass (where our PP once again preached (on unity and loyalty) in a way that shows why he should be a traditionalist, if only he hadn't been brainwashed at seminary...) we went to our friends to help pack up the camp, have a picnic lunch, play rounders, mess about, chat, eat drink, and get home very late indeed.
The kids had (ours and theirs) had all survived th camping, despite the cold; and they all get on really well, so a good time was had by all.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Our New Charismatic Friends
A while ago, and somewhat against my prejudices, we went to a Charismatic day run by a group called something like 'For Christ's Sake.'
I have always had some reservations about the Charismatic Renewal. I like their ardour, but find their approach to liturgy hard to take; further some Charismatic Catholics seem more loyal to the Charismatic Renewal than to the Church.
In many ways, the day reflected my prejudices: lots of enthusiasm and positive thinking, and a Mass I found very difficult: I incline more to Latin, Gregorian Chant, and reverence than to hand waving, bass'n'drums and very active participation in that Charismatic interpretation of those words. And as for their taste in music...
However, we liked the couple running it, and yesterday they came round for the day, with their three boys.
We enjoyed the day enormously. Their boys, younger than ours, knew how to play (not something we always find in visiting children); they settled in well with our four, enjoyed playing in the garden and going for a walk, ate their food in a civilised fashion and so on. Immediately we were inclined to recognise their parents as doing a lot right.
Meanwhile we were chatting with their parents and were hugely impressed: people of real faith, orthodox and committed to evangelisation. Delightful people without that 'holy' veneer that can be so off-putting, but a more profound and reflective faith. The father works as a jobbing builder, but not a great deal at present: there is so much to do for their community. So really, they live by charity, relying on Providence to run their missionary work and support their family. They strike me as more counter-cultural than us, which I particularly like.
Which leaves us with a real dilemma: we are keen to support them and the work they are doing, but I can't see us going to any more of their Masses; nor do I yet feel we know them well enough to explain why without risking hurting them and being misunderstood....
I have always had some reservations about the Charismatic Renewal. I like their ardour, but find their approach to liturgy hard to take; further some Charismatic Catholics seem more loyal to the Charismatic Renewal than to the Church.
In many ways, the day reflected my prejudices: lots of enthusiasm and positive thinking, and a Mass I found very difficult: I incline more to Latin, Gregorian Chant, and reverence than to hand waving, bass'n'drums and very active participation in that Charismatic interpretation of those words. And as for their taste in music...
However, we liked the couple running it, and yesterday they came round for the day, with their three boys.
We enjoyed the day enormously. Their boys, younger than ours, knew how to play (not something we always find in visiting children); they settled in well with our four, enjoyed playing in the garden and going for a walk, ate their food in a civilised fashion and so on. Immediately we were inclined to recognise their parents as doing a lot right.
Meanwhile we were chatting with their parents and were hugely impressed: people of real faith, orthodox and committed to evangelisation. Delightful people without that 'holy' veneer that can be so off-putting, but a more profound and reflective faith. The father works as a jobbing builder, but not a great deal at present: there is so much to do for their community. So really, they live by charity, relying on Providence to run their missionary work and support their family. They strike me as more counter-cultural than us, which I particularly like.
Which leaves us with a real dilemma: we are keen to support them and the work they are doing, but I can't see us going to any more of their Masses; nor do I yet feel we know them well enough to explain why without risking hurting them and being misunderstood....
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