Not 
all cardinals have spotless reputations. “Not the Whole Truth” (1971) the partial autobiography of Cardinal John Heenan contains the following vignette:
“One of our escapades (invariably leading to an official complaint to the school) was to change compartments (of the train) between stations. This involved climbing out of our compartments and walking along the footboards. It can be dangerous even to lean out of a window…We foolish boys were unaware of the potential suicidal aspect of our exploits – misadventure is never very far from youthful adventures. We were delighted to shock the adult passengers. We were not malicious. It was only that we were too immature to appreciate that it was not very clever to alarm our elders.”
Nice Things
My Part of the River
I hav
e just finished reading My Part of the River (1974) by Grace Foakes which deals with much of her childhood and early adulthood in Wapping (East London). Grace Foakes was born the year Queen Victoria died (1901) and would thus have been ten years younger than my grandmother (Alice Luck) – so much of what Grace writes has family resonances. One quotation which sticks out is: “They were happy days in that close-knit community. The feeling of belonging outclassed everything else. There was poverty, disease, dirt and ignorance, and yet to feel one belonged outweighed all else.”
O Tempera O Mores
This afternoon Alice (described on the invitation as my consort) & I went to St. Mary’s, Hadleigh for a service of celebration to mark the Queen’s accession to the throne some sixty years ago.
And very nice it was. The ushers weren’t sure whether we qualified for the second row from the front but in the end decided that we were. (The lady with the list not being “on seat” at the required time ”.
It was a well thought out service with something to appeal to everyone. Traditionalists got an articulation of the Privy Council’s accession declaration and the modernists got “You are My Sunshine” by a group of schoolchildren. We sang two verses of the National Anthem. Usually we only sing the first verse. The thought occurred to me that even with two verses Her Maj was being short changed and that we were being prevented from wishing a dissing on the Scots and other foreigners whose knavish tricks required confounding. But only two verses are shown on the web site http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/NationalAnthem.aspx
Further research (http://ingeb.org/songs/godsaveo.htm) shows that there were six verses and two of the more interesting and sadly now ignored ones are as follows:
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies And make them fall;
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all!
Lord grant that Marshal Wade*
May by thy mighty aid Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the King!
*Wade was involved in the suppression of the Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745.
Home-Start Babergh
Yesterday, Alice & I attended a fund raising dinner at the Brett Vale Golf Club in aid of Home-Start Babergh.
I was vaguely aware of them previously through the modest support provided by Babergh District Council. So I was interested to learn that Home-Start Babergh is an independent charity operating as part of Home-Start UK. The important bit is that they recruit, train and provide volunteers to work with families in times of need.
Their support is available to families that have at least one child under five; it is given through home visits by the volunteers and through support group meetings, where children can play together, supervised by a play leader, whilst parents meet with each other and with Home-Start staff. In many cases, the support is complementary to that of the professional agencies. The volunteer will be there for the family as a friend and confidant during a time of stress or difficulty.
Home-Start Babergh is one of several regional “Home-Starts”. It has a team of over 50 volunteers who, in the main, visit families in their homes. All have undergone training appropriate to their individual roles, and all conform with child protection guidelines and legislation.
During the 12 months ending 31st March 2011 Home-Start Babergh supported 98 families, including a total 0f 253 children. 57 families were supported by home visits only and 41 families were supported in Home-Start Babergh Family Groups.
More info on http://www.home-startbabergh.co.uk/au_what.htm
Candlemas 2012
Thursday’s The Times contained a very short article explaining the current weather experiences (something to do with cold air from the arctic creeping over or by passing the Urals) and quoted the rhyme: “If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, winter will have another bite. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter is gone and will not come again. Well Candlemas Day was clear and bright and extremely cold and the cold is forecast to continue for a while– so no surprises there. We planted a pear tree in the garden on Thursday. I usually try to avoid appearing in the vanguard of fashionable thought, but I notice that our own dear queen was doing much the same thing at her Sandringham estate – so I guess we are with the zeitgeist.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2096079/The-Queen-wears-head-scarf-protects-Siberian-cold-Jubilee-tree-planting-ceremony.html
The Anchor, Woodbridge
We were in Woodbridge today and found ourselves in the ridiculous position of being surrounded by restaurants and not fancying anything on the various showcased menus. So we strolled down Quay Street but the Moorish Lounge was closed and at the back of my mind I recalled seeing a recent advert for the Anchor. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186387-d1888346-r80287310-The_Anchor-Woodbridge_Ipswich_Suffolk_East_Anglia_England.html) Madam had the root vegetable soup (very thick and definitely not for sharing) and I had the Cajun Seared Salmon. They cheerfully accepted our requirements of no bread, potatoes or rice and acknowledged that side salads would be acceptable. The food was good and the service was cheerful and efficient. The atmosphere and the log fire were just what we needed on a coolish day with the wind off the water. Definitely on the list for revisiting. Photo courtesy of http://www.suffolkcamra.co.uk/pubs/images/thumbnails/pub/1025.jpeg
Who wears the dog collar?
Today’s column by Damien Thompson in the Telegraph (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100128028/opus-dei-and-the-patron-saint-of-electronic-eavesdroppers/) reports as follows:
More trouble i
n the Anglican Communion, I’m sorry to relate. Traditionalists in Canada have taken offence because a woman priest, the Rev Marguerite Rea of St Peter’s, Toronto, gave communion to a dog – specifically, a German Shepherd cross called Trapper. Ms Rea explained that this was “a simple act of reaching out” to a new congregation member and his pet. Alas, the Synod has yet to approve extending the sacrament to dogs – and I predict a fuss when the proposal does come up, not least from cat owners who will feel excluded. Also, as my Catholic priest friend Fr Tim Finigan points out on his blog, (http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/ ) “an incidental problem for trendies wanting to give the wafer to dogs is that they are not likely to follow the more modern practice of receiving in the hand”.
À la recherche du temps perdu
For Proust it was the taste of a madeleine cake dipped in tea which inspired a nostalgic incident of involuntary memory. For me it is the aroma of mushy peas and chips in Norwich market which reminds me of boyhood holidays in East Anglia. Recently Hadleigh’s Friday fishmonger has been stocking Nile Perch steaks which with a Pernod Sauce instantly reminds me of the Mamba Point restaurant in Kampala. –Oh happy memories! (http://www.mamba-point.com/. But last week’s involuntary memory was brought about by a trip to Calais for Christmas shopping and a break with good friends of long standing. I handled the Eurotunnel travel arrangements (no cross channel voyages in December!) and Adrian sourced the hotel. Which is how we came to stay at the nuit d’ailleurs (http://www.nuit-dailleurs.com/modulosite2/accueil-chambres-hotes.htm). It is a small B&B in the heart of Calais with four themed rooms (the Pekin, the Bombay, the Agadir and the Phuket). Apart from my allergy to feather pillo
ws it all went well. We stayed in the Bombay and our friends had the Pekin. We were the only visitors. The B&B is well rated. My involuntary memory was that it reminded me of the hotel in What’s New Pussy Cat. Our conclusion on the way home was that it was a nice place for married couples (before they were married).
The Stowupland Cockerels
One 
problem of many communities is that of incomers who wish to change a world which has gone on for centuries. A good example is people who complain about Church bells being too loud and intrusive.
Normally, people (including Councils) just shrug their shoulders and tell the complainants to get on with their lives. Sometimes the spirit of live and let live prevails and everything goes on as normal. At other times the local council feels obliged to serve noise abatement orders on the offending parties.
One such case reached the newspapers last month when Nick Stutchbury was fined £50 plus £300 costs for noise from his cockerels. And then the Small/Big society came into its own. The East Anglian Daily Times reports that Mr. Stutchbury’s supporters at his local pub have raised the money needed to pay the fine and the court costs. Mr. Stutchbury is described as “a gentle fellow who makes bit of a living from selling eggs.”
It’s what living in the countryside is all about and if you do not like it – then look to live somewhere else.
The original report was on the 3rd November. See http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/stowmarket_man_is_fined_over_his_noisy_cockerels_1_1115836 for more details – especially the comments
An Appreciation of Dogs
“Come to lunch” they said. “Oh and bring the dog, the garden is secure. “Hmm, I doubt it very much.
It is lovely to be invited out and there is nothing Tia likes more than lunch in the garden and a new challenge of fences and shrubs to be breached!
Fear not, we now attach a length of string to Tia’s collar with a large empty milk carton in tow.
With luck we can finish lunch before working out how to reel her back in!
An Ode to Tia
You are so cute
You are so sweet
You are so dainty and petite
How could one so proud and haughty
Stoop to be so very naughty!
Sweetness flows from every pore
How can I help but to adore.
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