I slept till 7:00 (unthinkable for me) and it was rainy when I woke, so no run today. Coffee, fruit, morning Prayer, home for more coffee and toast, then marking and work on Holy Week service booklets. (Quick in wirintg, not quick running, which I didn’t do.) | Continue reading
I finally got in a weather-able, correctly timed, non-leg-weary run this morning, and at a good time — my rolling average drops below 20:00 for the first time, to 19:50 today. I am sure I’ll have more slow days in weeks to come, but at least I see some progress, which is why I re … | Continue reading
The other morning I was especially stirred when I read the previous night’s headlines from the Fractured States of America, so I went on a tear on Bluesky. This is what I wrote: Look, I hate to say this, but from over here it looks as though the US has turned the corner and enter … | Continue reading
News has come round the Web (via Mike Aubrey) that Carl Conrad, an exceptionally thoughtful, generous classicist-philologist who for a long time taught at Washington University in St Louis. I just posted the following reminiscence at the B-Greek bulletin board, descendant of the … | Continue reading
I had a bit of a lie-in this morning, at least by my standards, waking up at 6:15 and not getting out of the house till after 7:00. I promptly decided that the way my legs felt, I would take today as a restful day — walking and jogging my two miles, but not asking… | Continue reading
Perhaps more to the point, I timed my morning run but botched it somehow — I wasn’t on my best pace, but I am 100% confident that I did not take 2:56 to get around my two miles. No big deal, though if I wasn’t running to time, I wish I had had the chance… | Continue reading
Lovely evening at Exeter with the churchwarden and his sister; high marks for another ancient college (with an exquisite chapel)! It was raining when I woke up at 6:15, so I (with relief) opted not to run. I poured a cup of coffee, had some fruit for breakfast, will clean up and … | Continue reading
Last night, I had the chance to talk with three of the students whom I’ll meet in tutorials for the first time tomorrow. We had good conversations (not about Luke), and Sarah (their HB tutor) has been very encouraging about them. The next four weeks — with my four first-years as … | Continue reading
Not so much physically active, but definitely active on emails and services and sermons and… So, this chilly morning (0° when I ran) I put in my two miles with a new personal best time, one that pulls my rolling average back down to 20:03. I can’t tell you how I made the differen … | Continue reading
The only item on my timetable for today is a pastoral visit to a retired priest in our parish (which ordinarily takes upwards of two hours, sometimes more, since he abounds in story-telling). Apart from that I’m swatting emails when they fly too close to me, and working on a serm … | Continue reading
Two miles at a mid pace, rolling average creeping up to 20:09; coffee and fruit, say Morning raayer, then after a while, coffee and toast; shower, dress, fine-tune sermon (in the ‘Continued’ section), then to church for Mass and sermon. I’ll preside at Evensong tonight. | Continue reading
Let’s see…. Yesterday morning I took an easy, non-timed run. As it turned out, I walked for significant portions of the two miles; my ankles and knees appreciated the gentler treatment. I didn’t even start the clock; I knew from the start that this would be a semi-rest day. Then … | Continue reading
A second sub-20 two miles this week, as once again I surprised myself and lowered the rolling average to 20:02. At this rate, I may attain a five-day average below twenty minutes as early as tomorrow. I didn’t expect my pace to break twenty minutes till warmer weather. Lunch and … | Continue reading
I was tempted to take this morning off timed running, since I knew I was bound to fall back from the inexplicably fast pace of yesterday; but I went ahead and had a good, normal run (bringing my rolling average to 20:14). Coffee, shower, Morning Prayer, quick errands, home for ho … | Continue reading
Startlingly good run this morning — when I saw the time, my first thought was that I must have made a timing mistake somehow. My rolling average drops to 20:32. Coffee, fruit, a bit of marking, shower, Morning Prayer, tutorial, lunch, funeral, then home to tend the ladies while M … | Continue reading
Since it’s sure to be the topique du jour at Synod, I wanted my own position on Welby, Cottrell, Hartley, safeguarding, and rumour to be a matter of public record (even though nobody can be at all interested). First, it seems entirely possible to me that, despite being immersed i … | Continue reading
Shhh — there’s nothing on my diary for today. Plenty on my to-do list; that goes without saying. But I have the latitude to execute such of those errands as best fits my energies and location. I didn’t run this morning; it’s cold and rainy, and prudence suggests to me that I not … | Continue reading
1°, two miles, rolling average of 20:43, coffee and fruit, Morning Prayer (at home), shower, coffee and toast, off to Mass at St Helen’s, home for lunch, back to St Helen’s for a baptism (?), then home to recharge. Since the Steelers aren’t playing in the American football champi … | Continue reading
One reason I get vexed about [biblical] hermeneutics involves the almost universal reflex to treat the topic as ‘How to interpret this kind of text’ without even considering what happens when we interpret texts in the first place — as though we already know that, it’s unproblemat … | Continue reading
It’s cold, it’s wet, and my knee hurts. No run this morning. (I’m considering taking one or two non-timed runs a week, to keep the habit alive while not obliging me to push hard every single morning.) Nothing in my diary this Saturday. I may actually read from a book, or read som … | Continue reading
Good morning run, back on pace (though my average is still higher after Tuesday’s bump up — 20:48). Coffee, shower, Morning Prayer, then I’ll check phone messages at the Parish centre, on to R&R for coffee with Margaret where (heaven permitting) I’ll get some reading done, and in … | Continue reading
The other day I recollected as an oddly fond memory the days when George W. Bush was President of the US, and when people in his orbit would refer to people such as I as ‘nihilists’ because… well, I’m not sure why, but it sounded intellectual and anarchic. Presumably the accusati … | Continue reading
I decided not to run this morning, thinking that my legs deserved a little break from pushing to reach better and better times. I can push them again tomorrow. Coffee (no fruit), showered and dressed, Morning Prayer and some errands at church, home for more coffee and crumpets, d … | Continue reading
I thought I got off to a pretty good start this morning, but evidently I misjudged my pace. My legs were a bit tight, especially after the first two-thirds of a mile or so — when, ordinarily, they begin to relax and stretch out; and the pavements were just a wee bit frosty near t … | Continue reading
Full day yesterday, beginning with a surprisingly good run (average down to 20:23). Then coffee and fruit, shower, Morning Prayer, then directly to an online Safeguarding event, then dashed off to a Home Communion, then straight ahead to Communion by Extension in a care home, at … | Continue reading
Good run this morning — I was surprised by my time — bringing my 5-day rolling average to 20:28. I’m hammering away at that 20:00 mark! Coffee, fruit, sermon refinement, shower, more coffee, toast, pack up for church, this morning at St Michael and All Angels. I haven’t been to S … | Continue reading
In January, I listened to: 1 The Beatles 9 scrobbles 2 Rickie Lee Jones 8 3 Alabama Shakes 6 4 Beyoncé 6 5 Elvis Costello & The Attractions 6 6 Sinéad O’Connor 6 7 Amy Rigby 5 8 Aretha Franklin 5 9 Billie Holiday 5 10 The Fiery Furnaces 5 –according to last.fm. I can’t… | Continue reading
I can’t stay awake tonight, and even if I could, I should go to bed and get a decent night’s sleep before church tomorrow morning, so I have to rely on you all to cheer Duke on tonight against the bad-smelling, misguided, tar-heeled basketball delegation of the University of Nort … | Continue reading
My two miles this morning went at a more measured pace than the last two mornings, but it looks as though I’m continuing to improve because a five-day rolling average just knocks off the oldest time — in this case, the second or third day I was running to a timer. I was still pre … | Continue reading
As of last night, it’s been one year since I was licensed to serve the Parish of Abingdon-on-Thames as their Associate Priest. I had started earlier, since I was already licensed in the diocese, but only on an unofficial basis; for the last year, I’ve been a right down parish vic … | Continue reading
Going to take today as a ‘just run’ day, not going to factor it into my pase average. Better to do it than not, but I don’t feel up to pushing for speed. Change of plan: it’s raining. Nuh-uh, not going to run, walk, or otherwise perambulate. | Continue reading
There are two or more sides to most questions of syntax and punctuation, but I think this caption illustrates the usefulness of the Oxford comma. Source (whose headline would benefit from disambiguation) | Continue reading
Not my running pace, though it was good enough today to keep diminishing my rolling average (down to 20:54), but the day and the productivity pertaining thereunto. Ran, coffee and fruit, confront various oparish and university email tasks, shower, Morning Prayer, bus to Oxford fo … | Continue reading
Thank heaven — the weather has been rubbish, but at least we’re getting more hours of [approximate] daylight. Two miles at a strong pace (rolling average down to 21:07), coffee, shower, Morning Prayer, back home for hot breakfast, staff meeting, lunch… | Continue reading
Ran my two miles, felt all right, rain held off while I was out, which was more than I was expecting. My rolling average is down to 20:52; I’ll be pleased when I get back to 20:00, which I think I remember was my time back before I stopped counting. Weight back toward 77 kg.… | Continue reading
Two more miles (rolling avg now 21.55), in chilly, breezy weather — just before it started raining. Coffee, no fruit at hand, shower, Morning Prayer, hurried home make another cup of coffee, toast, then to participate in an online Safeguarding workshop. | Continue reading
I just looked at the cameo photos of the original cast of Twin Peaks as they’re shown on on Apple TV, and if you’ll excuse me, now I need to go make a reservation for a pensioners’ home. In a hurry. | Continue reading
Got up, ran two miles in chilly but dry weather, at a pace a shade better than average (rolling avg now at 21:46), coffee and a banana, edit short homily for the 8:00, shower, dress, 8:00 service, coffee in town while I work through and edit the sermon for the 11:15, then led the … | Continue reading
Ran this morning, an adequate pace. The four-day rolling average for these timed days is 21:49 for two miles: nothing noteworthy, but it’s this pace that I’ll be trying to improve. Delicious shower — why are some showers more satisfactory than others, when the shower itself is ex … | Continue reading
For most of my adult life, I had an occasional glass of wine at dinner, or a bottle of beer with my burrito or burger, but really didn’t drink much at all. That changed dramatically when we moved to Glasgow, where it was common for friends to gather at the local (one of the local … | Continue reading
It’s raining, the winds are steadily in the mid-twenties MPH, gusting into the 40s, so no I think I shan’t run this morning. (I’m looking dubiously at my other outdoor obligations.) Coffee and fruit, I’ll freshen up and go to Morning Prayer, then a Pastoral Care meeting with my P … | Continue reading
I haven’t made a farewell note — I probably won’t, to be honest — but I’m trying to unstick myself from Facebook and Twitter (BlueSky seems non-toxic so far, with a robust fountain pen community, and Insta, however much I mistrust Meta/Zuck, makes Margaret laugh). My hope-plan en … | Continue reading
Got my miles in, at a slightly better time than yesterday. I’ll give a rolling average after my next run. Coffee and fruit, shower, Morning Prayer, ran some errands, coffee and toast, accomplished some work tasks, now it’s time for lunch. More tasks after lunch. | Continue reading
There’s still more than a week of January left? How can that be? | Continue reading
Two miles (adequate pace, will give a rolling average once I figure it out in a spreadsheet), coffee and hot breakfast, shower and Morning Prayer, safeguarding workshop homework and Staff Meeting, then — heaven permitting — some time to take care of other miscellanea. | Continue reading
Two miles, at an inglorious pace (which time I won’t disclose here just yet), coffee and fruit, shower, Morning Prayer, coffee and toast, started a PixelFed account. Now to resolve some marking debts, referee a submission, maybe read a little today, and prepare for a thrill-packe … | Continue reading
We did well at the Mayor’s pub quiz at the Crown & Thistle; no sport questions and most of the music questions involved music that did well in the US (and also, little to no house/club music); we finished toward the middle of the pack, perhaps the upper middle. Yesterday, two mil … | Continue reading
Pub quiz tonight, so I’ll have to ratchet up my recall… Two miles, hot breakfast, Morning Prayer (at home), time to do something productive, or just read. | Continue reading