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When Congregationalist Labour Leader Harold Wilson lost the 1970 general election, a No 10 official remarked “When he stopped being Prime Minister, he missed most of all his Tuesday appointments” (quoted in Ben Pimlott’s 1992 biography Harold Wilson). These appointments were with Elizabeth II.

I recently watched Carry On Sergeant, an early (‘classic?’) Carry On Film from 1958. Made in the days before the franchise became known for its double entendre and smutty comments, it tells the story of a platoon of young men receiving their training for National Service. There are some genuinely funny moments and clever dialogue. One in particular, a brief conversation between an officer and a servicemen on parade, made me laugh:

“Your rank?“ 

“If you say so.”

I went out for a walk the other day.  It was a beautiful morning; winter trees silhouetted against a clear blue sky; breezy, but not cold.  Passing one particular section of woodland, my attention was caught by a sound I don’t ever remember hearing before.  The breeze must have been blowing from just the right direction and at just the right strength, so that all the trees were swaying and knocking against each other.  It was a lovely sound, slow, deep, and sonorous, a stately rhythm on giant woodblocks.  I was reminded of the words of the Lord in Isaiah: And all the trees of the field sha

I finished visiting some church folk about 7.30 one evening last week. Concluding it wasn’t worth the expense of lighting the fire, I decided to go and do my weekly shop. I had a voucher- £6 off if I spent £60 or more. I therefore carefully travelled the aisles, stocking up on items to reach the level at which the discount would kick in. After some time I arrived at the checkout only for a warning alarm to sound. Was it a fire? A robbery? In turned out that the escalator was leaking oil and spirting it out.