Strength

I came across another brilliant Iona promotional video on YouTube. It’s advertising their double DVD, “Live at ULU” — from a couple of years ago. I think I’ll have to add it to my Christmas present list. I imagine they’re quite something to watch live — one day, maybe!

Worrying about the Blog

Following on from Saturday’s post, where I mentioned me being a “worrier”, I thought I would attempt to gain some information that just might help me to remove one worry; namely, this blog. “Worrying” is probably not the right word to be using in this case — “concern”, or even just “thoughts”, might be better.

I haven’t been particularly well again this past week or so. It’s the same old problem. But, because I haven’t been feeling so good, I’ve been relying more than usual on some of the really helpful features of WordPress: draft posting; and future posting. I’ve usually got a couple of posts part written, or even fully written, and saved as a draft post ready to be published when I’m ready for it. And I very often write a post one day, and set it to publish the next. The posts I’ll have in draft form will be such things as “Inspirational Stories” and “Jokes”, the kind of thing that isn’t date-dependent.

Focus
Using those posts this week got me thinking/worrying about the blog, and particularly its focus. For a long while after starting the blog I very rarely posted anything other than my reflection based on the Collect, which meant that the blog was really focussed on one thing. But recently I’ve been adding more things in on a regular basis, “Inspirational Stories”; “Jokes”; my recent “Sermons”; and now the “Friday Foto” too, plus a few other miscellaneous items. Those new items have, I think, changed the focus of the blog completely.

I guess I’m really just wondering if that is okay, or if it would be better to keep the original, much tighter, focus on here and maybe start another more general type blog elsewhere. I would value the opinion of anyone who reads my blog on this — whether through the comments here, or through the “Contact” form linked in the main navigation menu above. Do, please, let me know what you think.

Front page
I’ve also been wondering about the front page. Currently, I display just the last couple of posts, and usually in full (unless they are particularly long). I just wonder if it might be preferable to show more posts, but only the first paragraph or two; then you would need to click a link to read the full post. Again, do please let me know what you think, through the comments or the “Contact” form.

A shock
As a self-confessed worrier, I received something of a shock a few days ago, connected to the blog. I don’t get too concerned about the various statistics that are available about any website. But I do keep a bit of an eye on things occasionally. I use WordPresses own Blog Stats plugin. One of the things it will give an indication on is the search terms that have been used that pointed to the site. And there in the list of search terms last week was, “funeral paul sibley”.

As a worrier who hasn’t been feeling at all well, that really made me sit up and take notice!

Here I Stand

I first came across the group, Iona, soon after they released their first Album back in 1990. Since then I’ve bought several (six) of their albums. They’re all on my little 2gb mp3 player, and are all played frequently.

While browsing YouTube recently, I came across this promotional video for the group.

The Wild Goose, in the song lyrics, is the symbol used in Celtic Christianity to represent God’s Holy Spirit.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Chaos

The English language can be incredibly complicated. I gather that it’s considered to be one of the most difficult to learn, or at least master, for those needing to learn it as an adult. It isn’t hard to start seeing the reasons for that — especially if you happen to read this poem I found.

It’s a poem that demonstrates, wonderfully, the irregularity of English spelling and pronunciation — it includes some 800 examples! The Chaos was written by Gerard Nolst Trenité (1870-1946), also known under the pseudonym Charivarius.

I’m English, and would consider myself to have a reasonably good grasp of the language. But I cannot read this through without having to pause several times to decide on pronunciation. Try reading it aloud yourself.

ASBO Jesus passes comment

ASBO Jesus has passed comment in his own inimitable style on one of the hot topics currently doing the rounds of the Christian and, to a certain extent, political, blogosphere.

Dave Walker writes one of my favourite blogs, which has been linked to in my sidebar since starting this blog: The Cartoon Blog. He’s been served a cease-and-desist notice because he’s allowed his blog to become a focus for information surrounding the takeover of the SPCK bookshops by SSG. I’ve followed the story on there for some time, and always felt that Dave has done a good job with the way he’s handled the subject, and not allowed the comments to go overboard, as they could so easily have done at times.

He also happens to be the artist-in-residence at the Lambeth Conference, one of the biggest jobs in his career to date. So this has all happened at a pretty bad time for Dave, with regards to defending and/or fighting this notice. He has therefore acceded to the notice — at least for the time being.

Today, I visited another of my favourite blogs, ASBO Jesus, to find a typically witty and thought-provoking cartoon by Jon there. I always like the way Jon cuts through all the baggage and gets right to the point in his cartoons.

To read more about the background to this, and see what’s happening with the subsequent campaign, see An Introductory Guide, and A Press Room Post, and several other posts on The Wardman Wire

Wheelie bin cross today

It isn’t often I get angry about anything. I’m really quite an easy-going chap. But today I got really cross following a letter that popped through our letter box with today’s post, concerning our wheelie bins. Now that I’ve calmed down, I just couldn’t resist the somewhat “punny” title. And following Steve’s suggestion that I post more, thought I would write about it here — even though it is completely off topic for the blog.

The paragraph of the letter that annoyed me was:

Our waste disposal operatives have reported that you are leaving bins on the public highway on a non collection day. Failure to return bins to your premises following collection in an offence under section 46 of the Environmental Act 1990.

Nowhere in the letter, and certainly not in that paragraph, is there any indication that this letter may have been sent to anyone else other than me. It annoyed me because I know that what is said above just does not happen. The bins are normally put out around midnight the night before they are due for collection. And, as I’m usually around when they’re emptied, most of the time they’re brought back in with thirty minutes of collection. On the odd occasion that I’m out, they’re brought in no later than late afternoon.

I guessed that the letter is probably something that has been sent to a number of people in the area, because there are people living close by who leave their bins out for several days, before and after collection. But, as I say, there’s nothing to indicate that in the letter.

So I got cross because this letter is accusing me of something I know I haven’t done. But I can imagine it being very scary for some people — a frail pensioner that is already struggling with these big wheelie bins, for instance.

I got so cross, in fact, that I rung the District Council to complain — something I very rarely do. Of course, I couldn’t get to speak to the person who the letter was supposed to have been written by, she’s on long term sick leave. So I spoke to someone who said they would get someone else from the department concerned to ring me back, but it might not be until next week. However, surprisingly, I did get a ring back today.

The person who rang me was very helpful, and assured me that this letter was something sent to everybody in the area, and took on board my complaint about the way it is worded. I was, as it happens, the first of quite a long list of people he had to ring back from the same Court as I live in, so it sounds as though I’m not the only one to get cross, or upset, about this letter. He is probably experiencing quite a torrid afternoon, even as I’m writing this. And quite rightly so too. I just hope that no completely innocent people have been scared by the very legal sounding way it’s written.

I hope the next letter that pops through our letter box from the District Council is an apology for today’s.