20170731
Dunkirk
Last night I joined the young lads here on a trip to the Big Screen to watch Dunkirk. I was impressed though harrowed. One could hardly fail to be impressed. And if you were not harrowed then you are inhuman. Although it might have helped to have read up about it beforehand as I am slow to join the dots... There is no point in me describing the film - check out the reviews if you will - but I will make reference to the sound track - which was Awesome. I loved Hans Zimmer's rendition of Elgar's Nimrod when the boats finally arrive, a fitting plagiarism for what was so very eminently an English thing. And Zimmer's use of the Shepard Tone - which reminded me of my blog post titled Cathedral sounds.
Thou shalt not
Timothy update 26 Jul: no new is good news, but still limited contact with other people in order to reduce the chance of infection.
Asher update 24 July: This is Asher's first bath in over 8 weeks! We are down to one tiny little dressing that I can redress every day.
Good news, but the journey is not through yet...
Asher update 24 July: This is Asher's first bath in over 8 weeks! We are down to one tiny little dressing that I can redress every day.
Good news, but the journey is not through yet...
20170728
20170721
Community is...
Arriving at the appointed 18:00 for the evening meal and finding no-one else is there.
Apart from the kitchen staff. When as a boy I attended church with my parents, there was a family who lived in a building adjoining the church so they had only a few steps to go - and yet they consistently arrived late. Maybe a pattern - the shorter the journey the more likely folk are to arrive late.
When working for the BBC an important meeting was called by the department head and I arrived just a few minutes late. I was lambasted with the usual there are 12 people here and we've all had to wait 5 minutes for you - that adds up to an hour of time! I have never forgotten that reprimand.
Apart from the kitchen staff. When as a boy I attended church with my parents, there was a family who lived in a building adjoining the church so they had only a few steps to go - and yet they consistently arrived late. Maybe a pattern - the shorter the journey the more likely folk are to arrive late.
When working for the BBC an important meeting was called by the department head and I arrived just a few minutes late. I was lambasted with the usual there are 12 people here and we've all had to wait 5 minutes for you - that adds up to an hour of time! I have never forgotten that reprimand.
20170719
Panic
I mentioned my panic attack in a recent post and some time earlier too. I blame my fear of water on bad experiences in the bath as a baby. Wikipedia defines panic as a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety. Which goes plain contrary to the usual instinct for self preservation - how does that work?
And how would I have fared two days in a dark underwater cave running out of oxygen? I like to think I am a survivor but, frankly and thankfully, I haven't yet had all that much to survive from.
And how would I have fared two days in a dark underwater cave running out of oxygen? I like to think I am a survivor but, frankly and thankfully, I haven't yet had all that much to survive from.
20170718
Switzerland - walk to Lake Zurich
As promised, here are some pictures from our afternoon stroll down to the lakeside and back. We passed some notable buildings - the older buildings in Zurich appear to be very robust.
And then we discovered (entirely by accident) Kirche Enge, or translated into the vernacular "narrow church". It was almost was wide as it was long, so clearly not narrow in that sense. But it had an organ. I may have mentioned that I like organs. This one appeared to be under renovation as there were large numbers of pipes stacked in in the balcony.
You will be aware that a decent organ is split into a number of divisions or organs of which the great, swell and pedal are the most well known. The pipes you see will belong to the great or pedal. Pipes in the swell are housed in a box with shutters that can be opened or closed to regulate the volume. And then there is the echo organ which is located distant from the console in order to give an echo effect.
From the inside the apex of the dome is a false interior window. The exterior dome towers far above this and is built to illuminate said window. The echo organ or Fernwerk (translates as "remote") is apparently located in this void as I discovered from the stock photo below. Which I figured was kind of cool. I would have liked to have heard the organ playing.
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| Robust building |
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| I think this chap was looking (in vain) for money |
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| Not sure what this splendid splodge of human flesh was about |
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| This one was made of glass |
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| Sad, but couldn't get any closer though |
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| Some park or other |
And then we discovered (entirely by accident) Kirche Enge, or translated into the vernacular "narrow church". It was almost was wide as it was long, so clearly not narrow in that sense. But it had an organ. I may have mentioned that I like organs. This one appeared to be under renovation as there were large numbers of pipes stacked in in the balcony.
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| Kirche Enge |
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| Organ pipes stacked in the balcony |
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| A few up there too |
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| The congregation |
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| Cool windows (not 10) |
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| The organ manifest |
You will be aware that a decent organ is split into a number of divisions or organs of which the great, swell and pedal are the most well known. The pipes you see will belong to the great or pedal. Pipes in the swell are housed in a box with shutters that can be opened or closed to regulate the volume. And then there is the echo organ which is located distant from the console in order to give an echo effect.
From the inside the apex of the dome is a false interior window. The exterior dome towers far above this and is built to illuminate said window. The echo organ or Fernwerk (translates as "remote") is apparently located in this void as I discovered from the stock photo below. Which I figured was kind of cool. I would have liked to have heard the organ playing.
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| The dome from the outside |
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| Stock photo of dome interior |
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| Stock photo of fernwerk above the dome |
20170717
Switzerland run #3
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| I travelled anticlockwise, total 12.1 miles |
Whilst seeking an entrance to the network of wanderwegs covering the hills I found myself at a dead end facing a boar. I hastily retraced my steps.
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| A boring photo |
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| From near the Käferberg summit looking NW |
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| Lake Zurich in the distance |
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| A mill on the Limmat |
Hill'ed out, the next place of interest was the river. Whereas others may go to cities to ogle at buildings or spend money in shops and restaurants. I wanted to explore the Werdinsel island between the mill race in my photo and the Limmat proper, but there was no bridge on this side and by the time I had ran further to find the first bridge I was tired enough to give it a miss. Having checked it out since, I wish I had, because the island includes the Flussbad Au-Höngg a public swimming area apparently renowned for naked swimming. Not that I would particularly want to swim naked in company.
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| Crossing the Limmat by footbridge |
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| Handy boardwalk avoided the sharp stony footpaths |
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| Bridge over Limmat to Werdinsel island |
Whilst I agree that Switzerland is tops when it comes to public transport and its amazing network of signposted wanderwegs, I have this much against them - many of the paths are dressed with sharp stones that do not make my feet happy.
River'ed out the next point of interest was the railway. My route had been vaguely planned to cross over the railway rather than under it as in the outward journey, and I was not disappointed. According to Wikipedia Switzerland not only has the world's most dense railway network but it is also world leader of kilometres travelled per inhabitant and year. The gauge is standard.
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| Looking towards Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zürich HB) |
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| Ditto, a bit further across the bridge |
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| Ditto, even further across the bridge |
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| And a map of what we are looking at... |
Not the double slip in the second photo and, generally, the gentle radius on all the points - as precise as a Swiss watch!
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| Kate's apartment - imagine Swiss cheese on the table |
On returning to the apartment Kate was there waiting for me having managed to skip work somehow. So after refuelling with Swizz cheese and bread we walked together to the lake. But pictures from that walk will have to wait for another post.
20170716
Switzerland run #2
I suppose my second run must have the same day as my first. The idea was to suss out those hilly bits north of the city, but it was hot and I was tired so I aborted in favour of exploring the river Limmat. As a result I discovered the Letten River Pool, clearly a favourite swimming place. It is in fact a mill race and on passing through the, I suppose disused, mill it empties back into the Limmat.
The Limmat proper passes over a weir at the head end of the Letten pool, with the confluence of the Sihl river just below the weir. Possibly most of the Limmat flow goes along the mill race. It is, in any event, about 25m wide, over 400m long, probably 5m deep, and with a constant current that I later found almost impossible to swim against. In short a swimmer's paradise. Apart from all the other people there! Click on these photos to see them full resolution.
On reporting back Kate decided a swim was better than study so off we went together to experience the Letten pool for ourselves. Here's Kate starting upstream and letting the current do most of the work. I did it too but could not very well photograph myself, and in any case funked it - I panicked a bit (I don't like being out of my depth) but managed to complete the course but refused to go in again.
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| Letten pool mill |
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| Weir at head end of the Letten pool, river Sihl on right |
The Limmat proper passes over a weir at the head end of the Letten pool, with the confluence of the Sihl river just below the weir. Possibly most of the Limmat flow goes along the mill race. It is, in any event, about 25m wide, over 400m long, probably 5m deep, and with a constant current that I later found almost impossible to swim against. In short a swimmer's paradise. Apart from all the other people there! Click on these photos to see them full resolution.
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| Kornhausbrücke bridge - Caught in the act! (not me) |
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| Letten pool deck |
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| Letten pool from south end (weir on left) |
On reporting back Kate decided a swim was better than study so off we went together to experience the Letten pool for ourselves. Here's Kate starting upstream and letting the current do most of the work. I did it too but could not very well photograph myself, and in any case funked it - I panicked a bit (I don't like being out of my depth) but managed to complete the course but refused to go in again.
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| Start |
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| Almost home! |
20170715
The foolishness of preaching
Dictionaries define "preach" somewhat unhelpfully as the art of delivering a sermon, and a "sermon" as a talk given during a church service. I would go further and suggest it is a means for a leader to communicate his or her beliefs to the masses. Charisma, peer pressure and even hysteria can be contributory to the apparent success of this operation. The apostle Paul remarks that it is foolishness, but concedes that it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
I was brought up in a Christian family and have attended church meetings fairly consistently from an early age. As such I might have endured over 3,000 sermons in my life, so I figure I have some basis on which to judge preachers. The vast majority made no apparent impression on me. Some I remember for the wrong reasons: one for his sheer ear-piercing volume and passion, another a lovable man with a twinkle in his eye and humorous illustrations, several who jump up and down in a bizarre fashion, others who drone on monotonously and interminably. A very few stand out as having changed my life. One, I have no recollection of who or what he said, resulted in me committing my life to God.
Some people have the "gift of the gab": I do not. There are folk who can talk the hind legs off a donkey, who can command an audience, can even effect change in the listeners - but that does not necessarily equate with Godly anointing. For me the simplest, the shortest utterances, whether in or out of a meeting, have affected my life the most.
And besides there are other media whereby truth can be promulgated: books, films, music, art immediately come to mind, and to this I might add the humble blog.
A church service generally commands a sizeable congregation. Although I can remember accompanying my father to a mission hall where he was due to speak: I think the only people present were the mission hall's pastor and his family. I put half a crown in the offering on that occasion and this was a lot of money to me at the time (equals 5 standard chocolate bars). After the meeting the pastor gave us a gift towards our travelling expenses out of the offering. Had I put more in doubtless we would have got more out!
But whether or not there is, at the time of delivery, an audience for a sermon or for any other medium is not necessarily a measure of its success. Many, perhaps most of the best, artists have gone unrecognised in their lifetime and have died in poverty. Indeed, taking a short-term view, one could conclude that Jesus' ministry was a failure. But in retrospect it has certainly stood the test of time.
I have been criticised for setting down my thoughts in this blog as opposed to using more conventional media. But to write a lengthy book I cannot, and when I speak publicly my thoughts get tied up in knots and I do not say what I mean, and I am no artist.
Not that long ago I was counselled to drop a conviction I had (and still have) because "it obviously wasn't working". True, it was not, and still is not apparently "working" but I do not consider that this is a proper test of whether or not it was valid. The longer I get in the tooth the more I realise that the common measure of success in life is not necessarily, indeed is rarely, the right measure.
I was brought up in a Christian family and have attended church meetings fairly consistently from an early age. As such I might have endured over 3,000 sermons in my life, so I figure I have some basis on which to judge preachers. The vast majority made no apparent impression on me. Some I remember for the wrong reasons: one for his sheer ear-piercing volume and passion, another a lovable man with a twinkle in his eye and humorous illustrations, several who jump up and down in a bizarre fashion, others who drone on monotonously and interminably. A very few stand out as having changed my life. One, I have no recollection of who or what he said, resulted in me committing my life to God.
Some people have the "gift of the gab": I do not. There are folk who can talk the hind legs off a donkey, who can command an audience, can even effect change in the listeners - but that does not necessarily equate with Godly anointing. For me the simplest, the shortest utterances, whether in or out of a meeting, have affected my life the most.
And besides there are other media whereby truth can be promulgated: books, films, music, art immediately come to mind, and to this I might add the humble blog.
A church service generally commands a sizeable congregation. Although I can remember accompanying my father to a mission hall where he was due to speak: I think the only people present were the mission hall's pastor and his family. I put half a crown in the offering on that occasion and this was a lot of money to me at the time (equals 5 standard chocolate bars). After the meeting the pastor gave us a gift towards our travelling expenses out of the offering. Had I put more in doubtless we would have got more out!
But whether or not there is, at the time of delivery, an audience for a sermon or for any other medium is not necessarily a measure of its success. Many, perhaps most of the best, artists have gone unrecognised in their lifetime and have died in poverty. Indeed, taking a short-term view, one could conclude that Jesus' ministry was a failure. But in retrospect it has certainly stood the test of time.
I have been criticised for setting down my thoughts in this blog as opposed to using more conventional media. But to write a lengthy book I cannot, and when I speak publicly my thoughts get tied up in knots and I do not say what I mean, and I am no artist.
Not that long ago I was counselled to drop a conviction I had (and still have) because "it obviously wasn't working". True, it was not, and still is not apparently "working" but I do not consider that this is a proper test of whether or not it was valid. The longer I get in the tooth the more I realise that the common measure of success in life is not necessarily, indeed is rarely, the right measure.
With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
20170713
Switzerland run #1
A spur-of-the-moment trip to Switzerland to visit Kate, arriving late Friday. Saturday was our Grand Day Out in the Lucerne area, amply covered by Kate's blog and my FB post. Kate had to study some of Sunday, and work some of Monday, so I took advantage and tried out barefoot running in Zürich.
My first run was to explore Lake Zurich aka Zürichsee. I was mistaken in thinking the river near Kate's apartment would take me there - in fact the Sihl manages to run roughly parallel to but separate from the lake for almost its whole length.
Towards the bottom left of my map my route turned abruptly to the right - this was because there was a cordon straight ahead and a man waving me in that direction, so I duly acquiesced and found myself with other runners and soon I could see the finishing line ahead and there were crowds either side cheering me on. I felt quite elated, until an official told me I shouldn't be there. Later I found it was the Gigathlon Switzerland 2017.
Having realised the lake was being allusive, I turned eastwards and eventually found myself beside it and sufficiently far from the city to afford some places to swim. The advantage of running barefoot is that one can simply swim without needing to change, or needing to dry afterwards. Running shorts dry pretty quickly.
I returned along the lake shore to where the main river flows out (the Limmat, which eventually discharges into the Rhine).
Now almost home I found this curious drinking fountain. I wasn't thirsty...
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| Sunday run (anticlockwise) to the lake 7.6 miles |
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| Showing the Sihl and Limmat rivers |
My first run was to explore Lake Zurich aka Zürichsee. I was mistaken in thinking the river near Kate's apartment would take me there - in fact the Sihl manages to run roughly parallel to but separate from the lake for almost its whole length.
Towards the bottom left of my map my route turned abruptly to the right - this was because there was a cordon straight ahead and a man waving me in that direction, so I duly acquiesced and found myself with other runners and soon I could see the finishing line ahead and there were crowds either side cheering me on. I felt quite elated, until an official told me I shouldn't be there. Later I found it was the Gigathlon Switzerland 2017.
Having realised the lake was being allusive, I turned eastwards and eventually found myself beside it and sufficiently far from the city to afford some places to swim. The advantage of running barefoot is that one can simply swim without needing to change, or needing to dry afterwards. Running shorts dry pretty quickly.
I returned along the lake shore to where the main river flows out (the Limmat, which eventually discharges into the Rhine).
Now almost home I found this curious drinking fountain. I wasn't thirsty...
20170704
Community is...
Community is... not knowing which way around the loo-roll will be hung.
When on the throne your hand goes instinctively to the loo-roll and precious moments can be lost finding the loose end. If not immediately obvious you spin the roll first one way and then the other, meanwhile one's business is crying out...
It is an old debate - you can find many internet sites that get involved in the argument. I think this one has the definitive answer but I know that even this would not convince All The People here who evidently believe it should be the other way, any more that the rich man's five brothers would be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
When on the throne your hand goes instinctively to the loo-roll and precious moments can be lost finding the loose end. If not immediately obvious you spin the roll first one way and then the other, meanwhile one's business is crying out...
It is an old debate - you can find many internet sites that get involved in the argument. I think this one has the definitive answer but I know that even this would not convince All The People here who evidently believe it should be the other way, any more that the rich man's five brothers would be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
20170702
God of Chance 2
In my recent post God of Chance I intended to insert a link to an online paper that deals with the subject, so here it is: God and Chance: Christian Perspectives.
20170701
Timothy
My last post left him in a hospital. Ten days later he is apparently still there and the family need some encouragement. If you are the praying type, please pray and invite others to do so. If not then at least hold him in your thoughts - for Timothy to know that so many folk are are standing with him must in itself be an encouragement.
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