Sunday, June 29, 2014

Mutterings - June 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:
  1. Delicious :: Menu
  2. Element :: Periodic (Table)
  3. Cohesion :: Stick
  4. Course :: Main
  5. Blister :: Heel
  6. Incomplete :: Definition
  7. Socks :: Cat
  8. Instruction :: Order
  9. Pill :: Dose
  10. Impressive :: Truth

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Teaser Tuesday - June 24



Teaser Tuesday

The rules are:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
'Henry, so nice to see you again.' Mr Okabe wore grey flannel pants and a hat that made him look like Cary Grant. Like Keiko, he spoke beautiful English.
Another one from Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. I think this is heading toward the school of Dan Brown.. I spotted this sentence on p 238 'Even though near the end, as wonderful as it sounded, she'd had little appetite.' - the end is a character's death and the 'wonderful' relates to the menu in the previous sentence, it's not the end that is wonderful! I think that's just a little convoluted! What sort of hat does Cary Grant wear?

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Mutterings - June 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:
  1. Closed :: Pass (or the Cat & Fiddle Rd!)
  2. Tourists :: Cameras
  3. Footsteps :: in the snow - the Debussy prelude, here's Michelangeli playing it
  4. Ginger :: Spice
  5. Way :: Roman
  6. Designer :: Handbag
  7. Mattress :: Lumpy
  8. Disaster :: McGonagall
  9. Chips :: Fabrication
  10. Campaign :: Banners

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Teaser Tuesday - June 18



Teaser Tuesday

The rules are:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
'I mean they weren't just Chinese, they were super-Chinese, if you know what I mean. They were like ice cubes in America's melting pot, you know - they had one way of doing things.'
Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - our book group book of the month. A tale of the Chinese and Japanese communities in Seattle during World War II and its aftermath. Bit of a breathless style so far, I will see whether I settle into it! (Yes I'm late for Tuesday again!)

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Mutterings - June 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:
  1. Today :: Redhead (Today is a long running BBC radio news programme - Brian Redhead who lived locally presented it for many years)
  2. Lips :: Kissed - and I think this poem of Edna St. Vincent Millay
  3. Seethe :: Anger
  4. Desired :: Afar
  5. Patrol :: Border
  6. Nails :: Cross
  7. Pastry :: Choux
  8. Jacket :: Metal
  9. Button :: Holes
  10. Feel :: Nerves

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Teaser Tuesday - June 10



Teaser Tuesday

The rules are:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
He wore a pair of nylon shorts and a green T-shirt that said "World Cup Soccer". ... Logic would dictate that this child would be selling something as well, children were industrious in Manaus: hawking fans and postcards and butterflies in wooden boxes, but his hands were empty.
Cheating slightly - two sentences from near the start of a page but it is my current reading and the conjunction of that, World Cup and Manaus was irresistible! Another teaser from Ann Patchett's State of Wonder -linking back to my previous teaser from this book.

Sunday, June 08, 2014

Mutterings - Jun 8

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:
  1. Fringe :: Beyond the..
  2. Helicopter :: Rotor
  3. Netflix :: App
  4. Humor :: Cartoon
  5. Niece :: Nephew
  6. Summer :: Lazy
  7. Crazy :: Paving
  8. Arrival :: Birth
  9. Nipple :: Suckle
  10. Code :: Machine

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Machuca - 2 bike rides

Trailer Machuca from Wood Producciones on Vimeo.

Last night we saw Machuca at Macc college, it's a film set in the dying days of Allende's Chile before the military coup. It tells of a friendship between 2 boys one privileged the other from a shanty town. The second is one of a number of boys put in the private school by the Roman Catholic headmaster much to the horror of the parents. It's a growing up story beautifully acted by the young characters, harrowing at times but a real understanding of living it difficult times. I thought the sports field scene was rather lifted from Kes but the scenes on the bike had real power particularly the concentration on the face of Matías Quer (Gonzalo) as he grows up. The film is dedicated to Gerardo Whelan the real life headmaster of a school in Santiago who taught Andrés Wood (the director), here's an interview with him.
I'm afraid the trailer doesn't have subtitles - the initial snippet has Pedro Machuca - the shanty town lad asking Gonzalo if all those shirts are his, the collisions between the cultures are very well done.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

My journey of faith (so far!)

Earlier this year I was asked to write an article for the church magazine on my journey of faith. Here it is.
I spent my early years in Birkdale on the Lancashire coast, my parents were occasional church attenders and I attended a Congregational (now URC) church there, I still remember being asked into the pulpit aged about 6 as part of a sermon being asked to read something!
As I grew older and busier church was left behind; I first moved to Macclesfield in the 60's when pharmaceutical companies set up there and my father moved with them. Eventually I returned to belief with becoming more independent and thinking around issues of significance, through looking at a meaning beyond ourselves and things like music and the vastness of mountain scenery were instrumental in that; I came to accept the reality of faith and a God I could then name.

After University I spent a few years in computing and then threw that over to join Scargill (a Christian community running holidays and conferences) and possible ordination. Scargill was a time of learning, of seeing me and other Christians values in a very hot house environment. Whilst there I met Beth we married and after a time in Leeds we moved to Macclesfield, we have 2 grown up children.

The last few years have been rather bumpy, events on various levels - family crises, losses of jobs (one very dubious) I'm currently looking around for employment, which in my 60s, has not been easy!

I have tried to follow the call of Christ particularly on justice issues - I was involved as a Traidcraft rep for over 20 years which helped me to think about issues of development and trade. For a number of years I've been a member of Changing Attitude a group which seeks to help the church to think positively about issues of sexuality. Both these calls have cost in terms of commitment and putting my self in difficult positions.

In the last few years I have gained much from the St Michael's contemplative prayer group - being silent in the presence of God and others to allow God to speak rather than a putting of my many concerns and agendas. Silence has its challenge but meeting God there without the defence of words makes me aware of our dependence upon him.

I am a Reader - someone who preaches & takes services. For many years this has been an opportunity to minister but also, I hope, to give time and space for me to hear God's call to me.

I think to draw together these thoughts as I've journeyed I've tried to meet God in the world as it is (and that's usually painful) and to hear His voice even in the noise and challenges we face everyday.
There's been a lot of long term journeys in the above, journeys are messy things it would be nice to arrive! But for the moment I try to find God in the journey, CS Lewis wrote `I believe in Christianity as I believe in the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but by it I see everything else.' Sometimes the messy nature of what's around us may obscure the view but the stops where is it clear and seeing the panorama give me confidence that the journey is worth while.

Sunday, June 01, 2014

Mutterings - June 1

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:
  1. Travel :: [broadens the] Mind
  2. Glitz :: Glamour
  3. Bark :: Tree
  4. Wicked :: Witch
  5. Fifth :: Amendment (not being an American I have only a sketchy idea what this is!)
  6. Photography :: Darkroom
  7. Yellow :: Belly
  8. Counter :: Shop
  9. Country :: Nation
  10. Speech :: Figure of