Happy Anniversary!

Today is the 28th anniversary of my marriage to the Mem Sahib – my Louise, the wife of my youth.

We decided that we would like to start our day by going to a morning conference called “Inspiration for Summer” held by the Moray Destiny House Church at the Eight Acres Hotel. The speaker was Mike Davies from Okehampton, darn Sarf near Plymouth.

So that’s what we did. The conference was for leaders and we gently but deeply covered the basics of staying in the Word, staying in Him, staying in love with the Lord. Identifying the tricks of the enemy, fleshy hindrances and the positives of worship, fellowship and unity.

On arrival we were quietly challenged to identify what we wished to take away with us. I’m delighted to say that my prayers were answered and I feel that I’ve begun to move out of a period of discouragement and dryness and into a renewed sense of engagement with the Lord. So this afternoon in the study was a refreshing affair d’amour rather than a hunt for motivation.

It’s been a great day.

We are now about to have a celebratory meal at a small local Trattoria.

Thank you Lord for 28 years of shared life with my lovely wife – and with you in the centre.

Bring back Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends.

As we come under increasing pressure from the imposition of bad science in the climate change wolf-shouting, it was great to read this in the Times today.

Diesel Trains less CO2 efficient than 4×4’s! Whatever next?

Whilst believing that climate change is anything other than cyclical not catastrophic and whilst also accepting that the anthropogenic effects are miniscule in comparison with natural effects, I have always felt that we need to be good stewards of the planet.

The persistent weakness of successive British governments in failing to grasp the public transport nettle and invest in infrastructure and jobs in combination with maximising efficiency shows us what empty vessels they all are. As a country we have the brainpower, commitment and the technology but sadly lack the leadership.

Does anyone know of studies which might show the respective carbon footprints of steam trains vs diesl trains and the amount og CO2/passenger-km?

No – I thought not!

Back – for the last time [?]

We are back once more.

An inheritance had allowed us to take advantage of early booking rates to go on a cruise. So we’ve been in the Western Med on the Arcadia with P&O.

We were able to go with Louise’s sister and brother in law Zan & Chris respectively and have had a real mixture of a time. We get on really well as two couples so no problems there, but the things we have seen, the cities we have visited, the people we have met, the follies of other humans, the nobility and integrity of the P&O crew [ thanks Francis, Santosh, Swamy, Sydney and Suresh for being amazingly good at what you do with such dignity ] plus the opportunity to catch some wonderful sites have made for an unforgettable time.

Pix @     http://picasaweb.google.com/The2Ellerbys.

I’m glad to be back to the UK and “normality”.

So it’s back to work and back to my studies and back to seeking….