Here’s a rundown of the latest notices on my parish noticeboard…

If It’s Not All Right, It’s Not The End

Dear “Goodnight From Me” and “Goodnight From Him”,

I like to think of myself as a LTL (approx. 13 years) but, this being a church, I’m aware that there will always be those, ‘holier-than-thou’ sorts in the front pews… <more>

To Russia, With Love

31 years ago today, I boarded an Aeroflot plane to Moscow, which was then still the capital city of the USSR. Over the next two weeks, I came to understand Russia, her people, history, culture & politics, far beyond the constraints of my Cold War-era preconceptions… <more>

Сообщение для русских друзей

Привет,

Надеюсь, вы понимаете это. Одна из немногих фраз на русском языке, которую я помню из своего визита в Москву и Санкт-Петербург в 1991 году, это «Мой русский очень плохой». Сегодня мой русский так же плох, но у меня есть Google, чтобы помочь мне перевести… <more>

---

Photo of the Week

Old Trafford, Manchester, UK – July 1992
In the close season before the first Premier League season, I made my regular summer trip to Old Trafford to purchase the new home shirt on the day of its release from the Club ‘Superstore’ (the small rectangular building in the bottom-right corner). I remember walking around the ground to see the demolished Stratford End and peering over the construction site wall, to see the interior of the ground. Incidentally, the beige bit of land across the Quays is now the Lowry and the green bit behind that is now the BBC.

Next Week’s Photo of the Week…

Chamberlains Farm, Shevington Moor, UK – 7th July 2007
Not the date of the photo but the closest estimate I have for the day Marley was born. He came to us the following Easter and this picture was taken later that summer, when he was just over a year old. Simultaneously the softest-natured dog I’ve ever encountered with the hardest skull you’ve ever been run into by. He was a wonderfully faithful companion and we were privileged to be able to give him three years of extra life when he was diagnosed with diabetes in 2016.

The Week After Next’s Photo of the Week…

Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, UK – 11th July 1982
This was my view of the 1982 World Cup Final, from a grainy black-and-white portable TV in a caravan on a showground in Harrogate. I was there (aged eight) as we exhibited at the Great Yorkshire Show. I don’t remember much about the game but I do recall that that was the show that I discovered Britvic 55 orange drink, ‘The White Helmets’ motorcycle display team and Jemima Parry-Jones’ falconry display.

The Week After The Week After Next’s Photo of the Week…

Frog Lane Guitars, Wigan, UK – July 1992
Not the date of the photo but of the purchase of my beloved cherry starburst Epiphone Les Paul from the long-lamented back-street music store that also sold prams and cots. I’d mortgaged all my 1992 Christmas present allocation to get a loan to secure this beauty and I instantly took off the scratch plate and de-tuned it a semitone to get the full Slash-from-Guns-‘N-Roses effect. It got me through University and has continued to do so every year since. I upgraded the humbuckers about ten years ago and I still play it to this day. And, yes, it’s still de-tuned a semitone.

The Week After The Week After The Week After Next’s Photo of the Week…

Chamberlains Farm, Shevington Moor, UK – 27th July 2012
In the lull of a ‘scene change’ during the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, I made myself a brew and allowed myself to be caught up in the flag-waving, self-image-reaffirming positivity of the evening. James Bond had just escorted the Queen, for her to parachute into the stadium. We’d shown off all that we love about Britain to the world, from Shakespeare to Mr. Bean, via the NHS. What could be more appropriate than a cup of tea in a Union Flag mug? Can it be just ten short years ago that we had a country we were so proud of – and a flag that we could so unselfconsciously wave? And now? Well you know what they say about pride – particularly the bit about what comes next…

The Week After The Week After The Week After The Week After Next’s Photo of the Week…