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>

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Photo of the Week

Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 19th 2002

I can’t believe it’s now 20 years since a bunch of mates from University all met up in Barcelona for a stag party! In the days before camera phones, very little photographic evidence exists of such events (thank Heavens!) so that’s why this is only of a ‘splinter group’ of the festivities – the photo doesn’t even include the Stag of that particular Do. We had a wild weekend, partying until daylight and becoming acquainted with one of my favourite cities on Earth. Shockingly, I would not visit Barcelona again until August last year. I won’t leave it so long next time…

Next Week’s Photo of the Week…

Slane Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland – May 27th 2017
We travelled to Ireland to watch Guns ‘N Roses perform their hotly-anticipated ‘Not In This Lifetime’ Tour, a comeback that, as the name suggests, seemed unthinkable for decades. I’d only seen them once before – at Milton Keynes in 1993 – and my memories of this gig are now every bit as good as those of that one. It was also perfect to be able to see them playing live with my son (then, aged 12). Now he’ll always be able to say that his first-ever concert was this one!

The Week After Next’s Photo of the Week…

Wembley Stadium, London, UK – June 1st 2007
I was lucky enough to be in the crowd the night that the “new” Wembley Stadium hosted its first international match: England v Brazil. I’ve been back a few times since then but it was wonderful to be part of such a historic night. Even though it’s now 15 years ago, it’s also notable that such memories are more often accompanied by a photo. The advent of camera phones and the perspective of parenthood meant that, by 2007, I was much keener to record a scene for posterity.

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

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