News reflections

I tend to agree with the opinion that the News Corp affair has occupied an excessive amount of our news coverage. It's not surprising of course, as the revelations about what the News of the World apparently got up to were indeed shocking. And, I'm sorry to say, there's an element of circling jackals about the other news media. One senses a certain relish at the potential downfall of a media mogul, or at least the clipping of his wings. The BBC too, of course, sees in Sky its main rival as news outlet (though its audience share is in truth comparatively small); so perhaps there's some schadenfreude on its part.

I have the feeling as well that politicians are quite enjoying the discomfiture of the organisation which has harried them and whom they have feared - and, it has to be said, courted. I suppose that is a source of embarrassment to most of the movers and shakers in the main parties.

Yet, I wonder whether this is that big a story. It's certainly taken its scalps. However, after all, we are in the middle of a Euro-crisis which has the potential to trigger another global financial collapse, and we're facing a famine in the Horn of Africa threatening to become a catastrophe. The 'revolution' in Egypt seems to be erupting again, there's a war carrying on in Libya largely unreported, and of course there's been another marching season in Northern Ireland with attacks on the police.

This story seems to me a "media story", an instance of the media's narcissistic-like fascination with itself. I came across this revealing table from the Information Commissioner about illegal activity carried out by newspapers in 2006.

In the Cranmer blog of 13th July I learned that "Trinity Mirror Group are the most corrupt of the lot" with 1663 misdemeanours and infringements, in the 2006 table. Hot on their heels came the Mail Group, with the Murdochs' a poor third. I'm sure News Corp have redressed the balance somewhat now, but there don't seem any who are purer than pure, even the Observer/Guardian stable. I think of Jesus talking about throwing stones. "Whichever of you is without sin..." - I guess he meant without any sin and he included us. And I suspect that when the judicial enquiry begins the Murdoch empire won't be alone in being worried.

By the way, we used regularly to pray for "opinion-formers' in our church services. I don't pray for them anymore. I reckon I should start again.

Let's end on a positive note, such as the Proms having started or Darren Clarke winning the Open Golf. Actually my weekend has been made by being visited by friends on Friday, family on Saturday morning and more friends on Saturday night - with rather nice meals created by Jane.

Friends' photos

I think this might become my new Facebook status! We were given these rather special dates by Mandy when she came to our Friday supper group with Charles, and good old Pete and Jane. These evenings are nourishing to my soul. We talk, and read and enjoy God's company. Of course it was the title that appealed to me, but the dates themselves are something else!

And here's another photo that appealed to me. I was sent it by Nic who lives near Cambridge. On the left is the office of the church they go to in St Ives, called The Bridge - and on the right is the name of my late distinguished father. In fact it's the premises of a firm of precision engineers who, I think, specialise in making instrumentation - nothing to do with theology.

And lastly the pièce de résistance - we saw this book for the first time a week ago on Saturday, when we  called in on its editor, our pal John Milnes. It is a magnificent book, as Jane said, a real work of art. The Ashmolean in Oxford has a small but priceless collection of instruments, and John, himself an instrument maker and repairer, has assembled the country's foremost experts to describe them and the world's best photographer of instruments to capture them. The result is a thing of beauty. The Deluxe edition is already sold out, but you can still buy the standard edition for £280, http://ashmoleaninstruments.com/! I think the cover photo is of the prize violin of the collection, "Le Messie" Stradivarius, which John told us is the best preserved original Strad in the world. Inside there are photos from every angle in the best possible lighting. I think Le Messie means the Messiah rather than Lionel Messi, the star of FC Barcelona. It's just the star of 18th century Cremona. I suspect the violin will still be admired long after the footballer's forgotten.

Advent

As Brian comments, today is Advent Sunday, and I'm watching a really rather good Songs of Praise, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wdb51. It's below freezing outside which is my today's excuse for not going out to church. Sorry, vicar! Stiffening muscles combined with end-of-day tiredness is not a good recipe, unlike the excellent lunch we went out to earlier - it was like a Christmas meal, and again the best of company.

From Douglas House website

Our hostess works at Douglas House, the hospice for teenagers and young adults in east Oxford. So I asked her about euthanasia, and she told me that the inpatients there never asked for "mercy-killing". They all want to live and to have a natural death. She also emphasised the importance of explaining the control of symptoms available in palliative care for patients facing death. Fear is a big factor in seeking a short-cut, and that fear, Liz explained, arises out of ignorance. And ignorance is also a major factor in the popular opinion in favour of euthanasia. If people realised that in this country we really do have the ability to control symptoms and pain in terminal conditions, she reckons far fewer people would support shortening life unnaturally. It was impressive hearing a senior practitioner in palliative care talking objectively and yet passionately about something in which she was highly expert.

Returning to Songs of Praise, which has now finished, there was an amazing interview with the Bright family. Their young son Edward contracted a rare strain of meningitis when he was 7, and only survived at the cost of his lower legs and forearms. His parents confessed to having not a great deal of faith but when you're desperate you pray, as his dad said. He has his own blog, in which they wrote: "As we reflect on our journey we have experienced deep despair and desperation, not knowing if our precious son would win the battle he had with death, but win he did, (and he recalls that when he was asleep (on the ventilator) he just knew he did not want to die and that God helped him (Edward's own words)). After the despair and desperation came hope, and with that, the optimism and inspiration we have gained from our son, Edward. He is now blessed with a true understanding of just how precious and fragile life is." In the programme, I think Edward said that in his coma Jesus came to him and told him he would not die. On the website: http://edwardbright.eu/default.aspx, you can see how he begins to learn to walk on his prosthetic legs a year later. On Songs of Praise we saw him playing football with, I think, his twin brother William.

I love the wisdom of that sentence, "He is now blessed with a true understanding of just how precious and fragile life is." What a great message of hope and faith for Advent.

"God's own county"

Well, that's what they say, apparently. And, judging from our very pleasant two nights at The Lamb and Flag in Bishop Monkton, they probably say it very loudly! To be fair, I'd guess that part of Yorkshire, the Harrogate / Ripon area, is pretty prosperous, as the punters were on average loud and large. They were advertising for part-time bar staff, but apparently had no takers: the local youths have no shortage of cash from their parents. We had bed and breakfast there in the barn behind the pub - I'd love to be able to say it was because there was no room at the inn, but actually the barn has been converted into three 4-star bedrooms!

We ate in the pub and the food was great - none of this microwaved nonsense, but cooked then and there by the hostess Carol while her husband Trevor presided over the bar. Our first night's room, Fountains, is on the right of the picture. All the rooms are disabled accessible, though our second night, in Jervaulx, was a bit of a tight squeeze.

We travelled up on the Thursday in order to have a full day of exploring the area - which we did going up Nidderdale to Lofthouse and then over Masham Moor. It was great to be back in the hills again - reminded me of days off in the Peak District. We had our lunch within the sound of a stream pouring under a bridge and out of clumps of sphagnum moss. 

Lunch on Masham Moor

Swaledale sheep?

And then it was on to the romantic ruin of Fountains Abbey. Unfortunately not having prebooked they were reluctant to let me take out an electric buggy in case it ran out of charge, and so Jane had to push me round the extensive grounds instead. Still the main track was fairly level and tarmac. I'm not saying it was easy, mind, but she managed. What a lass! And I must say it's an impressive place - not that I'd have wanted to have lived there, in its tree-lined valley. Though I daresay they were jolly, large and loud Yorkshire monks! An abbey full of Friar Tucks.

East end of Fountains Abbey church

Damsel fly in Fountains Abbey

As well as some more delicate creatures.



On Saturday morning we wandered (=Jane pushed me) round the rather immaculate village of Bishop Monkton, which has a stream flowing down the main street. As well as providing the children with plenty of ducks to feed, it also provided quiet points of intimate landscape.

The stream in Bishop Monkton

However all good things come to an end, and we had to move on. But Yorkshire had another treat in store for us....


.... in the form of our good friends, the Hateleys, who were celebrating their silver wedding with their family and friends. Readers of My Donkeybody with elephantine memories will recall that Barbara and Gareth were the first of our friends to have an inkling of the true nature of my symptoms, with their combined medical and veterinary expertise. Gareth and I used to play squash, and he still sounds disgustingly fit, doing enormous bike rides round the Dales. I was reflecting how, despite flashes of envy, it is possible to 'learn to be content' with one's limitations. It reminds me of something T S Eliot writes about marriage in The Cocktail Party about being content with the morning that separates and the evening that brings together... which is a 'good way'. I suppose one has to learn to be content to be pushed where one wants, and eventually to be pushed where one doesn't want to go....

Gareth in Falstaffian mode

Toasting 25 years (Barbara on the right)

Anyway on we drove to their house for an excellent party, where we learned, among other things, about the advantageous investment that photo-voltaic solar panels are at the moment (see http://www.smconsult.co.uk/page11.htm ). No seriously, if you have a south-facing roof and a few thousand to invest, I'm told you could get an equivalent 8% annual rate of return - which isn't bad. More of the time was spent catching up with news and renewing acquaintances; and I got a professional view of Rev, the sit-com about an inner city vicar which seems to have divided my facebook friends. If you take it seriously, then it's distressing to see a smoking, swearing (occasionally), vague (apparently) priest; if you don't, it's wrily amusing to see stock caricatures in action. It's nice to be in relative detachment from wedding interviews, archdeacons, and church in-jokes. I'm not sure, to be honest, how much those not 'in the know' would get. I suspect it represents and reinforces the half-informed stereotypes of the media world. It can't - and doesn't try to - enter the heart of faith and its outworking.

So after a thoroughly full (in every way!) few days we wended our way homewards, in record time down empty motorways, and climbed into bed grateful for friends - and bed-leavers.