Remembrance Sunday

With the news this morning that there had been another young man killed in Afghanistan, it made the services around the country all the more poignant.

The Veteran

We came upon him sitting in the sun,

Blinded by war, and left. And past the fence

there came young soldiers from the 'Hand and Flower',

asking advice of his experience.

And he said this, and that, and told them tales,

and all the nightmares of each empty head

blew into air; then, hearing us beside,

'Poor chaps, how'd they know what it's like?'

he said.

And we stood there, and watched him as he sat,

turning his sockets where they went away,

until it came to one of us to ask,

'and you're how old?'

'Nineteen on the third of May.'

Margaret Postgate Cole.

The Vagina Monologues

This performance tonight was excellent. The three actresses on tour at the moment are Sally Lindsay, Lisa Riley and Lesley Joseph. Fabulous performers. It takes some guts to perform this in front of a live audience! Especially a raucous crowd in the Welsh Valleys!

Based on author Eve Enslee's 'Vagina Interviews' conducted with women from all around the world, this hilariously funny, witty and moving collection of tales tells lusty, yet outrageous stories from women everywhere. They were all very human stories, some poignant - but it's not for the prude! There were women from eighteen to eighty years in the audience, all sharing that same knowledge of men or life. It's a riotous evening, billed as 'The Ultimate Girls Night Out' - as it was!

All Saints and All Souls

This is how All Souls is celebrated in America, we British are a little more reserved.

All Souls day is traditionally marked on 2nd November directly after All Saints day. We had a really lovely service in our Church on Monday night, conducted partly by candlelight. This celebration is mainly an opportunity for the Church to commemorate the faithfully departed, and many people have the names of their loved ones read out during this service. The reasoning behind this stems from the notion that when a soul leaves the body it is not entirely cleansed from minor sins. However, the power of prayer from the faithful left on earth maybe able to help these souls gain the beatific vision they seek, bringing the soul eternal peace. Well, that's what Anglicans believe, and who am I to say different. I only write here what I hear in Church.



Whatever, the tradition, it's a lovely service and well attended. There were no seats left in our Church on Monday night and we can seat over 200 people. That indicates how popular this celebration is. I was thinking on Monday how sad it is that we won't see the majority of these people again until this time next year. I am not sure if the problem lies within the Anglican Church or within the people themselves, but something is wrong when people only turn up for high days and holidays! I suspect both sides need to adjust their thinking. The people should be telling us what is wrong with Church worship and we definately should be taking it on board.

Halloween & Pottery

Halloween was spent with the girls from pottery class who came to my place for the day to practice some pottery. This is my effort (pictured above) just a small occasional dish. We rely on our pottery tutors goodwill to let us do the firing in class. It was an enjoyable day and my friends had not long left for their various homes when the doorbell started ringing and the 'Trick or Treat' children were out and about. This year was not too bad as they were younger children all accompanied by mums and dads, but other years I have had some very sinister looking teenagers knocking the door and I don't like that. It's quite a threatening thing when you live alone.

The house across the road actually decorated the house externally for Halloween, I have never seen that done before in the UK. They had orange and brown fresh flowers laid on their windowsill outside. When the children went 'Trick or Treating' in the evening, a bunch of theses flowers were left on the doorsteps of the people who did not give them sweets or fruit!

This is all big business now. I have spent Halloween in America in the past, and it is very big over there. This country is sadly becoming more and more like the American style celebration. When I was a girl in the Welsh valleys, and my children youngsters in Newport, we had Ducking/Bobbing Apple night. This involved fishing apples out of a bowl of water with your mouth! Far more satisfying than walking around the streets dressed up as skeletons, scaring people and asking them for 'goodies' in my opinion!

Exam results.

Two postings in one day! I write tonight to boast that I have had the result of my final term results from my first year in college. I got a B13, which is in the outstanding performance category. Am I pleased, you bet I am!

Another one mark and I would have got an A - ah well we can't have everything! I certainly won't be getting anywhere near this is the poetry examination.

The Big Read

Hello Blog followers. Did you think I had deserted you? It's this dam poetry that I am doing, I am really not very good at it, and the main thing is my lack of interest in the subject. No matter how hard I try, much help I get, I can't quite bring it off! I need all the support anyone can give me, and many thanks to those of you that are helping me through. No working for high marks this term, just a pass will do!


I went to a day organised by the college yesterday, called 'The Big Read'. It was an excellent day. Multi talented poet and short-story writer Phil Carradice was reading and discussing his work. What an orator. He was wonderful, I could have listened to him all day, but I had to move on to the next session called 'Between the Black and the Green' which was a talk given by Professor Dai Smith on notable Welsh authors whose works have been republished in the acclaimed Library of Wales editions. There were some mediocre sessions in between before the last session for me which was Professor Bernard Knight, the master Medieval crime writer. My friend A. from pottery joined me and the college group for this last session as I was taking her to Cardiff for some scan results immediately afterwards.


It was a good day, well worth the contribution of £8 including a buffet lunch. If any one reading this who is of a literary leaning, sees something like this advertised it's well worth the effort to attend.

Poetry Today - again!

Last weeks poetry, written by me, was read out in class this morning! It's was never going to be a masterpiece, as I didn't understand the guidelines, but it was received well and the tutor was pleased.

Now this poem was not a production about eighteenth-duelling pistols, but about a humble mouse! I fulfilled the technique - even though I didn't interpret it exactly as told. I have this theory that talent is inborn and technique is learned. I will get there!

This week we have moved from rhyming - thank goodness - to narrative poetry. I think I am going to like this better. At the end of the day it's part of a course, people do this for a hobby, so let's start to have some fun with it!

Licensings and Commissionings!

It's all change in our parish! The curate has moved to the parish I actually live in where she is now vicar. Our vicar has become Area Dean and the ordinand that was licenced in June of this year, has become our curate! What has all this meant to me?


Firstly, it has not been user friendly to my diet! All these licencing 'Do's' have meant that I am having rather too many wonderful buffets put before me - which on one occasion - at least - I have been tempted, but the others I declined to eat - only because my weight loss has slowed down in Weight Watchers!!!


We are all duly proud of the three people involved and think it was a brave decision by our vicar especially to accept the post of Area Dean as he does have health issues.


The office of area dean (formerly Rural Dean) was an important one in the middle ages, but the office went into disuse after the Reformation until it was revived in 1836 ( so I read ) and is now reorganised in the constitution of the Church in Wales. As Deaneries become more significant in the modern church, this office has again become an important one. It was interesting to hear these facts at the Service of Commissioning.


Congratulations and best wishes to all those who are tackling new challenges, in and outside of the Anglican Church. I will say one thing for our Vicar, he does not shy away from a challenge, he is tackling quite a few in the city at the moment. He has the support of his parishes and I personally wish him all the best.