Pastoral letters

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – countdown. Oh, to be like Rachel. To be able to count like her. To do the maths like her. Or Carol Vorderman before. The numbers are chosen, ‘two from […]

I am writing this night before we head down south to Manchester to pick up the flight for Italy and our holiday in Lake Garda. I hope this story doesn’t come back to haunt me, but 20 years ago I

I wonder if you have ever heard of Frank Ilet. No? Well, let me tell you about Frank. Let me be frank about Frank. He is a Manchester United fan, and, in a moment of madness, or hope but certainly

Do you know what IKEA means? It stands for its founder, Ingvar Kamprad, his family farm Elmtaryd and the nearby village, Agunnyard – making the acronym IKEA. It also stands for the place where you purchase furniture that you have

‘Summer suns are glowing…’ I have just arrived back from three meetings in the Presbytery Office: one of which was the Nominations Committee, and another was on the discussion of my installation as Moderator of the Presbytery for 2025-2026, which

A Happy Easter to you all! I cannot thank you all enough for both the work and the support during Holy Week up to Easter Day. Like Jill in the past, Nickie went above and beyond to produce our little

In the 1960s, before the troubles really started in Northern Ireland, we, as a family, had a holiday there. A relation of my mother, called ‘Aunt Daisy’, lived on a farm outside Pomeroy. And after what seemed like an eternity

I nearly jumped out of my skin the evening before we were about to be hit by storm Eowyn. I was sitting in the manse, minding my own business when not just my phone but all the mobile phones, some

It was with mixed emotions that I raised a glass, or smashed a bottle, to celebrate that the Glen Sannox eventually took to the water not that long ago. Without being political, the ferry fiasco had been marred by delays

There are certain books that have to be read at Christmas – one of my favourites, ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. Likewise, I like to watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ both putting me in the