Tower of Babel

I now know what those ancient builders felt like as I reconstruct the programs on my, now working, pc. So many layers and so many levels, and a multitude of strange-sounding phrases.

Windows into the soul

Windows Vista is now loaded and validated ... there was a problem with the Knowledge Base files - 45 of them - some of which had failed. They are now on and we're coming to the end of 125 Windows updates ... and they have taken about 5 hours. If the pc survives this, then tomorrow is when we start loading on the various drivers and programs and rebuilding the whole cosmos. My resident technician has proved his worth - I've fed him lasagna and garlic bread tonight. God help us all!

*farp*

(phew!)

Aaaaaagh sob sob

Having used the OEM Recovery discs to restore the operating system, Microsoft now says that the Windows it has put on is not an authentic version, and it wants me to buy Windows 7. Hmmmmm. And my IT technician just sits here at 22.36 playing Solitaire on his laptop. Why do I accomodate and feed him? Ah - he's a lodger and I occasionally get some rent. Oh well, I suppose as he's been at it all day I can't really complain. Just as well I have my own laptop!

O M G

My main pc has got corrupted Windows! AAAAAAAAGH. Factory settings disc has been inserted (not in the orifice I would have chosen) and is currently overwriting the whole C drive. EEK!

In the heat and dust ...

... the harvest must go on. Thankfully, modern combines are air-conditioned. It must have been lethal when they had open cabs!

I'm melting!

21.50 and I'm sitting here dripping! Three changes to tops and tomorrow I have to get dressed up in my liturgical clobber to do the business. It's not giving away any trade secrets to say that in this heat and after the celebration of the Holy Mysteries x2 I'm not a pretty sight!

Phew! It's a scorcher!

A breath of salt air

A 48 hour sojourn down to the south coast again to meet up with a few friends to mark the occasion of my 60th birthday last Friday. Tempus Fugit, or something like that. Maybe I should have taken more note of my old school motto; "Absque Labore Nihil" which roughly translated means "Get off your backside you lazy old git or you'll never achieve anything!" Ho hum.

Colour me beautiful

After all the rain we had earlier this month, and now a few days of hot sun, everything in the garden is growing apace. I have three gro-bags with some courgette, marrow and squash plants in them, two per bag, and they are speedily taking over the patio! The bushes are heading towards the sky; the holly tree is disappearing under a rampant honeysuckle, and my one hydrangea plant is stunning!

The bare essentials

Visiting a hardware shop in a nearby town a couple of days ago I found that they had carried out some reorganisation of the departments. I was tempted to obey their sign, but I thought I might frighten the ladies behind the till, especially if I emerged from behind the plumbing display.

How shall I spend the time?

From: The Connexion - France's English language newspaper:

GET A long lie on Sunday morning as scientists add an extra second to atomic clocks to keep them in time with the rotation of the Earth.

The "leap second" will be added just before midnight Coordinated Universal Time on Saturday - at 2.00 in France. For a brief moment the time will be 01:59:60 before flipping to 02.00.

This is the 34th time that the leap second has had to be added to cater for the change in the way the Earth wobbles on its axis as it rotates round the Sun. The last one was in 2008.

Daniel Gamis, director of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service which monitors timing systems at the Observatoire de Paris, said that the length of the day on Earth was slowing down.

This is because of the actions of tides and the reactions of the Earth's core, while violent earthquakes such as Fukushima can also upset the planet's rotation.

The Earth takes 86,400 seconds for a full 360-degree rotation but tides slow it down by 1.4 milli-seconds a day - meaning that in around 300 to 400million years the day will be just 22 hours long.

Since 1967 governments had agreed to move away from solar time and towards the precise measurements from atomic clocks but also agreed to adjust International Atomic Time to get rid of the discrepancy between the two.

The adjustment is generally every two years or so, but an unusual speeding up of the Earth meant it has not been needed since 2008.

Like sheep unto the slaughter

I was in Norwich yesterday with time to wander as my car was undergoing heart-by pass treatement with a 40k service (including cam belt change) and MoT test, and I decided to call in to the Cathedral where I unexpectedly had the opportunity to join their 11.00 a.m. BCP Holy Communion service. An interesting celebration, with bits missed out and no directions given and a priest who seemed to be saying the words by rote rather than by heart, but still a channel for God's grace to flow through. This was a refreshing stop for me by itself, but as I left the small circular side-chapel I found myself witnessing a walk-through rehearsal for the ordination service this Saturday. About a dozen ordinands dressed in their crisp new black cassocks were going through their paces for the service, and receiving instruction as to what to say, when to say it, where to stand and what they would be holding. It was a reminder of my own ordination rehearsal held 28 years ago in Salisbury cathedral when I started out on this slippery slope of ministry.

Leaving The Close I called in at the Tombland Bookshop and within minutes had found a volume by Baring-Gould on the development and change that was sweeping through villages at the end of the 19th century. There is a whole chapter on the parish church and how ancient screens, traceries, pulpits and the like were being hauled away in the name of "restoration". The book contains a timely reminder that once it's gone, it's gone, and calls for a more reasoned approach to heritage whilst balancing that with the worship needs. The words may be over a century old, but they remain bang up to date.

Then into the city centre to wander round a cheap CD and DVD store, get a coffee from a well-known Coffee House chain, and then to Cafe Rouge to use a 20% discount voucher against a wonderful main course of "steak/frites".

More wandering followed, up to the "Country & Eastern" emporium housed in the old skating rink, and its wondeful stock of oriental carpets, china, textiles and wood. On the way, passing through the Market Square, I saw something that restored my faith in human nature. An elderly gentleman walking with the aid of a frame on wheels had misjudged the shallow steps to one side of the square, and had fallen forward and was hanging on to the handrail unable to move. A group of youngsters - probably from the UEA - immediately went to his aid, helping him up, retrieving his scattered parcels, and checking that he was uninjured. Young people get such negative press, but here their help was instinctive and speedy.

And to top it all off, even though the car servicing was faily expensive, it was exactly as estimated and with no unexpected work required.

A good day off all round.

Not in my name

Here's the link for the Petition opposing the recent "Church of England" declaration against same-sex marriage.

Sorry - I may be thick, but ....

... who the hell is this "Church of England" that has made its announcement about marriage today? Having looked at the Cof E website and followed the link to the full statement and press release, its authors are no-where attributed. All it says in its headline and opening lines is:

A Response to the Government Equalities Office Consultation -“Equal Civil Marriage”- from the Church of England

Summary

The Church of England cannot support the proposal to enable all couples, regardless of their gender, to have a civil marriage ceremony.

The news media has therefore gleefully announced in every bulletin that the Church of England, i.e. every lay and ordained member, has said "No" to the Governement's same-sex marriage proposals.

Well, not here matey! Once again a statement is made from some unknown central source and on my behalf over which I have had no input, no debate, no reference whatsoever.

Along with many other Church of England clergy, this announcement does not reflect my position, and it was disingenuous of its authors not to mention that there are opposing views within the CofE.

Now there's a surprise

A fellow Blogger has published this little gem from THE CHURCH TIMES:

"No timescale is to be put on the adoption of the Anglican Covenant, the Standing Committee of the An­gli­can Communion (SCAC) agreed last week. The Covenant was discussed on the first of the three days of the committee’s talks, attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury and elected members of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates’ standing committee.

A statement released afterwards said: “The Standing Committee re­ceived an update on the progress of the Anglican Communion Covenant. It was noted that eight provinces had endorsed the covenant to date, in some cases with a degree of qualifica­tion. They were the only responses received so far by the secretary general.”

The Church of England, which rejected the Covenant when a majori­ty of dioceses voted against it in March, was not included in the responses received.

As he comments:

"If your team is losing and you are in charge of making up the rules of the game, you just get rid of the final whistle so that the game goes on for ever. That way, you need never admit defeat. Of course, if you have been well and truly defeated and there's no way to get around that fact, just pretend that you haven't. Ignore it. Act as if nothing happened."

Ramblers and rabbits

A small group calling itself "The Ragged Society of Antiquarian Ramblers" paid a visit to St. George's church in the village of St. Cross South Elmham a couple of weeks ago, and were much taken by our churchyard sign warning people to take care when walking across the sward. They liked its humour and wished that more churches could be as light-hearted in their approach.

Take off dark glasses

With the cooler weather, and now the wind and rain, the fields of rape around us here in NE Suffolk have finally "turned". The yellow flowers have been replaced by the infant seed heads and we can finally take off our dark glasses, for when the sun was out it was somewhat blinding! This was Ilketshall St. Lawrence about a fortnight ago.

Diamond Jubilee

One church in this rural Benefice has connections to the anniversay celebrations sweeping the country this weekend, and that is St. Margaret South Elmham. Its altar frontal is made from cloth that was used in Westminster Abbey 60 years ago at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Since all it has is this blue frontal and a green one, it is used for every season except Ordinary Time.

Call me Ishmael

The things you see walking the streets of our local fine city when the sun is out and you don't have your harpoon!

Fashion? Round spherical objects!

Death of the Prime Minister

Today is the 200th anniversary of the death of the British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval. A good subject for a Quiz question, Spencer Perceval holds the dubious distinction of being the only British PM to have been assassinated.

Spencer Perceval was born on 1st November 1762. The younger son of an Irish earl, Perceval was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. He studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, practiced as a barrister on the Midland Circuit and became a King’s Counsel, before entering politics at the age of 33 as a Member of Parliament for Northampton. A follower of William Pitt, Perceval always described himself as a "friend of Mr Pitt" rather than a Tory. Perceval was opposed to Catholic emancipation and reform of Parliament; he supported the war against Napoleon and the abolition of the slave trade. He was opposed to hunting, gambling and adultery, did not drink as much as most Members of Parliament, gave generously to charity, and enjoyed spending time with his twelve children.

After a late entry into politics his rise to power was rapid; he was Solicitor and then Attorney General in the Addington Ministry, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons in the Portland Ministry, and became First Lord of the Treasury (effectively making him Prime Minister, although the term was not used at the time) in October 1809. At the head of a weak ministry, Perceval faced a number of crises during his term in office including an inquiry into the disastrous Walcheren expedition, the madness of King George III, economic depression and Luddite riots. He survived these crises, successfully pursued the Peninsular War in the face of opposition defeatism, and won the support of the Prince Regent. His position was looking stronger by the spring of 1812.

At 5:15 on the evening of 11th May 1812, Perceval was on his way to attend the inquiry into the Orders in Council. As he entered the lobby of the House of Commons, a man stepped forward, drew a pistol and shot him in the chest. Perceval fell to the floor, after uttering something that was variously heard as "murder" or "oh my God". They were his last words. By the time he had been carried into an adjoining room and propped up on a table with his feet on two chairs, he was senseless, although there was still a faint pulse. When a surgeon arrived a few minutes later, the pulse had stopped, and Perceval was declared dead.

At first it was feared that the shot might signal the start of an uprising, but it soon became apparent that the assassin – who had made no attempt to escape – was a man with an obsessive grievance against the Government and had acted alone. John Bellingham was a merchant who had been unjustly imprisoned in Russia and felt he was entitled to compensation from the Government, but all his petitions had been rejected. Perceval’s body was laid on a sofa in the speaker’s drawing room and removed to Number 10 Downing Street in the early hours of 12th May. That same morning an inquest was held at the Cat and Bagpipes public house on the corner of Downing Street and a verdict of wilful murder was returned.

Perceval left a widow and twelve children aged between three and twenty, and there were soon rumours that he had not left them well provided for. He had just £106 5s 1d in the bank when he died. A few days after his death, Parliament voted to settle £50,000 on Perceval’s children, with additional annuities for his widow and eldest son. He was buried on 16 May in the Egmont vault at St Lukes Church, Charlton. At his widow's request, it was a private funeral. Lords Eldon, Liverpool, and Harrowby, and Richard Ryder, were pall-bearers. The previous day, Bellingham had been tried, and, refusing to enter a plea of insanity, was found guilty. He was hanged on 18th May.

Jane Perceval married Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Carr in 1815 and was widowed again six years later. She died aged 74 in 1844. Of her 13 children with Spencer, twelve survived into adulthood.

• Jane (1791–1824) married her cousin Edward Perceval, son of Lord Arden, in 1821 and lived in Felpham, Sussex. She died three years after marrying, apparently in childbirth.

• Frances (1792–1877) lived with her mother and three unmarried sisters in Elm Grove, Ealing. On her mother’s death the sisters moved to nearby Pitzhanger Manor House, while her brother Spencer took over Elm Grove.

• Maria (1794–1877) lived with her unmarried sisters in Ealing.

• Spencer (1795–1859) was, like his father, educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. After Perceval's assassination Spencer junior had been voted an annuity of £1000, free legal training at Lincoln's Inn and a tellership of the Exchequer, all of which left him financially secure. He became a Member of Parliament at the age of 22 and in 1821 married Anna, a daughter of the chief of the clan Macleod, with whom he had eleven children. He joined the Catholic Apostolic Church and was created an apostle in 1833. He served as a Metropolitan Lunacy Commissioner.

• Charles (born and died 1796).

• Frederick (1797–1861) was the only one of Perceval's sons not to go to Harrow. Due to his fragile health he was sent to school at Rottingdean. He married for the first time in 1827, spent some time in Ghent, Belgium, was a director of the Clerical, Medical and General Life Assurance Society and a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex and for Kent, but generally led a quiet and retired life. Widowed in 1843, he married for the second time the following year. A grandson who was a Canadian rancher became the 10th Earl of Egmont.

• Henry (1799–1885) was educated at Harrow, where he was the only Perceval to become Head of School. He went to Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1826 he married his cousin Catherine Drummond. For 46 years Henry was the rector of Elmley Lovett in Worcestershire.

• Dudley (1800–1856) was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford. Like his brother Spencer, he was given free legal training at Lincoln's Inn but was not called to the bar. He spent two years as an administrator at the Cape of Good Hope, where he married a daughter of the Governor in 1827. Back in England he obtained a Treasury post and defended his father's reputation after it was attacked in Napier's history of the Peninsular War. In 1853 he stood unsuccessfully against William Gladstone in the election for an MP to represent Oxford University.

• Isabella (1801–1886) married her cousin Spencer Horatio Walpole in 1835 and was the only one of Perceval's daughters to have children. Her husband was a lawyer who became an MP in 1846 and served as Home Secretary. They lived in the Hall on Ealing Green, next-door to Isabella's four unmarried sisters.

• John (1803–1876) was educated at Harrow. After a three-year career as an officer in the Grenadier Guards and a term at Oxford University, he spent three years in asylums and became a campaigner for reform of the Lunacy Laws. In 1832, just after his release from an asylum, he married a cheesemonger's daughter. • Louisa (1804–1891) lived with her unmarried sisters in Ealing.

• Frederica (1805–1900) lived with her unmarried sisters in Ealing. In her will she left money to build All Saints Church, Ealing, in memory of her father (he was born on All Saints Day). It is also known as the Spencer Perceval Memorial Church.

• Ernest (1807–1896) was educated at Harrow. He spent 9 years in the 15th Hussars, seven of them as a captain. In 1830 he married his cousin Beatrice Trevelyan. They settled in Somerset and raised a large family. Ernest served as Private Secretary to the Home Office on three occasions.

And why the interest, you may ask? Well, Spencer Perceval’s great-x6-grandfather, David Perceval, who died in 1534, is my great-x12-grandfather! A very tenuous claim-to-fame I admit, but as well as possessing Spencer Perceval’s silver pencil holder with a seal at the end carrying his initials, I also have Perceval as one of my names. I shall raise a glass to his memory tonight.

Bathroom Saga

Cutting a long story short, since it was impossible to remove the taps on the guest bath in order to replace them, the Diocese generously decided to pay for a complete refurbishment of the room, and even took on board my suggestion that the bath be replaced by a shower cubicle. So, in the space of 10 days we have moved from this .....

to this .....

and all just in time for the arrival of a house-full of friends this weekend!