Uncategorized – Page 6 – Green Olive Tree

A Cyclist’s View In Greater London

Richmond Park on a wintry morning. For Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

What brings me joy in life?

When I was very young one of the few American sitcoms that made it into sanctioned South Africa was Cheers. I would watch it with my dad. Almost all of the dialogue went over my head, but like most people I knew the opening lines of the song by heart, and I still do. SometimesContinue reading “What brings me joy in life?”

These young people…

Yesterday I helped invigilate an exam for around 80 people. They are young up-and-coming accountants, mostly from South Africa with some from Namibia and Zimbabwe. The exam is 8 hours long. It is very hard. It was held in central London. It was icy cold outside and there is a train strike. These are kidsContinue reading “These young people…”

I Met The King

Well he wasn’t the king at the time. He was HRH the Prince of Wales. I am not extremely well-connected. I’m not in any way an übermensch, but I was invited to meet him because I was part of a team that had done work that had impressed him – forecasting the UK’s greenhouse gasContinue reading “I Met The King”

Flip-flops and blisters

A few days ago we got back from our summer holiday. The blisters from my flip-flops are still healing. My young son’s hair still smells of sand. The mild tan that I got despite religiously applying sunscreen, is still there. I didn’t always love the beach. Growing up every vacation was spent in a caravanContinue reading “Flip-flops and blisters”

The God Who Hears

God is on the radio. Classic FM is one of the stations that are pre-programmed into cars and radios in this country. It regularly plays what I think is one of the most beautiful pieces ever written. It is a choral setting called Miserere Mei, Deus, originally composed in the 17th century by Gregorio Allegri.Continue reading “The God Who Hears”

The Hidden Visitation

A week ago the church celebrated the feast of Pentecost: when we remember that first spectacular, fiery pouring out of the Holy Spirit. About 6 days before, however, there was another feast that felt somewhat neglected: the feast of the Visitation, where the church remembers Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visiting Elizabeth, who was pregnant withContinue reading “The Hidden Visitation”