the week ahead

I have been caught up in activities outside the parish for quite a while now but after Easter I can return to 'normal'. Next week I am marking my return with a week at St Deiniol's to do some work on my PhD. I was fortunate to win a scholarship to spend a week there studying and plan to use this time to complete my second draft of my thesis and chill out a bit. I am rather hoping that there will be some spring days so I can explore the gardens and make a visit to Gladstone's house.

I have made an Easter Sunday posting to the re:jesus blog...Happy Easter!

final hours

The Vision After the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel)
Paul Gauguin
currently held at the National Gallery of Scotland

I am entering my final hours at St Deiniols and feeling quite pleased with my progress. I have managed to work on every chapter and make significant improvements to a large proportion of it. Spiritually I feel I have been able to get this whole thing in perspective and regained a peace around it that had fallen away during the last year at Trinity. A great deal of wrestling - emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual has gone into these four days and I feel quite exhausted by also invigorated.

I have just over 2 hours left here - Mark and Eva are coming to get me at lunch time. So, I best make the most of these final hours. So, there will be no More playing on facebook!

progress is slow but steady

It is 8.23pm and I have been hard at work here in the library all day. I worked until the library shut at 10pm last night and that is my plan tonight though I am finding it quite hard to keep going (hence the blog break). My cold is getting the better of me and I think I must be annoying the other readers with my sniffing and coughing...but so far no even a huff or puff from them (so polite). I am making good progress though. I am being very critical of my work and making some quite radical changes to the previous draft. However, I am going to have to be less radical and gather more pace tomorrow. I am about 1/4 of the way through it and one chapter (the one where I develop my practice as research - or what Sara refers to as the auto-ethnographic chapter!) in particular will need a great deal of attention - i.e. it is really pants.

I am loving it here though...the food is great, my room is very comfy, I have made a couple of good friends who are very interesting to chat to at meal times and over coffee. I just wish I wasn't feeling quite so rubbish...hey ho. As long as I get most of this done I will be pleased. Anyway, best get on.

st deiniols

I am at St Deiniols - home of Gladstone (it was, obviously not now because he is dead - but there is a good exhibition here) and the best library in the world. I am sitting on a very comfy chair in the library surrounded by lovely books in complete silence. It is fantastic. Though I didn't come here to mes about on facebook or write my blog it is quite the nicest place I have ever had the pleasure of messing about on the interweb.

Although I have a cold and am self-medicating variuosly on lemsip, asprin, honey lemon and ginger, chocolate biscuits and crisps I can still smell old books, oak and leather. A heady combination that makes me want to write a PhD...so that's what best get on with doing. Tea is at 6.45pm so I have 1 1/2 hours of creating to do. Wish me luck.

cold - retreat - music hall

I have a cold - which is very sad because I have a busy week planned and could really do with not being ill. I am off to St Deiniol's for a few days to get my head down and do some serious work on my PhD. I have been panning this for months and feel a bit peeved that I now am ill and my head hurts. Still, I have had a good chat with Sara (supervisor) about what is needed so hope that something (i.e. a new draft) will come out of the next few days hard work. I am also hoping that I get a little break and some time-out. Just being away for a few days will be nice.

I think I have access to the interweb in my room so I will be receiving mails, facebook etc but I will be disciplined about time spent away from my developing thoughts on Liverpool's music hall.

must go and pack my socks and pants...

buckets

having just got the house settled and the plans for new windows nearly in place a new incident has got us in a fluster. Last night we had a bit of a storm here in Everton (and that wasn't just because Liverpool did well in the footy). Whilst I was out at the healing service and Mark was out at the Shewsy (Eva was being sat on by my new friend Penny) the flat roof over our dinning room sprang a leek and the part of the ceiling gave way. We have had to employ a number of buckets to catch the water - which has now subsided to a drip. As they say - "it never rains but it pours". Hey ho.

I am in the house writing (more like fiddling) with my PhD which is going to be discussed by Sara (my supervisor) and I over lunch today. It will be Sara's first visit to the vicarage and I am hoping that she will be gentle with me. As usual I have prepared for writing by cleaning the house a bit - mopping the kitchen floor and all the surfaces (including the toaster, kettle, bread bin and compost bin). So, after 1 hour of messing have achieved 200 words. Which believe me is good going. Having some time to work on this chapter has helped me to realise the strengths and weaknesses in the work so the mulling / cleaning process is time well spent digesting my methodology.

Later on this evening I am off to see Kathy and David - my friends and hairdressers...they are planning a bleaching session and I will be able to discuss pop music, culture and the opening of the 2nd phase of Liverpool One shopping centre which I suspect will become the Museum to Capitalism shortly. Well, we can but hope.

back to church

We didn't do anything specific for back to church Sunday - though I did notices this article (thanks to the Church Times Blog) about a Merseyside church who seem to be an unexpected hit with the Daily Post. Good news I think!

Yesterday was, as ever, a busy day. I was preaching at St John Chrysostom Church on Philippians 1.21-30 in the morning. I really struggled to get this sermon sorted out this week but I think it went ok. My main point was that in this part of the letter Paul gives his readers permission to live with the tension (and not try to fix it) between the “now and not yet” and stand on this shifting ground with confidence. I think the sermon was preached by me for me really. I am a terrible one for trying to pin stuff down - particularly in relation to God's plans!

We had a big Sunday dinner with Elise, Wayne, baby Lillie, Andrea and Paula - roast pork, roast potatoes and parsnips, cabbage, peas and carrots. Followed by crumble. Yum Yum. we then sat and watched Penelope. It was a lovely afternoon.

I then went out to the Deanery evening service which was led by Kip Crooks (who is leading our parish weekend away as well). He was speaking about Art and Faith...which was very interesting. We also had a celebration for Henry's 30 years of ministry. 30 years in Everton no less. Very impressive I have to say!

So, that's my news. I am feeling a bit coldy this evening and have had a day in my office to catch up on bits and bobs. I went out for a few visits this afternoon but other than that its been planning for services, writing emails, poking about with my PhD and faffing. I have an evening off so must go and enjoy some crap TV.

historic buildings

Today I have tried to get round to see some of Liverpool's Heritage Open Day buildings. Unfortunately I only managed Christ Church, Linnet Lane and St Georges Church, Everton. I always enjoy HOD's and this year I feel I have not been able to do it justice. Hey ho.

I have realised that I am seriously avoiding PhD work at the moment so have promised myself to get a grip next week and start to fill empty moments (not that there are many of those) with sorting, re-drafting and honing. If you see me on here too much (and/or facebook, commenting on your blogs / sending emails etc) then please feel free to tell me off. Face-to-face encounters are ok (in moderation) and only on Tuesday will I read Heat magazine. That's it. I need to get a grip.

Right, I am off to the supermarket to get the week's shop, then an early night because we have a Baptism tomorrow (I'm not doing the actual Baptism but I am leading)...and we have a house full for lunch.

PhD

Today I have mostly been fiddling with my PhD. I am due to meet my supervisor next Monday and I have promised a new draft of everything (which isn't going to happen) by tomorrow. I have been able to manage an abstract, the intro, chapter 3, the conclusion and bibliography. The working on the rest depends on how these go down. I think a bit of creative cutting and pasting may be in order but Sara needs to have a look at the whole thing and give a verdict before I am prepared to commit any further editing.

The good news is that I have booked 4 days away st St Deiniols in Oct to have a go at the next draft. It is so distracting here at home - Mark is on the upstairs computer, Eva bouncing about. So, a few days away will, hopefully, kick the latest draft into touch.

I want to eat vast quantities of chocolate and drink white wine every time I finish a day on my PhD. I have no idea why it makes me so stressed!? The only thing that is spurring me on is the thought of finishing it and getting on with my life. Hey ho.

stuff that happens in my office

Today I am in my office...trying to prepare for Sunday's services and mulling over the week past. I am also trying hard to re-focus on my PhD! I know I haven't mentioned this for a while - mainly because I am in denial about it and would much rather it just disappeared or the fairies came in and did the next draft for me. But, as I am a bit unsure about "the fairies" (I promised Eva I would not ever again say I didn't believe in fairies, but not saying it doesn't actually make any difference to what is in my heart! I am pretty sure I really know about fairies...) and I suspect if the non existent fairies did my PhD for me then I would get done for plagiarism or cheating should the University find out - however, come to think about it if the fairies did my PhD and the university found out then that really would be a thing to write home about because then the University would have proved that there were PhD writing fairies and , my goodness that would be a thing!

I think we can be reasonable sure that none of the above is actually going to happen because I will have to write the PhD and that will be happening very very soon. having done my preparation, taken possession of the new car, had various visits from people and done some cleaning I have very little excuse left and may have to actually take the draft down of the shelf and read it and think of a plan as to how to prepare the next version. A cup of tea and then I am definitely goign to start!