To the man called Belmonte I say Yes!

Rare pic found in the book (CHS on his 39th)

I bought this book because of its lovely cover and the fact that Spurgeon's name appears on it. I don't always read books I buy straight away but I am glad I did this one as it is very much a book for reading on holiday and although officially holiday is over for me the memory is still lingering at least until September arrives. I think all the material in the book is available elsewhere but it has been put together well and demonstrates that Spurgeon loved his holidays and was a great believer in reading the book of nature as well as the book of Scripture. Wonderful little hardback. Thank you Mr Belmonte.

A Few Days in South Wales

Cardiff/Cwmbran

Last Monday we left London and headed for Wales. First stop, Newport and my sister's. Two of her daughters were there with their husbands and young daughters to that added to the interest and we had a short but enjoyable time. We then went on to Cardiff where we are staying in my son's house (they are all on camp in West Wales this week). In the evening, we had a lovely meal with Eleri's Cardiff based sister and her husband and son. Nice evening. Tuesday Eleri and I drove into town and had a little wander. We had a cuppa in the museum and then lunch at Shake Shack. Lovely time. In the evening I did some blogging and then we entertained some Cardiff friends who are getting married in November and that was a good time too.

Eleri has spent today and yesterday at the National Eisteddfod, which this year is in Pontypridd, half an hour from here by train. She is helping man the stondin for the Welsh school but it is also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and she has been having a great time, I think, although today has been rather wet.

I have been spending my time mostly reading and drinking coffee. Yesterday I headed into Whitchurch on foot for a coffee then caught a bus into town. I don't know Cardiff and so I enjoyed little things like the way all the stops are announced bilingually on the buses these days. (The route took us past The Earl Haig Club where I saw Focus in 2022 and the Velindre Cancer Centre where my mother had been a regular back in the nineties). I wandered around town and had lunch in the Caffe Nero in the St David's Centre (Focus also once played the St David's Hall and had someone play the organ for La Cathedrale). I then bussed back here before picking up Eleri. We popped over to Eleri's sister again later.

Today I took Eleri to the station then met up with my sister for a nice breakfast in a nearby Harvester. I then headed to Cwmbran where I enjoyed another coffee and an undercover wander in the rain. I sat in the Library which I now notice has similarities to the Swiss Cottage Library. I had luch in a  MacDonalds on the way to Pontypool and then headed back to Cardiff. (Kept my eyes peeled for anyone I might know but saw no-one. I like hearing the local accents, especially hearing people say by here and by there for here and there). In t evening I did a bit more wordling and reading and we watched the news an a couple of episodes of The Turkish Detective. Tomorrow we are off to Aberystwyth.

Summer Holidays 2023

As readers may have picked up, we have been away on holiday for most of the time since August 7. As usual, we have been in Wales but more unusually we took a nreak from holiday, coming back to London August 19-23, when I led the meetngs on the Lord's Day and on the Wednesday night of August 23. So the holiday has been in two parts.

Part One

Part on began with four days in Aber staying with my son and his family (7-10). it's alwasy nice to be in Aber. We didn't do much but window shop, have coffee, etc. I also spent a chunk of to days consuktinga  manuscript in the National Library. On the Tuesday night (August 8) it was good to be at the prayer meeting. On Friday 11 we drove down to Solfa to stay with our friends there. They have a lovely houose and made us feel more than welcome, including the trip out for a Welsh breakfast on Saturday 12. I have reported on preaching in the church at Roch on Sunday 13. We returned to Aber on the Sunday night. We then stayed for the week of the conference across the road to the manse in the home of our daughter-in-law's mother. It was great to see lots and lots of family and friends. I have reported on the main messages at the conference, August 14-18. We didn't get to any meetings apart from the main ones and some of those I watched online.

On Saturday August 19 we travelled back to London and stayed here until the following Thursday.

Part Two

On that day (August 24) we drove to South Wales. First we dropped in to my sister's in Bettw, near Newport. She was there with some of the family. I gave her the birthday ppresent I have been planning for some time. It is sixty jars of various things (sweets, tacks, tablets, spices, paper clips, air, etc, etc). It took a long time and is quite useless but Gail appreciated the gesture and understood it, thankfully.

We then drove on to Treorci (about an hour's drive) where Eleri had booked us and some tohers of the family into a farmhouse in Tynewydd (owned by Martin Roberts apparently). Built in 1652 it is quite charming but for the fact that the twon has grown up around it. We had a great time there adn in Treorci and elsewhere. We arrived there on the Thursday evening and had all of Friday there. On the Saturday we window shopped in Treorci and MacArthur Glen then headed back to Bettws for Gail's party. There were loads of family and friends there, including (quite out of the blue) my Uncle Peter from Canada. A really nice time.

Then on the Sunday we decided to Emmanel in Cardiff where two of my sons are members. Gareth Davies preached in the morning (from Romans on peace and hope) and our son Dylan in the evening (on the great commission). Emmanuel is slightly less conservative than we are but still very much on the conservative end which I like. It was good too to see many members of the family again. We had lunch with Dylan and Cat and then tea with Eleri's sister and family, also members of Emmanuel. It was our 35th wedding anniversary that day and that was noted too.

The next day (August 28 the Bank Holiday) we went to Ynysangharad Memorial Park in Pontypridd where we were joined by many family members. We talked, played football, found a Subway restaurant, looked at the memorial to the authors of the National Anthem (we actually sang it as we gathered). We then headed back to Treorci. It has been interesting travelling up and down the valleys, which we are very much aware of but quite ignorant of too.

We travelled back to London on Tuesday August 29. Good to be back.

Holidays

We are having a nice time in Wales. We travelled up to Aber last Monday and are enjoying staying with family. Good to get some reading done and a bit of research in the National Library. Good to be at the Alfred Place prayer meeting. Last Friday we drove down to Solva to spend time with good friends from Childs Hill who have now retured to Pembrokeshire. They treated us very nicely, including ice creams, etc, etc. I preached in Roch and we then returned to Aber on Sunday night for the conference week. That began this morning with a book launch at AP for Keith Underhill's book.

Nice few days in Laugharne

Laugharne

Skrinkle Haven

Tenby

Skrinkle Haven

We had our main family holiday this year in the West Wales town of Laugharne (hme an burial place of Dylan Thomas and as featured in a recent Welsh TV drama). A lovely few days that included trips to Tenby and Skrinkle Haven, it was  good time.

Yorkshire - Think on't

Atgofion Cader Idris

Nice holiday near Ross on Wye

We are coming to the end of a nice holiday in house near Ross on Wye. Eleri and I have been sleeping in a caravan type domicile called the Shepherd's Hut.

Boys who know what to do on holiday

We're away for a few days in Sussex and my sons have been making good use of the time

A night away

Having the most wonderful wife in the world is a real boon at times. Last Friday she took me off to a lovely hotel in the country just for 24 hours to celebrate my last birthday. We just had a couple of meals at the hotel where we stayed (The Red Lion, Whittlesford Bridge, Cambs, near Duxford) had a quick look at Audley End House and "did" Saffron Walden before heading back but what a great time.

Fun on Ffynnon fawr

 

Near to we are staying at present is the site of a well with an ancient history. It forms one of a line of wells which follow a fault line extending from Porthcawl breakwater to St David's Well. Ffynnon Fawr played an important part in providing the old village of Nottage and the new town of Porthcawl with water.
The date of the present well-house is uncertain, and may be from the early nineteenth century. The rectangular well house is in grey stone and is a Grade II listed building.  There is a camber-headed doorway with an iron gate, and steps down to a vaulted cistern. To the left there is a stone step (or seat?). On the right hand side a plaque has inscriptions in Welsh and English

Y Ffynnon Fawr"
Mae Dwr Yn Fendith Angenreidol
Rhoddes Duw Inni Ar Lawr;
Cofiwyn 'Awdur Pob Daioni'
Wrth Yfed Dwr O'r Ffynnon Fawr

Water Is A Necessary Blessing
Which God Has Given Us On Earth;
Let Us Remember 'The Author Of All Goodness'
As We Drink From Ffynnon Fawr.

The site is of historic interest as one of a few surviving ancient wells in the area.
Also nearby is Nottage forge.

Lord's Days April 13 and 20 2014

I actually preached on the Sunday morning of the 13th. I got out of hospital on the 9th and then learned that I needed to report to the Heart Hospital on the afternoon of the 13th. We had booked a family holiday in Hampshire for the 12-19 with our boys and others. So I had a nice afternoon and evening down in Hampshire on the Saturday and then for various reasons we had our own service in the cottage (Eleri, me, the five boys, Sibyl (plus junior in utero), Eleri's sister, husband and son). At the last minute I thought of hymns and realised that we had enough devices between us to email or Facebook three hymns out for acapella use in the service. I preached on 1 Kings 3:1-15. After a quick lunch Eleri drove me back to London and to the hospital. No evening service for ne then (I think they  used stuff from Youtube to keep them in tune and listened to Mark Raines on Sermonaudio).

I believe my elder Robert Strivens and fellow minister Andrew Hill preached at Childs Hill. I am very grateful to them.

I had the operation on Monday 14, of which I remember very little thankfully and came home on Saturday 19. Both morning and evening I went to the Met Tab - virtually not literally, of course. Dr Masters has been unwell and so his assistant Ibrahim Ag Mohammed preached. He spoke on Matthew 28:6 in the morning on the resurrection and from Mark 5 and the raising of Jairus's daughter in the evening. The two services were identical in format, the evening on being evangelistic and shorter. Both services are solid, straightforward, heart warming and carefully though out. It was a joy to be "there".

I probably haven't looked properly but I could not see anyone else in the UK offering the same public facility - not even only in audio. There must be others I'm sure.

Robert preached again in Childs hill with Halbo Chou, assistant at Kensit Evangelical, preaching in the evening. Again I am very thankful to them and to those who have arranged this.

Lord's Day February 23 2014

I was preaching in Aberystwyth, in Alfred Place Baptist Church, on Sunday. We went up as a family on Thursday and enjoyed being with various members of the family over the few days we were there. I was able to attend a men's breakfast in the church on the Saturday, which was good. The Sunday morning sermon was followed by a fellowship lunch and that was good too. I preached from 1 Thessalonians 1 and Esther 6. It is always difficult to decide what to preach when you go away but I felt these were a good pair until I looked at them again and felt their inadequacy but I preached as best I could and I think they were appreciated. Alfred Place was erected in the same year (1870) as our building and apart from Childs Hill being quite wide they would be very similar except that our pews have been replaced by chairs and I preach from the communion table rather than the pulpit. This makes for quite a different experience. The other feature in AP for me is that I know a lot of people there but not overly well. It was great to see 20 or 30 students in the morning lapping up the teaching. Some were fresh in from this weeks CU mission I understand. Tim Curnow kindly preached here for me. Geoff was in Gorseinon.

Hunstanton and King's Lynn

Naseby

My wife and I have been having a few days away this week in King's Lynn and Hereford. En route between the two we saw a sign (in keeping with our trip to the Cromwell museum in Ely) for Naseby and checked it out, as seen here. Naseby is a little village in Northamptonshire. The battle just outside was decisive in the English civil wars or Wars of the three nations. 

Brittany

It's hard to believe that a week ago we were all in Brittany. This blog makes no attempt to give a blow by blow account of things but I felt I ought to mention my first time in that part of the world and how much we enjoyed it. We had such a nice place and such great weather that we didn't do much exploring but I'm glad that we at least did a little. It was good to see Mont St Michel after often hearing about it. We also enjoyed Combourg and Dinan. The French seem to do Mediaeval very well. The Breton traditions of crepes and cider, etc, were in evidence but hardly a hint of the language where we were. General impressions of France - useless toilets and vast arable farming - are no doubt similar to those of others.

Lord's Day July 21 2013

Church was a little bit different yesterday in that we are on holiday here in the wilds of Brittany and so we decided to have church here. My father-in-law preached in the morning and I preached in the evening. We sang psalms unaccompanied. We are 17 altogether so decent congregation aged 5-74 (we would be 18 if my daughter-in-law could have been here too). Geoff took us to Romans 15:13 and I went for Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:7 given that half of us are young people. We were inside in the evening as summer storms threatened but it was best in the garden under a covered dining area in the morning. The sound of the birds and the sight of butterflies added to the experience rather than detracting.

Days in Devon 03

Wednesday was a less successful day in some ways, with the weather still not too bad but not great either. As on other days the children were up first for a bit of telly followed by the adults one by one. All up before 9.30 am. Geoff or someone else heads off for the papers around eightish and returns with the Mail, Telegraph and Times. We all enjoy being together in the large kitchen until 10 or so.
Today we headed off to Westward Ho! (named from a Kingsley novel, the only place in Britain with an exclamation mark in its name). It was rather different to what most of us expected I think. I thought it would be more like Clovelly but it was more like Margate or Rhyl or somewhere. The dull weather didn’t help. We went on the beach nevertheless and enjoyed throwing stones and working on a quiz that Geoff had found in a charity shop. The IT shop was closed and so hopes of an internet connection that some of us would like were dashed. We’ll cope.
We headed on then to a retail park just outside Bideford we had visited briefly on the way down. It had an Asda and several other shops including an M&S outlet and a remaindered books shop. There was also a nice park with various activities for kids (bouncing, panning for gold, etc) that all the younger ones enjoyed.
Back here there were more old videos to see. There are 15 one hour tapes (not all full) that will hopefully be transferred to something more accessible at some time. There was one clip from 1994 of a school concert with Rhodri in, followed by Christmas Dinner with my parents. That was interesting. Later we played consequences together - the kids love it. We had a hilarious moment when Owain tried to read back what he'd written. His writing and reading skills are quite minimal. We also played an urban myth team game that Rhodri had brought later. None of us proved very able at discerning truth from myth.

Days in Devon 02

The weather was pleasant enough throughout our stay in Devon (the playground of England and the third largest county). We headed out fairly early to nearby and picturesque Clovelly. We enjoyed the steep cobbled streets and the little harbour. Like the streets the entrance price was rather steep (Geoff was very kind). The kids made pots on a wheel and Owain sat on a donkey, which he loved. We enjoyed the quaint cottages including that of Charles Kingsley who grew up there. Geoff bought a copy of the Water Babies, which I have actually read but don’t remember much of.
Back at base we played soccer and rounders and lounged about, enjoying one another’s company. We had some old technology videos from the nineties that someone had found a way of showing again so on most nights we enjoyed seeing the kids a way back, things that we had either forgotten about or never seen. There was an interesting one that Rhodri had made when he was 9 with Dylan and Dewi. First he directed them in a football game with a large Teddy (dubbed Teddy Sherringham!). Then Dylan played impromptu jazz on piano while Dewi did a mad dance. Fascinating.
We also watched Chelsea play Liverpool on TV. Only Dewi and I were pleased at the result. Great game though - with 8 goals you can’t complain. My sister 'phoned to say my father was to have a big op the next day. My mother died in an op so one’s mind was concentrated and set to prayer. Thankfully he came through but things are uncertain.
Owain and the others found frogs in the garden so they had great fun. There are also chipmunks on site but Owain had his eye on two ponies in a stable nearby that he wanted to get closer to.

We had any number of computers and cameras and phones among us so we’re enjoying those. The boys made some little songs on Rhodri’s garage band facility on his (Sibyl’s) Mac.

Days in Devon 01

We're just back from a few days family holiday in Devon. We managed to leave the house around 8.30 am on Monday and headed west on roads that weren’t at all busy. Everything beyond Bristol is unfamiliar to me so it was fun driving through Avon and Somerset into Devon. We'd arranged to meet Eleri’s sisters and families in Tiverton at noon. They were coming from Cardiff and Trowbridge. We were a little ahead of schedule and thought of coming off the main highway and visiting the Clarks village to check out the shoes. It was further off the beaten track than we realised, though, so stopping at a tiny village called Cossington briefly, we headed back and reached Tiverton, where we had a nice picnic lunch with the others by the canal.
We headed in convoy to our holiday destination, which we found fairly easily (Ian has a satnav). We stayed in Alminstone House, Alminstone, a very small village near Woolfardisworthy - not much bigger.
The house was unimpressive from the outside but a very large kitchen and a decent living area - all we wanted really so everyone was quite content once we'd allocated rooms. Eleri and I got the en suite but not a four poster. The boys were disappointed that there was no games room and only 4 TV channels.
Anyway we had a nice relaxing evening. We played soccer and sat about a bit. Some of us tried to watch the film King Arthur but it is as bad as the critics say. Nain and Taid arrived about 10.30. Geoff had been preaching at big meetings in Maesycwmmer as Scotsman Kenny Stewart had had to pull out last minute. Lovely to be together. We haven’t holidayed like this for three years now.