10 Places in England with an X in

1. Halifax
2. Oxford
3. Felixstowe
4. Exeter
5. Uttoxeter
6. Wroxeter
7. Axminster
8. Brixham
9. Buxton
10. Oxted

(There's Wrexham too in Wales and Saxmundham, etc)

From My Christmas Blog 2

There are one or two thi8ngs about this publication that I am a little unhappy about but if you want a good little book that will give you a good angle on the Christmas story do get this book and read it or try here on YouTube to bear John Piper reading it aloud.

From My Christmas Blog 1

Here is a nice selection of detective fiction for Christmas time. The last volume (Christmas in the snow) fails as it is not really Christmassy or snowy enough all through. See here.

In Writing 136 now available from The Library

It features the annual lecture and other things. Get it from the Library.

 

365 Albums 330-345

1. Hymns - Lullabies Page CXVI 2012*
2. And Winter came Enya 2008
3. Drive the cold winter away Horslips 1985
4. Christmas Variations Rick Wakeman 2000*
5. The Jethro Tull Christmas Album Jethro Tull 2003
6. Music per la Notte de Natale Thijs v Leer, Louis van Dijk, Rogier van Otterloo 1976*
7. We Three kings The Roches 1990
8. Chris Squire's Swiss Choir Chris Squire 2007
9. The Christmas Album Keith Emerson 1999
10. December The Moody Blues 2003
11. The Dawn of Grace Sixpence None the Richer 2008
12. While Mortals Sleep Kate Rusby 2011
13. Kerst met Thijs van Leer en Elly Ameling in de Grote Kerk Te Monickendam Thijs v Leer & Elly Ameling 1979* 
14. Carols & Capers Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band 1991
15. A Tapestry of Carols Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band 1986

Midweek Meeting December 9 2020

We were on zoom last Wednesday as usual. We must have been around 20 altogether, a lot higher than we might have been if we were in the building. Even then there were several missing. We looked at Matthew 1:21 and a good length prayer time followed with lots of people taking part. I wish more had prayed. We had a members meeting the next night so I did not want to lengthen things unduly.

Day Off Week 50

There has been a little gap as we were in Cardiff one week helping our son and family to move house - I was in charge of putting books on shelves and it was nice to round up a few of my strays (!). Then the next week we went to Aber to be with our oldest son and his family as it would have been on that week that the baby girl they were expecting, Angharad, would probably have been born. This week it was the more usual being at home and reading and what not. I enjoyed reading some of the shirt stories on one of my Christmas books that I have on kindle, a book of short stories. I also spent a little time in the eighteenth century working on different projects. In the evening we watched an episode of the Crown.

Systematic Theology 2

I saw my esteemed father-in-law recently and he had a nice Christmas present for me - Volume 2 of the new Systematic Theology by Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley. There was one for him and one for me, as you can see. I have only read the first 800 pages of Volume 1 so I need to get going. Volume 3 looms. It is brilliant - from the very paper itis printed on to the questions posed at the end of each chapter.

Seasonal Prog Rock

10 People with reduplicated names

1. Bev Bevan, English drummer with The Move, ELO
2. Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic journalist and TV presenter
3. Kris Kristofferson, American country singer and composer
4. Boutros Boutros Ghali, Egyptian former UN head
5. M(arj)o(rie) Mowlam, English politician
6. Jo(seph) Johnson, English politician and brother of the PM
7. William Williams, Welsh hymn writer and preacher
8. Jerome K Jerome, English novelist
9. Ford Maddox Ford, English novelist
10. Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer

Lord's Day December 6 2020

So it was back to the chapel again last Lord's Day morning. We began with communion. Only eight of us. We welcomed a new member with the right elbow of fellowship. I wish we could have been more. Unable to persuade people that we should sing, we had two recordings of carols from YouTube. That was okay although the second hymn had different words to what was in our books. There were other technical difficulties I was told. In the evening it was just zoom. I carried on with Luke 1 at both services, verses 5-25 then verses 26-38. It's great to look at these verses again.

Midweek Meeting December 2 2020

We were on zoom last Wednesday again and looking at 1 Chronicles 15. We also meet for prayer which we are getting used to. One of our best pray-ers was not there but others stepped up to the mark. Prayers were slightly longer than usual I thought. Good time.

Mozart's Requiem ENO

If you have an hour to spare check BBC Iplayer and the ENO performance of Mozart's Requiem. Well worth a listen. Skip to 7:38 if you only want the music. Link here.

Lord's Day November 29 2020

Hopefully for the last time, it was all zoom last Lord's Day. I went to the chapel in the morning to broadcast We looked at the final chapter of 2 Corinthians - Chapter 13. By taking the whole chapter I ended up with a bit of a ragbag and was a little dissatisfied with the result. In the evening I broadcast from home. We looked at the opening verses of Luke's Gospel. I plan to work my way through Luke's Gospel for a second time over the coming months (and more probably). We had a good attendance and there is a good loving spirit in these difficult times. I am still conscious, however, of some few missing out.

365 Albums 316-330

1. Life in Slow Motion David Gray 2005
2. Thief Soundtrack Tangerine Dream 1981
3. Heaven's Open Mike Oldfield 1991
4. I'm in the Mood Live Recorded Selections 2002/2003 Jan Akkerman 2003
5. Sorcerer Soundtrack Tangerine Dream 1977
6. Charisma Joachim Kuhn 1977
7. L'Apocalypse Des Animaux Vangelis 1973
8. Parallel Lines Blondie 1978
9. The City Vangelis 1990
10. Whirlwind Spin 1977
11. Forcefield III To Oz and Back 1989
12. Wild Connections Jack Lancaster & Rick van der Linden 2007
13. Gabrielle Gabrielle 1996
14. QE2 Mike Oldfield 1980
15. Incantations Mike Oldfield 1978