How Time Flies!

         

Image Credit: Kittitee500-Fotolia

Since my last monthly blog for ACW on July 02nd last year, I have finally retired. Having reached the age of 60 on October 02nd last year I began drawing on my occupational pension. This means that theoretically at least, I should have more time to devote to different writing projects now that earning an income is no longer of primary importance. 

I recently updated my Linked-In profile to read as follows-

Doting Grandad, Saracens RFC fanatic, posts the occassional blog. Likes books, music, theatre & anything Cornish esp the ale. Passionate campaigner for and supporter of those living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

This pretty much sums up life as it currently stands. My eldest Grandson turned thirteen on August 25th which makes me feel my advancing years that little bit more but also knowing that, God willing, I should still be cognisant enough to buy him his first legal pint when he turns eighteen in 2029. 

The new rugby season kicks off in a couple of weeks and tickets for the first home match versus Sale Sharks on the 28th have been secured along with Standard Premium train reservations. The day after, I shall be presiding at my first Holy Communion service having received my authorisation to preside from Methodist Conference earlier this year. 

On the blogging front, I have managed to post a few sermons from church services I have led on my website and also until recently, completed a series of blogs for the Christian Police Network as part of my chaplaincy duties for West Midlands Police called "Loitering with Good Intent", a tongue in cheek reference to the offence of loitering with intent. However life still manages to get in the way of trying to resurrect at least something meaningful on the creative writing front. The last poem I managed to write was for my youngest daughter's wedding also last October. Not sure if this is a case of selective writers block or the need to refocus more on the creative side again. 

My support for people living with MND goes back some fifteen years. When I first started I had no direct connection with the illness unlike most people who volunteer for the charity. I was in fact a highly unlikely volunteer which later became the title of a series of blogs I wrote for the charity's intranet site on being an MND Volunteer. A few months ago I assumed leadership of the local support group for MND which was reformed last year thus becoming in my own idiom, a full time volunteer for MND!! When Rob Burrow the former Leeds Rhinos Rugby League legend died in June, the local Greatest Hits radio station asked me for a couple of quotes on the inspirational impact Rob had on the MND community. I am also scheduled to appear on a local station, Black Country Radio, in November to talk about MND and its impact in the local region as well speaking at a couple of talks to local church groups in the area.  

I wrote in my July 23 blog how Mrs C and I had changed our holiday park location from Camelford in North Cornwall to Pelynt, in the southeast of the county, between Looe and Polperro. What an inspired decision this turned out to be. We have become far more frequent visitors to the county since we moved there, including attending some of the local festivals sampling not only the ales, but also other local produce. I have also had the privilege of leading worship several times in the local chapel which I enjoy very much. Next Sunday (15th) is their Harvest Festival service, which will a joint service with the congregation from the local Anglican Church which I have been asked to lead. A great honour and one which I am looking forward to immensely. This will be followed by a trip to the Looe Food Festival that same afternoon for more sampling and nose-bagging and we will also be at the Music Festival the following weekend. You never know may get some creative inspiration from all this!! 

Sadly I won't be able to make the Looe Literary Festival in the first week of October - my apologies to Liz Manning - but perhaps we may finally get to meet up either on the 15th or over the music festival weekend. 

Today 08th September also marks the second anniversary of the accession to the throne of King Charles the Third. It doesn't seem like two years have passed already since the death of the late queen, someone who whatever your views on monarchy, was a commanding and seemingly permanent presence in all our lives. The passage of time means he is already on his third Prime Minister; he is unlikely to beat his mother's record of fifteen, but with our dysfunctional political system nothing would surprise me. 

But as writers we keep moving forward using our talents and abilities to keep the Gospel of Christ front and centre in an ever increasingly divided and secular world. 

It's been a pleasure to be able to post again on this forum. May God guide you and keep you in all your creative endeavours. 

Beannachtai De to you all.

Michael Cronogue originally from London now resides in Walsall in the Black Country region of the UK. Writer and blogger discussing matters of faith and theology on his website www.michaelcronogue.com . He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Queen’s Foundation Birmingham (Newman University) and is a Methodist Local Preacher serving various churches in the Black Country area, as well as a visiting preacher in parts of North and Southeast Cornwall.