More than Writers

We are now well into the second half of January, and our “Christmas” Amaryllis has decided to join the party. It has sat on our shelf with little or no growth throughout most of December, and now, with Christmas just a memory, it has decided to burst into full bloom. We have made no changes to any care or its position. It has just decided that it is its time and that is that. And what a show it is putting on. I am a bit scared of getting too close to it in case it tries to bite my face. (I’ve seen the Day of the Triffids. I know what can happen.) Obviously, our Christmas plant had no idea that it was missing Christmas, and if somehow it did know, I don’t suppose it would have made any difference. This is, I think, a good thing.   I am currently re-reading Equality is Biblical by Penelope Wilcock. It is an excellent book about the position of women in the church, stretching back to the early church and ancient attitudes.   What has struck me about it this time is the ages of th...

  My grandson has rhythm, he is always looking for drumsticks and if he can’t find any he will improvise with pens, sticks, cutlery… He will use whatever surface is available to create a rhythm – the bin, a table, a cardboard box. He is only 3 but he understands rhythm. He is now the proud owner of a small set of drums. Not sure how happy his neighbours are! Rhythm is something built into our lives to a certain extent. The changing seasons, day and night, regular meals to name a few. God built rhythm into creation when he set aside one day in seven to rest. I was walking along the beach recently, listening to the gentle wash of the waves. It formed the background to my walk; a regular rhythm that I could tune into or just allow it to be there. I’m sure that is one reason so many are drawn to the sea, whether it is a fierce pounding or a gentle pulling of the shingle, it is a soothing   rhythm that can be both calming and inspiring. I’m sure many of you have rhythms as wr...

I like a new beginning.  January 2026 – a new year, a time to look forward, a time to hope for new challenges that might push me out of my comfort zone, that grow me as a person. New blessings from God. What will He bring into my life in the coming year? Maybe there will be experiences I will not see as blessings but perhaps turn out to be in disguise. Yesterday I read a post by Pete Greig about Examen – a prayerful process of reviewing the day just passed, or maybe the whole of 2025. One of the steps he suggests is looking back through our journal of each month noting the more significant circumstances and life situations we have experienced. This could be moments of good and not so good. Times of rejoicing, or sadness; of breakthrough or hurt and failure. Through this examination we may see patterns or themes that were not obvious at the time. These may lead to repentance, forgiveness and renewal as we offer them to God.   Writing is a gift from God. Our God is the creat...

  There are bridges, and then there are bridges. I am fan of the kind of robust, clearly engineered, stood-for-centuries kind of bridge.   Tower Bridge has never let me down yet.   There are solid little hump-backed bridges over rivers on Dartmoor that are pure delight and photogenic to boot.   However, there are also strange swing bridges, rope bridges that have more of the Indian Jones vibe about them. Of these I am not a fan.   Bridges that sway beneath my feet give me a most peculiar feeling somewhere in my tummy.   Last year I discovered a bridge that was something else again: truly a wonder in the world of design.   It’s called the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay in California, and beneath it flows the mighty Sacramento River.   It makes complete sense to cross this bridge on foot in order to enjoy the panorama and take some photos.   However, just a couple of steps into my foray across the bridge, I realised that the flooring is transluce...

It’s 10.15 pm and I’ve just driven back from a meeting in church. My church is 15 miles from home, I have stayed on the main roads but bumped over some potholes that need filling, been blinded by oncoming full-beam headlights, overtaken by faster cars, held up by roadworks and had some stretches where driving has been along straight roads at a reasonably fast pace with my lights on full-beam and I have felt totally in control. I never get that feeling when I am going somewhere new because I am desperately trying to avoid losing my way. My journey is much like my first drafts of a novel. I am not a person who carefully plans the plot line so I feel my way.  Sometimes when I start to write I have a rough idea of where I’m going, but more often I begin with only the vaguest of thoughts and a great deal of prayer. I have no knowledge of where the story is going and do not know the route I will take. I trust in God. It’s hazardous, but exciting. I write sporadically when I have ti...

  Photo Credit: Soichi Watanabe    Having had a break over Christmas and the new year, my mind felt as though it was ready for a stretch. For no particular reason, I found myself pondering the number three. What is it about three, and about the way things so often group themselves in threes? Is three a magic number? In writing terms, perhaps it is. “He was tall, dark and handsome” has more impact than “He was tall and dark”. The number three is the smallest odd prime number and the smallest number that can create a pattern. You can’t plait two strands, but you can plait three. Two’s company, and three’s a crowd. You need three legs to hold up a piece of furniture, though only two to hold up a person. You need three elements to measure space: height, width and depth. When gardening, plants make a more effective statement when they are grouped in threes. There is a particular emphasis in messages that come in threes. Caesar declared, “Veni, vidi, vici” — “I ...

    My favourite scripture  at the moment  is Deuteronomy 31:8, which promises, "The LORD himself   goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do  not be discouraged”. I need  to hear   that right now, because finally , after thinking about it for a couple of years I have a rough draft for a   children’s book.  It’s aimed at  two- to five-year-olds , and f eatures Myka the dog .  I’m not a doggy person, but the book ’ s origins are in the time my son kindly left hi s dog with me to look after while he swanned off on holiday.  The character of Myka provides  lots   of potential for  cheeky fun,  but also  to  model overcoming challenges .  My mum   has done the  illustrations  and they  are sensational . B ut  now I have the first draft,  I  find myself  uncertain about how to  proceed ....