One hundred degrees and counting

The Texas summer has kicked in and it's HOT here. We have succumbed to the lure of the air conditioning and are learning to go out only in the early morning or after dark. Heat-combating gadgets like hand-held misters or insulated bottle holders are suddenly looking very attractive. And sunscreen - well, anyone remember the song?

However, the hot weather does provide opportunities for doing some fun things. In Sundance Square, downtown, there is a free movie showing every Thursday, and last week we took our lawn chairs down and watched Young Frankenstein. It's a decidedly bizarre black-and-white film about the grandson of the original Baron von Frankenstein, who, despite initial opposition, becomes determined to carry on his ancestor's work and create life from death. This with every cliche in the book, including sexy blonde assistant, abundant thunder and lightning and an Igor whose hump mysteriously moves from one side of his back to the other.

The lawn chairs got another outing when we went to the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington for one of their series of free outdoor concerts. We relaxed to the chilled sounds of Beatlegrass, who do, believe it or not, bluegrass versions of Beatles hits. I can't say it's a combination which immediately grabbed me, but they sing some original bluegrass too, and that was pretty good.

Cool water is definitely the order of the day, so when we both had a day off we headed down to Dinosaur Valley State Park again for a swim in the Paluxy River. There's an awesome swimming hole which is deep enough to dive into in parts, and considerably bigger than the pool here at Firestone. Admittedly you have to share it with lots of tiny fish and a considerable crowd of children, but that's all part of the fun.

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Supercars and Selfies on the South Coast

We drove south on a wet, wet Saturday in August. The windscreen wipers swished endlessly back and forth, as we debated whether it was worth stopping anywhere except for the overcrowded motorway services. By the time we reached Winchester, the wipers had subsided to an occasional flick across the screen. We decided to stop. Of course, as soon as we left the car park there was a brief shower, but we ducked into the City Mill, now a National Trust property. There was a large room full of the usual kind of displays about flour milling; a recently renovated garden; and downstairs, the mill race running at full tilt. The mill is built right across the River Itchen. Winchester City Mill garden The mill race Water wheel (awaiting renovation) We stayed dry as we explored further into Winchester. There was even some blue sky for our selfie by the cathedral! But as we walked back to the car the rain hit us like a hose on full blast. An overhanging building provided some slight shelter, but the wa

National Forest Way: Calke Abbey to Ashby de la Zouch

All the best walking blogs have maps on. I finally figured out how to add a route map to mine. If I get time, I'll add them to the previous posts as well, so you can see where I went. So, here are the two walks which made up the next stretch of the NFW. Walk 1 I started from the National Trust property and walked along by the lake, up the hill by the deer park, and down to Staunton Harold reservoir - all very familiar. Calke village postbox featured a highland cow on top. Lake at Calke Abbey Herd of deer A short stretch on the road took me to Dimminsdale, which was new to me. There are records of mining at the site from the 13th century until the end of the 19th century. It's incredible to think that people worked there for so many hundreds of years. Now it is a secluded landscape of still pools and shaggy trees. Dimminsdale I crossed a small section of the Staunton Harold estate, then went up a private lane with some rather nice houses. My turning point was where the Nati

Reading for Spiritual Formation 2023-24

I wasn't sure whether to read another set of theology books this year. Could the time I spend on it be better spent on something else? At what point does it become reading for the sake of it, without having much impact on my wider life? It's difficult to tell. However, as usual, I had a growing list of books I wanted to read. I do need to think about what I'm doing as well as what I'm reading, and I don't expect to continue this specific discipline indefinitely. But I decided there was space for at least one more year of Reading for Spiritual Formation. So, without further soul-searching: The Books. Three Mile an Hour God Kosuke Koyama Japanese theologians are few and far between; Christianity is still very much a niche religion in Japan. Kosuke Koyama was Japanese and appears to be both influential and accessible. Not every theologian is both! So I'm excited to read his recently republished book Three Mile an Hour God. It was originally written in 1979, and is

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

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