Last day of 2010

We have reached the end of another year. It appears to me to have been a very short year indeed.

Lots of things happened, some good, some bad. Just the usual mix we all experience.

I will remember the Pope's visit to Glasgow. But for me, the chance to build on the Faith and euphoria of that day has been lost by the Hierarchy.

Everyone commented on the profound and respectful silence of that huge crowd during Mass. Everyone was moved by the solemnity of the Celebration of the Mass, of the use of English, Latin and Gaelic.

But there has been no follow up, no leadership from the Hierarchy. There was a call for more money from the faithful to clear the shortfall. But that was all. No request that we keep the Sacred Silence before, during and after Mass. No extension of the Old Rite. No call for Mass to be celebrated with more reverence, an an end to improvisation and banality that can be so often experienced.

I will remember my week of taking photographs for the TFP 2011 calendar, and my visits to those ancient- and once Catholic- abbey churches around Britain, where Mass was said daily in Pre-Reformation times.

I will remember the successes of my children as they pursued their careers, at University, on the Stage, in Print and at work.

I will remember the new friends I have made, and those friends who died during this year.

I will remember my month in Canada in February, and my wonderful trip to Turin to see with my own eyes the Holy Shroud.

I will remember all those who have shown me kindness during the year, and understanding and love.

I will remember the doctors who diagnosed my illness just in time, or perhaps I would not have been here writing this last blog of 2010.

Photos today taken at Largs. Nardini's does the most delicious ice creams!!!

Christmas Eve 2010

Finally we are here, the Eve of Christmas. the 4 weeks of Advent have ended, and tonight in Churches all over the world, we will again celebrate the Birth of Jesus in a stable at Bethlehem.

This morning was again bitterly cold, -9c, but by 9 am the sun was up. The world looks so beautiful. We will have a White Christmas.

We were at 10am Mass this morning, and tonight we will be there for the carol Service, then the First Mass of Christmas. There is always something special about the particular Mass.

We have tried very hard not to be sucked in by the commercialisation of the Feast. The media are full of stories of ruined holiday plans, non delivery of ordered Christmas presents and so on.

We have not spent beyond out means. There are no exorbitant gifts. There will be a family Christmas dinner. It will be nice without being decadent.

I used to try and make the children I taught think about the real meaning of Christmas. It is the birthday of Jesus, and yet, everyone gets presents that day, while Jesus is forgotten. I asked them to imagine their own birthday with everyone celebrating it and receiving gifts while they watched on but got nothing.
I told them Jesus did want a gift...not a bike...or a lap top...or dvds. He simply wanted us to be at Mass that morning to join in the celebration of His birth. And every Sunday too. An hour a week at most. 1 hour. Is that too much for Jesus to ask of us?

I wish all who might read this little blog a Happy and a Holy Christmas, and a New Year filled with Peace and Blessings!

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!

photos taken today at home and by the River Clyde at Old Kilpatrick

Tuesday 21st December 2010

The short thaw has gone. We had more snow, then a couple of bitterly cold days.

Today the temperature stayed around -8C all day. It's dark now and even colder.

I thank God that every morning my car has started first turn of the key!

Everything here is still running. Buses, trains and planes, unless you are heading for London. Everything has come to a halt there, and thousands of folk are stuck at the airports and train stations unable to leave the country.

We did some more re-organisation in the house today, but more still to do. We will be ready for Christmas!

Tomorrow some furniture we do not need will be picked up by a Charity group, and I have someone to take over to the airport for a flight to France.

We are in the last few days of the season of Advent.

Advent is a time of penance and preparation for Christmas.Last night, as part of our preparation we got to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our priest remarked that in his 40 years as a doctor, many people unburdened themselves to him at a time he could give advice and medicine, but not Absolution, which was really what they were seeking.

Now as a priest, he can give that Absolution, but hardly anyone now goes to Confession any longer.

There was a time when everyone went to confession regularly. What makes people believe that they have no need of the great help this Sacrament can bring us?

As Catholics, we are bound to confess our sins at least once a year.

Maybe today we do not commit as many sins as we did in the past, and therefore do no need to seek God's forgiveness. That's what it will be. Aye......right.

Photos taken today in the garden today.

Winter's Cauld Blast!

And so the cold goes on. Today the highest temperature when we were out and about was -2C at Helensburgh. Away from there, it dropped back to -5C.

Tonight we were out at a Penitential service at St Patrick's. Despite it being -7C, there were about 40 brave souls who came out.

Once again, the weather is causing chaos. Thousands of folk all around the world have had their holiday plans ruined. The main English airports are closed. No one is going anywhere. And because the aircraft are stuck at the gates, incoming flights cannot land as there is nowhere to park and allow passengers to disembark.

I wonder if there is a lessong in all of this for today's world of easy come, easy go?

In the past, there were winters like this. And before modern homes and electricity and central heating people endured such hard winters with no anger, just acceptance that it was Nature's way.

Today, with central heating, television, restaurants, we seem so easily upset when our plans are thwarted by Nature.

Many of us have become accustomed to having our own way, nomatter what happens.

This cold spell is showing us that despite our sophisticated life styles, there comes a time when there is nothing we can do but wait, with patience and resignation, till the storm has passed.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to sit back and consider the true meaning of Christmas, and not the commercialised event it has become.

Tonight, I am warm and safe at home,with my wife and the 2 of my children who still live with us. Do I need any more?

And hopefully on Christmas, we will spend a happy and holy day after Mass, with visits fom the rest of our children. And some of them will have dinner with us and some champagne.

I am celebrating just being alive. My doctor told me on Monday, that "it was a close call."

I have just phoned Damien. He is on his way to Newcastle, where his company has an office. He was supposed to leave from Glasgow, but the train was cancelled. He had to take a taxi to Edinburgh. The train there left an hour late and he should be in Newcastle at midnight.

Let's pray he gets home in time for Christmas

Photos were taken in the garden during a brief thaw.

.....And it is Lying Still!!!!!

The snow just goes on. Fortunately, there has been no new snow since Monday, when it caused such chaos here. Roads were impassible. The main motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh became gridlocked. Hundreds of people who had set off for work in the morning spent the whole day stuck, and then were forced to stay overnight trapped in their cars. Some abandoned their vehicles and walked to safety and warmth if they could find it. Since Monday, temperatures have stayed well below freezing, averaging -10 around Glasgow even during day time.

Food is low and petrol has run out in many garages.

Today fortunately, it has been about +2C, but not for long enough to do anything about thawing the hard frozen ice on many streets.

We hope we can have more ease to morrow, but it will turn cold again next week. Heating bills are going to be horrendous!

And my errant son John, pantomiming in sunny Brisbane cannot wait to get home to play in the snow!!!!! while his brother Gerry struggles every day to reach his Edinburgh theatre to play the pantomime Prince.

Some photos taken during the last couple of frozen days...don't let the sun fool you!

The Snow Lay on The Ground...

There is no let up in this wintry weather. Although we have only had a few flurries in the past 36 hours, there is still plenty of it on the ground. As the temperature stays just below freezing, the snow aint gonna disappear.

The east coast is still enduring heavy snowfalls, and pretty much the whole of Britain is affected to varying degrees of difficulty. Transport is still affected, with trains and planes and boats and cars and buses all affected. And there seems no sign of any respite in the present conditions. Parts of Europe are now affected too.

We are fortunate that it hasn't caused our family too much bother. We didn't use the car on Sunday or Monday, as our street, with a hill at either end, can be tricky to negotiate. But since then I have manged out every day. The secret is simple. Light on the accelerator, and on the slope, keep revs slow and steady. Momentum does the rest.

Gerry has managed to keep up his attendance at the Brunton Theatre Pantomime in Edinburgh. John is still sunning himaself in Brisbane. Damien is working from home, and his trip to Belfast was cancelled due to the weather. James has manged his work, and Therese has kept up University with some transport form me when the buses were off. Tonight we are having a meal with Claire and Martin.

Some photos from our garden.

St Andrews Break

We decided to spend 2 nights away at St Andrews. I had been to see a cardiologist on Tuesday at the Western Infirmary. After the examination, I needed some time to think. More of that in another blog.

So on Thursday afternoon we drove up to StAndrews, via Perth and Dundee.

We were booked into the Drumcloig Golf Hotel. We have stayed here before. It is about 15 minutes from St Andrews. Our room overlooked the golf course, and one of the holes. There was some snow lying around the area, and it was cold.

The chef waited for our arrival so we could have dinner if we wished. We wished. I had haggis, neeps and tatties in a delicious whisky cream sauce.

Friday morning was sunny but cold. After breakfast, we spent the day in St Andrews, which was preparing for the celebration of the feast day of St Andrew on November 30th.

Andrew was an Apostle, one of the Twelve. He it was who brought Peter to meet Jesus.

He was crucified on an X shaped cross. Legend says his bones were brought to Scotland from Greece by some fleeing monks who built a monastery, the ruins of which lie at the top end of the town. St Andrews became a great place of pilgrimage for many years till the abbey was destroyed at the Reformation.

As we made our way back to our room after dinner on Friday night, the snow began to fall. This morning there was much more of it, and all the way home, it was clear that snow fall has been widespread. Tonight the temperature is down to -5C and there is more snow on the way.

Photos show view from room on Saturday morning, Friday morning, and some views of St Andrews.

The Lochs of Scotland

It is estimated that there are over 31,000 fresh water lochs in Scotland. In the Western Islands alone, there are over 7,500 lochs.

The word LOCH is a Scottish Gaelic word which means lake or fiord. In Irish Gaelic the word is LOCH which was Anglised to lough.

There is only 1 lake in Scotland, and that is the Lake of Menteith, near Aberfoyle. This lake is also the location of a Curling competition on the lake when the lake can freeze hard enough for people to walk on. In the middle of the lake is a small island, Inchmahome, where there are the ruins of an Augustinian Priory, where a young Mary Queen of Scots once spent a night.

I have a memory of bitter winter when I managed to walk some distnac eover the thick ice towards the Island.

A number of the Scottish Lochs are well known, while others are known only to a few.

Loch Ness is perhaps the most famous because of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

Loch Lomond is also popular with tourists and Scots alike. The well known song, "By Yon Bonny Banks...." is perhaps one reason. Another is the beautiful little village of Luss at the edge of the loch.

Loch Ness at 39 miles long is the longest loch in Scotland. It also contains twice the volume of water of all the lakes in England and Wales put together.

Loch Lomond, at 36 miles long is the second longest. The A82 road along the side of the loch is the main west coast road northwards towards Oban and Fort William and the road to the Western Islands of Scotland. In Glasgow, this road is known as "Great Western Road."

Loch Katrine is the source of the water supply for the city of Glasgow, about 25 miles south.

It is a popular visitor attraction, and a steamship, the SS Sir Walter Scott carries visitors on a sail along the length of the Loch.
The famous, (or infamous if you prefer) Rob Roy McGregor was born near here.

The photos are of the beautiful Loch Lomond from side of the A82 road.

HMS Ark Royal

Because Britain is an island, it has always been vital that she had an efficient Navy.

In the days of the Empire, the arrival of a British warship was often enough to bring a rapid end to any troubles.

A mixture of the climate and our Anglo saxon Celtic forebears moulded Britain into a leading naval power throughout the World.

In total, 5 ships of the British Royal Navy have been named Ark Royal.

The present Ark Royal is an aircraft carrier. And as a direct resul of the financial mess in which Britain now finds itself floundering, the decision was made to retire very suddenly the Ark Royal.

At the same time, the contracts for 2 other aircraft Carriers are going ahead, because to cancel them would cost more than the construction costs, although it seem likely that only 1 carrier will go into service. In addition, the Harrier Jump Jet, a triumph of British Engineering, is also to be withdrawn.

Britain will have an Aircaft Carrier, but no aircraft on board.

I am not a military person, but to me, this seems absurd. The world is going mad. Or else there is a plot somewhere to bring about the demise of Britain.

So, HMS Ark Royal is on her final voyage. For the next few days she is berthed a few miles from here on Loch Long, near Arrochar, a few miles form Britain's Nuclear Submarine Base.

Here, she is being stripped of her weapons before she heads back South to be tied up for the last time.

We drove there today to see her. From a distance she does not seem that big. The aircraft deck seems very small. But then with the hovering abilities and its VETOL systems, no long deck is needed for the Harrier Jet.

There were many people there today to look at Ark Royal. I can say now that I saw her with my own eyes. She does look impressive. The crew were busy aboard her. The tannoy was regularly calling out orders and information. In the loch beside her, a couple of security launched watched vigilantly.

Maybe we should be more positive. Maybe we no longer need a large Navy to protect us. Maybe that threat is gone, replaced by more subtle threats, threats which cold endanger us much more seriously. And I don't just mean terrorist bombs. I am thinking more of the dangers to the world today through computer viruses.

So much today is controlled by computers. The banking system. The Power system. Air Traffic Control. Hospitals. The National Grid.

An Aircraft Carrier cannot protects us from the lone bomber or the internet hijacker.

It's a new world, with new threats and dangers. perhap we need a re-think on how to achieve our National Security.

Photos are of Ark Royal at Loch Long today.

In a couple of days she will be gone. When will we see her likes again

Edinburgh and the Kielty Brothers

Yesterday we went through to Edinburgh to see John and Gerry.

We met John at Greyfriar's Churchyard. Greyfriar's is famous for being the burial place of a wee dog called Greyfriar's Bobby. The story goes that when Bobby's Master died, the little dog would not leave his grave and stayed there for many a year. Walt Disney made a film about it, but the truth is perhaps not quite the way Disney presented it.

We took the boys for lunch to the Scream Pub. It was a nice lunch.

John is off to Australia on Tuesday for a month or so, while Gerry starts rehearsals for the Brunton Theatre Christmas Pantomime, "Mother Goose" The boys were in good form.

John managed to get us Company tickets for the Royal Lyceum's production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

It was a great night's entertainment. The cast did well. I recognised 2 of the cast, because they had been in John, Gerry and James' award winning show "The Sundowe." They were Carla Kelly and Mark McDonnell

One of the funniest moments is the scene change. A curtain shrouds the stage, except fo a door sized opening, where the Butler stands. A hand emerges from each side of the opening and proceed to undress, then re-dress the butler for his next scene as a different butler. It has to be seen to be appreciated! For me, the butler, though he had little to say, stole every scene he was in.

Photos are from Greyfriar's Churchyard.

http://www.lyceum.org.uk/

All Souls Day 2010

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of All Souls.

By All Souls, we mean those people who have died and were not ready to enter Heaven because they were not perfect. They need to be purified before they can enjoy the Vision of the Glory of God.
We know that sin separates us from God. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our sins are forgiven. But even so, sin still leaves an effect on us that has to be erased before we can enter the presence of God.

The Church Fathers understood this and thought carefully about the matter. And the idea of Purgatory emerged.

Purgatory is much misunderstood by Catholics and non Catholics alike.

Purgatory is the place where the souls of those who need purification go. There they await this purification. They can do nothing now to help themselves. The time for that was when they were still alive.

But we can help them through our prayers and good works. By applying the benefits of our prayers and works to the Holy Souls, we can minimise their time in Purgatory.

Purgatory is not a place to be in terror of. All those ther know that one day they will enter heaven. The suffering they endure there comes from their temporary separation from God.

Our souls were made for one thing alone. To see God and to be with Him forever.

So the souls in Purgatory ache to be with God. We can aid them simply through prayer and Mass offerings.

And one day we may find ourselves ther too, hoping that there will be people on Earth to pray for us so that we may be released into the joy and happiness of Heaven where we will be with God.

The Church has always taught that it is a Holy thing to pray for those who have died. After the Reformation, the idea of Salvation through Justification became widespread in the Reformed Churches, and the custom of praying for the dead faded away. But Catholics have always remembered to pray for the dead. Every coffin has Mass cards placed on it by family and friends.

The Catholic Church reminds us of the four last things...Death Judgement Heaven Hell.

We are sorely tempted throughout our lives. We are weak. We fall many times. Many times we pick ourselves up and start again. We should therefore see Purgatory not as a punishment, (which it is not ) but as yet another chance given to us by our loving Father to be with Him in His eternal Home. World without End. Forever.

Today, and every day pray for the Holy Souls. Visit a graveyard within the next few days to pray there and gain for a Holy Soul an indulgence.

Eternal rest grant unto them Oh Lord!

And let perpetual Light shine upon them.

May they rest in Peace.

And may the Souls of all the Faithful departed,

Through the Mercy of God,

Rest in Peace.

Amen