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.