I'm pleased that the doctor has now officially signed me off the sick list. It don't seem to be having any more problems with my kidney at the moment, and it seems a bit daft not to be about my business when I'm feeling well. Yesterday, being Ascension Day, I didn't want to miss celebrating the Eucharist with St John's congregation. I was happy to be back in my usual place, and to have gone to the ballot box in the local elections immediately beforehand.
The north aisle redecoration is almost complete, and now the tower area is swathed dramatically in long films of slightly opaque plastic producing an eerie misty sort of light in church. All the pews are also covered in plastic drapes, which are transparent and shiny, reflecting some of the natural light pouring in, rather than diffusing it. Two quite different natural lighting effects. For the moment we're restricted to holding services either in the chancel or in the south aisle St John Chapel which is fully useable. It's good to see and use the building from fresh perspectives.
Tonight it looks as if the LIb Dems have been voted in with a few gains, for a second term, although not with an absolute majority, which will mean a few days of negotiating, to see who will work with them. Although the old 'first past the post' electoral system is still in place the spread of votes seems increasingly to deny any one group of a majority that will confer on them the right to act unilaterally. If negotiation and consensus building become more of a habit, who knows? One day we might end up with proportional representation voting that will ensure power sharing and negotiated agreement is the norm. Is it right any longer to exalt one group, one strand of thought and action and appoint them to do what they like?
The north aisle redecoration is almost complete, and now the tower area is swathed dramatically in long films of slightly opaque plastic producing an eerie misty sort of light in church. All the pews are also covered in plastic drapes, which are transparent and shiny, reflecting some of the natural light pouring in, rather than diffusing it. Two quite different natural lighting effects. For the moment we're restricted to holding services either in the chancel or in the south aisle St John Chapel which is fully useable. It's good to see and use the building from fresh perspectives.
Tonight it looks as if the LIb Dems have been voted in with a few gains, for a second term, although not with an absolute majority, which will mean a few days of negotiating, to see who will work with them. Although the old 'first past the post' electoral system is still in place the spread of votes seems increasingly to deny any one group of a majority that will confer on them the right to act unilaterally. If negotiation and consensus building become more of a habit, who knows? One day we might end up with proportional representation voting that will ensure power sharing and negotiated agreement is the norm. Is it right any longer to exalt one group, one strand of thought and action and appoint them to do what they like?
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