I am sitting in the Den, looking out of the window at the trees in our orchard, and thinking about the way we are shaped by our particular culture. I am not just thinking of my own inherent ‘Englishness’ but of the way I have also changed in the two years I have been living […]

I am reflecting on our recent visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and particularly on what has become known as ‘the immovable ladder of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’?! I really, really dislike the Church of the Holy Sepulchre! It is the most awful place and I only go there […]

It is early morning and I am sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and eating ‘first breakfast’ (readers of The Lord of the Rings will understand). The rest of our household are still all asleep – even Reggie Doggie! I am watching the rain absolutely pouring down outside. It is such a contrast to the […]

I am sitting in Specsavers Opticians in Weymouth waiting for Julia. She is having her eyes tested. I am anticipating a big bill for new spectacles. There is nothing wrong with her eyesight, although she does wear spectacles for reading, but she got a letter through the post offering her an eye test for only […]

I am sitting in the Coffee Shop in Christchurch in Jerusalem. Julia is queueing up for coffee and cake. I am sitting in a comfortable easy chair resting my tired legs after walking half way round the walls of this amazing city. I am feeling quite relaxed and mellow. Our time in Israel-Palestine is drawing […]

Members of Our Sabbatical Group In 2004 Julia and I made our first visit to the ‘Holy Land’. It was an eight day ‘pilgrimage’ organised by the church we belonged to at the time and very much like all the other ‘church tours’ you see charging round all the ‘holy sites’ –  and some of […]

We land at Luton Airport at 1.00 a.m. Israeli time … 12.00 midnight UK time. We both put on jumpers and coats etc. before we disembark from the plane. The temperature has gone from hot and sunny and 33 degrees in Israel to cold and wet and 7 degrees here in the UK. It has […]

Today is our last day here in Israel-Palestine. We are awake early and finish our packing before going down to breakfast. Our flight home is not until 7.20 p.m this evening, although we have to be at the airport by 4.30 p.m. The big at taxi is coming to pick us up at 3.00 p.m. […]

Today is Eid al-Hada or Greater Eid, in the Moslem calendar, and the beginning of an important four day religious holiday for Moslems to honour the willingness of the Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his young firstborn son Ishmael (not Isaac you will note) as an act of submission to God, and his son’s acceptance of […]

Today we are off to Bethlehem via the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations, and Saint Pierre en Gallicante. I hope that we do not have as much walking to do as we did yesterday. My legs are still aching although I feel much fitter after the best part […]