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The Joy of Not Having Much

A few days ago my vicar came back from Sierra Leone and gave a moving talk on what he saw. Whilst the poverty was mind blowing, there was something else that touched me profoundly. That was the abundance of joy and the strong sense of community. Whilst us in the UK have an abundance of material things, it seems to me that we’re very poor when it comes to joy.. Read more

St Albans Norwich – Some Historical Photos

St Thomas in Norwich has seen a massive growth, so as a result has been given a new church to look after, St Albans in Grove Walk Norwich. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a team that is helping bring life back to the old building, and along the way came across some photos. Built pre-second world war, the building has an interesting history until it’s closure just a few years ago. But Rev Dave Lloyd has some amazing vision for transforming St Albans back to what it once was, a heart of the vibrant community. Here’s some photos from the last 80 or so years. Read more

why not scoot?

At a dinner party recently, a man’s interest in finding a quicker, cheaper more efficient way of getting from A to B was quickly dismissed as ‘too dangerous’ by his partner. Sadly, this kind of response to anything with two wheels and an engine is typical of people’s fears. I fully understand it, because if you come off anything with two wheels (even without an engine) it hurts. So, this little ditty is a message of support for the humble scooter.

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red light norwich

One curious thing that many people say about Norwich for the first time, after the great shopping etc, is why on earth are there so many traffic lights in places that really don’t seem to need them. Although a mainly Vespa driver in the city, it is really frustrating even for me to whizz to the front of the many queues for traffic lights and see so little action at the crossing they are there to control.. Read more

Meet Audrey

Out of all the things I experienced in New York it was time spent with a lady called Audrey that left the biggest impact. She’s a true New Yorker who I bumped into and chatted for ages about everything from the difference of Android, Windows and iOS, to her views on the various mayors of New York. She’s one of the 20,000 or so rough sleepers that we would in the UK describe as ‘fallen through the net’. Yet you quickly realise there is no net in New York to fall through.  When the money dries out, you fall directly out on to the street. Read more

Meet Stewart

Many of you (particularly if you live in Trowse, go to Trowse Church or St Thomas in Norwich) have met Stewart. He’s a kind and gentle giant (6 foot 4) of a chap, who’s nickname is appropriately ‘Biggun’. He’s got a fascinating history and wanted to share this with you as it’s a great example how a little help and a welcoming authentic community can change someone’s life. Read more

no more school runs :-(

Remember when you dropped your child off at school for the first time? That little body wobbling through the door of the school door with their bag into a new world for them? It’s a moving time for most parents, but here’s a story about the other end as my son achieves freedom from L-plates, and the joy and what is like to share good stuff with others. Read more

May Train 2014

I love the train. Not only do you not generally have to worry about driving, but you are surrounded by strangers which I really love. It’s great to strike up conversations with new people, get a brief glimpse into their lives and share a bit of yours.  So on a trip to London on May 1st with my trusty Nokia Lumia 1020 I took the following photos, edited them on the train and here’s the result! Read more

a walk on the beach

Walking on the beach with your dog is a timeless pleasure. To see your dog flashing around and playing with others, meeting complete strangers is a joy. One little bonus is to see a family walking together, and offering to take a picture of them all with their camera. A simple act of kindness to create a treasured reminder of that family’s walk.. Anyway, here’s some pics of my dog Leia on Winterton beach – my favourite walky spot. Read more

Mines a mine!

With fellow adventurers and a little idea of where we going, we explored one of Norwich’s many chalk mines near Eaton, south side of Norwich. It was a short but fascinating journey into the history of Norwich that I’ve never had the privilege to see before. With rather a shoddy map to give us some idea of where we were underground, we soon realised the extent of these mines yet amazingly, what a great condition they were in. As you can see from the graffiti, we weren’t the first to be there! Read more

hamburger miracles in Leeds

Have you ever been frustrated by UK health and safety nannies telling you what you can and cant eat? Ever been asked how would you like your meat cooked only to be told you can only have it within the ‘safe’ parameters of mediumly overcooked, or massively overcooked? Well, there is hope. After years of searching, I believe there was a divine moment in Leeds. Read more