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Other people’s shoes…

Reflecting on the ordinary amongst the extraordinary…

The Methodist Church have asked each District to make a prayer symbol to help people to support the Olympics, Paralympics & Cultural Olympiad in prayer.
Rachel Parkinson (of Leicester North Circuit) and her team approached me with the engaging idea: “Put yourself in their shoes…”

20120515-220837.jpg

“Put yourself in their shoes“ simply features 8 images of people and their shoes…

The posters will be displayed in more than 100 community buildings across the district.
The images will also be reflected on in presentations and worship events across the region.
Thanks goes to Leicester College photography students for some of the photos.
I simply designed the graphics and artworked the posters etc.

“The Games” will no doubt focus, elevate and trumpet, extraordinary achievements in the next few months, which indeed should be marvelled at, celebrated and applauded.
These posters will hopefully act as a catalyst causing us to reflect and remember the ordinary in, under, amongst and over the extraordinary phenomenon of the next few months’ Olympiad.

The posters underpin the reflections with the idea “As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to share the gospel of peace” from Ephesians Ch.6 v15

TheirShoesTonyWalker
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We are what we eat…

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For a considerable time I subscribed and imbibed regular podcasts and playlists.
I enjoyed them, but perhaps I was overdosing on ear fodder. There’s listening and there’s gorging…
Around the time that some call lent, I stopped the regular ipod on my commute.
Initially I missed the stimulating drip of tunes and chatter, the warmth of ideas and rhythms.
It was not long, however, before I realised that the bigger canvas existed outside the bubble of my subscription.

I have recently encountered quite a selection of earworms.
I find myself inaudibly humming the kids’ recent discoveries: tie me kangaroo down, everything’s Rosie… I find my new choir pieces involuntarily sneaking upon my neurons… “It’s a new season…” is more welcome than “Dora the Explorer”. Of course the radio is still on the menu and tunes will re-emerge after exposure hours previous. Where did that come from!?… I haven’t even heard any Lionel Ritchie since New Year’s eve 2 years back! And where else can you get ‘every breath you take’ mixed with ‘fire starter’…

As well as earworms, I seem to host neural ghosts from films and books that I’ve read. Scenarios and ideas that just reappear to merge with real life and enhance or clash with my perspective. What’s real anyway? I do try to limit the pop reality xtalent type tv, one can only take so much candyfloss popcorn before it causes stomach cramp, but a little processed saccharin’s ok, I guess. So…. my worldview is collaged with BBC natural history, escapist action novel, Radio 4 academia, filmic devices, cycling advertorial, unresolved plot lines, twitterings, desert island thoughts… etc.

I guess my thought is that we’re exposed to such a choice of infotainment streams that are all to readily available.
There is choice, we can decide on a diet that feeds our world…

We are what we eat…

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Worship?

I commented on “worship” last October: taking a bath the interaction between things is what make them…

I recently saw someone comment that they “NEED to worship God”, that when they begin to worship “something happens within me… natural selfishness gets kicked out the back door and my heart* opens up to the transforming, powerful, grace-filled-love* of God*.  …it reminds me… that all of the responsibilities and struggles I take on are in his-hands*, and that I can trust him to walk-with-me* and not abandon me, to give me the words and the strength.  …to remember the love-he-has-for-me*, to be open to the work of the Holy-Spirit* and to remind myself that he is that centre. Worship helps me to know that I-am-loved*, and it sets me free to love others, and to see the grace-of-God* at work in the world around me.” 

They commented: “so often in discussions about worship we have a tendency to make worship about us and not about God. …it is important that we don’t forget what it is for and who it is about. In worship God becomes greater and I-become-less*…     I need to worship!”

(I have concerns with some of these * notions)

My admittedly imperfect perspective might be as follows:
I need to worship (to adore, revere, respect, devote, admire, venerate, celebrate?) the thing /notion/sense/power(?) that is bigger than us all”.
When I recognise the reality of otherness and possibilities, it helps to refocus on the bigger picture and review perspectives, attitudes and opinions in a fresh way.
To repeatedly recognise the fabula (story) of ‘life’, and reappraise the sjužet (discourse, perspectives, attitudes, opinions – interaction) can enrich the poor, liven the dead, and can make the blind see.
To review the selfishness that often hinders creativity and open up to the transforming, power of reconsideration.
Life is limited but the clouds move.
This worship reminds me that I am relevant in daily the interaction and it sets me free to let others be.
Worship is about us as part of the fabula and yes, it is important that we don’t forget our place in things.
In worship, life becomes greater and we become more real…        we need to worship!”

(None of this considers the euphoria, endorphins and satisfaction induced by standing and singing etc – that’s another topic.)

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Familiarity breeds disregard…


Stare at the image for about half a minute without moving your eyes and watch as it gradually disappears. This is a variation of Troxler’s effect which essentially says that if you fixate your eyes on a certain point, stimuli near that point will gradually fade, and will disappear.

Try it!

 

When it’s gone look again.

Take a new look at what you have.

Thanks to: David Pegg

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whipping to submission…

A friend commented recently “Everywhere we look nowadays, someone has intruded some advertising message – as often as not, full of carefully crafted deceit and manipulation”… “Specifically those little ads that get placed on roundabouts, a constant nagging ‘Look at me! Remember my name! Write down my phone number’, when you’re supposed to be watching the traffic or, if you’re in the passenger seat, you’re admiring the flowers and shrubs…”.  I was minded to add “‎…or you’re on your bike, arguably ‘more-aware’ of your place in things and watching out for distracted drivers with encapsulated passengers… (trying not to be sucked in to the lycra-gofaster-nutritionbar cycling sub-culture… )”

the road

As I cycled in this morning… drivers were pressing to “get past” and to “get there faster”… the majority of traffic follows the flow but a significant percentage just can’t get there fast enough. I encounter people either gripping the wheel and whipping the car to submission, or casually driving with abandon and carelessness ignorant of others’ position and need.
Drivers are not the only culprits, cyclists too sometimes just can’t wait, jumping lights or slaloming around pavements. Also pedestrians; dodge cars while crossing busy roads (with kids in tow) only yards from a crossing.  Like the proverbial lemmings it seems only too easy to be sucked together towards the void…
“Not I” I hear you say? We’ll it took me a long while to wake up to a different reality. And it takes a regular refreshing to remind one of perspectives and attitudes that can so easily be warped by the constant nagging “look at me” etc.

A wise person once said “life’s not about finding yourself, but about creating yourself”.
I’d mould that to remind us that life’s not about getting somewhere, but can be about being.
Looking for something results in finding stuff.
Creating being, might result in being found?

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“Take Two” – after storm a passes over the meadow…

"Take Two" - after storm a passes over the meadow...
"Take Two" - after storm a passes over the meadow...

In retrospect, this quick composition is a mess, the pic below is INHO much better.
This composition is 8 (not 6) pics, quickly automatically morphed together and content aware filled in Photoshop. Lots of poor areas and poor fill-ins. It needs a lot of retouching. Onwards…

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A storm a passes over the meadow…

A storm a passes over the meadow...
A storm a passes over the meadow...
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Toyah the Toyota is gone…

Toyah the Toyota has served us very well since 2000 – 12 years of reliable motoring.

But I have just sold her to a new owner. We are a one car (one bike) family.

I bought my first car in the late 1980’s- A 1963 Volkswagen Beetle called Beatrix. (You never forget your first!)

Beatrix the VW Beetle
Beatrix the VW Beetle

I bought a second VDub Beetle called Lemon a few years later. (yes she was Yellow)
A few years later, I thought I was a bit more grown up with a Ford Orion (no name).
And then a Mazda 626 – great car! If a but ropey!
I think I had a few carless (and careless!) student years.
I then bought a Ford Escort, called Freddy.
And then in 2000 I bought Toyah the Toyota…

Toyah in the NewForest
Toyah in the NewForest

And then last February (2011) I started riding my bike to work and Toyah was a once a week affair, usually Emma taking her to work.

We’ve put it off for 6 months, but over the winter she was used less than once a week and we have finally said goodbye.

For the next year I will hopefully save:
Insurance £210, Tax £125, and MOT £40: that’s £375 over the year.
By cycling to work I will not buy £50+ worth of petrol a month: that’s >£600 over the year.
Of course there’s servicing and wear and tear which with a car can be considerable – but the ancillary costs for a bike are less.

But let’s just say I hope to save £900 over the coming 12 months.

And then there’s the exercise and perhaps immeasurable health benefits: a good aerobic activity twice a day.
The daily endorphin hits are invaluable. Read more here

Happy daze?

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Sing…

Frustratingly our server & internet is off-line, I’ve made calls, my hot cross bun has been eaten… so… some thoughts:

Our recent choir concert at Oakham School Chapel was a great experience! Two choirs together, 110+ voices, made a great sound – I am told. Singing with 100 people was invigorating and possibly helped rekindle a glowing ember that I guess I had not been fuelling.

“Singing”, making a noise… what’s it all about… expression?
I briefly overheard someone recently, casually singing their own song as they walked down the street.
Compare this with the routine recitation of a prescribed composition.
The true expression of a feeling, often with a subconscious root, is what it’s about, I think.
Rather than trying too hard to tick all the right boxes; steer, balance and navigate – just let it out? Chill out, dude?

The spark was going out and my singing of songs had become a tad stale.
As with anything, occasionally I guess a splash of water, a wake up, a refreshing baptism, can help.
The simple overhearing of the man in the street and the (if you look for it) seemingly ever-present birdsong seems to have helped me. I guess that’s what a routine purge/fast/ritual can help do.

Over the last month, I have forsaken the daily ipod fix during the commute to work. I have gone without the opiate of prescribed ‘music’, entertaining “Desert Island Discs”, mind-bending “In Our Time”, and the pap they call “Stuff You Should Know”, etc. It’s been tempting in the last week to plug back into the drip but I have upheld the cold turkey.

Strip it back down to the basics – wind (cold) in the face, ubiquitous (wild)life, rain down the collar, nature on the air, exhaust up the nose… beauty juxtaposed with pestilence etc.

The choir’s post-concert meeting was a stripped back affair; just singing for pleasure with no specific pressure to “get it right”! OK yes, pressure to get it right is good for polishing the rough edges, but first let’s just pull the diamond from the ground.
We sang casually, from memory, hypnotic recall and expression of something – possibly satisfaction and thanks.

I think we could possibly all do with some off-line casual expression of satisfaction and thanks.

Have a hot cross bun… sing your song!?

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Hot Buns with a cross on…

They won’t be around for long!

Ingredients

For the buns
• 625g/1.3lb strong white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 45g/ 1.5 oz unsalted butter
• 85g/3oz sugar
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 1½ tsp fast-action yeast
• 1 egg
• 275ml/10fl oz tepid milk
• 125g/4oz mixed dried fruit

For the topping
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• vegetable oil, for greasing
• 1 tbsp golden syrup, gently heated, for glazing

Preparation method

• For the buns, sieve the flour, salt and ground mixed spice into a large mixing bowl, then rub in the butter using your fingertips. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the sugar and lemon zest and yeast.
• Beat the egg and add to the flour with the tepid milk. Mix together to a form a soft, pliable dough.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Carefully work the mixed dried fruit into the dough until well combined. Knead lightly for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
• Grease a large, warm mixing bowl with butter. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the prepared bowl, then cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour to prove.

tick tick tick…

• Turn out the proved dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back the dough. Shape it into a ball again and return it to the bowl, then cover again with the tea towel and set aside for a further 30 minutes to rise.

tick tick tick…

• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten slightly into a bun shape using the palms of your hands. Cover the buns again with the tea towel and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.
• Grease a baking tray with butter and transfer the buns to the tray. Top the tray with the buns on it loosely in greaseproof paper, then cover in cling film so that no air can get in and set aside in a warm place for a further 40 minutes to rise.

tick tick tick…

• Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 8.
• Meanwhile, for the topping, mix the plain flour to a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons of cold water.
• When the buns have risen, remove the cling film. Spoon the flour mixture into a piping bag and pipe a cross on each bun.
• Transfer the buns to the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.

As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the hot golden syrup, then set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Find the BBC recipe here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hotcrossbuns_397