Today I began my campaign to re-kindle my once passionate affair with London. I've woken up to the fact that I'm not going to look up from my desk and see snow-capped mountains on the horizon; the horizon is back to being yards away rather than miles; and I'm not going to throw open the bedroom curtains one morning and see the River Tweed flowing past - not unless the effects of climate change turn out to be even worse than the worst of predictions.
The countryside I've been loving being in is full of people who live there and never see what's in front of them, and I've become one of those Londoners who lives in a city full of things to see and do and rarely gets to see or do any of them, apart from visits to Lord's and White Hart Lane (the really important things).
This afternoon I visited the British Museum for a couple of hours and jolly interesting it was too. In that time I made it all the way from 4th century BC Egypt right the way through to Medieval Europe, but by then I was too cultured out to deal with 19th century pottery so I decided to call it a day. It did also cross my mind that if I didn't head home fairly sharpish, then whatever good had been achieved with a tour of one of London's cultural highlights would be thoroughly trampled by the realities of a London rush hour on the tube.
It was a good start. On Thursday afternoon I might have a bash at the National Gallery, which is somewhere I always used to love visiting.
The blog plans for this final week are for me to rabbit on as usual for the next couple of days. If anybody has any burning questions they want to ask about my Sabbatical (assuming there is still anybody out there) and they post them before midnight Thursday, I'll have a go at answering them on Friday and/or Saturday. We'll wind things up on Sunday with a transcript of the homily I preached at St Mary's, Lindisfarne at the end of the pilgrimage.
I did get one of my Holy Week sermons written this morning, so all in all Tuesday has been a much better day than Monday, but isn't that often the way?
I'll be sorry when your blog entries become history rather than part of the future. Your adventures, reflections and insights have always been interesting and sometimes even transforming. I'd love to have a chat with you about your experience. I even have what might be an interesting possibility that I think you'd enjoy at SMITF on Thursday evening at which there will be at least three hard core Scotts in attendance. I could meet you after your visit to the National Gallery. If not Thursday some other time. Michael
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this comment agrees with your thoughts but I, personally, feel closer to the Almighty when I'm in the countryside. Especially by the river bank with a fishing rod in my hand. Gives me time to meditate on life and the meaning of life. And the answer is not 42!
ReplyDeleteLondon is busy, busy, though full of history which to me is its saving grace. When my other half and I finally move out of London to the countryside it's the Museums I will miss, especially Nat.History and Nat.Gallery, the latter is also somewhere to sit down and meditate. Good reflective exercise. What are your views on my thoughts? Heretic?
Barry.