In the Old Age of the Soul I do not choose to dream; there cometh on me Some strange old lust for deeds. As to the nerveless hand of some old warrior Te sword-hilt or the war-worn wonted helmet Brings momentary life and long-fled cunning, So to my soul grown old – […]
Blog
Slumdog Millionaire
Posted on by James Woodward
A rather cold afternoon in January is a good time to rediscover the joys of cinema – and my goodness – what a film – deserving every possible acclamation. So here is the plot!!! Slumdog Millionaire opens with a police inspector in Mumbai, India interrogating and torturing Jamal Malik, also played by Tanay Chheda and […]
Garlic Mushrooms on a bed of Rocket
Posted on by James Woodward
Ingredients 1/2 lb mushrooms, preferably button 1 packet of rocket or 1/2 an iceberg lettuce (finely shredded) 250g (1/2 pt) whipping cream 1 garlic clove, crushed 3 tbsp sunflower oil Pepper and salt 1/2 grated nutmeg or flat tsp ground mace 1 tbsp chopped chives Method Wipe the mushrooms with some damp kitchen paper and […]
VALUING AGE?
Posted on by James Woodward
Later today I shall travel down to London for a small event to mark th epublication of this book. Thanks to my old boss Richard Harries ( now Lord Harries ) the party is to be held in the House of Lords. Here is a little taste of what I want to share with guests: […]
Memory
Posted on by James Woodward
Alzheimer’s Patient Oh, how can this be? You and I are losing me Some day soon May be morning Many be noon I will no longer be the me You and I know as me And the answer seems to be Words, and thought, frequently scramble And my conversations seem to ramble. Oh, […]
Patience
Posted on by James Woodward
patience An absolute patience. Trees stand up to their knees in fog. The fog slowly flows uphill. White cobwebs, the grass leaning where deer have looked for apples. The woods from brook to where the top of the hill looks over the fog, send up not one bird. So absolute, it is no other […]
How are we to understand our Life?
Posted on by James Woodward
SO MANY DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF TIME How long is a man’s life, finally? Is it a thousand days, or only one? One week, or a few centuries? How long does a man’s death last? And what do we mean when we say, ‘gone forever’? Adrift in such preoccupations, we seek clarification. We can […]
Sissinghurst
Posted on by James Woodward
Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History by Adam Nicolson, Harper, 2008 There are some places that have an extraordinary ability to get inside one’s mind and heart. Sissinghurst is one such place. I have only visited once, nearly 30 years ago – a day trip out of London. I still remember its charm, the […]
Spiced Fish and Rice
Posted on by James Woodward
Another discovery to share with you: If you prefer an even more oriental flavour, a splash of dark soy sauce can be added – experiment with it and make it your own special recipe. It’s such fun to do – keep tasting and add new ingredients a little at a time so you don’t […]
Obama and the weight of expectation
Posted on by James Woodward
If you had to choose another job I wonder what that job would be? Perhaps the move from being a teacher to a builder? Out of the kitchen as a cook into a hospital as a nurse? Away from the desk to a more physical job where papers and computers […]
Art and Death
Posted on by James Woodward
This highly sensitive and beautifully written book looks closely at the way contemporary Western artists negotiate death, both as personal experience and in the wider community. Townsend discusses but moves beyond the ‘spectacle of death’ in work by artists such as Damien Hirst to see how mortality – in particular the experience of other […]
What is a story?
Posted on by James Woodward
A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written, spoken, poetry, prose, images, song, or dance} that describes a sequence of fictional or non-fictional events. It derives from the latinverb narrare, which means “to recount” and is related to the adjective gnarus, meaning “knowing” or “skilled”. The word “story” may be used […]
Lamb and Date Tagine
Posted on by James Woodward
Here is on eof my favourite recipes discovered over the New Year Holiday. Ingredients 4 tblsp olive oil 2 onions peeled and chopped I tsp ground cinnamon; ground turmeric, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground all-spice 1k diced leg of lamb 250gr soft dried pitted dates 250ml pomegranate juice 2tsps salt 250ml water. […]
Valuing Age:Pastoral Ministry with older people
Posted on by James Woodward
A new publication by James Woodward Pastoral care and practical theology in the light of age and ageing are the focus of this book. It is written to help those involved in care, in a range of settings, to understand some of the pastoral questions and the issues that older people face. […]
Patience
Posted on by James Woodward
This is the grass your feet are planted on. You paint it orange or you sing it green, But you have never found A way to make the grass mean what you mean. A cloud can be whatever you intend: Ostrich or leaning tower or staring eye. But you have never found A […]
Seamus Heaney
Posted on by James Woodward
Dennis O’Driscoll Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney (Faber, 2008) Seamus Heaney is regarded as possibly the finest poet of his generation. Although I find some of his writing rather dense and impenetrable, many people have been enriched by the sheer depth and creativity of his clever verse. While his poetry has […]
In Love
Posted on by James Woodward
Give all to love; Obey thy heart; Friends, kindred, days, Estate, good fame, Plans, credit, and the Muse – Nothing refuse. Leave all for love; Yet, hear me, yet… Though thou loved her as thyself, As a self of purer clay, Though her parting dims the day, Stealing grace from all alive; Heartily know, […]
Understanding the Reformation?
Posted on by James Woodward
The Last Office: 1539 and the Dissolution of a Monastery by Geoffrey Moorhouse 283pp, Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2008, £25 St Cuthbert had a lucky start in life; lame at the age of eight, he was cured by an angel who came by on horseback, and who recommended a poultice made of flour and milk. A […]