Sabbatical 2010 - Bulletin Number 1 - 7th June

We’re just over one week in to a ten week sabbatical. No need to go back to the office till 9th August. How’s it been?

Well it was odd leaving the office on a Friday evening, leaving everything for others to manage, knowing I had to have given all the briefings I could give, trusting others for ten weeks. Partly it’s about self-control, partly self-belief, partly self-confidence and partly about confidence in others.

But unusually I found there were two outstanding matters. In the post-election period we have a lot going on, including change in planning law, and I had decided to do a “State of the System” blog on Plan-It Law. That wasn’t done by the time I left. And very annoyingly the Department for Communities and Local Government chose on Friday to comment on the Law Society’s Model section106 Agreement Second Edition, just four months after I sent it to them on the eve of our New Zealand trip.

So I spent the Bank Holiday weekend dealing with those. You can read the State of the System post here. Which meant Tuesday was also busy, opening with Churchwardens and Rector’s prayers at 7 am as usual but which didn’t even (as a threesome) get to prayers - as my fellow warden walked out when I insisted that the bible is foundational to what we do.

But on Wednesday we successfully left the jurisdiction and now are are au Cantalus, Ampus, 83111, France. Where the sun shines. Pool very dirty on arrival but now looking much better. Garden ok and ready to be the subject of my main project, to make it look good. House smelling clean.
It’s much easier getting started when you know you have over two months to be here. OK we shan’t be here all the time, but there’s time to plan and prepare. Here is what it looks like on arrival.

And here, for example, am I preparing for gardening.

That’s to say, cleaning out the bassin – a job not done for 20 years. But essential for irrigating the garden.

What should we do about church? Some friends recommended the Intercontinental Church Society CofE church at Cannes and their website led to l’Oasis at Lorgues. That’s a lot closer so after a call to the chap who leads it, Peter Massey – we went there. Met at 11.15, for coffee in their garden, with lots of other English people. The service was also in the garden, shaded fron the sun, and we were thirty all up, including about six children under 13. It felt that everyone was involved, and indeed five other people apart from Peter had some sort of formal role. It felt like a fellowship founded in the bible, though I suspect that not necessarily everyone there would articulate it like that. Peter’s son Wayne who is associate vicar at Christ Church Clifton was also there on holiday with his family. Peter is ordained as well. Everyone brought something for lunch and we all sat down like this…

…for lunch. And afterwards many swam in the pool. So church didn’t end till at least 5 pm – and others were still there as we left. (What’s this, Brocks not last to leave church?) We think this is a good fellowship for us on sabbatical.