Sabbatical Bulletin No. 12 – Last Things

I feel a conscious closing post is required.

This has been a great sabbatical; we have done a lot and had a good number of projects. You may not believe it but I have been learning to touch type. I would say that my touch typing is now more accurate than my previous approach. And therefore faster overall. But please do not ask for the WPM figure.

We have achieved quite a lot at Les Cantalus, so that we have a couple of new projects, of significance. There is dampness in the newer part of the house so we had a good look at the walls and ground outside and now our good neighbour Ange Campagnoni has taken on the management of the cure, and more significantly the investigation of the problem in the old part. We are optimistic. This is also linked to a project to improve security of the garden. We await estimates.

We have some new English neighbours in Ampus who have bought the incomplete house nearby and plan to finish it. They live in England so will be managing the project by remote control.

The Fishers came to stay, as did Lucy and Richard, all separately (well Eric and Heather came together).

Quiet times have been much longer than usual, indeed, with the lack of normal routine on a holiday, they are often squeezed altogether. On a sabbatical however there’s more time. That has been very helpful.

A helpful friend suggested that I should spend some time on my own relationship with the Lord, perhaps as an antidote to being a churchwarden. So I have read 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon (all twice) and 1 and 2 Samuel to see the Lord’s word to some individuals. I ought to do a note for myself of what I have learnt; at the moment however I am getting by on the mental headings I have in my head.

The rest of my reading list is:

“QED” by Richard Feynmann, a book for non-physicists on quantum electro-dynamics from the greatest physics teacher of the 20th century;

“30 Years that Changed the World” by Michael Green, a superb and vivid exposition of Acts which brings that already lively book to life and applies it to church today, indeed uses Acts as a model for the church today;

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl who Played with Fire” by Stieg Larsson, two thirds of the Millenium Trilogy, both gripping thrillers, with a moral inconsistency despite which the characters claim they have a good morality;

One chapter of “Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood”, edited by Piper and Grudem, a tough read with a biblically rigorous approach;

“The Long Song” by Andrea Levy, a really entertaining novel about the last years of slavery in Jamaica;

“Thatcher’s Fall”, an extract from the Alan Clark diaries – which does what it says on the tin;

“Hannibal’s Crossing of the Alps” by Livy – vivid, written from a Roman perspective.

If you remember Sabbatical Bulletin No 1 and followed the link to Plan-It Law you’ll recall I was going to read the “Uthwatt Report”. No it’s not a sequel to the Ipcress File. It is the report written in 1941/42 which led to the modern planning system. Whilst the Mills & Reeve sabbatical rules expressly state that there is no expectation that a legal work or research will be produced, ever the rebel, I read it from cover to cover and wrote a short report about it, which I will post on Plan-It Law very soon. But for readers of DaddyBrockBlog here is a sneak preview.

Now, time for a few photos which haven’t made it to the blog so far.

The Hospices de Beaune

Eric and Heather in the Gorge de Verdon

In the Gorge de Verdon

Is it really that difficult making friends on Facebook?

How do you land a helicopter there?

Proud parents and a happy daughter

New model for Vivienne Westwood?

Richard

Flowers at Menton (it's about 4 feet from petal tip to petal tip)

Sarah and me at Chateaudouble