Noble Wolf

Reading NZ News - 2 Cities

2011-12-26T10:59:00.000+13:00

It is now Boxing Day in both Sydney and Dunedin. I have been reading the Dunedin News. An article http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/192275/festive-season-holds-little-joy-christchurch written by a Dunedin journalist currently with family in Christchurch is quite sad. " I pass the abandoned church where Christmas carols will not be sung "this happy morn". I pass the Postshop from where no

Prayers again

2011-12-24T11:21:00.000+13:00

Quite shocked to learn of renewed large quake activity in Christchurch and leading up to Christmas. Enough to make me try and post on this wretched IPad. Fortunately no severe injuries nor destruction except more liquefaction which must be heartbreaking. However the psychological stress will be severe. Perhaps I should not leave the country as the first quake in September 2010 I was in Norway,

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T09:54:00.000+13:00

I have never been a person for Christmas. Well I suppose I was as a child. Easter is always more significant to me. Bishop Kelvin in his latest post has probably indicated one reason why. I must say I am heartily sick of the whole Jesus is the reason for the season routine that I am supposed to be spouting at the moment. Let's get real! In solidarity with my distant pagan ancestors, I have a

Hooray, they have gone.

2011-12-21T10:49:00.000+13:00

The Dunedin Octagon occupiers have gone. They have been there 66 days. Online comments from our city paper. Our Mayor said "While most people would agree with many of the issues raised, "the issues the group chose to highlight were overshadowed by the rights and wrongs of occupying a public space. "I believe there is a residue of support for the causes they are

Australia's Third Woman Bishop

2011-12-15T16:13:00.000+13:00

And the First in NSW. Very pleased to see the Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn has appointed Archdeacon Genieve Blackwell as Assistant Bishop. It will apparently be 20 years next February since that diocese first ordained women priests. (It was the 2nd such ordination in Australia and I was present. I have always said the first, which was in Perth, was a bit far. ) At that time there were court cases

Election Thoughts

2011-11-28T17:43:00.000+13:00

On Saturday I voted in the New Zealand Elections. I was allowed to vote as a permanent resident. In Australia I would need to be a citizen. As a citizen it would be compulsory to vote in Australia so turnout is about 95%. In New Zealand it is only compulsory (even for permanent residents) to enroll and so the turnout was less than 70%. Of those, 48% voted for the party led by a man who was once

The Music continues

2011-11-26T14:03:00.000+13:00

I am on a high today (with a slight headache due to age) Three nights of music in Dunedin. Wednesday night it was the New Zealand Symphony and their string ensemble presenting "Strings Possessed" The guest soloist violin was Ilya Kaler with their own Hiroshi Ikematsu on double bass. The program was: ROSSINI Sonata No. 6 BOTTESINI Gran Duo concertante PAGANINI Il Palpiti variations by Rossini

Some Christians!

2011-11-20T17:32:00.000+13:00

Sometimes I could cringe. I have begun volunteering on our local tourist railway which runs 6 hour trips up the gorge for cruise ships (83 this season) I will write about this one day. Soon after they board at the wharf, we serve sparking wine, orange juice or a mixture. The co-host in my carriage, who knew I go to church, told me that one group said to her. "We do not drink alcohol, we are

One Year On - We Remember

2011-11-19T20:37:00.000+13:00

Explosion traps 29 in mineand then Pike River Mine And the 29 bodies remain in the Mine????

A Sad Day

2011-11-10T09:12:00.000+13:00

Yesterday the Christchurch Cathedral was deconsecrated. This is to allow for its partial demolition which will enable the removal of many valuable and heritage items. I first attended the Cathedral on November 5th, 2006. By chance they were celebrating 125 years since the cathedral was consecrated. I took the photo below on October 24th, my first day in New Zealand after I had decided to move

Thank God for the Maori

2011-11-05T08:52:00.002+13:00

Read Liturgy for the complete details Here in New Zealand, Tikanga Maori has rejected the Anglican Covenant. This effectively means that the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia will reject the Covenant next year. Statements made to which I give three cheers. Seconding the motion, the Rev Don Tamihere said the Covenant was not about homosexuality. “It is about compliance and

Get rid of these occupiers

2011-11-02T09:28:00.000+13:00

This is not going to make me popular but I have stopped reading most of the bloggers on my right and am thinking of blacking out my blog. Knowing how few readers I have that would probably be as futile as the actions of those occupying my beloved Octagon. They have a sign saying they will not move until capitalism is destroyed. In that case they will be there long after I am dead and buried.

All Saints Day

2011-10-30T13:04:00.001+13:00

There are just a few days of the year when I want to be back worshipping at St James, King Street. I make it for Christmas and sometimes for Easter but not for All Saints Day. I am thankful to be at St John's Roslyn which is certainly more friendly and today was packed with people of all ages, care needed not to fall over young children at coffee, thankful for having raised over $18,000 at the

Favourite Advertisement

2011-10-26T20:50:00.000+13:00

I hate TV adverts. In Australia I watched the ABC 90% of the time. Owned by the government, it did not have adverts although program promos took up a lot of time but they were between programs, not interruptions. Here in NZ the 2 government stations have adverts and are indistinguishable from commercial TV. Therefore I now watch very little TV. However I can watch one advert over and over

Reunion Update and other matters

2011-10-22T17:44:00.000+13:00

The reunion went well and I think it was worth all that money. The bus to Christchurch was bearable - just 3 others onboard, I think overseas students. The problem was that we arrived at the airport at 2.30am and my plane left at 7am. I seem to spend far more time than I like hanging around airports. The captain said we would take less than 3 hours but, as we approached Sydney, the heavy air

Reunions

2011-10-17T17:29:00.000+13:00

I knew that reunions, and unfortunately also funerals, would be a problem when I moved to New Zealand. I missed Garry's funeral back in April. In August I went to Australia for 12 days primarily for a reunion of the school where I taught for 15 years. I combined it with a holiday in Victoria. The actual reunion was disappointing mainly because it was for all students at a school which is

This makes me Angry

2011-10-15T10:47:00.000+13:00

I do not know how much news about the ship on the reef near the port of Tauranga. NZ is reaching the world outside Australia and New Zealand. Hopefully a window of good weather over the next few days will allow authorities to pump out much of the oil. The authorities seemed to have reacted like stunned mullet for the first week.At least thousands of volunteers are now joining the army and other

Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow.

2011-10-11T17:54:00.000+13:00

From my friend Birdie in Indianapolis for whom I asked prayers on September 1st I am finishing my fourth course of chemo, which will bring a new wave of cluelessness. But that's okay, because today's exam showed NO MEASURABLE TUMOR in my breast—and the last exam said the same about the node tumor. The large tumor measured six by seven centimeters at the start of chemotherapy, and the node

Music in Dunedin

2011-10-03T09:47:00.000+13:00

If health matters create the only real downside of my move to New Zealand, Music certainly makes up for it. Last Wednesday I attended a performance by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Town Hall. It was excellent. The second half was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony "Ode to Joy" The soloists were all Kiwis who are now making names for themselves overseas. Madeleine Pierard soprano Simon O’

Lord of the Dance

2011-10-02T18:36:00.000+13:00

I enjoyed the final hymn at church this morning. However, with Ireland to play Italy in the final Pool match of the Rugby World Cup here in Dunedin in a few hours, I think there might be some bias at play. I will be supporting Italy mainly because an Italian win will be better for Australia but I am in the minority. Lots of choice on Youtube but, sorry my American friends, they have to pronounce

Health Matters 2

2011-09-26T17:40:00.000+13:00

The most worrying and complicated thing about moving from Australia to New Zealand has been Health Costs. When I previously visited New Zealand, I took out travel insurance and I usually take it out now when I return to Australia although last year I found it cheaper to take out world wide insurance for 12 months but that has now run out and, as I do not plan to travel anywhere other than

Health Matters 1

2011-09-25T18:39:00.001+13:00

A. There was a wonderful conclusion to our service this morning. A few weeks ago I first noticed a lady who had great difficulty making it up the aisle to communion. She was using crutches. My friends told me it was wonderful to see her in church at all as she had suffered from a brain tumour. It was removed then regrew, needing a second operation. At one stage she lost the ability to speak

Mixed News from New Zealand

2011-09-19T09:35:00.000+12:00

First the good news. The Diocese of Dunedin has rejected the Covenant. I learned this from Bishop Kelvin's blog but it is now on Taonga as well. Bishop Kelvin writes "We discussed the Anglican Covenant and agreed with the suspicion of clause 4 which seems to be current in most of the New Zealand Anglican Church. By a reasonably large majority we do not want our church to subscribe to it." I

Go Auckland

2011-09-04T13:41:00.001+12:00

I am indebted to Fr Bosco Peters at Liturgy for the following wonderful news. First we learnt that the Auckland Diocese had rejected the Anglican covenant or at least Clause 4.2. Now comes the (for me) much greater news, that the Diocese has passed a motion which allows for persons in committed same-sex relationships to be considered for ordination. The Bishop of Auckland, Bp Ross Bay,

Victorian Holiday

2011-09-03T15:33:00.000+12:00

As mentioned, the shuttle bus easily made it to my house on the Wednesday morning after the heavy snowfall. The main road up to my hillside suburb was cleared to 2 lanes on Tuesday. I photographed people tobogganing on it the day before. The next street was cleared for one lane but my street was ignored. However I saw people in 2WD leaving for work that morning. There were still snow showers but

Prayer please

2011-09-01T12:12:00.000+12:00

I managed to get out of Dunedin 2 weeks ago despite the snow. I will blog about my Australian experiences later but more important is to ask for prayers for a fellow blogger, Birdie. Birdie blogs at Strelizia and I had the greatest pleasure in meeting her in Chicago nearly a year ago. We had a fun time driving down Michigan Avenue in her convertible and then cruising on the lake before lots of

Update Weather in Dunedin

2011-08-15T12:57:00.000+12:00

24 hours later. Photo taken 11.15am It was sunny then, you can see my footprints when I collected the daily newspaper earlier. It was delivered but there is no school, buses are not running and they have advised only essential travel. The following were taken at 12.40pm But now 10 minutes later the sun is out again. I may go for a walk. Road from city to airport was closed this morning but

Weather in Dunedin

2011-08-14T12:28:00.000+12:00

For several days the forecast has been that the mother of all storms would start Saturday night and continue to Tuesday. My plans 1. Tickets for the Southern Sinfonia Saturday night. 2. Church Sunday morning. Last for 2 weeks due to my trip to Australia 3. Movie Club Sunday afternoon 4. Regular afternoon walking group Monday 5. Tickets to NZ Symphony Monday night 6. Regular walking group

Walking in Dunedin

2011-08-14T10:47:00.000+12:00

Nearly every Tuesday I join a group to walk in nearby areas. Two recent walks were cancelled due to snow and by the forecast next Tuesday will be also. Last Tuesday was a glorious day and the temperature rose above 11'C although it was only 3'C in the morning. We walked to Heyward Point. First we were above the entrance to Otago Harbour and looking across to Taiaroa Head Lighthouse where the

Renovations 2 Bathroom

2011-08-11T15:39:00.000+12:00

When looking for a house in Dunedin, I was disappointed that none of those in my price range had an ensuite. I really appreciated having one for the 28 years I lived in the Blue Mountains. I had thought I might buy a house with a large bedroom and install an ensuite but instead I have used an alcove in my new bedroom for a small study. However I did install a second toilet in the bathroom and it

Outspoken

2011-07-30T16:08:00.000+12:00

I have just received in the post a copy of Outspoken - Coming out in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand by Liz Lightfoot. It was recommended in a discussion on Liturgy and at the time Rev Bosco Peters said he had a copy but had not yet read it. Liz interviewed 11 people, I think in late 2009. I have only read 4 so far. Names are disguised which is okay but it is a bit frustrating

Vale Margaret Olley

2011-07-26T17:42:00.000+12:00

One of Australia's most loved and enduring artists, Margaret Olley, has died in Sydney aged 88.Olley will be best remembered for her vibrant still-life paintings. A 1948 portrait of her by William Dobell won the Archibald Prize and she was also the subject of this year's winning portrait by Ben Quilty. Quilty is quoted by the Art Gallery of NSW as saying she was an "inspiration" and

Snow in Dunedin

2011-07-24T17:14:00.000+12:00

I moved here 18 months ago and chose to live in one of the higher suburbs above 300 metres. I was very disappointed last year when there was no snowfall before I left for my overseas trip in early August. There was a light fall the week after I left but 2010 had less snow than anyone could remember. Ten days ago there was a fall for about an hour and I was very excited and took photos. There

God send comfort to Norway

2011-07-23T15:19:00.000+12:00

I was shocked to hear the death toll was 17 but now it is 87 and I am devastated. I spent 14 wonderful days in Norway last September, 3 of them in Oslo. A beautiful and peaceful city and country.

The Diocese of Christchurch

2011-07-03T09:09:00.000+12:00

I hope you might be able to find time to view the recent message from Bishop Victoria to the Diocese of Christchurch. While she lists the many problems she also describes the remarkable opportunities for ministry that are occurring and gives a basis for more informed prayer. it is in 2 parts, the first about 10 minutes and the second 8 minutes.

Renovations 1 - Kitchen

2011-07-01T13:22:00.001+12:00

Hopefully I have finished renovating the house I purchased in February 2010. More for my own interest I have decided to do a series recording what has been done. First was the kitchen which had the biggest makeover. The only original item remaining is the dishwasher, something I do not really need. In the first photo taken not long after I took possession of the house, the new refrigerator,

Hong Kong and Home

2011-06-25T14:27:00.001+12:00

I have been home a couple of days now. On my last day in London I went out to Kew gardens but found entry was 13 Pounds 50 (over 20 Australian dollars) and as I only had a few hours and the clouds were threatening I decided it was not worthwhile. It did begin to rain as I was in the train back. I went to the British Museum for a while and as the sun came out again I went to Regents Park (photo

Yorkshire & Cumbria

2011-06-20T13:08:00.000+12:00

Moors overlooking Saltaire Leeds Town Hall Leeds City markets Leeds Shopping Arcade St Mary the Virgin, Gisburn Tarn Hows Easedale Tarn Near Easedale Tarn Grasmere Grasmere from the track up to Easedale Tarn I am now back in London preparing to fly tonight to Hong Kong, my European journey over. Here is hoping that Chilean Volcano behaves itself and I can fly right

A Taste of Ireland

2011-06-10T08:26:00.000+12:00

Cahir Castle Galway Cliffs, Dun Aengus, Aran Islands Gap of Dunloe Dingle Blarney Castle The weather has not been kind to me. On most days the temperature, about 14’C, has not been much above that in Dunedin where it is the beginning of winter. Added to that it has been showery much of the time. As one driver said, “Ireland’s weather can be described as rain between the showers

London

2011-05-31T18:05:00.000+12:00

Kensington Gardens Chelsea Flower Show Chelsea Flower Show Christ College Oxford Hyde Park London I have spent 5 nights in London so far and will be leaving on the 8.20 am train in the morning to Wales to connect with a ferry to Dublin. It has been nice to stop a while in one place and also somewhere familiar. I stayed in the same hotel last year when I was here for the Proms.

Espana

2011-05-25T19:56:00.000+12:00

Seville, Alcazar Seville Plaza D'Espana Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral Cordoba Street of Flowers Alhambra Nazaries Palace Alhambra Nazaries Palace Alhambra Gardens I am writing this while on a 24 hour ferry trip from Santander in the North of Spain to Portsmouth in England. I will post it after arriving at my hotel in London. I have spent 10 days in Spain mainly in the south with 2

Lisbon and Surrounds

2011-05-19T17:59:00.000+12:00

Just catching up. I find the siesta in Spain a good chance to do this. In Lisbon I was fairly busy all day travelling out and back and after dinner and a few wines is not the time to write. I stayed 4 nights in Lisbon but spent Wednesday travelling by bus 150 km each way to the town of Evora, Thursday by train 25 km each way to Sintra and then on Friday 300 km south to Faro where I stayed

Northern Portugal

2011-05-16T05:24:00.000+12:00

Cloister of Porto Cathedral Bridge in Porto Street (stairs) in Coimbra Castle and Town in Leiria Batalha Abbey Cathedral at Alcobacas Cloister at Alcobacas I travelled in the overnight train from Paris to Lisbon. Had to change from the very fast French train at the Spanish border and onto what they call a train hotel . It was very nice but expensive but I was served a 3 course

Wandering in Paris

2011-05-08T05:47:00.002+12:00

Art Nouveau House Markets Rue Poncelet I have been to Paris a number of times and my last two visits were each over 10 days so I did not need to see the usual tourist icons. I was fortunate to find a book in the Dunedin Library called “Walking Paris” by Gilles Desmons and then ordered an updated copy from Amazon.com. It has been a gem. I love wandering the streets of Paris but this book

From Dunedin to Paris

2011-05-05T07:40:00.000+12:00

I flew from Dunedin to Sydney via Auckland over 2 weeks ago. I spent Easter with my sister and enjoyed attending services at St James, King Street. I was also able to meet with some friends for lunch. I had hoped to do a little sightseeing around the harbour but the weather was not good so all I managed was to visit the Archibald and other prize exhibitions at the Art Gallery. The Anzac Dawn

Kia Kaha Christchurch

2011-04-03T17:54:00.000+12:00

I missed watching the National Memorial Service due to other engagements that afternoon. A friend lent me her VHS recording. I had not set up my VHS recorder since my move to NZ. I succeeded after a struggle and was moved by much of it but especially this video showing the people dealing with the aftermath and the fund raising throughout NZ. Both are continuing.

Farewell Garry

2011-04-01T14:34:00.000+13:00

Way back in 1966, at the end of my first year of teaching, I made my first visit to New Zealand. It was on a school camping trip with about 25 students, probably 16 years old, and 7 teachers. Although 23 years old I was very naive. I did not drink, mixed mainly with religious types, was a church youth leader and still planned to enter the ministry. I had visited a psychiatrist about my sexual

So Proud of St John's Roslyn

2011-03-20T15:04:00.000+13:00

I am thrilled to be able to balance my last post with this one about a suburban church in the Diocese of Dunedin. I have just learnt that the parish is to give 2 half stipends (wages) for the next year to the bishop of Christchurch and to the Maori bishop of the South Island. That amounts to $50,000 and means we can only do the minimum needed to repair the parish hall (the support piles are

Dunedin Cathedral

2011-03-20T14:46:00.000+13:00

I have been considering this post for a while. I can now post it along with the following post which will balance the bad news with much better news. When I was considering moving to Dunedin I considered becoming a parishioner of the cathedral. On my visit in 2006, it seemed quite vibrant with an excellent Dean and a partnered gay man had just become deacon and was an associate in the cathedral

Dame Malvina Major - Christchurch

2011-03-04T21:08:00.000+13:00

Christchurch: a personal story

2011-03-01T17:01:00.000+13:00

I have received this from a friend. He is an airline steward and was out of town in the USA at the time. He is now based in Auckland but his ex-wife and daughter still live in Christchurch. He received txts from them at the time and has since returned to stay with them. Hi AllThank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts for my family friends and city.Well what to say, my family and

Christchurch Rally in Dunedin

2011-03-01T07:22:00.002+13:00

A national two-minutes' silence at 12.51pm today would be marked in the Octagon, remembering those affected by the Christchurch earthquake, Mr Cull (Mayor of Dunedin) told yesterday's meeting. The Octagon event would begin at 12.15pm, with a string quartet from the Southern Sinfonia performing, followed by the singing of the national anthem at 12.40pm, an address by

Bishop's Statement

2011-02-27T12:33:00.000+13:00

Read in all churches throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand today. Tena Koutou, Malo elelei, Talofa lava, Namas’te, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Greetings to you… Many worship sites have been destroyed in Tikanga Pakeha parishes of Christchurch, but the Church of God is strong in faith and service in the Diocese of Christchurch and the Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu. The people of God are responding with

Christchurch

2011-02-25T11:53:00.000+13:00

I am safe, thank you for messages of concern. At the time I was actually on Stewart Island as part of a tour with my sister and brother-in-law around the south of the South Island. Fortunately original plans to visit Christchurch this week had been changed as my Brother-in-law did not want to go there. Now they are flying home direct from Dunedin to Sydney next Monday. When the news came through

Christchurch - continued prayers

2011-01-20T16:11:00.001+13:00

Everyone knows there was a major earthquake in Christchurch in September. There have been continual tremors since. I arrived at my accommodation very near the centre of Christchurch last Saturday at 3pm and left the city at 11.30am on Sunday. I did not feel anything but a search discovers there was a 2.7 just after 4pm at a depth of 20km , a 2.8 at about 1am on Sunday depth 5km and a 2.5 about

Jensens cannot help themselves

2011-01-17T08:15:00.000+13:00

In Sydney, the Cathedral and the Town Hall share a plaza in between the buildings known as Sydney Square. I remember learning that the Diocese owns 80% with the City Council only 20%. Most people would have no idea of this. It is a pleasant place to sit in the centre of the city. It has also been a meeting place for rallies. I attended the Same-sex marriage rally there last August. Now the

Nature's Force

2011-01-11T15:26:00.000+13:00

I am taking a holiday in New Zealand for a change. Yesterday I drove over 500km from Dunedin to Kaikoura. I passed through Christchurch before lunchtime and was a little further north when I decided to stop. The name Kaiapoi had often intrigued me as there is a regular advertisement for antique furniture on TV telling me to buy from Blakely's of Kaiapoi. I forgot that the town was also mentioned

Back Home

2010-12-31T10:28:00.000+13:00

Had a good flight back across the ditch (Tasman Sea) yesterday. Flight was in early and passed quickly through customs so was outside waiting for shuttle 30 mins early. Shuttle driver said he did not want me waiting 40 minutes for other booked passenger on another flight so drove me home alone. Doubt you would get that service in Sydney. Biggest problem was I needed to go shopping. I had hidden

Meri Kirihimete

2010-12-24T12:07:00.000+13:00

That is Merry Christmas in Maori. Actually I am back in Australia for 10 days and I felt the humidity yesterday. Thankfully today, Christmas Eve, is milder. This is essentially the Christmas message I sent to friends either by email or snail mail and now being sent to anyone else who may read my blog. Merry Christmas from Dunedin. It has been a very eventful year for me. On January 22nd I

Worshipping in 2010

2010-12-19T17:38:00.001+13:00

Due to my move and travel, I have attended a number of different churches this year. On the first two Sundays in January I was still at St James, King Street. Leaving St James was the hardest part of my move. I loved going there, it was such a breath of fresh air after years of struggling in the average Anglican parishes in Sydney. I had always avoided the more fundamentalist examples but even

Prayers please

2010-12-15T09:05:00.000+13:00

My sister is to undergo Arthroscopic Knee Surgery tomorrow (Thursday) for a torn cartilege. While it is not serious surgery, I am worried about any general anaesthetic for a person in her mid 70's. She has been in a lot of pain over the last month so hopefully all will be well by Christmas. I am flying over to Sydney on Monday for 10 days anyway. She and her husband are coming over here in

Dad

2010-12-02T21:46:00.000+13:00

After reading Alcibiades moving account of his father, I feel I should blog about my Dad. We were never really close. When we were going through Mum's papers, my sister gave me a photo of him. She says I sniffed and put it aside. I cannot find it at the moment. She wrote me an email about how he was proud of me. She was very close to him. When I was young, my parents went through a bad patch.

Remember

2010-11-25T18:25:00.001+13:00

http://www.3news.co.nz/Parliament-sings-for-the-Pike-River-miners/tabid/309/articleID/187954/Default.aspxhttp://www.3news.co.nz/Parliament-sings-for-the-Pike-River-miners/tabid/309/articleID/187954/Default.aspx

Pike River Mine

2010-11-24T18:17:00.001+13:00

News has come through that there has been a 2nd explosion this afternoon and there is now no hope of any survivors. Please pray for the families of the 29 men, their friends and all the people of the West Coast of New Zealand.

Prayers please

2010-11-20T07:30:00.000+13:00

Explosion traps 27 in mineEmergency services are positioning personnel for a possible rescue bid today for 27 miners unaccounted for after an explosion at the Pike River Coal mine near Greymouth on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island.The Greymouth region, meanwhile, is in a state of limbo as it awaits news. Worried families gathered at the entrance of the mine last

How True!

2010-11-13T12:12:00.000+13:00

''It's an amazing thing and I often say it in speeches that I give: you can preach a judgmental and punitive God and no one seems to mind,'' he says. ''But if you preach a God who is too merciful, too forgiving, too loving, then there are all kinds of awful consequences.''Bishop Gene Robinson as quoted in Today's Sydney Morning Herald It would be too much to hope that this

St James Spire

2010-11-13T10:33:00.004+13:00

Please note, although in the Diocese of Sydney, St James states on its website and all publications "As Sydney's oldest church, St James is place of soul-stirring worship, challenging preaching and fine music. We are a progressive community that welcomes all people regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or religion" May it's spire be a symbol of true Christian Love unlike the hatred

Round The World in 85 days

2010-11-01T12:10:00.000+13:00

Golden Gate Bridge Sea Lions, Fisherman's Wharf I returned home yesterday and now have to get back to normal. My home and car were both in good condition. Garden November 1, 2010 The weather in Dunedin is lovely and sunny although the breeze was a bit cool yesterday afternoon. I am told Dunedin had its mildest winter in 20 years. I spent 2 days in San Francisco and rain was forecast on

Ontario

2010-10-29T13:56:00.000+13:00

Ottawa Ottawa Hull to Wakefield Steam Train Covered Bridge, Wakefield At Niagara Falls Park Near Niagara Falls I have now reached San Francisco on the last 2 days of my trip and will leave to fly across the Pacific on Friday night. I travelled by train from Quebec to Ottawa last Thursday with a few hours waiting in Montreal from where I wrote my last post. I liked Ottawa although it

Nova Scotia and Quebec

2010-10-23T10:27:00.000+13:00

Cabot Trail Cabot Trail Bras D'Or at Baddeck Chapel of Basilique Notre Dame in Montreal Botanical Gardens in Montreal Chinese Gardens in Montreal Quebec City I have finished the first part of my time in Canada and am now sitting in the station at Montreal waiting for my train to Ottawa. Eastern Canada is a place of several languages. Along some of the roads in Cape Breton there were

Farewell "La Stupenda"

2010-10-13T00:13:00.000+13:00

My sister has just informed me that Joan Sutherland has died. I cannot help it, the tears are flowing. I had her photo on my wall in Australia and had not decided where to put it yet in Dunedin. Her voice has given me so much pleasure both in the flesh at the Australian Opera and in recordings. From what I have read, she was a remarkable person. Thankfully I will be able to continue to hear

New England

2010-10-12T13:33:00.000+13:00

With Mother Amelia Home of Louisa May Alcott Some Big Pumpkins Fall Colours in Acadia National Park Izzie as a Pumpkin Dog Decorated Pumpkins in Damascotta Lake Champlain The weather has not been entirely kind although hopefully it is improving now. After two days of rain in New York, I travelled by train along the Hudson River to Albany in beautiful sunshine and, as related in

Big Cities and Great Meetings

2010-10-01T00:31:00.001+13:00

I have spent 3 nights in Chicago and 4 nights in New York and am now on my way to New England. The weather has been hotter than I expected, Chicago had its hottest late September day on record and was very windy and New York was also hot and humid with a lot of rain. On my first day in Chicago I met up with "Birdie" Strelitzia (Picture 1) from Indianapolis. She drove for 3 hours to meet me

Good bye to Europe

2010-09-25T14:13:00.000+12:00

I farewelled Europe on Wednesday afternoon when I flew from Munich to Chicago. I always feel sad at leaving Europe, especially Germany. However back to where I left off in my last message. I spent Friday night in Luxembourg, partly because I got a good deal as Luxembourg hotels are cheaper on the weekend when the EU bureaucrats return to their own countries and partly so I could add another

Sydney At it again

2010-09-19T18:39:00.000+12:00

Being in Germany, I do not have time to go into all the details, but my sister has drawn my attention to the following article. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-diocese-in-cash-row-20100918-15h4e.html It appears Sydney Diocese wants to divorce the rest of the Australian Anglican Church. Aspinall is obviously concerned. The Sydney Diocese spokesman denies there is any threat but who would

London and the Lakes

2010-09-18T18:44:00.000+12:00

I have now left England and to keep up the L’s am spending the night in Luxembourg. My main purpose for visiting London was to attend the Proms particularly the last night so I attended 2 programs in the Royal Albert Hall and the last Night in Hyde Park across the road. The Thursday night was excellent as I had a very good seat. It was the BBC Philharmonic and they played Schubert’s Symphony No

Farewell to Scandinavia

2010-09-10T03:28:00.000+12:00

I am writing this while crossing the North Sea. We do not reach Harwich until 1pm Danish time (Noon in UK) so I am taking the opportunity to catch up on my finances, diary and messages. If you receive this, it will mean I have arrived at my hotel in London as I do not have the internet on the ship. I can see the English coast out of my cabin window but when I went up on deck it was not as cold

Norwegian Coastline

2010-09-05T02:49:00.000+12:00

I had trouble with the internet on the ship. Prepared this and spent my money for an hour's worth but nothing would load. Am now back in Oslo but will post as originally prepared. It is my last day on the SS Richard With. The Hurtiguten Cruise is billed as the world’s most beautiful voyage and they are not exaggerating very much. It is hard to find time to write this without being called out

Fiords and Glaciers

2010-08-29T20:02:00.002+12:00

The first three days of the cruise have been busy. On the first full day we sailed up the Storfiord and eventually entered the Geirangerfiord. Very similar to Milford Sound but much longer. At the head of the fiord I took a tour in which we went ashore in a smaller boat and boarded buses for the very steep road up the side to a lookout at 1500m. Then we drove for several hours across country

Oslo, Bergen & Points North

2010-08-29T19:58:00.000+12:00

As expected the internet on the ship is fairly expensive but I plan to buy an hour tomorrow and if that works perhaps another hour in about 4 days time. I am typing this into Appleworks and hopefully will be able to paste it into my blog and email programs when I go online. My apologies if formatting is a bit strange. As I mentioned in my last message, I had a lovely sunny day in Oslo and made

Planes,Trains and Ships

2010-08-25T18:35:00.000+12:00

With some buses, trams and unfortunately some taxis. I dream that one day I will front up at the airport and be asked if I would like an upgrade. It did actually happen way back in 1980 between London and New York but sadly not likely these days. The flight from Sydney to Bangkok was bearable at just over 9 hours arriving 4.30pm . Sadly the hotel shuttle bus did not arrive but a taxi in Bangkok

First part is over

2010-08-18T22:54:00.000+12:00

Have been in Sydney for 12 days. Have related my church activities and attending the Sam-sex march. Have also been lunching with friends and completed 2 hikes with the group I use to join every Monday. The first week we went to some falls less than 5 km from where I use to live. Last Monday we caught a ferry across the harbour to Manly then a bus north to another smaller harbour called

Wesley at St James

2010-08-16T15:04:00.001+12:00

It has been good to return and worship at St James, King Street for 2 weeks. However there have also been some disappointments. The first Sunday coincided with the City to Surf Run which always makes it difficult for St James. Parking is impossible deterring many parishioners. I had to stand on the train into the city as it was packed. The run attracted 80,000 who had free transport. The

Two Demos

2010-08-15T17:21:00.001+12:00

I have been to 2 demonstrations in the last week. The day before I left Dunedin there was a lunchtime rally and march in the city. At the moment the South Island has 6 neurosurgeons. 4 are located in Christchurch with a population of 370,000 and 360 km away. The other 2 are in Dunedin with a population of 120,000. The Government wants to put all 6 into Christchurch and the people of Dunedin are

Sydney Symphony

2010-08-13T18:56:00.001+12:00

As part of my time in Sydney I took my sister today to the Sydney Opera House for a concert by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting. It was part of the Tea and Symphony Series commencing after coffee/tea and biscuit at 11am and finishing without an interval at 12.15. This year I have attended 4 concerts in Dunedin by the Southern Sinfonia and one by the New Zealand

My Will

2010-08-10T10:03:00.001+12:00

I have just sent a message to Anglicare, the social arm of the Diocese of Sydney. This was in response to a news item this weekend. "The chief executive of Anglicare, Peter Kell, cites a child's need for both a mother and father among the 11 reasons why same-sex couples should not be given the same rights as heterosexual couples under adoption law." My message was: 'About 15 years ago I

Travel Plans Part 3

2010-07-29T17:26:00.001+12:00

It is just over a week until I leave Dunedin. I have mixed feelings. Never thought that after only 6 months I would be feeling sad at leaving both the city and my new friends. I have made some changes to my New England plans and there are some problems with Nova Scotia. I discovered that I could catch a train from Albany to Port Kent in upper New York State and from there travel across the lake

The Church in the World Today

2010-07-23T12:09:00.000+12:00

An interesting article in today's Otago Daily Times http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/117288/stale-views-cause-church-shoot-itself-foot?page=0%2C1Stale views cause church to shoot itself in foot Fri, 23 Jul 2010 "Come back to the Buildings!" Readers who remember the BBC comedy series Take It From Here will recall the recurring plea for "Professor" Jimmy Edwards to

Walking on Otago Peninsula

2010-07-15T09:55:00.000+12:00

It is 6 months next week since I moved to live in Dunedin. I am still in love with the city. On Tuesday my walking group climbed up the Otago Peninsula. I was not sure I would be able to go as on Monday there was a severe frost and when I drove down the hill at 12.30pm the paths on the shady side were still white. The council spreads grit on the road but there are still warnings about black ice

National Icons

2010-07-11T15:27:00.000+12:00

From my lounge room. they are usually located opposite sides of the CD-player. The Kiwi is wearing an All-Black jersey. Even our Eucharist began by the priest announcing we were all glad of the recent news. The All Blacks beat the Springboks 32-12. A passion for Rugby Union is not something I share with the residents of my new home. However I was cheering madly for the All Whites in the World

Justice Michael Kirby

2010-06-30T16:56:00.002+12:00

I have just watched a video documentary on the life of High Court Justice (now retired) Michael Kirby. Michael is 5 years older than me. We grew up in the same suburb of Sydney, went to the same primary schools and high school. I then followed him to Sydney university but I studied Arts/Education and became a teacher, he studied Arts/Law and became a lawyer, chair of the Law Reform Commission,

Mid-Winter Festival, Lantern Procession

2010-06-27T14:17:00.000+12:00

Thanks to Birdie for encouraging me to take my camera. I did not buy a camera for night work and rarely do anything more than point and click. However here are the photos from last night. The first shows the Anglican Cathedral on the left and the Town Hall Clock Tower on the right. Then I managed to shoot a short movie and upload it to Youtube Finally the more professional production at the

Mid-Winter's Day

2010-06-22T16:13:00.000+12:00

Here in Dunedin it is the shortest day of the year and the sun rose at at 8.20am and will set at 5pm. Back in the Blue Mountains, where I use to live, it rose at 7am and will set at 4.54pm which actually surprises me. I have had difficulty dealing with the sun in my eyes in the middle of the day here for a few weeks. Apparently even though the day is only a little over an hour shorter the sun

Music in Dunedin

2010-06-12T17:10:00.000+12:00

Since moving to Dunedin I have been able to attend many more live music performances than I was able to attend in Sydney. Although Sydney has the world renowned Opera House, Sydney Symphony and Australian Opera the performances tend to be very expensive and I had the problem of a 2 hour journey home, not very pleasant in the evening. My sister and I had a subscription and attended the afternoon

Bishops

2010-06-05T10:00:00.000+12:00

I am happy to belong to an episcopal church but I am also happy that in the Anglican church we do not need to treat our bishops as little gods. On Tuesday, while walking with the 60+ group I have recently joined, I was telling one lady how, before I moved to Dunedin, the only person I knew was the Vicar of Roslyn but shortly after my arrival he became the Bishop of Dunedin. She asked me what I

Travel Plans Part 2

2010-05-28T12:02:00.002+12:00

I have struck a couple of problems with the second part of my journey. I prefer travelling by train rather than air and I do not want to drive on the wrong side of the road. I drove from San Francisco to Yosemite and back in 1997 and was terrified most of the way. Since then I have driven around Amiens in France in 2002 and 2007 as it was the only way to reach my Uncle's grave but again not

Many Lights for Human Rights

2010-05-17T19:00:00.003+12:00

Although I did not realise it at the time, this follows on from yesterday's rather personal (for me) post. Last night I attended the AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service in St Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin. It was a miserable wet night so not surprising there were only about 20 people plus the choir present. It was led by Rev Juan Kinnear, the Dunedin priest who is in an openly gay relationship and

Relationships

2010-05-16T17:35:00.001+12:00

On Friday I saw the movie "A Single Man". I was keen to see it as there had been a lot of discussion about it on Forums I frequent and I am a fan of Colin Firth (and not just because of the smouldering good looks of Mr Darcy). I was disappointed that it did not open in Sydney until February (after I had left) and was not to open in NZ until mid-May. I guess that is one downside of moving here

Keystone Kops strike again

2010-05-14T09:35:00.000+12:00

They can no longer be called Keelty's Keystone Kops because Keelty has resigned but they are proving to be just as incompetent as before. The AFP (Australian Federal Police) had a major mass murderer, Dragan Vasiljkovic, in their domain. He managed to give them the slip by not turning up in court the day his bail was denied. (He had been in court the day before but the AFP would not have thought

Various Musings

2010-05-09T12:37:00.000+12:00

On another forum I saw this video posted describing homosexual life in San Francisco in the 1950's and 60's. I do not remember any item in particular that I would have seen on TV in those days. It was not often discussed while I was at school, certainly not in the circles in which I moved. However I remember it as a shock when I realised in my first year at university that my feelings had a