Simon Says ...

I have to turn off my computer to pack it. Pickfords arrive tomorrow (not that we're ready for them) and it has to go back in its box. It will take me a few days to get back on line, so no blogging for a bit. I think I'd blocked out memories of how hard moving house is. Getting everything ready to go, packing, taking things down, throwing things out (but never enough, even if you borrow one of the huge church bins!). What I'm really looking forward to is this time tomorrow, when the eye of the moving storm hits. Everything will be packed up, nothing but a bed and a few clothes will be left in this house, and there's nothing to do. That sounds great just now, even if I begin to wonder if we'll ever make it there...

We were at our lowest point with the decorating this morning. It was supposed to be an easy day, but it wasn't. Then the door bell rang. 'I just wondered if you needed any help'. An angel with a friend's face. No wings, but a wonder with a paintbrush. A true gift from God.

The US Supreme court has allowed a church in the States to drink hallucinogenic tea containing a banned substance. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal are a Brazillian based church that mix Christian beliefs and traditions from South America. The BBC website has this: "Members of the group believe they can understand God only by drinking the tea, which is consumed twice a month at four-hour ceremonies. "The brewed tea, made from two plants that grow in the Amazon, contains dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a controlled substance banned under federal drug laws. "About 130 members of a Brazil-based church were involved in long-running dispute with federal agents, who seized their tea in 1999." George Bush is said to disagree with this ruling (but then he is a Methodist!). So, plans for worship when I begin at St Mary's ...

When I was told that SPCK in Bristol were organising an evening about Dr Who and Christian theology, I was there like a shot! Well done to Richard and all at SPCK. The evening was with the authors of Back in Time: A Thinking Fan's Guide to Doctor Who . They spoke about the character of the Doctor, particularly looking at inclusivity and tolerance; the meaning of monsters, with a great little guide to the Daleks; and what Doctor Who has to say about human beings. Best of all we had clips from new and classic Doctor Who. Fantastic, as someone once said. All of it was related to themes in Christianity. Mostly this was done well. There really are some clear links between the two: the Doctor's love of life in all its forms and his fearless championing of good over evil are both clear points of contact. Occasionally there were slips (I'm sure I detected Voltaire's famous saying that 'I disagree with you but will defend your right to say it' being attributed to ...

Today all the work of the past couple of weeks with stripping paper, hanging paper, sanding down, cleaning out, taking rubbish to the tip etc came together as painters descended. From top to bottom the house has been transformed. Ceilings, walls, cupboards, gloss work - all has been painted today, and it looks wonderful. I spent most of the day in the basement, and as I went to see someone upstairs I was gobsmacked at the difference from this morning. So thank you, from both of us, to everyone who helped: Rob, Steve, Gayle, George, Sue, Jim, Helen, Katie, Debbie and Rob. Thanks also to Jo, Xavi and Sarah for letting Rob help, and to Charity for coming to the pub afterwards. And thanks to those who've helped on other occasions: Rod, Jenny, Frank, Carolyn, Lindsey, Bea, Ruth and Heather. You're all fantastic, and have made such a difference!

A link from Too old to rock and roll ... got me to Taking the Episcopalian . It's a Scottish Anglican site and very funny. I'm particularly fond of the Windsor Report edition of Risk ! I know I'm late finding it (it's about a year since it was updated last), but it's well worth a visit.

Outside my local pub there are three kids who have a stack of Gospels, clearly nicked from one of the Christian bookshops in town. They're trying very hard to make you part with cash, offering to sing, dance and rap if you'll spare a few pennies. Is this accidental evangelism, a new form of emerging church or the next scam that the CofE will try? Mission-shaped shoplifting, anyone?

Today's lesson in 'DIY for the terminally inept' was laying hardboard flooring. It began with taking up old lino so that fresh can be laid next week. There then followed an 'Oh, shit' moment, when the lino decided it liked the floor so much it wanted to keep large chunks of it, leaving holes in the floor. Enter father-in-law on white horse. 'Hardboard' he said. (Actually he first told me that leveling adhesive was needed. 'Easy, I can do it', were his exact words, followed by, 'but it's a big and very messy job. Let's get some hardboard.') Hardboard was purchased and a lesson in cutting it to fit followed. Now just hammer some nails in. Until you discover that floor is concrete and doesn't want hardboard nailed to it. So off I went to buy some glue. After four cans of it, I began to feel a bit dizzy. We swapped stories about sniffing in our youth (tippex thinner in physics class for me, chewing UHU for father-in-law), op...

Finally got to see Brokeback Mountain today. Some superb acting (especially Heath Leger), beautiful cinematography (which we've come to expect from Ang Lee), and a tragic story. Haunting, and with much to say about love, truth and the damage caused to people's lives by suppressing them. Well worth the trip. Oh, and I got my DVD writer to work today. Hurray!

I'm taking a break from decorating this morning to show some removal men around our house (I have to get three quotations for the diocese). It's an odd thing, showing a stranger into all your wardrobes and cupboards. All three have been exceedingly courteous, and even said nice things about the quantity of mess and clutter in the house at the moment, I can't fault them and am grateful to their professionalism. But it raises some questions. First about the quantity of stuff we have accumulated since we moved in here. There is certainly more stuff now than there was. I know that seems inevitable, but is it healthy? Second, about the sheer quantity of stuff we have at all. I know that we don't live by bread alone, but I'm not sure that the removal men (who will have to physically move everything by hand!) would agree. All sorts of things begin to chime in at this point; Jesus comments about camels going through the eye of a needle and his instruction to his disc...

... how to hang wall paper. Makes a nice change from stripping it! Thanks Rod. And a mention of the nice man at Target Electronics in Bristol, who fitted a DVD writer drive to my computer for free (if only I could get it to write to DVDs!). Oh, and the missus has an article out on Civil Partnerships, the law and the church which you can read here . Add to that a beautiful Candlemas service in the Cathedral (I sat in the corner for clergy between parishes) and you get a pretty good day.