Pickfords – the sequel

Yesterday I wrote a post about the unpleasant experience of a clergy family using Pickfords for their recent move. Today I am pleased to post the following comment that was left on my blog by a representative of the company:

My name is Charmaine Watts, I am responsible for Customer Service at Pickfords.

I noted with concern, your blog and the photographs that have been posted onto Twitter by our customer. On behalf of Pickfords, I apologise unreservedly for the incident, it was the individual failing of one person within our organization and is not representative of the service we deliver to thousands of families on the move each year.

I did not hear of the concern from the Reverend directly, but we have reacted quickly to your blog and have investigated the case this morning and interviewed the crew.

We were very disappointed with the conduct displayed by the concerned individual who has been immediately suspended for gross misconduct pending investigation and formal disciplinary action.

I will make contact with the Reverend directly to extend my personal apologies for this regrettable incident.

It is good to see the company responding so promptly and interesting to note that they monitor Twitter and the blogosphere. I wait to hear if their unhappy customers receive the promised apology and some appropriate recompense.

Pickfords – sign of the times (10)

The slogan of the Pickfords moving and storage company is: A move as individual as you are. Well, one clergy family found out what that meant when they had the privilege of being moved by Pickfords this week. Rounding off a generally unpleasant experience they discovered this witty epithet on one of the packing boxes.



A sad reflection of the contempt with which some companies treat customers who have paid good money for a service. Not clever really as clergy move quite a few times during their ministry and word soon gets around about which firms to use and who to avoid.

Photo courtesy of @Kneewax

7 links challenge

A few days ago The Church Mouse posted his response to the 7 Links Challenge and I was amazed to discover that he had mentioned one of my posts, having a punt, in his response. Anyway, I though I’d take up the challenge and have a go.

1. Your first post – My first post was entitled Lawnmower Reflections and explained the title of my previous blog. Sadly, for me if for no one else, the blog is no longer accessible so I can’t link to it. From memory I explained how the title was prompted by the fact that I seem to do my most creative thinking while mowing the lawn (so not very often) and that one of my favourite Genesis songs contains the classic line: ‘Me I’m just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk’ (Genesis: I Know What I Like from Selling England By the Pound). The first post on this blog was called Moving Home.

2. A post you enjoyed writing the most – I didn’t enjoy writing this post but it came together in the way I wanted it to and had the impact on some readers that I had intended. A tale of two homecomings contrasts the return of the failed England World Cup Squad with the arrival home on the same day of the bodies of seven soldiers from Afghan. I wept as I wrote it and several people commented that it had the same effect on them.

3. A post which had a great discussion – I try not to let outrage drive my blogging but with this post I couldn’t help it. UKBA Christmas Card was my response to the outrageous Christmas card sent out by the Border Agency boasting about their work in 2009. It was just plain offensive and a complete contradiction of what Christmas is about. I had a huge number of hits and many links from other sites, both Christian and secular. My blood still boils when I think about that card.

4. A post on someone else's blog that you wish you'd written – There is so much excellent material out there and I am continually challenged and inspired by other people’s blogging. However, I have gone for someone who does something I could never do. Dave Walker is a cartoonist responsible for the Cartoon Blog, as well as drawing for the Church Times. He is able with one picture to sum up some aspect of church life in a way that a post full of words could never do. He is funny and incisive, often making for uncomfortable reading and he has been known to wind up the most hard bitten hack; one Telegraph journo called him ‘the world’s worst cartoonist’. Here’s one of many I could have linked to: The Welcomers.

5. A post with a title that you are proud of – I’m not very good at thinking up titles and I get annoyed with blogs that have posts with arresting titles that don’t really relate to the post. I’ve gone for U-bend Theology my review of Slumdog Millionaire. I wasn’t very impressed by the film but one scene did remind me of an important theological truth.

6. A post that you wish more people had read – Palestinian Walks: notes on a vanishing landscape. This was a review of a book I read following my sabbatical visit to the land of the Holy One. The book by Raja Shehadeh tells the story of his love affair with the landscape of his homeland against the backdrop of the unfolding events in Israel and Palestine. It’s very powerful and anyone who wants to understand more of the situation should read the book.

7. Your most visited post ever – I’ve already listed the most visited post which was the UKBA Christmas card (see 3). In second place was Gossip: cancer of the community. This post was about the press coverage of the process for appointing the Bishop of Southwark. The post seemed to touch a raw spot because a well known journalist at the Telegraph responsible for breaking the story started attacking me via Twitter!

That’s me done. I enjoyed looking back and reviewing the posts I am proud of and those that in retrospect didn’t really work. I look forward to other bloggers’ responses.

I’ll tag Sam Norton, Jonathan Evens, Maggi Dawn, Steve Griffiths, and Dave Walker for this one.

Advice for Life – sign of the times (9)

A friend pointed out this sign in the High Street yesterday. I’m a bit confused because Jessops is a camera shop and I wasn’t aware they had turned into a counselling centre. I was tempted to go in and ask ‘what must I do to be saved?’ but would probably have ended up with a new Nikon. What next, Currys running Alpha courses?

A Klingon blessing

We’ve been watching reruns of the consistently excellent Frasier. Last night I saw an episode I’d not come across before and it ended with Frasier delivering a blessing at his son’s Bar Mitzvah. The only problem was he delivered the blessing in perfect Klingon rather than Hebrew. You’ll have to watch the whole episode (Star Mitzvah 2002) to understand how it came about, but here’s the blessing. Priceless.



Here is the translation:
The English version:
"My dearest son, each day you redeem me. May your journey be filled with the same joy, wisdom, and purpose you have given mine."

The Klingon translation is:
"puqloDwI' le'qu': Hoch jaj choquvmoH. lenglIj lutebjaj lengwIjvaD bel rap, Sov rap, ngoQ rap je Danobpu'bogh."

A phonetic version of what was spoken on the show:
"Pookh lod wih le koo. Hach jahj cho-koov-moakh leng-lidge loo-Teb-jahj leng widge-vahd bel rahp shoave dah-nobe-poo-boagh."

NB. Klingon is the language spoken by the Klingon warrior people in Star Trek. You can find out more about the galaxy's fastest growing language from The Klingon Language Institute.

Praise and Blame

There’s been much comment in the music press about Tom Jones’ latest offering Praise and Blame; not least from his own record label. David Sharpe, vice president of Island Records, was reported to have sent an angry email to colleagues declaring the record a ‘sick joke’ and went on to say: ‘We did not invest a fortune in an established artist for him to deliver 12 tracks from the common book of prayer (sic).’ Some have speculated that this is just an elaborate publicity stunt to attract maximum attention for the album’s release, but I suspect Island are genuinely very nervous.

I’ve now had a chance to hear Praise and Blame and I really enjoyed it. The production by Ethan Jones is ideal for showcasing the deep rich tone of Jones’ vocals and the stripped back ambience is perfect for the gospel, blues and spirituals repertoire. The album reminds me of T Bone Burnett’s work with Robert Plant and Alison Kraus on Raising Sand and includes the track Nobody’s Fault But Mine which Plant recorded with Led Zeppelin. This version is more like Plant’s reworking of the song with Jimmy Page on No Quarter and some of the guitar playing on the album is also reminiscent of Page’s slide work.

The album starts with Dylan’s What good am I which sets the tone in both pace and mood; though occasionally Jones’ rocks out a bit more on tracks like Burning Hell and Lord Help the Poor and Needy. There are confessional moments when it sounds as if Jones’ is genuinely baring his soul. Commenting on his motivation for recording the material Jones revealed: "We thought, 'Let's look for some spiritual things, uplifting things, things that mean something.'" He also reflected "So these spiritual songs, the gospel songs on this album, that's very natural to me. It's not like stepping into an area that I haven't tried yet. I know what these songs are; it's my cup of tea if you like. This is stuff that I listen to, that I've always liked." "When I heard it, I thought, 'This is me, this is my meat, this is where I come from.'" 

I love my job

The last month has been fairly manic but in the midst of it all have been several reminders of what I love about my job. A couple of weeks ago we celebrated our diocesan lay education and training programmes in Chelmsford Cathedral; it was a great occasion with a real sense of joy. Last weekend we held our Reader selection conference and met some gifted, faithful candidates offering to train to serve in this important lay ministry of preaching and teaching. It was particularly encouraging to see the diversity of candidates in age and background.

Then yesterday at St. Paul’s Cathedral staff and students of St. Mellitus College gathered together for our Graduation and Valedictory Eucharist. We said goodbye to recently ordained deacons and the Chelmsford Readers who were licensed last autumn. This cohort of students is the first group to study together from the two constituent parts of the college; North Thames Ministerial Training Course and St. Paul’s Theological Centre. It has been so encouraging to see the way the students have integrated, studied, worshipped and grown together in formation for ministry. They have modelled SMC’s commitment to generous orthodoxy.

The students graduated from Middlesex University, St. Mellitus College’s validating body; the ordinands receiving their BA in Contextual Theology and the Readers a Dip He in Ministry. The awards were presented by Dr Claude Pehrson on behalf of the university’s Dean. Claude is a good friend to SMC having been involved in the validation of our various programmes and we wish him well as he retires this summer.

During the Eucharist the students presented the college with a banner they had commissioned, a creative working of the St. Mellitus College logo. Each of the students was also presented with a certificate by Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, Dean of SMC, and myself as Director of Lay Ministry Studies. I was particularly proud of our Reader students, four of whom had received distinctions in the Dip HE. Following the service and some photographs at the West door of the cathedral we headed off to St Bride’s Institute for some lunch.

Other highlights of the last month have included chairing a diocesan working party on authorising local preachers; preparing and planning to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible in 2011 and several visits to deanery chapters to talk about SHAPE, part of our diocesan vocations initiative. There’s a fair amount of routine in my role with lots happening on a cyclical pattern, but at the heart of it all is the opportunity to support and resource Christians and churches in their ministry and mission and that is a real privilege.