It’s been a busy week in Lake Southwark. Monday and Tuesday evenings were pretty quiet, but Wednesday, of course, was yoga, and Thursday night was the Business Committee of Bishop’s Council.
I’m finding it difficult to remember what went on all week, I’m afraid. This is a consequence of commuting daily to Canary Wharf, the huge financial services area in the formerly derelict dock area of East London. You squeeze into an Underground car with hundred of people dressed in suits, go four stops and then kind of burst out of the car in a bunch, ready to face the day, such as it is. Then, at night, reverse the procedure. I’ve started to walk to Waterloo in the morning and walk home from London Bridge at night. This, at least, will help my weight a bit. Later on I might try walking to Westminster, which is a bit further away.
At the Business Committee meeting, I was asked to say the prayer before the Bishop’s Council meeting next Saturday. I will try to resist making an overt statement with the prayer, although I would like to make a point about the laity being coequal with the clergy in the governance of the Church. We always have a laugh at the Business Committee meetings, and this one was no exception. There was quite a cheesy video from the C of E’s “Vatican” (Church House) about marriage in the C of E, which managed to get away with showing no one other than lower middle class white people being married in church. That is so far from the reality in this Diocese that it’s risible. We hooted all through the whole thing, and then decided to show it to the entire membership of Bishop’s Council so they could hoot a bit too.
The bishop leaned back in his chair to display a set of deep red braces, emblazoned with the Parliamentary symbol of the portcullis on it–House of Lords braces, in fact. I didn’t know such a thing existed, and I’ll have to ask my MP when next I see him whether he has or can get a pair of House of Commons braces, with portcullis but in green.
We went to The Well yesterday and the waitress asked us whether we’d like some Korean Dumpling soup, a special reserved for their regular customers. We agreed, and it was quite delicious: dumplings filled with some kind of vegetable puree floating in a clear broth along with various bamboo shoot and other vegetable bits and garlic. Wonderful.
Today we’re off to see the Louise Bourgeois exhibit at Tate Modern, and then God only knows where…tomorrow, it’s St. Anne’s for me and a meeting, and the week will close.