What are we missing now we are back in the UK?
The Accordian player in Corvetto.
Italian Coffee.
Ice Cream.
The weather.
The wonderful congregation at the Church of the Holy Ghost in Piazza Marsala.
Our friend in Corvetto with whom we always exchanged a Ciao as we passed.
It was never clear where he slept or whether he was actually homeless, our Italian and his English made for hard communication but the more times we passed him on his bench in Corvetto the more friendly his greeting.
So Ciao my friend I hope you are well.
This morning as I greeted the congregation in Cumbria I had to make it clear that however warm their greeting it was in the mid eighties in Genova, at which point the rain swept horizontally past the windows driven by a cold wind off the Irish Sea.
Welcome home.
Every single day in Genova I watched the motorcycles and thought, 'When I get home', but I am home, the weather has meant that the Harley is still stuck in the shed whilst I remain inside shivering and wondering why.
But it has been lovely to catch up with the family see the grandchildren and cuddle the latest addition to the dynasty we are creating.
The big society is currently being promoted by an American member of the commentariat, apparently he is the toast of Downing Street, I have read the reviews of his opinions.
The usual Tosh really.
Made me reflect on the times I arrived, passport in hand to present myself at the gates of Downing Street. My message then was the same message. The big society is the society in which people look out for their neighbours and break bread together, whether it is street parties, dinner parties, pot luck (or faith) suppers or communion.
It is of course all there in the New Testament.
Love your neighbour as yourself (which means loving yourself too of course!) and do this i.e. Break Bread in remembrance of me.
The founder of my charity knew that all too well when he went into the trenches in 1914 -1918 with communion for the young soldiers who were being sacrificed on the altar of internecine monarchical rivalries. After 1918 he promoted a vision of international friendship a big, big society, in which he proposed that the members of the charity loved widely, built bravely, thought fairly and witnessed humbly.
So much is said and written and so many royalties generated but these simple but profound four points of what were known as a compass sum it up pretty well.
Even if you are made uneasy by the christian sentiment implied by loving neighbours and breaking bread the idea of loving, building, thinking and witnessing is intrinsic to a society at ease with itself, a society that is truly big and healthy when the rough sleeper can greet the lady in the wheelchair with a Ciao in greeting as she passes.
I hope that my Italian friend can find a way of watching the Big Match on Saturday.
The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona didn't exhibit too many signs of loving, building, thinking or witnessing what with Barcelona players falling over a lot and clutching their nether regions and Madrid players appearing to have been imbued with a strong sense that attrition was the only way forward, but on the 28th we can look forward to the beautiful game being imbued with a sense of genuine beauty.
Of course Man U are destined to win, but even if the unthinkable happens, it will still be beautiful to watch the two foremost teams in Europe play the beautiful game with skill and courage.
The real winner will be football.
Before that Bradford and Curry, Another Birthday party and collect the puppy, then Ireby Festival and Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds and if the weather forecast is to be believed the sound of that V Twin fired up and ready to cruise the 66, that's the A66 rather than Route 66 but hey, a man can dream ...................
The Accordian player in Corvetto.
Italian Coffee.
Ice Cream.
The weather.
The wonderful congregation at the Church of the Holy Ghost in Piazza Marsala.
Our friend in Corvetto with whom we always exchanged a Ciao as we passed.
It was never clear where he slept or whether he was actually homeless, our Italian and his English made for hard communication but the more times we passed him on his bench in Corvetto the more friendly his greeting.
So Ciao my friend I hope you are well.
This morning as I greeted the congregation in Cumbria I had to make it clear that however warm their greeting it was in the mid eighties in Genova, at which point the rain swept horizontally past the windows driven by a cold wind off the Irish Sea.
Welcome home.
Every single day in Genova I watched the motorcycles and thought, 'When I get home', but I am home, the weather has meant that the Harley is still stuck in the shed whilst I remain inside shivering and wondering why.
But it has been lovely to catch up with the family see the grandchildren and cuddle the latest addition to the dynasty we are creating.
The big society is currently being promoted by an American member of the commentariat, apparently he is the toast of Downing Street, I have read the reviews of his opinions.
The usual Tosh really.
Made me reflect on the times I arrived, passport in hand to present myself at the gates of Downing Street. My message then was the same message. The big society is the society in which people look out for their neighbours and break bread together, whether it is street parties, dinner parties, pot luck (or faith) suppers or communion.
It is of course all there in the New Testament.
Love your neighbour as yourself (which means loving yourself too of course!) and do this i.e. Break Bread in remembrance of me.
The founder of my charity knew that all too well when he went into the trenches in 1914 -1918 with communion for the young soldiers who were being sacrificed on the altar of internecine monarchical rivalries. After 1918 he promoted a vision of international friendship a big, big society, in which he proposed that the members of the charity loved widely, built bravely, thought fairly and witnessed humbly.
So much is said and written and so many royalties generated but these simple but profound four points of what were known as a compass sum it up pretty well.
Even if you are made uneasy by the christian sentiment implied by loving neighbours and breaking bread the idea of loving, building, thinking and witnessing is intrinsic to a society at ease with itself, a society that is truly big and healthy when the rough sleeper can greet the lady in the wheelchair with a Ciao in greeting as she passes.
I hope that my Italian friend can find a way of watching the Big Match on Saturday.
The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona didn't exhibit too many signs of loving, building, thinking or witnessing what with Barcelona players falling over a lot and clutching their nether regions and Madrid players appearing to have been imbued with a strong sense that attrition was the only way forward, but on the 28th we can look forward to the beautiful game being imbued with a sense of genuine beauty.
Of course Man U are destined to win, but even if the unthinkable happens, it will still be beautiful to watch the two foremost teams in Europe play the beautiful game with skill and courage.
The real winner will be football.
Before that Bradford and Curry, Another Birthday party and collect the puppy, then Ireby Festival and Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds and if the weather forecast is to be believed the sound of that V Twin fired up and ready to cruise the 66, that's the A66 rather than Route 66 but hey, a man can dream ...................
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