Tidying up

Today, there is an autumnal sense of things working themselves out, coming to a conclusion, if you like...dropping their leaves
The youngest SC will take me to see comedian Ardal O'Hanlon tonight. This will mark (for me at least) the end of the Fringe Festival . Having to wait until the very last day to see the one thing I really wanted to see. I am interested that O'Hanlon is often referred to as the "young priest" in Fr Ted as if it was his only role. Certainly it was a fine role. Some classic quotes:

• "I'm no good at judging the size of crowds Ted, but I'd say there's about seventeen million of them out there."
• "Sorry Ted. I was concentrating too hard on looking holy."
• "Of course the Italians know about football alright, and of course the world of fashion! God Ted, do you remember that fella that was so good at fashion they had to shoot him?" (I think 'that fella' he is referring to is JPII)
  
• "A one-word film. There can't be too many of those. 'Salem's Lot?"
• "Do you believe in God then Ted?"

I also think he should be remembered for the quirky Irish superman in My Hero. But that seems to have slipped under most people's radar.

Today (my day off) I have to keep exactly the same appointment I had on Monday because my supervisor didn't turn up and the message didn't get through....in fact it evaporated into the ether, which is always suspicious! So half the monring will go driving miles out of my way to do what should have been completed four day ago.

Then tomorrow there is Mandatory Notification Training in the parish. This is a sign of the times, as we recognise that there are legal responsibilities for public leaders of the Church towards other people who may have been involved in abusive situations. I don';t have to go as I am "up to date", but I will have to appear at the beginning. It will not be the last such training.

Then I realised as I was thinking about blogging that this training will have a consequence on the other end of the day because "Church" will have to be set up in the same space as training is being held. Despite the best will in the world to be back in St John's after the fire by the end of March, we won't quite be there. We will, hoffentlich, be able to worship there on Good Friday but we are not quite there yet.

My desire to do everything twice as fast we have normally done this year , then we might actually approximate the speed at which it ought to be done, is proving vain. Churches are incredibly slow...the whole process of committee's deciding and volunteers implementing stuff is tortuous. I am not autocratic by nature (maybe this is a cop out) but I can't help but think that there is something to be said for dictatorship in terms of getting the routine stuff done.
The various renovations in the house which I had hoped might have been begun before S & I were away for a few weeks will be waiting until we return, so that kids don't have to cope with workmen traipsing in and out of their lives at 7 a.m. in the morning.

As Holy Week looms, I felt three weeks ago that everything was under control. I now feel the familiar sense of panic caused by the above events and more; that there is simply not enough time to do everything that needs to be done. This time next week we will be into it. And it won't make any difference whether I am ready or not...it will have to happen. That is one of the lesser known "goods" of Good Friday!

Worth the effort

I had conversation with two fellow blokes the other day "Are you going to anything at the Fringe?" I was pleased to tell them I was. But when I returned the question, turned out they weren't.
What do you make of that? We sort of like the idea but we don't do anything about it.

Any way if you want to go to something that you wouldn't normally go to I enjoyed The Prisoner's Dilemma last night. A curious intercative play...I got to shine a torch and shout out, and then finally to stare one of the actors down...I think I won. It does remind me that theatre needs to be engaging rather than light.
I got free tickets, so I'm now repaying the favour if you're looking to see something that you wouldn't go to. On the other hand also got free tickets to Soul Therapy some bands at the Fad Bar....can you imagine me on a Saturday night. We go there like half an hour before the show is due to start, sit around and people flood in and out, some go upstairs. There is another show at the same time which means ours will not be starting till an hour after the advertised time!!! Well I'm too old to be up after 11, so we went home.

One hit out of 2 wasn't bad.
Perhaps 2 hits out of 3...because we saw excellent trapezing in the (free) Garden of Unearthly Delights.

The council also need to employ somebody to empty overflowing rubbish bins on a Saturday during a major Festival!

World Music

The phenomenon that is WOMAD, or World Music Adelaide has begun to unfold tonight. Indeed Adelaide is in the grips of Fringe Fever and Music Fever, almost too much to bear.
The Big Boss (His Archepiscopiensis) said to me tonight (he who grew up in the sticks of NSW where it is cooooold oh so coooold, and who lived in Canberrra where the cold night frosts freeze even the brass monkeys...well that's another question....and then went to be Bishop of Gippsland...WHAT land? I hear you say. A beautiful but rugged land of hard working people in a rough, rough climate......ask the fishermen)...well any way he said to me...how long can you go on having such perfect days?
Ahhh Yes I said as I looked far away (thinking of Europe in 7 weeks time), this foreigner has stumbled on the South Australian secret. God herself dwells here. So she caresses the days of March with warmth but chills the night and the early morn, even the washing is damp on the line. And then, lest we forget, this continues to ANZAC day.
So this guy, you know the purple one, he's discovered the secret. It's fantastic here.
Amidst the season of perfect weather we festivalise. Arts, Fringe, Womad...so it goes on.
Back to world music. I was interested in a comment Andrew Ford made last year..."Why does music have to be easy to listen to?". Since then I have tried to allow music to challenge me more.
One of my good parishioners, Peter, got this immediately. Good thing that you are Peter, and sagacious with it. So it may be drums, or African, or Chronos/Kronos Quartet...Flat on your Bacharach or New Guinea Tribal.....let it infuse you. If we get the import of music, I suspect we get close to the import of life.