Rector's Ramblings

What a telling off yesterday, from a member who objected to me choosing an Easter Hymn for Passion Sunday! Memories of my childhood are often vague, but I well remember singing selected verses of "Lift High the Cross" at Passiontide every year.

Right enough, it's in the "Easter" section of Hymns Old & New, but, in the end, I didnae care! Sunday, every Sunday, even in Lent, is surely a celebration of the Resurrection! And anyway, Scotland won on Saturday, so why get bothered by Liturgical trivialities?

However, maybe I was punished! Partick Thistle Nil lost again later in the day.

A last minute winner for the Scots and I was in seventh heaven! Faye, my Gambian friend has never been kissed by so many women in his life!

So, now it's back to reality as Partick Thitle Nil take on Airdrie Utd this afternoon.

Off to watch Scotland this aftrnoon! The kilt and sporran have been duly dusted down, and together with the new Scotland top, I'm all ready to go! I'm taking my Gambian friend! We'll see if he appreciates the Hampden Roar or not!

Get right intae them!!!

Lizzie Burnett was one of the most colourful characters in Dumbarton. I buried someone today, aged 87 whose wife was taught by Lizzie in Sunday school 80 years ago!

Lizzie herself died on Thursday morning, not too far short of her 101st birthday! An active St Auggie for years, she was also an active member of the Labour Party, a member of CND, (forever getting arrested even in her 80's), a founding member of Amnesty International, a Justice of the Peace, a fond traveller, and just a wonderful wonderful human being. I'll miss her as will so many others.

Farewell Lizzie! Keep up the Trident protests in heaven! I'm sure St peter will be a bit more sympathetic than the Dunbartonshire polis!

Had the wonderful job of telling our lot that they had been left almost half a million quid from a parishioner! Keep logging in for the inevitable fall out! Me? I'm gobsmacked!

Was away at Firhill again yesterday, being masochistic at heart, for our match against the might of Hamillton Academicals. Saw one of the most disgraceful decisions, in my opininion, from one who is supposedly one of Scotland's best referees!

This would have caused a riot in Spain or Italy, but I reckon the only reason there wasn't a riot yesterday, was simply that it was freezing cold and we were all soaking wet anyway.

Ah! Referees! Even the Scottish weather protects them!

Is there anything worse than picking music for the Sundays ahead in a parish. We have a very excellent music group in the parish that I joined last night to pick hymns and music for the next few weeks. Talk about a cat's chorus? Everyone was singing the tune they wanted at once, and they tended not to gel together. Seperately they will be fine on the days ahead, but see musicians? See trouble!

So.... a young couple have asked me to officiate at their proposed wedding in August. Are either divorced? I need to know because I need special permission to wed divorcees. Yes! They are both divorced! However, they are divorced from each other! After a marriage in their teens, they both discovered that immaturity a good marriage doth not make, and eventually went their seperate ways. However, they have rediscovered love in their 20s, and want to get married again! Conundrum! Do we treat this as a marriage of divorced persons or do we rejoice in an "everlasting" love? What do you think?

A whole day spent today near Dumfries for Synod. Lovely drive, terrific lunch, but Oh! Paint drying, and studying it, seems a better option at times. One of the deadliest Synods I've been to, but I guess next time will be better!

I was really impressed yesterday! One of our faithful members has died after a long illness, but because he has no close family to arrange things, the church community will bury him and clear up his "estate". So I found myself registering his death yesterday in Alexandria. Wow! Instantly up comes on the screen a copy of his birth certificate, from 1921, his marriage certificate, his wife's death certificate... everything! Boy was I impressed.

However, on reflection, who has what about me in their computer? George Orwell was only a few years out! Big Brother IS watching you!

Off to Firhill yesterday to watch my dear team take on the might of Clyde. This was always a big derby and a vital one for each side to win.

Thistle, however, never turned up! 4-0 down by half time, I did what I've never done before, and left early! 46 years and never left early until yesterday! This season, the Billy Connoly joke about the Jags being known as Partick Thistle Nil is holding true, and this is one of the worst Thistle teams I've ever seen.

The truth is that the Management team have so many shortcomings, they should be shunted out pronto. This is an unpopular view with some, and it seems that if we criticise we are failing to "support" the team. I'm sure this viewpoint emanates from the Boardroom where failure seems to be acceptable these days.

However, crowds are going down, the support is disgruntled, and relegation is a distinct possibility - again! C'mon the Board! Let's continue to run this once proud club into the ground.... or, please, please, do something about this manager. I hate to call for someone to lose their job, but.... there comes a point......

Big decision made at Christmas that we would "go back" to BT. All sorts of offers were dangled in front of us, but the reality is dreadful! It took me over 2 hours yesterday trying to fix up a Direct Debit and get someone to take my money for the installation costs. I've still to get someone who will take my money!

I worked with BT in a Call Centre in Glasgow, and I think the service we offered was reasonable, but I have great difficulty with folk in Call Centres in India who can't understand me, can't pronounce my name properly, or simply explain services to me and how I obtain all these extra services!

Those who know me will attest that I'm not racist in the slightest, but why do we have Call Centres in India?? I'd rather pay an extra couple of quid on my bill and talk to someone a little more local! Oh ... and the Call Centre I where I worked in Glasgow has now closed!