Coco has been clearing out for shredding old files which have lain in loft space for twenty years….not much changes apart from the writing technology. The attached picture is a scan of the opening paragraph of a letter sent to him in the ember months of, Coco thinks, 1987 but it may have been ’86 or ’88.
Continue readingHistory
A great and terrible plague
When David counted
Continue readingTheir foot shall slip in due time
August 4th 2019 West Hill
Deuteronomy 32:35 Their foot shall slip in due time (the word order varies in our English translations)
Introduction
About 3500 years ago the descendants of Jacob were delivered out of the house of bondage in Egypt and started their journey to the Promised Land. The passage (Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52) which was read in your hearing this evening, records Moses’s words spoken to the people before he was to die on Mount Nebo and before Joshua was to lead the people across the Jordan and into the land. At that time they had already tasted the goodness of the land, as two and half tribes had already settled on the east bank of the Jordan.
Continue readingFake News

Fake news is nothing if not new
Something you might need to relieve it.
I have not seen it, why would I want to? When a unique opportunity presents itself, we should not play with trifles. The BBC article refers to a film clip which has apparently been doctored, a term which is strangely used, but regardless:
Continue readingThe second thief
Did you see what is going on in China?
Coco thought he would offer two different perspectives on the day which we call Good Friday. Please grant him an indulgence for this first one. The second perspective has been inspired by events at the focus of the Sinospheric regions. He shall come to that shortly.
Continue readingAT
AT: what can one say?
AT and Coco worked together for twenty years or so apart from a brief period when he escaped to a competitor firm, so you might think that I have a few tall tales to tell about him. Well, perhaps sadly I must say no. AT is so well behaved that it would be impossible to find even a single strange hair on his shoulder. That said however, when he was the custodian of some very fine white cats, you did have to be careful if you happened to use his chair in the office.
Continue readingSaul
The recent events, yes in France but also elsewhere, reminded Coco of something. Before he was crucified that the Lord, Jesus Christ, spoke to his disciples and having told them that he was leaving them he went on to say: I have told you this beforehand so that you are not discouraged. They will throw you out of their synagogues, yes, and the hour will come that everyone who kills you will think that by doing so he brings a service to God. And this they will do, because they know neither the Father nor me. But I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I told you. I did not tell you this at the beginning because I was with you [but now I am leaving you]. (ref 1)
Continue readingLiving sacrifice
Thinking about what Paul had said the other day…
I was thinking one day about what Paul had said in his letter to the Romans in the section we call chapter 12, which may be read at Bible Gateway:
Continue readingThe use of the rainbow
saw that the rainbow had become quite popular…
I noticed a rainbow and remembered what the Lord had said to Noah (you can read about more it here or at Bible Gateway):
Continue readingFreedom

What is freedom?
Is this freedom?
Free to go
“Apologies, but yes, you are free to go.” barked the sergeant from behind the almost closed door, whose covering of paint did nothing to hide the rich golden orange varnish which had at the first been applied to its timber and thus betrayed the not so humble origins of the previous inhabitants of the house.
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