Willow (sings) "I feel pretty, oh so pretty..." Christmas hairdo achieved & lots of compliments on the way home. Kennington is _full_ of chatty dog lovers who knows when a girl is looking pleased with herself!

Good Morning Elephant. "For lo already on the (?hills?) the flags of day appear..." Have I said before that I <3 Advent? Even the city skies join in.

Last night I had an adventure, heading off to preach at Deanery service in Kenley.I did get rather lost walking from the station (country lane, no lights, no signal) but had a lovely time on arrival Also loved the on screen typo "Hail thee as our MATHLESS King". Knew God was on my side there 😀

Very very conscious of the blessings of home, family and pets as I turn in tonight, knowing that friends are bedding down in the churchyard @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social to raise money for #RobesHomelessProject, while across our city street homeless do this EVERY night.

My lovely music department sharing their talents as part of the entertainment before sleeping out for the awesome #robesproject @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social Very proud of them all. Please do sponsor them if you can. Link coming up...

Another evening glimpse of beauty after a long but satisfying Sunday. #WalkingWithWillow who stops to sniff well-nigh everything ensures that I notice things too...

Hard not to love autumn when wet leaves pave the road with gold

The mulberry trees in the square have finally given up their unequal struggle with autumn

Oh my days! Utterly shredded by Britten's War Requiem in a packed @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social tonight. It hits me more powerfully each time I hear it. Outstanding performance from the Outcry Ensemble & a night to cling to my Coventry Cross of Nails too. #HolyGround

Autumn continues to delight ...I'm loving its sheer staying power, the colours transforming a grey morning to remind me that there's beauty in all seasons, in nature and in life.

My dog is very silly but I love her very much

Though we heard plenty, we only saw a couple of rockets on our walk last night, but who cares when the moon looks like this? #WalkingWithWillow

Meanwhile back home autumn hasn't _quite_ tipped over into winter. Yet. #WalkingWithWillow

Home from an excellent tour with @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social Girl Choristers & Clerks. Amsterdam, Haarlem & s'Hertzogenbosch were very welcoming, the girls sang well & new choir friendships really flourished.

Lovely to be with St Luke's Kew to celebrate their Patronal, then home to celebrate 5 new girl choristers for our choir @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social I'm so very proud of them all

Off to preside/ preach at St Luke's Kew for their Patronal, I passed this splendid house en route to Waterloo.

#ViewFromMyWindow How lucky am I!

#ViewFromMyWindow Autumn installation is going well in SE11 and all those leaves came from within 5 minutes of my front door. #BeautyInTheCity

Looked out of the front door last night to see this guy exhuming something extremely dead & disgusting from the flower bed. Thankfully it was gone by this morning. I'm fond of the #WestSquareFoxes but sometimes they remind me why others give them such a bad press!

My friends are officially awesome. Things are a wee bit tricky for me this week so one of them jumped on a train to have spontaneous supper with me this evening and it was delightful.

A pleasure to host the consecration of Bishop Kelly of Basingstoke at @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social this morn. Bishop Sarah presided with grace & kindness so it was lovely to deacon for her & sing the litany. Wilby's God be in my head made for a very holy moment. Thanks @helensmee.bsky.social

Remembering the little ones I never got to hold #waveoflight2025 #babylossawareness

5 new choristers & our long-overdue 1st female Lay Clerk admitted at Evensong tonight @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social Very proud of all of them and delighted to be working with the wonderful @helensmee.bsky.social in this new season.

I'm loving so many colours about the place right now. The photo in no way captures the vibrancy of the light green variegated ivy but I wanted to share it anyway, as it contrast so with the reds and holds of autumn and the dying year

How lucky am I to live just 10 mins away from the Southwark Playhouse! The Code tonight was excellent. If it transfers do try & go. Clever, funny, sad, thought provoking & beautifully acted. What's more it started at 7.00 & I was home for 9.00. Perfection!

I definitely need an adulting award today as I've sold Buffy, my wee Fiat 500 as she's just getting used now I'm in London. She was great for me and the dogs to go adventuring in Coventry days, so worth alot in happy memories but rather less in cash. I know it was the right decision but a bit sad

Well, that was a bit dull. Locked out of my account for no apparent reason but now safely back here... What's been happening friends?

Of course, one of our own great gratitudes here @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social is to those clergy who support our ministry by coming to sing Evensong or serve as Honorary Minor Canons, taking care of midday Mass when the home team is stretched. If you're reading this as one of those THANK YOU ❤️

The more I listen to this morning's input on volunteering, the more thankful I am for the multitude of splendid souls whose gift of time & energy enables the life of @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social to flourish & the wonderful Sharda, our volunteer coordinator, who takes great care of them. #studyday

Fabulous Beatitudes from Nadia Bolz Webber shared by Mark Russell, culminating in "Blessed are you, because Jesus loves you"...Off to find the rest of them #southwarkstudyday

Hah! Yes, we ALL thought that working in the Church would enable us to spend more time with God Wry laughter from the clergy at #southwarkstudyday But more wisdom: look after yourself...know what gives you life and do it! Here's Willow & beloved Miss E demonstrating this for me

Safeguarding is not a set of policies but a culture and a lens through which we see everything. More wisdom from Mark Russell #southwarkstudyday

Remember, always, to say THANK YOU to volunteers, celebrate their gift of time & commitment. But don't make volunteering a life sentence..

Jesus delegated tasks and authority; he encouraged his disciples in reflective practice, offering both positive & negative feedback. Do we have the courage to inspire people with our vision then let them run with it? #southwarkstudyday

Mark Russell reminds clergy attending the Bishop's study day @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social that hope is our vital USP, & that discipleship, leading to a transformed society, inspired to serve God and God's people, is the gift we should model and share.

A quick lunchtime #WalkWithWillow while the sun shines. The tree by my door has suddenly got very excited about autumn...I love the progress from green to gold to red as you work upwards, or on each leaf

Evening dog walk in Archbishop's Park made it easy to pray for +Sarah & all that lies ahead for her. Lambeth Palace looked lovely through the trees but I fear she will have very rough waters to navigate in the coming months.

Oh I do love a bit of Finzi to start the day. Thank you @bbcradio3bot.bsky.social that Bagatelle was just gorgeous. I think it's the Romance but brain not yet entirely switched on...Joyous anyway.

Lovely to welcome our good friend Jonathan from #CathedralMusicTrust to @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social. He is cycling his way round the many cathedrals & churches the Trust supports, to raise ££££s & awareness of their work. They make cathedral music possible for so many & are such a blessing!

Still in love with London. Do look! My father's family were Thames watermen, boatbuilders, PLA workers for generations so perhaps that fuels my deep deep love of the river. So very beautiful at night.

All is not lost...The church round the corner has reclaimed the S George's cross rather beautifully I think.

Not often the Great Seal comes out of its box...I felt very important signing as a witness to its use!

Last night @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social I interviewed Nicola Kelly about her remarkable book "Anywhere but here", which tells the story of our failing asylum system from many viewpoints: asylum seekers, smugglers, border forces, local communities et al. Honest, & non judgemental. Do read it

In the nave @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social listening to Diarmaid MacCulloch in conversation with the Dean about his book "Lower than the Angels", now out in paperback. So many misapprehensions around sex & Christianity through the centuries have landed us where we are now. Fascinating & engaging.

Safe home, utterly exhausted but so inspired by all I have learned and the splendid people I have met

Current view, awaiting Papal audience. Here it is impossible to believe the world is predominantly secular. Pilgrims as far as the eye can see....

Good morning London! This is a blurry time of day (SO not a morning person) but the view from DLR is exciting for one who can vaguely remember Docklands before the world changed

This is what a new era looks like at @southwarkcathedral.bsky.socia. Joyful Evensong to install our new Director of Music, Helen Smee. l know how lucky we are to have her & am excited at what lies ahead.

"Let the gospel speak" "Who can I simply not see...whom have I forgotten in my preaching?" "Speak from deep love of Jesus and of "the least of these" "Be a bit more daring than you think you ought to be" Advice on preaching from our panel...

Great panel for the final slot: Mark is chairing, with Selina Stone, Isabelle Hanley and Charlie Baczyk-Bell continue the conversation. What do we do when people know the truth but can't or won't own it?