Digging out the playdough recipe given to me years ago by a favourite toddler group volunteer, scribbled on a dog-eared corner of card. So many memories come with it. Looking forward to making some new ones with this fresh batch. #TinyJoys

Me: I will have a bath. That will be relaxing. Cats:

Looking forward to a fun summer! 😍 My little churches don't have the resource for big programmes or events, but we are finding our niche in offering laid-back spaces for local people to get together and connect.

Parish craft group enthusiastically telling me what the plan is for our summer kids' craft activities (all I did was write it down). Pastoral visits. Coffee and catchup in the sunshine with my colleague in the neighbouring parish. All in all, a solidly excellent parish morning. #TinyJoys

Enjoyed my now-traditional quiet and solitary post #Synod lunch before heading home. I love being part of the #GeneralSynod Pastoral Chaplaincy team. It is an honour and a privilege (and sometimes even a joy) to support members and staff. But also it is a lot of people-ing for an introvert!

This morning at church we had cake to celebrate two of our congregation becoming British citizens this week. It's been a long and gruelling process, and many folks at church have helped with filling forms, scanning documents, giving lifts to appointments, etc. Great rejoicing all round! 🎉🎉🎉

New signage at church! Produced (on their own initiative) by our brand new serving team 🥰 #TinyJoys

Essential #Synod chaplaincy supplies:

Preparing to head to #Synod tomorrow as part of the Pastoral Support Team. Prayed tonight at mass for all members of Synod, and for our Newcastle Diocese reps by name.

Clergy conference was an absolute joy. Hanging out with lovely colleagues, plenty of space for conversation and reflection, and I got to meet and talk with one of my all-time theological heroes! Newcastle is a wonderful diocese - and we have vacancies. Clergy friends, come and join the adventure?

Starting the day with #TinyJoys: kind gas engineers willingly reworking their plans to ensure that access is not blocked for the hearse for the big funeral in church later this week. And offering unprompted to pause their pneumatic drilling for the duration of the service.

"Whatever burdens us, the invitation of Jesus remains the same: come to me and rest." My Reader preaching this morning, and bringing the word this parish needs at the moment. And maybe it's not just us...

Latest in our semi-regular parish Songs Of Praise series. Possibly the best thing I've introduced here: easy point of entry for newcomers, opportunity for regulars to practice talking about their faith in a relaxed setting, almost no effort required from me. And it's great fun! Win-win. #TinyJoys

Look, when I said that this evening I would be "getting my brassicas out", obviously I meant that I would be transferring the last of the cauliflower and sprout seedlings to the vegetable patch. 🤣

I really am very much looking forward to Clergy Conference. Kelly Brown Douglas is speaking!!! And I genuinely enjoy the company of (most of) my colleagues. Newcastle Diocese is a wonderful place to minister. And - clergy friends - we have vacancies...

Explaining to the Tuesay morning congregation that I won't be here for the next two Tuesdays. Me: Next Tuesday I'm at Clergy Conference. Them: Are you looking forward to that? Me: Yes! And then the following Tuesday I'll be at General Synod. Them: And are you looking forward to that too? Me: Um...

A new entry into my ongoing collection of overheard mixed metaphors: "they're just rearranging the deck chairs while Rome burns." Other personal favourites include "that's a whole different kettle of ball games" and "it's better than a poke in the eye with a wet fish". 🤣🤣🤣

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Each year at our Patronal Festival we sing this hymn, and I absolutely love it. Just listen to those lyrics. Blessed, those who work for justice... Tremble, all who thirst for power... Glory, shines upon all people, equal in God's eyes... Alleluia, alleluia! m.youtube.com/watch?v=FWEL...

Something I love about church is how it fosters genuine friendships across generations and cultures. Glanced into the vestry today to see B (94) who has lived in the west end of Newcastle all her life, and K (5) whose family come from Nigeria, washing up together and chatting away. #TinyJoys

New 'in our day we just got on with things' just dropped... Local news reports on a school closed today *because the school has been struck by lightning* and the comments are all 'kids today are so soft, a bit of weather never did us any harm'.

A cool spot to spend a hot afternoon. #TinyJoys

Me, planning a day out: "but if we leave then, we might be too late to go to the snackery." Cafe. The word I was looking for is cafe. I may have just accidentally coined a new word...

Eternally grateful to @revrachelmann.bsky.social for introducing me to the formulation of the work of a priest as being "to teach people to pray and prepare them for their death." It has been very much that sort of a day in the parish today, and it really helps to know how to name it.

Possibly my favourite example yet of the "clerical title + Geordie endearment" phenomenon. #TinyJoys

Waiting to cross the road. A white van pulls up at the traffic lights. The window winds down. A man leans out and yells: "Alreet, Father pet. Canny Christening yesterday, like." 🥰😂🥰

Very important now for all of us who work with young people to make it very clear to them that they can still come to us about things they see online that scare or concern them, even if it's something they are banned from accessing, and we won't be angry with them.

Mass. Mass. Baptism. Deanery Synod. Mass. No wonder I'm tired! But very nice to round off a busy Sunday by hosting lovely friends/colleagues for dinner and letting off a bit of steam together. #TinyJoys

Niece (3 today) and me (39 today) sending each other little Happy Birthday videos 🥰🎉🎊 #TinyJoys

Niche #CofEpeeps musing... Always a bit surprised at how few clergy seem to go with their churchwardens to the Archdeacon's Visitation service. I wouldn't miss the chance to support and affirm these wonderful people who give so much to the church. My wardens are awesome!

There's nothing like actually attempting to have a study day to remind me why they really don't work for me as a concept.

Update: the thoughts are now rearranged onto a flipchart. With highlighting. And lines. This is progress! #PhDlife

First read through the full transcripts of my research interviews (all 166k words) has produced, um, quite a few thoughts! So much interesting stuff, it's hard to know where to start. Tomorrow's task is to turn this into something at least semi-coherent to send to my supervisors. #PhDlife

Today I found myself sitting next to an elderly woman I'd never met before who introduced herself with the words "I'm a runaway nun, you know." One of those little moments when I realise I must have made some excellent life choices to lead me to a point where this is what my life is like. #TinyJoys

I have received a wheelbarrow as an early birthday present, and am already making good use of it on my day off. A whole new bed cleared for the veg that doesn't fit in the veg patch! #TinyJoys

“The Eucharist is the sacrament of love: it signifies love, it produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.” - Thomas Aquinas #CorpusChristi ✝️🕯⚓️

I don't think male clergy can have any idea what it feels like to have someone walk into church, see you at the altar, and walk straight back out. And I suspect many don't realise that this is not an uncommon experience for their female colleagues. One of the many ways we are still #NotEqualYet.

"You can use ChatGPT to produce a risk assessment which complies with your organisation's guidelines." Nooooo! The point of risk assessment is not just to produce the document. The point is to actually assess the risks. Using your actual brain.

🧵 Today I conducted the final interview for my PhD research. In the last 14 months I have spoken with 20 extraordinary women, and been entrusted with their wisdom, stories, reflections and insights. It has been an enormously enriching and exciting experience.

I've made some 'interesting' phone calls to the council in my time (weirdly seems to come with the job, for some reason) but today's "there is something beeping in this litter bin" is up there with such classics as last month's "you seem to have planted a tree in the churchyard without asking."

Cassie is apparently channelling her inner Top Cat 😹

The vicarage rose is just starting to bloom, and it smells gorgeous. #BloomScrolling #TinyJoys

Today's gardening task: reading the pruning book in the shade with a cool drink. Far too hot for any actual pruning.

I always love being a parish priest, but I especially love it at Pentecost. Anointing each beloved person by name, and then sending them out: "As part of God’s Church here in Cowgate / Newbiggin Hall, I call upon you to live out what you proclaim." And they do, in so many small and precious ways.

One of the most underrated homiletic skills imho: discerning whether the direction your sermon is taking is prompted by anger/frustration/reaction to recent events/whatever, or by the Holy Spirit. It can be a fine line.

Last year I made a suggestion to the PCC about some fairly low-key summer holiday outreach activities. Response: "oh no, I don't think we could manage that." Tonight I made the same suggestion to the same PCC. Response: "yes, sounds great let's do it!" And lots of ideas shared. That's progress!😍

Among today's #TinyJoys, coming home to gifts on the vicarage doorstep from the local youth project: flyers for the new trans and non-binary youth group, and an artichoke plant! A moment of random local community loveliness always brightens my day. And there are many of them in this parish.

A good time had by all at the church Plant Sale today. Plants, refreshments, tombola and crafts. Plus lots of conversations with people curious about church, wondering about prayer, wanting to share burdens or joys, or just looking for a good chat. And the sun shone! #TinyJoys

Taking an enforced break from my knitting, because Daphne is sleeping in the pattern so I can't turn the page 😂

Deeply grateful tonight for dear faithful folks with whom to sing the mass, and then have a good chat and a laugh over a glass of fizz afterwards. #TinyJoys