Tailgated by a Fiat 500 this morning. Now *that* was an experience I wasn’t expecting. Hell, I didn’t know they could even do 90.

Wife is out to dinner with a friend. Kids moved away. I’m home alone. So I’ve put my iPhone in karaoke mode and I’m singing my way through my country playlists. The Tiny Cat isn’t the least bit sure what she thinks of this development.

On the Feast of Christ’s Baptism, I remembered baptising my own boys. In fact, my first boy was my very first baptism. In both cases, I blubbed like a baby myself. “You are my belovèd son in whom I am well pleased.” What daddy wouldn’t want to give his child the kingdom? ⚓️

La humanidad ha logrado algo único: es al mismo tiempo la especie más inteligente y la más estúpida de la Tierra.

My resignation letter today to the Labour Party. #notinmyname #labour #labourgovernment #greenparty #greens #green

In the UK, where Reform wants to usher in ICE and Labour wants to imitate Reform, we should not regret, as @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social says, to inform ourselves of who is going to win. Fascism is here, but there are more antifascists than fascists in the US and the UK.

At Durham graduation to watch my wife, well, graduate. Not on my bingo card? — Calvin Robinson wandering the robe collection hall in a great cape and tonsure bib like a lurking great vampire bat. WTF is he doing here? ⚓️

I mean … this could sort of be any day for me, really.

Bueno, ya vale de Venezuela. ¿Al final Trump violó a esas menores?

I miss the BBC globe. Just putting that out there.

On the other hand, I suspect that he feels less strongly about people with racist and pro-British views. 🤨

Driving into England today for lunch with in-laws. All these damned England flags put up on streetlights by Reform supporters. Makes me wish I’d never left Wales. I’ve never felt so unwelcome in this country. Meanwhile, overseas, Canada just made me eligible for citizenship simply for being alive.

“This is my coffee. There are many like it, but this one is mine.”

Christmas services all done. Preached about Frank (of blessèd memory), depicted. Now prepping my slow cooker venison stew, my pressure cooker brisket, and my roast duck. Someone else can do the veggies. Then breathe … Merry Fishmas, all.

Midnight Mass done at St. Cadoc’s, Raglan. Andrew tidying up! I’m off home to join #ClergyMaltClub (or something like it since I don’t really drink) and get ready to do it all over again in the morn. Merry Fishmas, every one. ⚓️

Chris Rea, requiescat in pace. Yet it only occurs to me just now that this is the man who (a) is on the Road to Hell, and (b) Driving Home for Christmas. So ... y'know ... which is it, Chris?

The eldest girl hand-sewed me a Star Trek garment bag for my robes out of a duvet cover for my birthday. Shows she’s been paying attention! 🖖 😂

The Church in Wales forces us to use MS Office and .docx. I’ve spent at least 30 years avoiding such stuff. It’s not that I’m a Mac partisan (though I am). It’s that Microsoft specializes in bloated mediocrity that’s sure it knows better than you do what you want to do. I always feel so grubby now.

After my son’s death in Feb., I kind of went quiet on social media, which maybe isn’t surprising. I needed time. Now I’m out of the habit. But I think it might be time to make a gentle comeback. We’ll see if that really happens. I’d like to thank a number of folk who were especially kind, though. ⚓️

Pro tip: if it’s at 20:00, it’s not Midnight Mass. Don’t call it that. If it’s at 21:30, it’s not Midnight Mass. Call it something else. If 00:00 on 25/12 doesn’t occur during your service, & it isn’t timed for the once-a-year folk to come spilling out of the pub into Church, it ain’t Midnight Mass.

This is a new low from a govt plumbing the depths of performative cruelty in hopes that the public won’t notice they have no answers to the real issues facing this country A sensible, humane govt would focus on safe routes to prevent people making dangerous small boat crossings

I usually wake up to a long list of random things demanding my immediate attention on a Monday morning. Tree surgeon getting my cat down from a 30 foot tree with slick bark and no lower branches is not normally one of them. And then today happened.

I am a great lover of hot sauce, to be sure. However, this person is 100% correct. Heat and spice should contribute to and complement the flavours of the dish. When you’re using a hot sauce named “Ass Prolapser”, you have completely missed the point.

Nigel Farage got me looking up swan recipes now. #Reform #ReformUK #StreisandEffect www.carolinacooker.com/recipes/oven...

Dang. I’ve been in this country for 30 years. Had no idea there was swan meat going spare. :: lights up the charcoal for my smoker ::

No quiero conocer más gente. Es más, me gustaría desconocer a gente que ya conozco.

We are back in the United Kingdom. Hard to mistake that, really.

2-1/2 weeks holiday. NYC, central Texas, south Georgia. Flying back mañana. It was good to be here. It’ll be good to be home. It’ll be good to see my cats. Best of all, I didn’t have to spend a single second being forced by the Church in Wales to use any kind of (IT-dept-hobbled) Microsoft product.

@bcgray.bsky.social - just finished watching the Sox beat the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. Riding the subway back to Manhattan now. Just thought you might wanna know.

If you’re wondering what sort of a person Archbishop Cherry Vann is, read this opentable.lgbt/our-blog/202...

New Archbishop of Wales: our own Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann. Very exciting. May she do across Wales what she’s done for Monmouth. Nueva Arzobispa de Gales: nuestra propia Obispa de Monmouth, Cherry Vann. Que realice por todo Gales lo que ha realizado en Monmouth. ⚓️

Frank dice: “¿qué quieres decir? ¡¿12 horas?! ya está lista, ¿no?” Frank says: “what do you mean? 12 hours?! it’s ready now, isn’t it?”

Family group chat reflections on Ozzy (of blessèd memory). “Hates the winged.” ::snort::

i don’t understand golf. i mean, it’s not that i can’t understand the rules. it’s that i can’t understand golf.

Gave up smoking more than a decade ago. Gave up vaping two weeks ago. Now, I’m no apologist for a nicotine addiction. Kids, if you don’t use this stuff, don’t get started. But, sweet Moses, I’m sure it says somewhere in the Bible that, when Jesus wanted a dip, this is the flavour he invented for it.

En camino a San Juan de Puerto Rico. Mi lugar de felicidad. 🥰

So. Got this just this in my email morning. When did the Social ****ing Security Administration become a propaganda wing for the Republican Party?! How far we’ve fallen. How much lower can we go? This just is not right in any way. Happy damn 4th of July, America. 🤬

First time ever preaching in my original sending parish, St. John’s, Hyde Park. At the wedding of daughter of my longstandingest and loyalest friend. So no pressure there. But ‘twas a real pleasure. ⚓️

So I get it that English-speaking folks sometimes come up with really rubbish Spanish names for their products; I grew up with Del Taco and Taco Bueno, for starters. I am not, however, convinced that “White Boy” Tortilla Chips is really the way forward in this genre.

Fun liturgical fact, Pentecost edition: you may try as hard as you like, but there simply is no tone of voice in which to say “Peace be with you” in Klingon where it doesn’t sound like you’re telling your congregation to go forth and multiply. Iff’n you take my meaning. ⚓️

A veces hay que abrir una cerveza y dejar que todo se vaya a la mierda. Hoy es una de esas veces.

I couldn’t say this as eloquently, nor do I have the powerful backstory. But I’ve been quietly beavering away for 30 years as an immigrant to contribute to UK society, and I don’t think I’ve done too badly at it, all things considered. I’m tired of political parties punching down so consistently.

Yesterday, Robert Prevost asked everyone to start calling him by a different name. And they did. No outrage or shaming over this request. See how easy it is to honor other people's benign wishes?

i think it's a very strong point against the viability of british culture as a whole that they had all the necessary ingredients (potatoes, cheese) and cultural institutions (alcoholism) required to invent poutine but failed to do so

Un día habrá un Papa con el nombre de Kevin, es inevitable.

I know you’re not meant to respond to these, but sometimes needs must … ⚓️

At the risk of sounding facetious, does the Labor win mean that I’m finally going to quit getting thousand of Dutton pics in my feed going forward? I mean, if so, praise the baby Jeebus, because he just *looks* like such a thoroughly unpleasant man. #auspol

New home communion person this morning. This is her cat, Lucy. 🐈‍⬛ Lucy is a friendly beast who got a blessing, and I got some good incentive to return next month! 😀 ⚓️

Son: “Have they started New Pope Choosey Time yet?” Me: “That’d be Conclave.” Son: “I knew it started with a C.” ⚓️