June 21, 2025

Songs of Optimism

Bold, thundering C-major chords seize the day with no room for doubt. It’s as if God is in the driving seat full of confidence and all is well. There are no obstructions on the straight and narrow, no one is being martyred, and though there are clouds in the sky, they look more like savory dumplings that might drop manna. The descending bass notes of the first three chords exude hope and a desire to get to the bottom of things. This is the hymn Bryn Myrddin; Welsh singing at its best.
March 7, 2025

The Nature of Work, Part 5

It was just another day, just another plank – neither harder nor easier to lift than most, the nail heads groaning as they were left behind like tiny square-headed sentinels. So, seeing a cylinder in red Morocco leather on the dry earth lying as simply as if this day was entirely foreseen, Yannis was unable to move, heart racing, confused by this intrusion into the normal pattern of his days.
February 23, 2025

The Nature of Work, Part 3

When the endless labour ahead tormented him, Yannis told himself to remember cycling up long hills when instead of looking ahead to the summit, he panted with desire to reach the top and freewheel down. He looked at the kerbstones and counted mortar joints, and when he rested, he found himself surprised at how far he had climbed.
February 17, 2025

The Nature of Work, Part 2

“Daughter,” Yannis said sternly, “it is not fitting you come here. Please send another nephew if you have one.” The hint of a smile played around her lips… Apart from the rustle of bougainvillaea leaves and the repetitive song of a mistle thrush, a thick silence descended. Yannis said, “However, you must convey my order for tools. Hammer, crowbar, and bolster. You know what a bolster is?”
February 12, 2025

The Nature of Work, Part 1                                          

So he allowed himself to imagine the Maker’s delight in working out the orogeny – not just here in the Meteora but in every part of the world – arranging pleats, wrinkles and horizontal bands. The Maker placed a cirque here and a tarn there, ornamenting the work with delicate silver streams, and taking time to decide where to place the treeline.
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