Christmas
2018 from @s1eve and @tilley_liz
'So
I found you on your back in the bedroom, eyes wide open, bleeding
from the head and apparently deceased?'
'So
you say.'
'And
you'd like me to start the Christmas letter with that?'
'It
was important.'
'But
I should make it amusing?'
'That's
what you do, word-god.'
OK
folks, this conversation never happened involving two separate
people, but it happened in Steve's head and that's close enough.
If
you've had the flu and haven't eaten for three days don't try to get
up in the night to go to the loo. Unless you're absolutely certain
that bouncing off the wardrobe door and landing on the bedside table
will wake your husband, sleeping in the next room to avoid catching
the flu. Big up to the BRI A&E. You guys know how to staple a
head.
Happy
ending. A brain scan revealed one, cuts heal and flu passes. Next.
'Were
you really sad when you thought I was dead?'
'Er...'
'Not
fast enough. Back to the spare room.'
This
year's Christmas letter is sponsored by GWR. We say sponsored. The
money goes in the other direction, quaintly. Without their
jaw-dropping incompetence Liz would have no after-dinner stories.
Anybody want a reserved seat in the part of the train that is too
long for the Nailsea and Backwell platform? Fancy moving. Don't
expect there to be a door between coach F (too long for Nailsea) and
Coach E (Just right). Everyone coming home from Christmas shopping in
Bristol? Two carriages will be enough surely? Leaves? Don't get her
started on leaves. GWR is run by the wrong kind of people. If
caught out by the inability to alight at Nailsea we recommend the
Railway Tavern at Yatton as a pleasant place to pass 45 minutes.
Last
year we announced that Steve had accepted limited responsibilities
under the heading Assistant Rural Dean. At a training event for
Assistant Rural Deans, Rural Deans, Area Deans and Assistant Area
Deans Steve's Rural Dean colleague announced she was leaving. This
led to a rapid escalation to Acting Rural Dean followed by a request
from the Bishop to become Rural Dean and then a change of title to
Area Dean (keep up at the back). Then, after a fortnight of relative
stability, two further local clergy announced they were leaving so,
to cut a long story shortish, do any of our clergy pals want a job in
Backwell, Nailsea or Long Ashton? On successive nights in February we
saw Macbeth at the Tobacco Factory, Reginald D Hunter at the Everyman
in Cheltenham and had an enhanced Synod. Tragedy, Comedy, Deanery.
Continuing
the theme of confusion varying with the rate of change of
nomenclature, the Lay Chair of the Deanery Synod was renamed Lay Dean
although every time we say that we are compelled to repeat it three
times and sing 'I'm begging of you please don't take my man.'
That
is three very niche jokes in three paragraphs. Only Anglican,
railway-using country and western fans will get all three. Or the
well-read. Our money's on Stephen Lynas (@bathwellschap - great
virtual company).
Steve
did a Speed Awareness Course. What a strange collection of people in
a room with only one thing in common that is. Friend of ours is
proudly boasting he is the first person to get on one in a electric
car. Still, learned something, not least that Liz has been on two,
not that she's competitive.
Welcome
back Baggies v Villa which seems to be a fair fight these days. That
said West Brom drew by cheating, which upset the claret and blue half
of the marriage. The biggest mistake in the World Cup (controversial
this) was using that brilliant free-kick routine for one of the
unneeded goals against Panama rather than a much needed one against
Belgium or Croatia.
Got
a new car. Noticed it was RV 18 VKR. May keep that. Slight
improvement on previous MF 15 NYH which we recalled in a different
way.
Field
Music, Calexico and The Blockheads entertained us both. As did an
excellent Backwell School production of Chicago and several fine acts
at our own little club Nailsea, Cafe Create. Steve went alone to
enjoy The Vryll Society, Dan Reed Network (less hair these days but
still stormingly, singalong rocky) and, a while after the last time,
Keith Christmas, at Nailsea Ring 'O' Bells rather than Birmingham
Town Hall supporting Ten Years After. Got a gig programme signed 47
years too late. He also saw Wave Pictures with junior.
Liz
had a school re-union which filled our house with love and laughter
at breakfast and then filled National Trust Tyntesfield with a load
of badly-behaved 62 year old little girls. Steve played 'Here's what
you could have won' but declared himself satisfied with his original
prize. Which was probably wise given previous conversation.
Gary
became a family friend. Gary is a heating and plumbing engineer who
chased a leak around the block a couple of times and changed every
tank and pipe in the house. Then Steve found the leak in a toilet
mechanism. Anyone outdone by Steve's DIY expertise should resign in
shame but Gary is knowledgeable about music and good company so that's
fine. Gary and apprentice Harvey win the sugar consumption award this
year
Steve's
Mum made 90. We had a party for 90 minutes until she told us all to
get lost. Liz's Mum fell over and broke things. We went on a
pre-retirement course where we learned to be afraid of the deadly
qualities of tea cosies and slippers. We also met Richard Whittington
who helped us sort our finances. Insert own punchline. To settle a
dispute we both had hearing tests. Liz says she won, not that she is
competitive or would mock the disabled. Spare room?
For
ten years we have been writing to every newcomer on the estate
welcoming them on behalf of the church, with a response rate of zero.
In fact minus one if you count the letter which was scrawled on and
sent back. So we decided to give newcomers a cake instead of a
letter. It works. Liz, embracing traditional clergy-wife
responsibility after 34 years, makes them. Drizzle my lemon baby. We
partnered up with CAP (Christians Against Poverty) to help people in
debt. Also the local Foodbank. This in a wealthy parish in 2018.
Disgrace, not joke.
Liz
is still at Lakeland Bath four days a week. After months of being in
charge because nobody was (a family trait) she inherited a store
manager who she is training well (a family trait).
Our
great friend Mike decided to move on from Morecambe and we looked
forward to him coming a bit nearer. He got a splendid new job in
Beverley which is six miles further away. Met former curate colleague
Alison at his induction service and had a great catch up. I should
probably call her Bishop Alison now, 'cos she is. Also had first
former youth-group member made archdeacon. The fruit of youth work
takes a while.
Interesting
items that didn't make the cut this year include Brummie Curate,
Gozo, Diesel, Nailsea Beer and Cider Festival, Prodigal Arts and
Bible Book Club. Enquire if interested.
GT
of C & J from St and TCMT
