Fair Trade Roses Part II

In the intrest of fairness I am putting this as a post in it’s own right.  This comment was posted by Sainbury’s in reply to my post on Fair Trade roses which you will find here, it was lost in my spam box until just having been discovered.

Thank you for your comments regarding our Fairtrade Rose offer during Spring. We are able to provide our customers with such a great offer because as a retailer we choose to invest in this promotion. The products are of course fairly traded and in accordance with the agreement on floral we pay approximately an 8% premium on market prices.

Glasgow Science Centre

Friday saw a trip to the Glasgow Science Centre, including a trip up the Glasgow Tower.  The Science Centre is a great place full of hands on experiments, Hubby was in his element, that was until a girl of about 4 came up to him as he was busy playing with a blower and told him in no uncertain terms that it was her turn.  Her father was full of apologies; I was just trying not to laugh.  We also enjoyed the joys of the planetarium which is situated inside.

The Glasgow Tower is an incredible structure.  Here goes with the facts: at 127m high it is the tallest freestanding building in Scotland, it weights 500 tonnes rests on one 65cm bearing and if there was a crane tall enough and strong enough it could be lifted clean away without any damage to the Tower or the footings.  The Glasgow Tower is the only building in the world that is capable of rotating 360 degrees, it is the whole tower that rotates, not just a part of it.  This means that the building can be turned into the wind and can be very slender structure.  As for the views, well despite the rain we could still see all of Glasgow and beyond – the first picture is to the west, the second to the east including the nearby Millennium Arch, or the Squinty Bridge as it is known locally, which is currently being repaired with the third being to the north, the pictures to the south didn’t come out due to rain on the window they were being taken through.

If you are planning a trip to Glasgow I would strongly recommend you visit the Glasgow Tower, especially if it is a clear day.  If you are bringing children to Glasgow and it is a rainy day then it is a fantastic way to spend some time.

Conversations

I always seem to have the most interesting conversations in the local hospital car park. 

This morning it was with a gentleman who was off for his monthly check-up, as usually the conversation started around my ‘Baby’ (she has turned out to be a great tool for ministry).  Turned out he had ridden in the Isle of Man TT races back in the early days and seeing my car brought it all back to him.  We had a very pleasant talk about his life, his health, his wife (who is in a wheelchair) and his family; it ended with him saying: “Thanks for talking to me even though I am not one of yours.”  I simply replied; “Doesn’t make a difference to me you are one of Gods’.”  He smiled and asked me to remember him and his wife in prayer. 

Now back home and seeing the LYCIG folder lying in the ‘not urgent but look again at pile’, I am wondering if I should just go up there once a week and just be there for those who wish to talk, regardless of whether there is a parishioner to visit or not, I am also wondering if I need to move the folder into a different pile!

Swimming

Tags

Alison Weir, Books, Religion

On a Thursday I do the swim run.  That means getting up at 6am to drive to Hamilton then waiting and bringing ‘E’ back again after she has done her mornings training.  The getting up isn’t much fun but it is a wonderful hour of guilt free reading when I get there.  Currently the book is Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir, subtitled ‘By the wrath of God, Queen of England’.  Fascinating book which I haven’t finished yet, but this morning the subtitle distracted me and I am now flinging it out into the blogsphere to see if it also distracts you.

Is that a good or a bad thing, to be something or somebody by God’s wrath?

New Look

With the joys of Easter well and truely upon us I decided that my blog was looking a little somber, and needed a lift.  The picture is currently one I took last summer, but I plan to change that once I remember to take my camera down to the church and take a picture of the lilies there.

p.s. can’t make up my mind which look I prefer, there was something about the last one that just didn’t sit comfortably with me so trying this one for a day or two now.

take three – following Lissa’s comment changed it again but it is very blue so wont stay like this either

and four – told you the blue wasn’t going to stay – no more changes for now

I Remember

20 years ago there was a bright sun in the sky – just like today.

20 years ago there was a light dusting of snow on the ground – just like today.

20 years ago I woke up with a back ache – just like today.

20 years ago I could blame my daughter for that, although I didn’t know for another hour and a half that I was about to give birth to a daughter.

20 years ago as she took her first breath of the air of this world she was small and helpless, a bit bruised and squashed in her rush to get out.

Today she is a beautiful, intelligent, resourceful woman who has a wonderful future out there for her and of whom I am very proud.

Happy Birthday Pazza.

Smiles All Round

While on the Leading Your Church Into Growth conference, opsss sorry course, Tim told us of something which had been happening in the Peterbourgh Diocese for some time, and what this year got some degree of column news inches.  Shining passers-bys shoes as a modern day equivalent of washing feet.  I pondered for a moment thinking there is something in that, the more I pondered it the more I realised that it wasn’t the right thing for St Mark’s and for East Kilbride.  As the course went on and it was mentioned again in passing and then alluded to a couple of times more I knew there was something in the concept trying to grab my attention but it wasn’t to do with shoe shining, the seed had been firmly planted.  It wasn’t until a back home again a couple of days later that it suddenly started germinate and sprout.  Which brings me onto Easter Sunday.

After we had sung Alleluia’s, peeked in the empty tomb, the children had gone hunting for their eggs, and smell of lilies had totally filled our nostrils.  A group of people prayed in the church while another group of the congregation head outside to spread the Good News, the plan was simple hand out Easter Eggs saying ‘Happy Easter, Christ has risen!’ to those passing by the church.  But as is the way with simple plans they sometimes don’t work as anticipated.  There is usually a steady stream of people passing the church, but not yesterday, yesterday it was but a trickle.  So as we are only 5 minutes walk from one of the shopping centre car parks we thought, Jesus would have gone were the people were, so off we headed light snow fluttering around us.  We were greeted with smiles, Happy Easter’s, surprise and a few questions, those who went out were invigorated and discovered that mission isn’t that scary after all, the congregation as a whole was buzzing with the fact that we were spreading the Good News, not only that Christ was alive but that St Mark’s was too. 

There are a few lessons to learn for next year, firstly start off in the car park, secondly get some of the people to wear St Mark’s t-shirts so that people know were we are from, and thirdly buy a lot more eggs!!!

The Calm Before The Storm?

The cross is empty.

The tomb is sealed.

We wait.

Fair Trade?

I had no intentions of making an every day post today, way too much on, but Sainsbury’s has driven me to it, and with today being Good Friday I just can’t let the day pass without saying this.

I had make a quick trip to Sainsbury’s and saw for sale fair trade roses, nothing wrong in that you might say, in fact nearly two years ago I bought 200 fair trade roses from Sainsbury’s for our wedding day, I can’t remember the cost of them, but I do remember they were dearer than the other roses that were on sale, however I made the decision to buy fair trade.  Today the roses are priced at £10 for 40, yes I didn’t make a typo and you didn’t misresd it, £10 for 40 roses.  I am sorry but no matter how hard I think about it I can’t see how that can be fair trade.  There is the shipping, the packing, the supermarkets profit included in that 25p a rose price, just how much is the grower getting?  While buying lilies at a florist earlier in the week I saw they had beautiful long stem cream roses, okay they are long stem and demand a premium, but they were £8 a stem while their cheap roses were priced at £5 a bunch (I don’t know how many were in the bunch for sure - 5 or 6 I would think, where they came from, or indeed whether or not they were fair trade).  I wish I had looked to see if they had any non fair trade roses in Sainsbury’s now and seen what the price they were, but I am afraid I was in a rush and didn’t.

Has the supermarket buyer done with those in Kenya (for that is were those roses come from) what they are doing with farmers in Britain and beat them down on a price, because the only other option, once they had been grown, was to let them rot in the fields, I hope not, however if that is the case why has Sainsbury’s been allowed to stick a fair trade label on them.  Increasingly I am starting to think that rather than the fair trade label being an information label for the customer; it has become a promotional label for the supermarket.

On a day like today I can’t help but wonder whose blood is being shed on the thorns of those roses.

Good Friday

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.

Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Eastward Facing

Well I was on journey there, there being St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh for the Chrism Mass.  Our dioceses’ Chrism Mass was down in Gretna yesterday and news that there was a change from the usual of in the Cathedral on a Maundy Thursday didn’t get to me before I already had a fully diary for yesterday while a big empty slot today preserved for the Chrism Mass, so I decided to head east.  The Chrism Mass is an important day for me, as it is for all clergy, at it we re-new our ordination vows before we then lead our congregations in renewing their baptismal vows at Easter.  I always think of those who were also deaconed and priested when I was, usually there is at least one of them in sight, this time there were none.

It is always interesting seeing how different other people do things which are familiar to you.  All the priests in that diocese wear matching white chasubles for the occasion, although it wasn’t a concelebration, and a fine symbol of unity it makes.  Some of the chasubles were made for the ordination of women with more being added at a later date, all but two of the 60+ of them being made by the same person.  In the east they only have two Oils, Chrism and Healing, which were both consecrated.  I am more used to seeing three oils, the Oil of the Catechumens being the third, and only the Chrism Oil consecrated while the other two are blessed, when I have some time I will have to ponder the difference.  Over here the Bishop addresses first the deacons, then the priests in asking them to renew their vows, then the Bishop is asked by a member of laity the questions about his own ordination and consecration, finally the congregation present are asked to reaffirm their commitment to support the clergy.  While in the east the bishop first asks the everyone present to commit themselves to Christian life and service, then all clergy together to renew their vows, before proclaiming his own affirmation.  The differences grew on me as I travelled back; it would seem that there is a different theology being displayed in each, more to ponder once Easter is past.

It was different but no less uplifting and encouraging, an oasis of peace – St Mary’s Edinburgh is a glorious building - and a time to recharge in a busy week of services, the Revd Dr Jolyon Mitchell preached a thought provoking sermon and there was some good singing to be had, however I share Mother Ruth’s views on the final hymn.  Singing ‘Easter’s victory now proclaim’ and ‘Go in Pentecostal spirit’ when there is still tonight’s Eucharist, foot washing, stripping of the altar and vigil to go, the stations of the cross tomorrow, the service for Holy Saturday, never mind the whole of the Easter season before we reach Pentecost.  I know we shouldn’t get tardy, but I really do think we could have waited a while longer and fully observed the season we are currently in, or should I be re-doing Sunday’s pewsheet with Advent Carols?

Transformed

A simple act of washing feet, transformed by humble service.

A simple act of sharing food and drink, transformed by love.

A walk, a prayer, sweat like blood and then, then a kiss.

But what a kiss, a kiss that would shake the world of those gathered around that table.

A kiss that would shake the world in the days that were to come.

A kiss that would shake the world for all time after.

A kiss that transformed declarations of faithfulness into fear.

A kiss that would lead to the cross and to death.

A sign of love used to betray, yet through that kiss the desolation it brought was transformed into hope for all the world.