A week away
I was away all last week, acting as a facilitator on the Clergy Leadership Programme.
This is a programme for vicars and rectors who have been in post for some years, to help them assess themselves and their work. We share it with our neighbouring diocese, so there were around twenty participants and seven staff.
It’s held at our diocesan retreat house (which has metamorphosed into a conference centre) and is in a lovely, rural part of south Norfolk/north Suffolk. The weather was unseasonably hot and sunny when we arrived and the swimming pool was open, so naturally I had to swim.
Unfortunately the water was unheated, and although I was assured it was 20 degrees, I think this was a Norfolk idea of 20 degrees. My feet nearly dropped off, but that may have been because I had to break the ice when I first got in…
Anyway, once was enough. The rest of the week, I went walking in our free time.
It was a good week and I enjoyed it (especially watching ‘Keeping Mum’ on Thursday evening) but the bed was pretty dreadful (I could only sleep by wedging myself between the emerging springs) and after lugging all my luggage and computer back to the car on Friday, I’ve developed a bad back.
When I say ‘bad’, it actually means I can’t move. Oh well. Keep taking the tablets…