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Well I managed to get through Holy Week without any serious harm. Four Services and a Funeral plus a Singing Group practice on Wednesday night – all went well. This is largely thanks to the maintenance work put in by our organ tuners and the return of sufficient power to the working parts of the…

Cebu was my final destination and brought some unexpected pleasures. It seems I missed Sinulog, the biggest event of the year. The Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, and is the centre of the Santo Niño Catholic celebrations in the Philippines. However,…

According to ‘experts’ jet lag is less terrible when flying west because that direction adds hours to our days, giving our bodies more time to adjust. For me, it’s quite the opposite. Maybe it is because I am returning home from summer warmth to dark,cold winter, or my circadian cycles are wired in the wrong direction.…

2009 was the last time I visited New Zealand…so it was a bit like a home-coming reunion to meet up with old friends in a country I fell in love with at first sight in 2004. Like Rome, Auckland is a city built on hills…and consequently somewhat of a challenge for my injured leg. Bruce,…

Last year the Melbourne Vintage Men’s Group made me a lifetime honorary member. In fact it is they who gave me inspiration and encouragement to develop the LGBT Older People’s Group in North Staffordshire. So there is a feeling of mutual respect. Because of my injured leg, I felt it unwise to meet up with…

Arriving at Da Nang airport in the daylight allowed me to see the huge commercial developments taking place on the coast…including a complete Sheraton Resort. It would seem that foreign countries are investing in Vietnam. I wonder how many of them will contribute to upgrading the transport infrastructure as the traffic on roads increases. Thankfully,…

Sunday 1st January 2017 saw me at the English Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was a warm sunny day; the cathedral was packed. The mass setting sounded familiar, so I was able to join in following the plasma screens on both sides of the nave. There was a…

Well my bags are packed…I’m ready to go. The taxi’s booked to take me to the station…though I’ve had no joy trying to check in online. But hopefully…as the song says…I’ll soon be leaving on a jet-plane. In my case, however, I do know when I’m coming back…even if all has not gone to plan.…

Whilst there were no television interviews for me this year; however, I was delighted to see the Prime Minster outside 10 Downing Street speaking about her pride in wearing a red ribbon, the problem of serious mental health issues experienced by many people living with HIV  and the government’s commitment to tackle HIV stigma. Surprisingly…or…