AFVS

28/07/2021

Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to tackle that tricky e-mail that had been keeping me awake into the small hours. So, firing up my laptop and my brain I make a start....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/07/28/how-to-confront/

Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to …

20/07/2021

Many years ago, I was part of a church leadewrship team in Essex, In the office we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she would deal with any request from one of us to take on a task that was way more than she had time to handle....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/07/20/listening-to-my-life-learning-to-say-no/

Many years ago, I was part of a church leadewrship team in Essex, In the office we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she…

10/07/2021

In my early years working in an office I had the misfortune to work for a manager who was everything you didn't want him to be. He was dull, petty, spiteful; if he picked you up on a mistake, and in my case, that was all too often, he'd lecture you at length, making it clear how useless you were and how you'd never amount to anything....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/07/10/listening-to-my-life-my-anti-mentor-the-horrible-manager/

In my early years working in an office I had the misfortune to work for a manager who was everything you didn’t want him to be. He was dull, petty, spiteful; if he picked you up on a mistake,…

25/06/2021

Now we're allowed out to play we've been spending time catching up with offspring and their offspring in various parts of the country. Recently up in Essex with family we were introduced to a young lady, the girlfriend of one of our grandchildren. She wore shorts over fishnet tights and had a ring through her nose. Her hair was a delicate shade of green going into turquoise to match her top....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/06/25/whats-a-christian/

Now we’re allowed out to play we’ve been spending time catching up with offspring and their offspring in various parts of the country. Recently up in Essex with family we were introduce…

08/06/2021

“To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they’re too exhausted to be any longer. The people they don’t recognize inside themselves anymore. The people they grew out of, the people they never ended up growing into. We so badly want the people we love to get their spark back when it burns out; to become speedily found when they are lost....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/06/08/to-love-someone-long-term/

“To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they’re too exhausted to be any longer. The people they don’t recognize inside themselves anymo…

22/05/2021

In my efforts to simplify my life I'm getting rid of some hundreds of books. I can only do this reasonably successfully when Anita works alongside me, for reasons you can probably imagine. We'd filled a Gousto box, (long story for another day), and I was about to start filling a second box when I came across a small dusty red book of poems; I was immediately undone....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/05/22/what-went-you-forth-to-find/

In my efforts to simplify my life I’m getting rid of some hundreds of books. I can only do this reasonably successfully when Anita works alongside me, for reasons you can probably imagine. We…

09/05/2021

"Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you From seasons such as these? " (King Lear Act 3 Scene 4.) When these words were first spoken, The nation was being rocked by bubonic plague with London losing probably a fifth of its population....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/05/09/come-dear-heart-lean-on-me-let-us-walk-this-path-together/

“Poor naked wretches, whereso’er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your looped and windowed raggednes…

29/04/2021

Still on the theme of pressing the pause button as we come out of lockdown. (My life is generally in transition right now and it may be a lot easier for me to pause than for many readers.) How has pausing impacted me? Today we paused to chat with our local park keeper. He pointed out high up in a tree, a green woodpecker’s nest....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/04/29/courage-dear-heart/

Still on the theme of pressing the pause button as we come out of lockdown. (My life is generally in transition right now and it may be a lot easier for me to pause than for many readers.) How has …

23/04/2021

My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my frie…

22/04/2021

My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my friends might start to worry about me. So this time I'm writing about charities year end accounts. For most charities it’s that time of year when trustees and executive have to get their annual accounts completed and signed off....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/04/22/running-a-ruler-over-your-charity/

My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my frie…

19/03/2021

One of my favourite TV series features 2 antique specialists given a couple of hundred pounds on a Monday to see who can turn the biggest profit by Friday. We join them as they travel the country hunting bargains, and auctioning them off. Sometimes they do well, digging out bargains; other times they pick losers. More fun I think than Bargain Hunt where 2 teams of amateurs have an hour at an antique fair to see who can make the most money when their finds are auctioned; generally the winning team is the one that loses the least....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/03/19/prayer-hunter/

One of my favourite TV series features 2 antique specialists given a couple of hundred pounds on a Monday to see who can turn the biggest profit by Friday. We join them as they travel the country h…

12/03/2021

Some years ago I did some work with a Baptist minister who had got himself rather tucked up. The church ran a pre-school. It was growing quickly and a decision was made to spin it off into an independent charity. At that stage they should have got advice, which would have pointed them to a CIO, which gives the protection of limited liability if things go wrong....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/03/12/trustees-in-trouble/

Some years ago I did some work with a Baptist minister who had got himself rather tucked up. The church ran a pre-school. It was growing quickly and a decision was made to spin it off into an indep…

27/02/2021

It’ll soon be Joan’s birthday. Joan, my first wife and the mother of our 6 children. They still remember her and photos and memories will pop up on pages in the next couple of weeks. And a tear or two will be shed. Fond memories. When a close friend loses someone dear to them, and there’s been a lot of that this last couple of years, it can be hard to know how to be with that person; what to say, when to say it; what to write when you send them a card....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/02/27/listening-to-my-life-time-to-be-silent/

It’ll soon be Joan’s birthday. Joan, my first wife and the mother of our 6 children. They still remember her and photos and memories will pop up on pages in the next couple of weeks. And a…

15/02/2021

My main Covid symptom, apart from general weakness, is a complete loss of appetite. I love cheese, but haven’t been able to face any for a couple of weeks. Today I’m lying in bed, feeling a little better, daydreaming about cheese, cheddar cheese. My mind went back some years when a small piece of cheese brought me back to life. I've never told this tale before; if you read on you’ll understand why....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/02/15/listening-to-my-life-a-small-piece-of-cheese/

My main Covid symptom, apart from general weakness, is a complete loss of appetite. I love cheese, but haven’t been able to face any for a couple of weeks. Today I’m lying in bed, feeling a little …

05/02/2021

Anne Lamott tells us that there are basically only 3 prayers: Help, Thanks, Wow This is (mostly) from Christine Rigden. Compass Thankyou Lord for being the firm centre of my world I may dash here and there to listen, hug and comfort, write or pray - But always circle back again to home, and you. Your love grounds me in stability - gives me roots, an anchor in storms....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/02/05/compass-a-prayer-of-thanks/

Anne Lamott tells us that there are basically only 3 prayers: Help, Thanks, Wow This is (mostly) from Christine Rigden. Compass Thankyou Lord for being the firm centre of my world I may dash here a…

01/02/2021

(This is a guest blog from my dear friend David Henderson on an important topic which I suspect will interest every reader - I don't believe the 1 in 100 are affected statistic for a moment!) Photo by Simon Migaj on Pexels.com Autism is difficult. It’s difficult to describe, difficult to categorise, difficult to support, difficult to live with – and most of the time, difficult to see....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/02/01/autism-disability-or-difference/

(This is a guest blog from my dear friend David Henderson on an important topic which I suspect will interest every reader – I don’t believe the 1 in 100 are affected statistic for a mo…

29/01/2021

Apparently half of us have put on weight in the various lockdowns. That means half of my readers might welcome me gently opening up the subject. When Millie, our Pom-chi guard dog, arrived early last year the big bonus was, with all the extra walking, me losing half a stone. Until one day, on our usual route march, I looked round to find her sat down on the dusty grass a long way back....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/01/29/lockdown-and-weight-gain/

Apparently half of us have put on weight in the various lockdowns. That means half of my readers might welcome me gently opening up the subject. When Millie, our Pom-chi guard dog, arrived early la…

23/01/2021

I was asked a little while ago to share the story of my life; I started writing things down trying to recover memories from childhood and beyond. I'm aged 8 or 9; a tiny fragment appears at this point: a man answering my knock on his door says with a laugh, ’No, only the rags I’m wearing’. I deduce from this that I was trying to steal a march on the rag and bone man who walked around with his horse and cart and rang his bell to attract our attention....

http://darylmartin.org/2021/01/23/gleaning/

I was asked a little while ago to share the story of my life; I started writing things down trying to recover memories from childhood and beyond. I’m aged 8 or 9; a tiny fragment appears at t…