les Davey de France

I think of George VI's famous Christmas message, delivered in 1939, at the outbreak of war. je pense au célèbre message de Noël du Roi George VI, diffusé en 1939 au commencement de la guerre. The link gives a recording . Le lien donne un enrégistrement mais il cite ce poème : J'ai dit au gardien de la porte de l'année : "Donnez -moi une lampe Pour aller sans danger vers l'inconnu." Et il m'a répondu : "Avance dans la nuit Et met ta main dans la main de Dieu. Ce sera mieux qu'une lampe Et plus sûr qu'un chemin connu."

The Christmas season is drawing slowly to a close. Just time for some more of this fine group of brass learners. The arrangements they are playing are published by Chester Music (I think) - look for "Christmas Crackers" and "Just Brass" and maybe "Iveson"

theological. What you believe in your heart will out and will express itself in your life. I have no doubt about this whatsoever. I sometimes wonder if in our insane pitting of biblical theology against systematic theology we are not storing up great problems for the future. Well no, I don't wonder. I am positive. Anyway, what sparked this little diatribe is a few conversations recently. I mentioned the Sunday when we used the definition of chalcedon as our confession of faith, remember ? One of the reasons for that is that you sometimes hear amazing departures from orthodoxy. For example 'Mary was a surrogate mother, she gave nothing to the unborn Jesus Christ but the welcome of her womb.' That may sound plausible, but it is not the Christian faith and it is not the teaching of the Bible. Jesus' humanity was continuous with ours. He was born of her and derived his body from hers, by God's intervention. One of our chaps wanted to discuss this the other wee...

A Man there is, a real Man, With wounds still gaping wide, From which rich streams of blood once ran, In hands, and feet, and side. ‘Tis no wild fancy of our brains, No metaphor we speak; The same dear Man in heaven now reigns, That suffered for our sake. This wondrous Man of whom we tell, Is true Almighty God; He bought our souls from death and hell; The price, His own heart’s blood. That human heart He still retains, Though throned in highest bliss; And feels each tempted member’s pains; For our affliction’s His. Come, then, repenting sinner, come; Approach with humble faith; Owe what thou wilt, the total sum Is canceled by His death! His blood can cleanse the blackest soul, And wash our guilt away; He will present us sound and whole In that tremendous day.

outside the Grand Théâtre

Pintade ? Canette ? Chapon ? Cerf ? Chevreuil ? Cuisses de lièvre ? In the end we had pork.

Just beautiful ! I tried to pop this on early this morning but I got lost in the system

I went and ordered something from Orange. Nothing ever works properly between me and Orange. It never has. It probably never will. Why I retain this naïve optimism that one day something will go OK between me and Orange I will never know. Sheer dumb stupidity, I guess.

It's always very important to us on all sorts of levels and for all sorts of reasons : 1) Personal - Christmas forces us to face questions that we just find too difficult to grasp - how can it be that God could enter the creation he made? How could he become an embryo, a foetus, a baby? How could God be nursed and changed, and that in a stable? What does that say about God, about us, about the world? 2) For ministry Christmas is a brilliant time when people are more open than usual and when the great themes of the Christian faith can be discussed a bit more freely than usual. It does make Christmas a bit busy, though! 3) In the family. Gwilym was born on Christmas Eve, so it's a very special time for us, with celebration on top of celebration. This year Christmas activities started really early with carol singing and stuff really from the first week of December. The Bordeaux Carol Service was on 12th December, and so on. For the family Christmas Eve was the big day, w...

Harry Connick jr.

Until recently I didn't really appreciate this poem. Now the combination of simple, earthy, banal terms like "snow had fallen, snow on snow" and amazing, imponderable expressions like "cherubim and seraphim thronged the air" seems to capture something of the wonder of the birth of God as a baby in a stable. In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, Long ago. Our God, heaven cannot hold him, Nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away When he comes to reign; In the bleak midwinter A stable place sufficed The Lord God almighty, Jesus Christ. Enough for him, whom cherubim Worship night and day A breast full of milk And a manger full of hay. Enough for him, whom angels Fall down before, The ox and ass and camel which adore. Angels and archangels May have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim Thronged the air; ...

Ganol gaeaf noethlwm Cwynai’r rhewynt oer, Ffrid a ffrwd mewn cloeon Llonydd dan y lloer. Eira’n drwm o fryn i dref, Eira ar dwyn a dôl, Ganol gaeaf noethlwm Oes bell yn ôl. Metha nef a daear Gynnwys ein Duw; Ciliant hwy a darfod Pan fydd Ef yn Llyw. Ganol gaeaf noethlwm Digon feudy trist I’r Arglwydd Hollalluog Iesu Grist. Beth a roddaf iddo, Llwm a thlawd fy myd? Petawn fugail, rhoddwn Orau’r praidd i gyd; Pe bawn un o’r doethion, Gwnawn fy rhan ddi-goll; Ond pa beth a roddaf? Fy mywyd oll.

Happy Christmas from the Daveys of Pessac ! We hope this Christmastime finds you in good health and in good spirits, as it finds us. What did 2009 bring our way ? Exploration ! We made our first summertime sortie into the Dordogne where we stayed a couple of days with friends. In the autumn we spent a baking week in Carcassonne and recently we went to a wedding in beautiful Alsace. Alan had meetings in places as diverse as the Cévennes and Cambridge, and crossed the Millau Viaduct through icy winds. Gwilym and Catrin went on camp to Tywyn and have vowed to return ! Education ! Gwilym and Catrin are doing fine in school, Gwilym in a new collège in Bordeaux where he goes by bus and tram. He's just done a week's work experience in one of the most prestigious châteaux in Pessac. OK for some. Music ! Catrin continues with her flute and plays very often at church now. Gwilym's electric guitar is progressing well. Pat has recently taken up the harmonica, half-heartedly, it mu...

Philharmonia brass

While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, The angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around.   "Fear not," said he, for mighty dread Had seized their troubled minds; "Glad tidings of great joy I bring To you and all mankind.    "To you, in David's town, this day, Is born of David's line A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord; And this shall be the sign:   The heavenly Babe you there shall find To human view displayed, All meanly wrapped in swaddling-bands And in a manger laid."  Thus spake the seraph,--and forthwith Appeared a shining throng Of angels, praising God, who thus Addressed their joyful song:   "All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; Good will henceforth from Heaven to men Begin and never cease."

I am letting slip a bit on the old Christmas brass music, I know...

Al Mohler reflects on this festive theme.

Alan is thinking... (that's a warning, by the way) In Bordeaux you see rather a lot of people wearing leather jackets and coats, some of them real overcoats. The other day I saw them for sale in a shop and I had a quick look at the price tag. 900 EUROS ! Later that day I was talking with Liz, our volunteer. ( Happy 21st, by the way, Liz ! ) I heard myself say, "Yes ! That means there's people walking round Bordeaux wearing 1000 euro coats - and I mean young people, like us !" It's a funny thing, this working with students. Makes you forget how old you are. Then last night we were talking with the airforce types who play with the jazz band. We were talking about relationships and making compromises and adjusting to changing circumstances. "Je ne ferais pas ça pour une nana" said one single guy. I heard myself say, "Voilà, c'est un ado, il n'est pas prêt, c'est tout", and our friend agreed, while the others protested that ...

Well they came and we talked. They spotted that we have a Bible or two in the living room and asked questions about that. We talked very nicely and politely. I talked about the gospel, but they have no idea of what is meant by the word gospel (apart from the four books.) It was OK for a start. They said, "next time can we try and explain why we think everything changed in 1914 ?" I said OK, thinking "next time can I explain as fully as possible what we mean by the gospel"... but I have this feeling that they won't come back. Apparently at the Kingdom Hall in Pessac Monteil they have two meetings because the place is full. It holds about 150 people and there's 200 that attend, mostly from Pessac. That would make them the biggest religious assembly in Pessac by far, I should think. I can't imagine that there's 200 people at the RC churches and the two protestant churches together wouldn't get to 100.

The concert last night was at a centre in Gradignan for kids with severe behavioural problems. Some of them were obviously handicapped in some way. Others were all there, but you could see that they were pretty hard. They learn to live together and hopefully some skills for the future etc. It went very well. We were three trombones, two trumpets and 5 saxos. Four trombones if you count Renaud but these days he seems only to play his solos. During Critical Mass we invited kids to come up on stage and play bongos, congas etc. The noise was deafening and we need some new drumsticks ! Afterwards we dropped off the drumkit (ba-tte-rie, three syllables) and chatted at the music school. It's always very good for my colloquial French. Renaud : "Tu répètes pas ça à l'église." Me: "je répète tout..." It's useful really. You have to know what you can and mustn't say ! And we were paid. And paid well. The money will go to the music school and will enable...

1) we have a bilingual service on Christmas morning - our first-ever Christmas service - and afterwards all them as wants are staying for christmas lunch and festive frolics. We'll watch Aladdin together in the afternoon. Oh no we won't ! Oh yes we will ! 2) Pat has ordered an iPhone for me for Christmas. She suggested it over a week ago but at that time the prices were a bit ... prohibitive. Then I noticed that Orange had cut the price by 90 euros and were giving 100 euros 'cashback'. When we tried to order it we hit a snag because the website demands either your identity card or your passport as id, and our passports have just expired. Then an online counsellor popped up and told us to use our driving licences.  So we did and it worked and it should come for 23rd. Don Whitney (SDFTCL, etc.) says it is spiritually beneficial. 3) This evening the most excellent Pessac Jazz Band, with whom I have the honour and privilege to play the odd wrong note in the odd wrong pl...

We played this at the international camel service last year, and this year the ados did a French translation of it for the francophones. Sorry about the manner of reading. That's how we read poems in Britain these days. It's like a nation of pantomime Richard III's... And I think "natal nurse" means midwife, not South African...

Sometimes I am tempted to think that the nay-sayers were right and coming to France was a fit of madness and that we threw away everything we had and did for nothing. Nothing. After all, there we were in a biggish, happy church. I still miss them so much it hurts when I think of them. We would have carried on to retirement age, which for pastors in Wales is normally 87. We would have perhaps gone to conferences in the States eventually, if we could choose which microcurrent of US calvinism to identify with. Or we could have got involved with a mission and visited people working in Tahiti or something. Instead here we are lighting the woodstove at 7am on our day off and working with small groups everywhere : in French, in English, with students, everything - small groups... We do have invitations to visit all over the world, so maybe one day we'll do that round the world trip on pushbikes... Anyway then some things happen that just encourage you. Folks find you via the website...

There's quite a few of them spread out in about 10 Kingdom Halls. There's a Kingdom Hall in my favourite little square in Pessac, just about 2km from our house. Maybe one day we can buy it from them and turn it into a church (you know, put in windows, for a start !) Anyway it is striking how many folks are welcoming the JWs into their homes to try and help them. The Griffins, Didier, and now we Daveys have a couple coming this morning. None of us want to do the battle of the verses, clever-clogs Christian thing of "Aha ! So John 17:46 makes it clear that we have to have a Christmas tree !" That always irritated me anyway. We want to love them and talk gently and respectfully with them. For me loving them meant getting up at 7am on my day off to light the stove so the place can be nice and warm when they come later...

because in the French church we were holding our Fête de Noël (songs and stories for Christmastide), but some new people turned up anyway, so we held an informal impromptu time and it was good to round the day off like that. It had started with the Culte de Noël at Anglade. There's a nice electronic piano in the church but no pianist so we sang unaccompanied but Catrin and I took our flutes and we played some carols before and after the service and during the offering - simple things, she played the melody and I the tenor line for Silent night, In dulci jubilo and Away in a manger. The service went well, really. I have to tell you about the corps de ballet. I had a message from a ballet dancer asking about a carol service. I explained that that was last week, but that there's a bilingual service on Christmas Day and that after that any folks that want to will eat and play together. We may watch Aladdin together, too. And the Queen, if we can ! So I hope they come ! Life i...

Catrin played this to me last night and I just laughed myself silly.

is that when you play totally the wrong note, there's every chance it'll sound OK anyway. Or at least not as bad as in more harmonically simple music.

We have our internet service with an outfit called Free. For 30 euros a month we get : unlimited ADSL at some ridiculously high speed, 14 000 000 TV channels, all awful, including Sky news, BBC News 24 and BBC Entertainment (24hr Terry and June) with a Sky+-style set-top-box. unlimited phone calls to almost all the world. Not only that, but Free are committed to open-source software, so with the help of free programmes we can watch TV on any computer connected by wifi in our house, and now we can remotely start recording a programme on the hard disk of our Freebox via the internet. Mobile phones are REALLY EXPENSIVE here in France and we are only just starting to get the special deals that have existed in Britain for years. Now you can get a contract from the supermarkets and sometimes these are good deals. Enter Free. They aim to produce proper flat-rate charges of the order of 20 euros for 3 hours with unlimited sms. Good on yer, lads. After all, for the work here we don...

Well I finished the steroids. I didn't notice any weird effects from the pills - well, perhaps a small change in my regularity and frequence - the Brits will immediately know what I mean. As I feared, the inhaled steroids gave me little nose-bleeds. I used to use Fixyournose nasal spray for my hay-fever years ago, but that always made my nose bleed too. Sensitive nose, see. Anyway here I am post-steroids and the cough is back, but nowhere near as severe. I hope that with normal general care and mainlined orange juice it'll settle very soon.

Very much enjoying this book, which is a cross between a book of apologetics and a book of popular maths / cosmology / nuclear physics. It's so long since I read a popular subatomic physics book - it's given me the urge to find some more of that kind.

Pat has been meeting up with some women under the auspices of the Bordeaux International Church to read Jerry Bridges' book, Respectable Sins. She highly recommends it as a good, though not entirely comfortable read.

Well we had rain overnight, and very glad I was to hear it. However today there is : 1) A bus and tram strike - the staff want an index-linked pay-rise and the company doesn't 2) ice on the roads on the right bank So basically everything is cancelled. Catrin doesn't have school anyway. The Ladies' group can't get there so they can't have their meeting or do their carol singing. And we are calling off the Gars de Pessac guys group. Gwilym still has his work experience and we'll get him there no problem through the freshly rain-washed streets. And I'll be good and ready for Sunday. Maybe even for Christmas !

The Consulate Christmas Reception with Carols was probably not the best way to meet the British Consul, but it probably wasn't the worst either.

to his work experience seemed to go OK. He was told that he is third in his class, and the top boy. Great guns ! Ever since he's been singing, "I'm just so white and nerdy..." .

The little weather gizmo thing this morning said that it is -6°C in Pessac but Pat and I don't believe it because if it was really that cold the house would be a lot colder than it is. Last night after the prayer-meeting there was a general 'Oh, it's so COLD' session. Because the winter here is short and not generally VERY cold, houses often don't have very good heating and insulation. Today a record peak in the consumption of electricity is expected, and people in some parts of France have been warned to turn off, turn down or face possible power cuts. Many houses are heated just with electric convector heaters. Fiona and Liz live in attic flats (you know, like when I was a student in Aberystwyth and I used to scrape the ice off the inside of the window in my room...) Dik lives in a big upstairs flat with a badly fitting front door through which the draughts blow. They have this reversible air-con heating which works well for cooling in summer but doesn't m...

this evening with Carol Singing at the Consulate Christmas Party. Here are some photos of the Carol Singing at Place de la Victoire and at the Christmas market. You will notice that at Place de la Victoire at least one of we three kings from Orient are. By the way, this is my street trombone. It is old, mean ... and very, very flat.

Season's greetings !

It got down to -3°C last night and at present it's supposed to be about 1° outside. We're making inroads on our wood pile and stoking the stove. Meanwhile a homeless person died last night right in the centre of town near the Cathedral. He was sleeping on a piece of cardboard in the doorway of the Maison des Associations. They'll do a post-mortem to try to establish the cause of death. Meanwhile the Plan Grand Froid (Big Cold Plan) has been in action for some time, even though the legal threshold for activating it hasn't yet been crossed (i.e. remaining below zero all day). It's supposed to get warmer and wetter from Friday. Well this week has been quieter than last week ! We have our English Class Christmas Extravaganza this evening and I am at present not sure what's happening on Thursday. Tomorrow is the student centre AGM and I stay and work at centre FAC on reception for the afternoon, though with exams and stuff I anticipate being able to work on mess...

We should always have known that time is not a constant. Anyone who has to get up early in winter knows that it is much earlier in the cold and dark than in summer in the warm, bright mornings !

Si les canards chantaient dans no campagnes - des saxos ! Si les vaches chantaient dans nos campagnes - des violoncelles ! Si les anges chantaient dans nos campagnes - des trombones !

This afternoon we held an Assemblée Générale Extraordinaire where we discussed the future of the church and decided with utter unanimity to begin the proceedings to buy our church building. This is a very brave step for a small church like ours in a big, expensive city. You can imagine how overjoyed I am !

This morning just before going to church Pat had a text message that a friend wanted to come, someone who'd mentioned coming along some time ago, but this message came out of the blue ! And lo and behold, she did come... We used for our Confession of Faith the Definition of Chalcedon. I did this deliberately because French christians sometimes have a rather reactionary approach to Jesus' humanity. I have heard more than once the opinion that Mary was a surrogate mother to Jesus. This may be a very anti-Mariolatry line but it isn't a valid Christian position. The Bible makes clear Jesus is of our humanity, continuous with us in every way, but without sin. Chalcedon (AD 451) makes this clear by it's repeated assertions : of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood;  like us in all respects, apart from sin;  as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as re...

Well we're in the middle of the busiest weekend I remember for a while. Yesterday's Carol Service rehearsal began at 3, then a couple of us flautists gathered and played some carols arranged for three flutes, which was very agreeable. We did decide to play after the service, but something happened and we just didn't. The Carol Service was splendid. The place was full to overflowing and everything was very happy an constructive. The readers read well (thanks, Fiona, David and Andy !) and Paul's message was spot on. Our joint welcome and benediction worked well too. The point where I really knew that God was answering our prayers was when the children sang a rather sweet Christmas number from Steve and Carol Owens, "Christmas isn't Christmas till it happens in your heart.", which very gently and sweetly confronted everyone with the need to respond to Jesus Christ personally. (They even pointed at people, which I don't think I or Paul could really have...

The FAC Christmas meal coincided with the Music School Christmas Concert. We are a good team at FAC at present, so I played with the Music School. So after avoiding Albert, the music-school director (I missed ALL the cycle 2 Symphonique rehearsals) I finally popped my head in through his door and he said "Look, play, and if you get lost stop playing." I'm good at that so I did. I dropped Pat and the kids at the centre, along with a pork casserole and a really stupid quiz I'd done, then had 1/2 hour to kill so I called in a café in Pessac where the owner had said he's keen on English and had talked about the evangelical churches in the area. We talked some more about the Carol Service and the International Church and also how he can make his café buzz in the evening. If it was in the centre of Bordeaux I am sure we could do some stuff at his place. Went along for the concert and everything was just great. The starters played things like "Frosty the snowm...

Well I went to the doctor with my chest and came back with steroids. She had a good listen and made me cough (very dangerous because once I start I don't stop) and she said that there's nothing brewing in the depths of my lungs but the inflammation after the 'flu is not clearing very quickly (common in us asthmatics). She said " On va vous sortir de ça ". Six days of steroids - pills, nasal spray and some codeïne cough syrup at night, though I sleep like a log anyway... I am coughing less already. But I forgot to take my cheque book. How dim can you be ! I told her I'd pop it in the post and she's cool anyway.

went OK. At one point we wondered if some stall holders were not thrilled to have us around, so we moved down the other end of the market and as we sang I popped into the stand behind us - Ca vous gène? Pas du tout ! In fact they looked disappointed when I popped in to say goodbye. We finished our stint with a waffle (they're TOO BIG, guys! we should have shared one) and a kebab from some guys who run a brasserie ( très bon et pas cher , then pas vraiment cher ... I laughed!) Then off to FAC to prepare for the Bible Study Bible Study - we've done author's intention, literary genre, structure etc. Last night was Special words (like propitiation, etc...) Then off to Pessac for the PJB rehearsal for the grand concert de Noël. The 48 bus took me from within 150m of FAC to within 300m. of Salle Bellegrave. I was thankful to be in time for the bus. Afterwards Renaud (prof de trombone) said "You're playing with the symphonique ?" 'No, I haven't made a s...

There has been some discussion in the Davey household as to whether we all had swine 'flu or only some of us. Mrs Davey shares the opinion of certain doctors who build their case on strict principles of diagnosis. It could be expressed in a paraphrase of Bob Marley's immortal and inscrutable words : "No fever, no 'flu!". My views are coloured by human genetics and basic epidemiology. Not all people react to a bug in the same way, and if three people in a family develop a repiratory disease within hours of each other, then it is extremely likely to be the same disease. Well our debates are over ! Enter http://quizz-grippe.fr/ Answer a series of simple questions and the likelihood of your having swine 'flu is writ large on the screen. My result said I should have called an ambulance ! Hmm... Remember. No book; magazine or website can ever take the place of a doctor's advice or common sense !

This Manhattan declaration thing, and why folk did or didn't sign... Hmm. It's the same old questions, isn't it. 1) What is a Christian ? 2) What is a church ? 3) What is the gospel ?

said the American lady, examining the breakfast cereal. 'Yes, it's great !', quoth I. "OK. The milk's hot..." 'Yes. That's so you can make hot chocolate if you want.' "Hot chocolate ? For breakfast ?" She tastes her cereal. "Oh - it's kinda like granola with chocolate. Not bad." "And what's that ?", indicating the Nutella. 'It's ground hazelnuts and chocolate', I said, beginning to see a theme emerging...

1) Get well - get rid of this cough ! 2) English class this evening, followed by an early night (see 1) 3) Carol singing / tracting / surveys 4) Get ready for the Bordeaux Carol Service on Saturday. My good frend Paul Vrolijk, the new Anglican minister, is preaching and I am looking after the prayer times. I also have to assign three readings to different readers, and I feature in the choir and among the musicians, alongside Pat, Dik, Hetty and Marije. It's brilliant to have an Anglican chaplain who is a straightforward evangelical. Pity that he covers an area the size of Wales and is centred on Bergerac, though ! 5) Get ready for Sunday. I am preaching in French am and in English pm. 6) Conseil presbytéral on Wednesday afternoon and early evening. Actually it'll be a quieter week than normal, I think. I hope so, anyway, because I could really do with getting well again. It's been weeks, now !

Fantastic ! It took us 1000km to Grendelbruch then 1000km back, in comfort, at reasonable speeds and without hiccup. Well, there was one moment on Saturday when the automatic electronic oil level gizmo flashed 'Minimum !' as if there was a problem, but the next day it was obvious that it was just a momentary glitch. Our Berlingo is fantastic !

Oh yeah ! Who made God , by Edgar Andrews ! Great !

Trevin Wax is a person who has considered and written about how the internet is changing our world.

For all those who could not be there - there was a striking resemblance...

Me : Well yes, but the kids have school on Monday. Friend : That doesn't matter ! Phone the schools ! Stay another day ! Gwilym : It does matter. I've got my Brevet Blanc (mock O-levels) Me : What ! On Monday ? Gwilym : Monday and Tuesday. .

After the wedding, to the salle des fêtes for hot wine and apéros. We needed the hot wine (hot anything, really!, it was REALLY COLD), my cough had returned and Pat's front tooth had shot out during the second verse of Amazing Grace. The folk of Grendelbruch are charming. The French are all so NICE ! Then to the camp centre for the meal: More apéros (Valse de bulles et ses amuses-bouches) Seafood starters : lobster, crayfish, raw fish of many kinds, asparagus, mange-tout and haricots verts. (Entre embruns et terroir) A sorbet to cleanse the palate. (Iceberg Alsacien) Guinea-fowl with morels, potatoes and carrot mousse. (Gigolette de pintade aux morilles et sa garniture) Cheeses galore (Senteurs de France et sa panaché de verdure) Desserts of many kinds. (Farandole de gourmandises) Fruit juices to finish (Elixir de nuit) All interspersed with games, little speeches, songs and dancing. Ben seems to attract nutters. I pointed this out to him. He didn't deny it but ...

Wedding morning and we did a quick tally of francophones and non-francophones. The wedding would be in French with a bit of English for the non-francophones. We raced off to print and photocopy the hymns. All things bright and beautiful, and A toi la gloire. We went to inspect the church. Grendelbruch has no protestant church so everyone uses the Catholic church. Ben needed to make a cd with the processional music - a choir singing Amazing Grace, and "When I'm 64". We could only check that the cd worked just before the church service. OK. 14h30 at the Mairie, 15h at the church. The Mairie was nice, and the Maire charming and medalled ! A champion maire ? I scuttled to the church. M Tortellini was rehearsing his aria with the organist. "Can I have an order of service ?" No, there isn't one, but it's "All things bright and beautiful", then "A toi la gloire". "And "When the saints go marching in" ?" pfffrff...

Ben, my American friend from the DEFLE, was marrying his fiancée Nora, who comes from Grendelbruch in Alsace, near Strasbourg. They asked if I could please conduct their wedding and I was very honoured to be asked ! Grendelbruch is a lovely little village in the Vosges, just outside Strasbourg. They'd hired a children's camp for their family and friends to stay in and when we arrived it was to a late evening Spaghettis party with a lovely mixture of Americans, Tarbais (Nora used to live in Tarbes, in the deepest South-West of France), Alsaciens and a couple of Brits. "There'll be snow", they'd said, but though the cold was a shock after 18°C in Pessac, the roads were all dry and the only snow we saw was on the volcanic peaks of the Auvergne on the drive up.

If I'd announced that we were roller-skating to Strasbourg the reaction couldn't have been more extreme!   But why not fly ? Oh yeah - four of us ?   But it's a two day journey ! We only have one day to do it, grasshopper. Anyway we do North Wales in two days ! 1000km, about 9 1/2 hours, not allowing for stops. That is not two days.

I had a Bible study at FAC so Pat went along, and found a gang of happy teachers, especially the Spanish teacher. Jolly good.

So long overdue that I was considering adopting the traditional "Welsh manic bard" style, with long flowing locks swept vaguely back. French arty types wear their hair a similar way... Anyway I didn't. I went to the new salon clutching my money off voucher. I was greeted like a new best friend and had to give my full name (which they promptly mis-spelt), birthday (not date), address and grandmothers' maiden names and place of birth. Then they led me to the shearing. It started with a hairwash. Nothing new there. Ha ! Think again ! The coiffeur flicked a switch on the chair and I started moving. It lifted my legs in the air and started massaging my back while my head was upside down in the sink. The massage was almost pleasant. The ripples up either side of your spine were OK, but I wasn't sure about the end of the movement which was a bit like being poked very hard in the shoulder-blades with a full packet of cornflakes. Meanwhile my hair was shampooed to wi...

Spectrum part two. Doug Yeo, bass trombonist extraordinaire and earnest Christian, loves this piece and has performed it with his New England Brass Band. He's also produced extensive performance notes to help conductors.

This piece is a bit of brass-banding history. It did for brass-band music what "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faun" did for the flute and what "Rite of Spring" did for all classical music. It changed the world forever. Previously serious brass-band music had been well-meaning rather stodgy "tone poems" with earnest names like "An Epic Symphony" and "Life Divine". Think Finlandia with Euphoniums. "Spectrum" brought weird rhythms, funky harmonies, jerky tunes and exotic percussion. For me, it was my favourite piece in my heady brass-banding adolescence. Thanks Dirk, Dutch trombone brother, for posting these videos (in two parts). Be merciful in your judgement. This is very difficult for the euphonium especially...

So the plan was to pop into the cinema at 5 to see the film "D'une seule voix" with Pat's French class. Pat's French teacher has connections with all the glitterati, apparatchiks and 'the powers that be' of Pessac, so she'd arranged for all her class to go and see the film too, and she wanted me to go along too. So I bowled up at 5 and found... Pat and Andy Cheung (dear friend, church member ad part of Pat's French class). Nobody else showed up. OK. So making and keeping contacts was a non-starter, but I got to see the film. It was very moving. It tells of how a French guy had the idea of getting various musicians from various parts of Israel and Palestine to come and play a three-week tour of France together. I think that I would actually encourage you to see it if you can. It's basically in English with French subtitles. 1 Timothy 2 1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—...

Mozart. John Eliot Gardiner. Sacqueboutes. Funky trumpets. Class !

I scanned in 32 pages of carols as jpg, cleaned them up a bit with picasa, then asked picasa to print all 32 pages, setting the printer driver to print them as a booklet. I thought "This'll NEVER work". but it is ! Cool one, Pixma !

man has toes-es... or something... Plans changed. All the leaflets have been finished after just a couple of sessions. Tribute to the efficiency of the French mailbox and the EREG folk. However we are Carol singing on Campus tomorrow, so I am busy compiling a Carol Booklet ready. Haircut tomorrow.

Mozart John Eliot Gardiner Sacqeuboutes. Funky trumpets. Good stuff.

Because Monday is my day off, on Tuesday morning I think of the week ahead, plan it out and try to imagine how it will all work out. Strangely Tuesday is one of the more busy days of the week, with a team meeting in the morning and the English Class in the evening plus whatever preparation is need for the class. Today I hope to add in leafleting round the church (rendez-vous at 14h) and a haircut if possible in that new salon by Géant that gave me the money off voucher. Oh yes - and Pat's French class are going to see a film at the local cinema (free !) and I have been invited along too. I'd really like to go if possible for the contacts' sake. Better make sure I get a proper lunch. Of course I could always do the haircut tomorrow. Wednesday there's another opportunity for leafleting round the church (rendez-vous at 10h) but also student surveys at 11h30 followed by my tour of duty in the student centre 14h till 18h, then prayer meeting at 20h30. Tomorrow afternoon ...

So I took the car for its contrôle technique. We'd checked that all the lights were working (though I didn't bother with the front foglamps because you aren't required by law to have them anyway). It was emptying down with rain so I decided that if he failed me on under-inflated tyres I'd just blow 'em up and go back for a retest. So 14h the car was duly sat in the queue and I went off to wander round Leclerc while the test was done. When I came back the car had passed. They did note a few things : One of the front foglamps is not working, (!) "Deterioration" on the offside back door (it's a dent). "Deterioration" of the rear number plate lamp. We replaced a bulb when we serviced the car so maybe he just noticed that the lamp cover is missing. We couldn't get it back on but it's hidden up inside a deep ridge anyway. A bit of play in the rear suspension. But none of these things was failable, so we are set to roll for another ...

Wow ! Sacqueboutes and funky trumpets !

Alan (coughing) : Do you think we'll ever breathe normally again ? Pat (coughing) : Oh, I expect so one day. Pat (coughing) adds : But one day you'll ask that question to a doctor and they'll say, 'No, I think this is the end, now' Alan (coughing) : then I must NEVER ask that question of a doctor...

Read about it here . It's worth a look, eh ?

It's a pity to end our festive jazz suite with a fizzle. Perhaps tomorrow I will append their sleigh-ride. If you're good.

She didn't suspect a thing. How everyone managed to hide in the kitchen I will never know - it is overcrowded when just two people are in there. The children did exceptionally well sorting everything out while Pat and I were at choir rehearsal and all was just hunky-dory and dinky-doo. Thanks to all who made her feel very special and very loved !

Tomorrow morning at Anglade - in the newly fixed car ! Ça roule ! Tomorrow evening at the International Church. Also continuing to sort out the Carol service which is now in just a fortnight's time !

Wow ! Christmas is coming fast !

the car. As I paid I asked Mr Plazy where is a good place to get the contrôle technique done. 'But I'd have done that for you !' he said, 'you should have said'. Anyway he directed me to a place near the music school and said to say that he sent me. You have to get your car checked over every two years. A friend has a seriously rotten Citroën Visa from just before the Norman conquest that passes first time every time, but another friend has just had his recent Rover failed on emissions. So I guess you never know. Anyway, off to read with Dik, J-P and Christophe, followed by a quick trip to the church to deposit two PCs that are up for grabs. Anyone want a basic machine for word-processing, email and the like ? One uses XP and the other Win 98. No takers ? Posh lot ! Then home via the contrôle technique place. I liked the guy. He looked like someone from a Thomas Hardy novel and we made a rendez-vous for Monday afternoon. I changed the wiper blades. Must check ...

Some of these have just got my imagination racing ... kippers ! yum yum !

A call from the garagiste. I said "terminée, ça veut dire qu'elle est prête..." "Oui, aucun problème." While I pay I'll ask him where to go for the contrôle technique, which is due now, too !

Continuing our festive frolic.

There's a bus and tram strike today. Actually the trams are running, but apparently there's no buses in Pessac. This means that today Gwilym can't get to school, either. The car isn't back from the garage yet - I expect he'll ring some time this morning. I can get to my meeting in Saige on foot and tram, but I'll have to leave super-early !

I finally got a chance to get Pat her special birthday present, something that wll change her life. And ours. 'The harmonica for dummies'. It comes with a harmonica in C, an instruction book and an accompaniment cd. Pat's always said that she'd love to learn a musical instrument, and now she has one that she can always keep  with her in her handbag. I did think of 'The ukelele for dummies' but I couldn't find it.

The wood-man cometh and dumpeth in the driveway. It didn't take us very long to stack it neatly by the door, but away from the wall...

about this . How will he get to collège ?

Phew ! A sensible title !

an uneventful journey without a clutch to the garage. I found the garage and a guy watched me turn in rather too fast in second gear then draw jerkily to a halt before stalling the engine. I went and said hello. We shook hands. "You work here ?" 'Yes, the boss will be here soon and I don't have a key. Problem with the car ?' "Yes. No clutch". 'Ah !' I am grateful too for garage owners who shake hands with you and say "We'll sort it out" and who work 150 yards from your house. And for friends who have made a substantial contribution to the cost of the clutch repair. Thanks guys ! And for a quiet morning to gather my strength for this evening and prepare for the weekend ! And not least for a wife who is well reestablished and trying on her wedding garb !

it's because the day has NOT been quiet ! It included doing surveys on the student campus. I met some great people. I particularly think of one guy who was very pleasant and easy to talk to who said that he believes that there is no reason for anything, and that he does not believe in happiness or misery, and so manages to live in a state of detached peacefulness. His philosophy lecturers tell him that he has no heart or feelings. I think Spurgeon would have kicked him in the shins to test the strength of his detached peacefulness but he was a big guy... Anyway we talked very freely about things and he accepted a Bible.  Afterwards, of course, I thought of a hundred more things I should have said to him, far better than the things I did say, but hey... Three students said 'Yes, we believe in God'. I said, 'Really ?' and we chatted. They are products of believing catholic families who sent their kids to catholic school and the kids made friends and now they are st...

Look, this is festive, great jazz and great art music. You do have to get past the titles, though, I confess.

Yesterday morning was the team meeting and prayer meeting and afterwards Gwilym and I had to present ourselves at the place where he'll do his stage. The supervisor seemed very nice and it doesn't open till 11am (!) so he gets a lie-in all week ! Afterwards we returned home through the warm autumnal sunshine and I got on with some more Carol Service planning - by email. After some preparation and a quick sandwich it was time to scuttle off on the tram for the English class. I walked to the bus stop through the park - through the dark trees under the inky sky. I wish I could bring you with me on the journey. The bus takes us through the lower regions of Mérignac, where instead of stylish new villas you get old wooden shacks and ramshackle old farmhouses. The outskirts of Mérignac fascinate me, and on the bus you see them very well. You end up at a bus / tram / park and ride called Fontaines d'Arlac. After crossing a frontier style level crossing you turn a corner into th...

Since I was introduced to Olbas Oil back in the early 80s by a colleague at HTV who was a martyr to her sinuses it has been a staple remedy in the Davey household. Sometimes we have slept for weeks on end in a deep menthol fug. But I have yet to find it in France. Yesterday I was at the pharmacy buying Vicks for our feet so I asked what they had in the way of oils for inhalation, and the pharmacist found me a marvel. It's made up of mint, thyme, lavender etc. No eucalyptus so it doesn't have the eye-watering aggression of Olbas Oil, but instead it has a penetrating sweetness and it smells nice . And an atomiser, so you spray it on your hankie, duvet-cover, coat collar, socks, pretty well everywhere. "Buy the small size", said the pharmacist. It lasts.

Christmas is coming, no ?

Last week we were looking at how to ask people to do things in English, the imperative. ( Sit down ! Please sit down. Repent ! Please repent. ) So we played Simon Says. When we did the time I did think of playing "What's the time Mr Wolf" but it coincided with us getting a huge table in the middle of the room where we work, so we couldn't. This week we might play Monster - a card game - or we might play "I spy", just as a vocabulary workshop. Or maybe the alphabet restaurant. "Waiter, I'd like an apple !" "Waiter, I'd like an apple and a bread roll !"

roasted all day and coughed all night. She's not well. She has to see the doctor today anyway for a prescription renewal (thyroxin) but I reckon he'll just say "drink and rest" - the very things she is doing.