les Davey de France

Yesterday afternoon I got home from a meet-up in the city centre to find a row of police cars, a trails moped and an ambulance parked on what we nickname bang-crash wall. Initial fears were fed by the fact that the ambulance seemed in no hurry as a stretcher was loaded up and its load completely covered before being placed inside. Still the vehicle waited before eventually driving off. "They placed the white sheet", said one neighbour, ominously. More extensive investigation (we asked the people who were moving out just as the accident happened) revealed that nothing quite so tragic had transpired: a young hothead on a moped was being chased by a police car alongside the Pape Clement vines. On our really dangerous corner he hit the pavement and came off his bike, appearing to have perhaps broken his arm.

I had an appointment at the bank at 3 to talk about insurance. To be honest, I wasn't very keen on going but I want the bank to be good to me so at present I'm being especially good to the bank. So I left the house to hop on bus 4 down to the Alouette where our branch is. As I approached the stop I saw bus 4 pull in so I speeded up on the off chance that I would catch it. It stayed at the stop and the driver put the hazard warning lights on. He let me on board and continued a conversation with the bus controller. "Ah no, the police are not here yet. Well no, but the way things are they'll be hitting each other soon." Two men at the back of the bus were having a very heated conflict while the rest of us watched and wondered whether intervening would help or inflame the situation. "Come away" urged some women to one of the chaps. After several minutes the police arrived, charged onto the bus with pistols drawn, and yelled at the main combattant to ...

It's working again! When I changed my mobile phone, probably through not following the correct procedure, I ended up with a band that was neither use nor ornament because it would not connect to my phone. There was a fix on the internet, which involved discharging the battery, putting the module in the fridge for a few days, then trying to connect again. It didn't work. So a few days ago I thought it was time either to sort it out once and for all or to send it off for whatever recycling is possible for these things. So once more I ran down the battery (it was already flat) and put it in the fridge for about a week. Then I tried connecting. "You need to factory reset your band" came the new message. I did that. Then with just a tiny amount of jiggery-pokery - IT'S WORKING AGAIN! I'm pretty sure that a few software updates from Xiaomi have made the difference.

Lawrence survived the surgery, but unfortunately the nature of the tumour demanded the removal of his front right leg. So he has become a three-legged rat. Not only that, but his back legs have weakened with time. So the poor old feller's days of acrobatics, climbing and charging around are well and truly over. We're awaiting his discharge from the vets.

The surgery might be too much for him as he's quite an elderly fellow now, but he's still quite perky so it's worth a go. If not the tumour will necrotise and become painful.

On Saturday we made a quick trip to Toulouse to visit a recent church plant called Saint-Cyprien. After a fitful and restive night I woke and considered calling off our trip. We hadn't booked tickets or accommodation and, more substantially, I woke with a raging sore throat - in France, une angine. I gargled with aspirin and got on with it. Some reflection : budget hotel or AirBnB? We opted for the former. Hang the 20€ extra expense! Train or coach? That was easy. Fares and timetables obligent, we went by coach and returned by train. We hurried to the station to get a train from Pessac to Bordeaux and waved it goodbye as we narrowly missed it. So Bus 4 then 9 it was. We were in plenty of time for our coach and settled ourselves in. Arrived in Toulouse I consulted Google Maps to see how to get to our hotel by public transport. "Search me!" said Google Maps, "but you could hoof it in half an hour." So hoof it we did. It was a pleasant walk through the br...

He has a big fatty tumour on his front leg and a weepy eye infection. He's also around 3 years old, which is a good age for a rat. We're hoping he comes home. Postnote: He did come back. You need an appointment. He's going again on Monday

OK. Here comes a rant. Well, I'll try not to rant. I think there's a great temptation, trend and desire to simplify things that are actually much richer and more complex than we want to make them, and I think that this oversimplification applies in various areas of life and thought at present. Biblical theology In finding the overarching story, the metanarrative of the Bible, pretty well everyone is agreed that the key is Christ. But how does this work out? A couple years back a group of us were meeting up to discuss a bible overview book that focused on God's covenants as the metanarrative that points to Christ. I compared this with the other great trend that sees kingdom as the overarching story - God's people, in God's place, under God's king. OK. But where do temple, priesthood, sacrifice, prophetism, etc, come into these schemas? Perhaps it is time to recollect another style of Biblical theology that takes covenants, Kingdom and adds them to...

It was Catrin's 21st birthday yesterday. Festivities included a fun party with suitably unhealthy food, a visit from her old friend Meghan from London and a planned lunch in town yesterday which had to be called off when the soporific effects of cough mixture overtook her on the tram. I just took Meghan to the airport for her flight back to London and returned to Pessac through the snow. It must be about 12 years or more since I drove a car through a snow-shower. It snowed heavily but briefly and has now reverted to glim drizzle.

Bordeaux has put into action its plan du grand froid. There's a three-stage plan for cold weather to care for folk on the street. It goes from froid, to grand froid, to extrème froid. Grand froid means that as many places as possible are provided to shelter everyone who requests it, in Bordeaux that means over 1500 places have been made available.

The latest party trick is to make home made ice-cream from recipes supplied by a website called "Bigger, bolder baking". The trick is to whip 400ml of cream soundly until rigor sets in, then to add a can of condensed milk and whip again. Into this foamy custard you fold whatever flavourings you favour, be it vanilla, crushed up Oreo biscuits or whatever, and freeze the mix for as long as you can. The result is almost 2 litres of ice-cream - and you know what's in it.

I have these great socks from Uniqlo. They're really nice! But sometimes my toes go through them and you end up with a really nice sock with a hole in the toe. In the past I have darned socks but I would rather prevent the problem than solve it. I considered the way I cut my toenails. Frankly I have heeded advice over the years and I don't think there's much improvement to be made in my technique. That was not the problem. More thought ensued. And now I believe that I have found the solution. After donning your socks but before inserting your feet in your shoes push your sock into the space between your first and second toe and hold it there with your toes. Then put your foot in your shoe and wiggle your toes to release the fold of sock. Tada! This makes a loose area in the sock preventing the tautness at the toe of the sock which results in the friction that makes the hole. I arrived at this solution a few weeks ago and it really does seem to be working.

It snowed this morning for about 5 minutes and even started to settle on the garden wall. Then it stopped and now we have bright sunshine.

H allelujah! H allelujah! H allelujah! H allelujah! H allelujah! For de Lord God omnipotent reigness! and so on and so forth... The conductor eyed one of the basses and said "There's still one bass singing 'ze Lord God'"... The culprit nodded sheepishly. "It's Alan!" accused one of the sopranos. Ha ha ha... Minx!

Running has been on pause since last week because I hurt my leg getting on the bus. Oh look, I'm getting in practice for being a bumbling old duffer, OK? I've pretty well perfected the bumbling. I hope that old will come naturally. Now I'm working on the duffer part. Anyway last Wednesday evening Patricia and I were getting on the bus. She'd had some problems scanning her bus card. I was watching to make sure it worked OK rather than looking where I put my feet. I missed the step and slammed my shin into the side of the bus. Ouch... Later that evening I wondered if it was broken, but I could move my foot normally, so I slathered it in ibuprofen and arnica. Now, a week later, the lump has almost gone, the bruise is progressing through the spectrum, the pain is subsiding and I am taking great care when I get on the bus.