Author: Chris Jefferies

I live in the west of England, worked in IT, and previously in biological science.

An old castle made new

It feels like being on a castle roof rather than perched uncomfortably on top of a high, stone wall.

I’ve visited York many times in my life, and on several occasions I’ve visited Clifford’s Tower, the ruined remains of a roughly circular stone building on top of a conical grass mound near the centre of the city.

I visited the tower again recently, and was astonished at the work done to improve this venerable structure, work that has utterly changed the place without disturbing any of the old stonework. It will never be the same again – in a good way! Here are some before and after photos:

I took the first image in October 2012 and the second image is from my recent visit almost exactly ten years later. They’re taken from similar angles, and there are recognisable features close to the edges of the photos – a small opening on the extreme left and a doorway and damaged stonework on the extreme right, for example.

I think you’ll agree that the tower looks stark and pretty much ruined in the first photo – almost uncared for (though nothing could be further from the truth). But in the second photo it looks so different. There’s a wooden ceiling and internal structures. The new work is entirely supported from beneath and is not attached to, or supported by, the original stonework.

A new feel, almost a new life

The building is utterly transformed. The moment I stepped inside I felt it was a different place, no longer a ruin but a place for people once again. The wooden ceiling is castle-like and tells visitors they are indoors. Before the new structure was added, visitors definitely felt they were somehow outside. The sky was visible, if it rained you got wet.

The new walkways and stairs make it possible to view the structure from completely new angles, and visualise another floor at a lower level.

There was always access to the top of the walls, but it was cramped and people inevitably got in one another’s way. Now the roof deck makes it easy to walk straight across from one side to the other; it feels like being on a castle roof rather than perched uncomfortably on top of a high, stone wall. Groups can stand together to admire the view and discuss the surroundings.

I’d like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to English Heritage for doing this major work, also to the designers for creating an idea that leaves the old stonework unaffected, yet transforms the feel of the place.

What can we learn?

For me, there’s something here more general than improving an old structure. The work on Clifford’s Tower shows how anything might be improved in radical ways. What about a broken friendship? Or an area of woodland? Or a failing school? Or something much bigger – climate change, or racist attitudes in an entire nation?

Whatever the issue that needs to be tackled, it’s never wrong to consider approaching it in novel and imaginative ways. Clifford’s Tower should spur us on to be more creative and less willing to give up because of restraints and difficulties. Here’s a shining example of a novel solution to a problem that might, at first, have seemed intractable.

Useful links:

Reflections from way back when

The weak are doubly rewarded, they’re glad to do the easy things and by their childlike faith and trust achieve the hard things too

This is an edited repost of one of my earliest blog messages, originally from 18th December 2002, so almost twenty years ago! In fact, it was my first serious post.

Back in those days I’d been meeting with my sister, Rachael, and some local friends. Sometimes we met in Rugby, at Rachael’s house, sometimes near Wellingborough where one of our friends lived, and sometimes at my home or others in St Neots.

The meetings were always full of spiritual life; we would sit together, share coffee, do a bit of a catch up chat, and then fall into a comfortable silence – waiting, and expecting the Holy Spirit to guide us. These were very fruitful times for all of us. Out of the quietness would come a mental picture, a thought, some Bible verses, a prayer, words in an unknown language, an interpretation, a song, some prophecy. Usually everyone would contribute something, and always by the end of the meeting we would see a clear thread running through the whole, something we could remember that would encourage us or bless us in some way.

The following is what I wrote twenty years ago:

Our meeting reminded me of the seventh day of creation, when He rested. Even God desires quiet times!

The other bit I particularly remembered was, ‘It’s not for us to do, but for Him to do in us’ (RK)

Four of us met and the Holy Spirit led us very gently. We felt encouraged and uplifted, it was a peaceful and quiet time with a variety of words and pictures.

There was a wonderful picture of still water, with a reflection of the Almighty’s glory clearly visible in it; the water also reflected images of us towards him. Our feet were in the water; and he said that we should be careful not to make disturbances as this would spoil the reflection, only if we stayed quiet and very still would we be able to see his reflected glory.

We also had a word that the easy things he wants done are overlooked by the great and the learned, while the difficult things are only ever attempted by the weak and foolish.

Thinking about this afterwards I realised that the great doubly miss out, they miss the easy things because they think they’re not worth doing, and they miss the hard things because they realise they’re too difficult to attempt. But the weak are doubly rewarded, they’re glad to do the easy things and by their childlike faith and trust achieve the hard things too!

We came away encouraged and strengthened – it was a great evening!

See the original post

(Note: RK is my sister, Rachael.)

A reflection of what is not directly visible – Image from Wikimedia Commons

My thought after the meeting is what I want to emphasise here in 2022. Perhaps we are much too easily impressed by the people in society who are thought to be great in wisdom, or wealth, or skill. Great leaders, great speakers, powerful company bosses. Reputation can be overvalued.

Perhaps we should be more willing to also value weakness, and to notice how the weak are doubly blessed. They achieve this by doing the easy things that the great may overlook or regard of little value, and they achieve the hard things by just doing them, often without recognising the difficulties.

So let’s value the weak and the humble. Let’s notice them, and learn from them. At the same time we can (and should) appreciate the people around us who achieve so much through skill, learning, persuasive speaking, and sheer hard work and persistence. The great are good, providing they are also humble and gentle. Indeed, good motives are fundamental, for both the strong and the weak.

And if you think you are weak – rejoice! Savour the double blessing.

Some questions

  • If you follow Jesus, could you meet like this? Have you tried?
  • What advantages are there in preparing the content, structure, and leadership of a meeting in advance?
  • Are there any disadvantages?
  • What does Paul mean when he says that all should contribute? (1 Corinthians 14:26) – For more on this question, see my subsequent tweet.

Where have I been?

Looking back I see that this is only the third blog post I have made in 2022; I have been almost entirely absent. Why? I’m not sure. I’ve been busy with all sorts of other things, but that didn’t stop me from posting in the past.

It’s not possible to engage in blog posting – or any other kind of writing – without having a real urge to do it. People are driven to write, or create music, or art, or any other creative thing. When there is some burning issue to be addressed, or an idea that wants to get out, then writing is easy. Sometimes it’s harder not to write because something is buzzing in your mind, jumping up and down and demanding to be expressed. My mind has not been empty of ideas, but somehow the will to express these ideas as blog posts has dwindled.

The last two posts were failed attempts to make a fresh start. Well, I’m going to try again, hopefully more effectively than before. This present item is more of a meta-post, a blog post about posting on a blog if you will. I’m going to keep it quite brief.

I find the best thing is just to begin writing, either a list of topics I want to cover, or the first paragraph. If I start to struggle, or there are other jobs needing attention, I stop and take a break. A partly written post is usually easy to return to, and will almost always need some improvements and corrections. When there’s nothing more to add – it’s time to post.

So wish me well, I hope to write more soon…

Down, or down and out?

It’s a ship that will continue to take on water and is likely to founder and disappear for ever

I rarely make any political comment here on JHM, largely because I don’t want to annoy or alienate a significant fraction of my readers. This blog is about other aspects of life.

But sometimes events demand some sort of response. This is such a time.

The Conservative party is in a state of confusion right now. The parliamentary party is clearly rejecting Boris Johnson as leader and Prime Minister, and the electorate is hugely critical of the party (recent byelection results illustrate that).

I believe two things need to happen as soon as possible.

First, the party must find a way to remove Johnson from his leadership position in the next few days or weeks, and they must elect a new leader and form a new cabinet and all the government machinery that goes along with that. So much is self-evident.

Secondly, they must call a general election as soon as possible.

They will need to do that because giving senior cabinet positions to people who supported Johnnson’s leadership for such a long time, knowing that he was – well, let’s say ‘a bit dodgy’ – is not going to pass muster with the general public. And it’s hard to see how a new government can be formed without including a significant number of tainted heavyweights.

Johnson has tarred himself with his own brush, but in the process he’s managed to splash quite a few of those around him with black marks. Not that they didn’t object to his behaviour, but that they supported him as Prime Minister for such a long time. I understand the difficulty, nobody wants to be the first to climb, suicidally, out of the trenches.

Somebody wrote recently that the sinking ship has abandoned the rat. Very witty, but it’s still a sinking ship. It’s a ship that will continue to take on water and is likely to founder and disappear for ever.

We need a new government, whether Conservative or otherwise. The electorate needs an opportunity to replace any MP they regard as tainted and untrustworthy. Two years is too long for a seriously damaged party to continue in power. Only a general election as soon as possible can remove the remaining spots and streaks of tar.

Most, including the crew, agree that we need a new captain, but we also need a new ship.

Climate change – What can I do?

By showering less often I’m cutting my water use to less than half, and turning down the flow rate reduces water use by about half again.

I’ve just watched the latest ‘Just have a think’ video from Dave Borlace. I really enjoy his videos – they are well produced, clear, uncompromising, polite, thorough … well, you get the idea. The latest one asks what we can do individually to help reduce the pace of climate change, and he describes a survey that shows most people are just waiting for someone else to do something about it.

That rings true!

Here’s the video, watch it, then scroll on down and read my personal take on, ‘What can I do?’ I believe we can have a large impact – if we all pull together.

What can I do?

I’m going to share one idea with you, something I’ve been doing for a long time now, and something I’m finding quite easy that also makes a big difference. Just remember though, this one idea is just an example. Maybe you can think of something in your own life that you could change that would also have a useful impact.

I used to shower every day, after all it takes less time, water and energy than having a bath and that has to be a good thing, right? Well, yes.

But for a number of years now, I’ve made a point of showering once every two or three days, turning down the water flow, turning down the temperature, and also minimising my use of shower gel. I still enjoy my showers, the temperature’s warm enough to be pleasant, I’m not advocating cold showers!

So how does this help?

Much more than you might think. By showering less often I’m cutting my water use to less than half, and turning down the flow rate reduces water use by about half again. So I’m using only 25% as much overall. Turning down the temperature a little combined with the reduced water use reduces the heating energy required to perhaps just 20%. I only use shower gel under my arms and around the more personal parts of my body, cutting consumption by 50% or maybe a bit more. Combined with showering less often my use of shower gel is therefore down to 20 or 25% overall.

Bear in mind that shower gel takes energy to manufacture as do the plastic bottles that it comes in, as does disposing of the empties. Add in the energy cost of producing and supplying water, and of removing and treating the waste water, and it all begins to add up.

I hope this illustrates the energy savings that can be achieved by one, small change in one person’s lifestyle. And there are other benefits too. For example, my skin microbiome is probably more healthy for the reduced frequency and coverage of shower gel. If we all did this, and thought of other ways to reduce our individual energy use, we could make a huge difference.

Don’t just leave it to others. Work out what you can do – and make a difference!

See also:

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