Some may have noticed that these past three weeks I have been silent when it comes to emails, social media and this blog. The reason is simple. I have been spending time with my extended family in “God’s own country” (Kerala) and where access to the Internet was significantly (and dare I say it – mercifully) limited. And now I am back to Blighty and catching up on all that has transpired since going away and readjusting to life back home.

I missed quite a bit while away just before the holiday season. There is a lot of course to catch up with that I need to attend to. It was nice to follow the latest triumphs of the English football team that has, against most people’s expectations, found themselves in semi finals of the World Cup but there are still three weeks of episodes of “The Archers” and “the Alex Jones show” to get through. While I have caught up on email and Facebook, I need to respond and readjust to life at home, which thankfully if still intact and all three of our pussy cats are doing fine, even showing signs that they have missed us.

No doubt, life will continue as before, from where we have left it, although I hope my chance to re-focus will make me a better person. The main point of note has been it has been exceptionally hot in the UK and unusually (it seems) matching the temperatures I have just experienced in India, which has been surprisingly pleasant with it being the monsoon season providing a pleasant environment. Not that we went out all that much. My days of exploring at length and breadth of this fascinating country seems now long past and most of the time I was happy reading books on an assortment of heavy and less heavy subjects on the roof top and balcony of our India home and been wonderfully looked after, interacting with an assortment of friends and family and visitors to our home with occasional excursions, but never more than a two hour journey from where we were staying. I got to preach a few times and could encourage. The country is changing and the threats to religious freedom I go on about here in the UK are even greater for some of those I associate with. I won’t bore you with details of our family holiday other than say we had a nice time thank you very much and for me it was good to rest and recuperate after recent health scares, engage with old friends etc., read an assortment of books ranging from Jeffrey Archer to the history and ideals of Israel and Islam, and the Bible (of course), while surrounded by palm trees and exotic wild life and being waited upon by kind Indian folk, served traditional Indian food, sharing quaint customs, and there I could reflect on the meaning of life, the universe and everything! One nice bonus was watching world cup football on the tele (more of which to come).

Sadly, I come home to find we are still in a mess concerning Brexit, people are still being persecuted for expressing (imo) perfectly reasonable but deemed unacceptable views on subjects and Donald J Trump continuing his roller coaster ride as leader of the free world. How to respond, as respond I must, is a biggie but one thing going to India has brought home to me is how life is short, that we should not hold grudges, and we should live life to the full. Sharing in the lives of so many, who I have gotten to know and love over the years, making me realize even more how privileged I am in so many ways and it has reminded me that all my own personal woes and hang ups ought to fall into insignificance when compared with what they have to face. So that is it for the time being. It is now off to catch up with my church family and writing my next book that no-one will read and continue trying to make a difference in the few years the good Lord has spared me in life’s all too short sojourn.