JP's Corner of The Blogosphere

Well actually I'm in West Wales. I'm not even sure where "the Zone" is but the title today is a quote from Monsters Inc which I watched last night (and enjoyed very much). I've been rubbish at updating this blog recently, but hey it's August. Everyone's away and not much goes on anyway. Earlier in the week I went househunting in Bath which was an experience. I saw a couple of houses and met some good people, but so far I've not got a definite place of residence for next year (though it's not without hope). Being new to Bath I don't yet know anybody, so it's all about meeting the people I might be living with as well. Placing an ad on the university forum and receiving various responses is worryingly reminiscent of how I imagine internet dating might work. The whole experience just lacks candlelit dinners though. Whilst I was in Bath I also saw the most pregnant looking man I have ever seen and passed another guy whose response to my ...

Sam was driving me home last night when we came up behind a jester in a Porsche. He was one of these really annoying drivers who was inconsistent with speed, and quite slow, yet not quite slow enough to justify overtaking. Frustrated with the sporadic and unnecessary slowing down, Sam lined himself up to overtake on a short stretch of dual carriageway...and Mr Porsche put his foot down. We were (alas) not in a Porsche and it was not possible to safely overtake. Then at the end of the dual carriageway Mr Porsche braked and slowed down again. Clearly the car was a substitute for something - he didn't have the guts or the ability to drive it well, and he evidently felt that being overtaken was not something he could cope with. Ironically however his behaviour just proved that he was small (minded) and rather than being impressed I would like to publically laugh at him for being such a gimp and evidently having more money than sense. When you have finished joining me in mocking...

Dave commented this week and seemed to think that it was a bit ironic for me to go to Rome and seek God. Well, fortunately for him I did not go to Rome in order to seek God. I went to Rome to sing with my college choir. But come to think of it, I find it quite sad that 'seeking God' was not a big feature of some of my visits to Rome's many churches. In fact, I would go so far to say that St Peter's angered me somewhat. This is the centre piece of the Roman Catholic church, and yet rather than focussing on God the statues of the Popes seem to be more important. Rather than being welcomed I felt that I was ushered round aggressively. Rather than encouraging an atmosphere of reverence and worship, camera flashes and talking seem to be acceptable during the services. And rather than taking the opportunity to preach the Christian message in all it's simplicity it was acceptable - encouraged even - to queue and rub the feet of a bronze statue of Peter. Idolatory a...

I've noticed that several people have found this blog recently by searching for Circus Mondao. I think therefore that it deserves its own post - after all there is a lot to say. Circus Mondao is a comedy name in itself, and we knew things would be bad when we saw the name of the venue (Cookies Car Boot Field) and the advertising lorries. Handpainted, they really did claim to have good 'press revues'. However on the basis that a) it looks so bad that it must be funny and b) a huge discount was wangled with ease (being ripped off became less of a concern) we took the kids anyway. The big top was tiny, and the ringside seats we had bartered for were - I kid you not - plastic garden chairs. Some people would have paid £16 for the privilege of sitting in them rather than on some rickety looking wooden 'stalls'. Suckers. The artists as it turned out were the same (badly) facepainted people who tried to sell us hamburgers, candy floss and 'circus novelties' in...

Gannets is the name of the end of the day team meeting at the camp I helped out on last week. So called because after the necessary business and prayer time is over we can descend (like gannets) on the food available in the cookhouse. Mmm. There will be no more gannets this year, not because there were some unwashed mugs left over this morning but because camp finished yesterday. I arrived back in civilisation yesterday evening and was glad of a proper bed to sleep in. However I did have the most amazing time on camp, and I found it really rewarding. I enjoyed taking part in all kinds of activities from Outdoor Pursuits (mmm Zip Wire) to swimming to playing chess (against some really talented people). The spiritual programme worked well and I think that both the team and the campers got a lot out of it. For the kids, it gave them the chance in a low key way to learn about the basics of Christianity, and if they had a faith, to develop it. God was clearly at work throughout the w...

This morning I enjoyed the hot sunshine, strolled in to town for a cafe latte and had the most amazing ice-cream. I may as well have still been in Italy, but a glance at the numerous chip shops and a realisation that cars actually stop at pedestrian crossings put paid to that illusion. In this weather, Norfolk is not without it's charms. Aside from getting to walk back from town along the beach, I also enjoyed seeing a steam train and buying some delicious fudge. Mmm. This afternoon I enjoyed a trip to Circus Mondao. My first circus experience didn't fail to amuse me, but for all the wrong reasons. Despite claiming "excellent press revues" and having some pygmy goats, I was not overly surprised to find that it lacked popularity. I did however very much enjoy it, and the 'never a dull moment' ethos continues to hold true. Defined by user

The afternoon started on an exciting note as it was, when I went in to town and bought myself a dress. I then went with a man who wants to earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records by getting the least votes in a General Election to 'collect some weeds as decoration for our Narnia themed party'. Said 'weeds' were 10ft tall ("tree" is a more appropriate term) and we had to ride home in the trailer to ensure that they didn't fall out. :) Defined by user

On Sunday in Rome my lovely wife and I fancied some Anglican banter and set off early for the English church. The said traditional service was not overly exciting, but the sermon was quite thought provoking. Starting from the feeding of the 5000 it focussed on God's abundant generosity and as the week has progressed I've really noticed it, even in the little things. Rome was awesome, and it all went better than I could ever have imagined. And now I've arrived to help on a camp in Norfolk. Despite terrible weather over the last week, everyone is generally in good spirits and there seems to be a really good group of campers. God has evidently been at work as well, which is exciting. Anyhow, I have business to attend to. So from a field in Norfolk it's over and out. Defined by user

Another funny moment in Rome occurred after a couple of us had spent the day down on the Appian Way (and very nice it was too). Unfortunately, we just missed a bus and the long wait for the next one meant that we were late to that evening's rehearsal. I might have won the BNC Choir Tour "Virgin Trains Award for Punctuality" but not even my nagging wife could have done anything about it in this case. As the two of us raced towards the Dutch Church, however, we realised to our horror that the gate at the top of the steps was locked, and that getting in could be a problem. The sight of a nun the other side of the gate provided a glimmer of hope and we sprinted up the stairs...where we realised that we had no idea how to convey in Italian that the choir we were with was inside the church and that we wanted to join them. The situation looked pretty desperate when hand gestures and "Cantare" (which, it turns out, may mean 'you sing') failed to get us anywhe...

Image006[1] Originally uploaded by JP1984 . ...I didn't remove my glasses in time. [Apologies if you don't know Nick. Apologies if you are Nick. Normal service will resume shortly].

Image019a Originally uploaded by JP1984 . Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry, but this corner of the Blogosphere has just come over all Tabloid. Don't let the lack of (almost) topless totti and poor puns fool you. What you see before you is indeed a grainy photograph of a world cup footballer, and it can't be long before I've honed my skills enough to produce quality articles as informative as the one I recently spotted in the Daily Express . FRANCESCO TOTTI-who scored against Australia-was spotted in the same restaurant as the BNC Choir. It might shock readers to know that he was seen EATING and drinking with his friends. Famous for SCORING against Austrailia, neither Totti nor his friends were available for comment. Hmmm. Anyhow, I was indeed glared at by Francesco Totti. He was stood outside as I elegantly (her words, not mine) carried Miss Mugford up the street, and the look I got was priceless. I think it was one of my proudest moments.

A lot of our singing rehearsals took place in the Dutch Church in the Vatican. That in itself is kinda cool. Halfway through the first rehearsal, people started filing in, and a priest (not, notably, wearing a black shirt) attempted to converse - initially in Spanish I think - with our organ scholar. Evidently the people had turned up for mass, and assuming that the church had been double booked, we left. Then as we were stood on the steps contemplating what the plan was, and when we would next reconvene, the people filed out of the church again. The reason? They'd come to the wrong church... It's easily done in Rome I guess - there are churches everywhere - but it was very funny nonetheless.

For some reason on Monday there was a concert outside the Colosseum featuring Bryan Adams and Billy Joel. And it was free (one of my favourite prices). So as I sat down with the group at a restaurant around the corner and tucked in to some authentic Italian pizza, my dinner was accompannied by some live music. We could hear the gig very clearly, and as the wine and conversation flowed it was surreal to think that "Summer of 69", "Run to You" and the other classics were actually being sung, right there, right then, by the man himself. Following the meal we went off to our favourite Gelateria for some ice-cream (if you've never had proper Italian ice-cream you haven't lived). Miss Mugford and I then made our way towards the Colosseum as Billy Joel began his set. A walk around the Palatine (which masked the sound, alas) took us to the slopes of the Capitoline where we joined a crowd of people staring out across the forum. There in front of us was the Rost...

I'm paying a quick visit to the Blogosphere again, having returned from Rome yesterday. I was there to sing with my college choir and it was awesome. I was with a wonderful group of people, and with such good company in such a great place I really did have a good time. I will get on with posting some thoughts, because - as ever - I have a lot to say. I'll try and break it down a bit though because the last Shetland post was admittedly a bit mammoth. (however, I'm sure you did read it all, Dave, and I had to leave enough for people to read whilst I went away again). You'll probably also be pleased to know that I don't intend to ramble as much as I did about Cyprus; though please do try and read those posts at some point (my ego will suffer if I don't think it was worth my effort). For tales of Bryan Adams, Billy Joel, and a world cup footballer, stay tuned.