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Since I last posted (I know, I know it was a long time ago) my wonderful wife has been officially diagnosed as lactose intolerant.
We were talking the other day about Easter and I was bluntly told that Soy Chocolate for Easter would be Sacriligious. Now I had to laugh as Easter has degenerated into a chocolate feast more like pagan festivals than a Christian holiday here in Australia. It is the ultimate long weekend – 4 days and depending where you live, unpredictable to good weather.
Now of course to top this off I had just read Lindsey Davis’ Saturnalia which I enjoyed but it includes some details of the feast of Saturn that sound a bit familiar, the normal rules are turned upside down when a child will lead them, presents are given and good will is to be extended to all people – including and especially family and it happens in December.
This got me thinking and researching the decision to make Christmas December 25th. The theory is quite simple – Christ is believed to have died on March 25th. In earlier times as to when you were conceived was a determined by some other observable date. For the period of time when the date for Christmas was being set the theory was you died on the same day of the year you were conceived therefore Christ was conceived on March 25th and 9 months later was born – December 25th.
This made me realise that some poor pastor in the 2nd or 3rd century was possibly trying to reach out to his pagan neighbours and contextualised the start of Christianity as being similar to Saturnalia. This contextualisation has continued to this day but rather than being a bridge for the gospel to cross over it has become a barrier and a ridicule.
So what will I do – continue to celebrate the birth of our Saviour as tradition has it, remembering also that Easter suffers from similar problems.
Oh and buy my wonderful wife gluten-free real chocolate 🙂
This weekend was a bit quieter than the last one. We were home all three nights (Friday-Sunday), had a friend over for lunch on Saturday and went to the city on Sunday.
I’d like to say I enjoyed church on Saturday afternoon, but I did not hear the sermon so I find my enjoyment disappears when I have to deal with a less than super son who does not want me to leave the kids programme 😦
The trip to the city was great though. We wandered through the Hotel Windsor to look at it for a nights accommodation as a possible gift for some people we know. It works great for couples but won’t for us as they charge an arm and a leg for kids 😦
We then wandered the city a bit which was fun. We had planned to have lunch at Lord of the Fries. It was as good as it sounds with it being the best gluten-free fast food my wife has tasted.
I got to go to Minotaur and pick up the next two volumes of 52. Now if I can just persuade my wonderful wife that the fourth volume would be a great Fathers Day present I would be very happy 🙂
We came home, I read did lecture prep and had an early night. My wonderful wife watched Emma on the ABC and joined me later.
Overall a great weekend.
Well it was a huge weekend. I think I have enough material for about 5 posts. So instead I will do it all as bullet points and then expand some below.
- Men’s conference at Church
- A visit to Absolutely Gluten Free
- A birthday party for an in-law
- Dinner of sorts in Williamstown
- Tony Campolo speaking at Church
- Lunch at Lygon Street, Carlton at Enotecca Oggi
- My son saying “Mummy go oink”
- Arvo Tea at Chaddy
- A Marriage Proposal
- And the guilty pleasure of Eurovision
Tony Campolo and I go along way back. I was at a Baptist conference back in the late 80s and he spoke. I invited him to our tents for lunch one day and we all had a great time. Hearing him again for the first time in 19 years was a great treat. Especially him telling one of the defining stories for me. But that is another post another day.
We finally got to Lygon street due to having purchased a Weekend pass for CityLink to get to the birthday party and so we travelled into the city quite easily. We had a great time there and I saw, in the flesh this time, a book by a friend of mine at Readings. It was too expensive for me to purchase but I did think about it.
On the way home, for numerous reasons, we stopped at Chadstone. My super son was getting a little tired and asked me to carry him. I said I would give him a piggy back. he said “no, mummy can” and hopped on his mother’s back. He then said “Mum, go oink” we took a moment to figure out why he said this and then burst into laughter.
Eventually we got home and had a phone message that sounded urgent and serious and we called back but got no answer. We eventually had a call back to be told that we will have another wedding in the family this year, there had been a marriage proposal. When and where the wedding will be, Melbourne or Brisbane, we are yet to hear. We wait with baited breath.
Finally this weekend was Eurovision. It is hard to describe this amazing mess of music and costumes and other stuff. It is a guilty pleasure which we enjoy, partially from having had a party one year with European friends and watching it, partly because it is so bad and fun at the same time.
Overall a huge weekend: Conference, Comestibles, Celebration, Commuting, Church, Carlton, Chadstone, Congratulations and Confluence (of music).
Well it has been a bit of an odd weekend. Last week I tried to cancel an online order with a “reputable online company” which has been a nightmare. The order was for a wireless adaptor for the computer at home and some ink for the printer. This has bearings on what happened over the weekend.
On Saturday I went to the markets like usual but deliberately a little later so who I would consider dodgy brothers computer supplies would have set up shop. Well after getting all the fruit and vegetables and the bread I went to said stall. I asked for printer ink and they had it this time. I then said you wouldn’t have a USB wireless adaptor would you? The guy shows me a package which looked like the right thing and I purchased it. Total $58 – total online $118. Now i admit the stuff is not exactly the same but it all works.
I went home and then took my super son out as my wonderful wife was not feeling wonderful. We went to Windsor as it was Free Comic Book Day and I wanted to purchase an expensive comic (total cost $1). We parked where we usually park and then went to the comic shop. My super son loved seeing Batman. We then decided to try and find some lunch. We stopped at one (Korean?) bakery cafe and had toasted sandwiches. This was an interesting experience as I am not sure I have seen a cafe burn half a toasted sandwich before. Anyway we had that and my super son asked for more. We were about to order when the gentleman in front of us asked for a juice – from a juice extractor – the noise upset my sensitive sons ears and we went out of there. The next place did not toast sandwiches but it did give him one cheap. We sat and ate that and then he wanted a third. I compromised and purchased a choc chip cookie as he also wanted a biscuit and all was well. I’d rank the bakeries in reverse order the first was the worst and the last best. Total cost of outing $13.20 including comic excluding petrol. Plus a couple of “I love you daddys for taking em to the city” which are priceless.
Somewhere along the way I hooked up the wireless connector and could not get it working. And could not and could not. I got desperate and thought – maybe if I just change a password. Lo and behold no more cables through the house. In the afternoon we got to church as a family and then came home and had dinner for which my wonderful wife went to bed as she was still not well.
Sunday dawned and I sort of expected a repeat of the day before. Instead we all went to Frankston around 10am had a walk on the boardwalk and the beach and saw heaps of starfish. I have never seen them like this before washed up on a beach so it was an exciting experience for me and my son. We had lunch at Roxy’s Cafe in Karringal and will be back there as they actually understand what is Gluten Free for my wife. Mind you seeing a sign that the Taxi Stand is a security stand from 00am to 5:30am is a bit of a worry.
We had a quite afternoon at home, I did some lecture prep while my super son played and watched some television. In the evening for the first time in ages my wonderful wife and I watched a movie I had borrowed from the library, Brassed Off, with a very young Ewan McGregor. While not the most brilliant screenplay, consider:
Gloria: Do you want to come up for coffee?
Andy: I don’t drink coffeee
Gloria: I don’t have any.
it still worked.
It was a good movie which I wanted to see having lived near areas hit by Maggie Thatcher shutting down the mines. One line will stay with me for a long time where one of the characters is in a church and shouts about and to God that some people have died but Maggie Thatcher is still alive where is the justice in that. A powerful scene about injustice.
Overall a good weekend with lots done but more to do around the house.
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