Toggie Tales

Wild Geese on the Holy Island

For the next four days, I'll be on Lindisfarne/Holy Island with Emma Nicholson and the other 24-7's Wild Goose interns, and their coaches, for some 'retreat and reflection' time.

Broken Brakes

I haven't got a clue if the brake mechanism bits we've just had replaced in our car actually look like this (it's just what Google-image came up with when I searched) but they cost a whopping £303?! *gulp*

Ibiza, the beautiful White Isle

The walls are covered with scribbled prayers... in German and French, English and Spanish, and other languages I don't even recognise. Every surface in this tiny prayer room is crowded with photos of loved ones, flowers, objects, signs and symbols. And in the corner is a pile of A4 books crammed full of written petitions, thanksgiving, confessions. I could be describing almost any one of 24-7's thousands of prayer rooms from the past nine years, but I'm not. Because this one outdates the beginning of 24-7prayer by more than 80 years.

Sat on a remote hill near the middle of the island of Ibiza, with views of the Mediterranean Sea to the North and the South, this quiet prayer room receives determined pilgrims almost every day. Three days ago, Emma and I and a few of 24-7's Ibiza community (who have recently become surprised stewards of the prayer room and the hill it sits on) followed the same pilgrim path, where I added my silent prayers to countless others.

Toggie Tripping: Ibiza

We might not get to see one of Ibiza's beautiful sunsets, but we will get to see the beautiful Heasley-family, and Bruce and Helen - aka 24-7Ibiza! Back on Saturday... with photos! :o)

Community 'Love Meal'

Instead of our usual Sunday afternoon community meal, we decided to all get together this evening and celebrate Valentine's Day... albeit a little differently. Inclusively, for a start. The families and children, singles and couples all gathered into our house for our first-ever Love Meal. :o)

Fridge Magnet Art

I like fridge magnets. Have a look at my post on fridge magnets for examples of the recent poetry that's appeared on our huge community house fridge. And here's what I made this week (the 'poo' is Aaron's addition).

Back to the '12 Marks...'

Back in 2007, every few weeks, a bunch of us met in the Eva Hart to explore a chapter of Rutba House's 'Schools of Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism'. We got half-way through the book, before moving house and 'busyness' took over. When David suggested that we pick it up again recently, we were all up for it.

Birthday Cookie Cake

I don't really like chocolate cake much, so Emma made me a giant birthday cookie-cake instead. Mmmm!

Firty-Aitff Baffday Drinkles...

Dear friends...

...I shall be propping up the Liberty Bell bar (Romford) on Sunday evening, from roughly 8pm onwards, commemorating the twenty-or-so years since I looked like this;

Let It Snow...

As our community meal ended yesterday, the first few flakes of snow began to fall. Jon, Rich and Rosi tried to catch them all.