2+2=5

I am not sure I have fully understood this concept:

Silent Disco on Ice


10 December 2009, 19.45, 21.00 and 22.00 skate sessions

Tickets £16

The Ice Rink hosts London’s first ever silent disco on ice. Come and skate at the silent disco and listen to pop classics or the latest nightclub tracks.

Focolare Epiphany Party ... and ice skating again

On Saturday afternoon, Zero and I went to this:





This proved a very enjoyable occasion, reflecting Focolare's spirituality of unity. It was quite interesting to see how the songs, readings and little play by the children confidently presented the Scriptural accounts of the Epiphany. We have a "Word of Life" meeting here in Romford - I host it every second month - and this party gave us the chance to meet another group who meet in Forest Gate.


During the meeting we had read to us the text of an e-mail from the Focolare community in Jerusalem, made up of Muslims, Jews and Christians. They had come together to pray for peace during the current conflict in Jerusalem. We also heard of a similar gathering taking place in Haifa. This reminded me of accounts from the Focolare house in Lebanon which, during the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, had taken in families from the south of the country who had fled their homes to escape the fighting. We were particularly encouraged to take part in the daily "Time out" for peace that the young adults of Focolare have promoted since the first Gulf War in 1990. The idea is that, at any one time, part of the world is spending a a minute in prayer or silence for peace. It is intended that this "time out" occurs at 12 noon in each time zone.


There was time before the Epiphany Party for .... ice skating at the rink at Canary Wharf.

These boots are made for skating, and that's just what they'll do ...

It was very cold, especially for the one of us who fell over (twice):

And to finish:

Second Adolescence: or ice skating

Last year Zero and I adventured in to the world of Christmas/New Year ice rinks around London. Our enthusiasm for this, or our insanity, depending on your point of view, has survived a year. A couple of photos from Friday evening at Hyde Park, in London.

We undertook very careful sociological research, at the rink at Hyde Park and then at Somerset House and the Tower of London. However, we could not convince ourselves other than that we were both well above the median age of those taking part in this slippery activity.

Ice skating and second adolescence

The local Ice Rink not scoring very well on customer care, we ended up travelling to Canary Wharf in London, where the last of the Christmas/New Year outdoor rinks was still open. At least there we should not have met anyone we knew and could display our lack of expertise without due concern. Except that the girl selling the tickets had been in one of my A-level Physics classes only three years ago .... The (temporary) rink was located between the skyscrapers of Docklands. Video clip to follow when I have worked out the best way of posting videos to a blog!

This photo taken from beside the ice rink...

In the afternoon, we visited Greenwich Park. Pulse rates of 92 and 96 (don't ask) after we had walked up to the Old Observatory at the top of the hill.

To prove we did reach the top...

This was the view on the way back down again....

We finished the day with a real dose of adolescence, at the Greenwich Picture House (see review below). No popcorn, though. We shall have to have another go at this cinema thing ...

Parents consultation evening; Ann Widdecombe et al at Methodist Central Hall

I spent three and half hours after school today taking part in a parents consultation meeting for our Year 12. I teach fifteen of them A-level Physics. Out of the fifteen, I met the parents of eleven, which I think was a good attendance. These evenings are enjoyable, but exhausting (even for me on a part-time timetable). Don't you just love the parent who gives you their mobile 'phone number and says, "Any problem, please phone at any time"!

My sister has just sent me the following report of the meeting at Methodist Central Hall last night:

Went to the meeting at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster last night and heard Ann Widdecombe, Lord Alton and others talking about the HFE Bill going through Parliament. We are being urged to write to Gordon Brown to ask him to remove the 3 line whip on MPs to vote for the Bill and allow a free vote. We also have to lobby MPs. It was quite exciting as there were protesters outside the building (not pleasant people at all) and they also tried to disrupt the meeting, heckling and chanting and being generally obnoxious. Eventually they were all removed by the stewards.

Nothing new there then.

Tomorrow sees a day trip to Birmingham for a meeting at Maryvale (a 310 mile round trip for those unfamiliar with UK geography). On Saturday morning, "second adolescence" kicks in with an ice skating trip.