CHAPLAIN'S LETTER
At the beginning of next month, on July 2nd, God willing, Chris Nicholls will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Geoffrey. As far as I know this will be the first ordination to the priesthood that has ever taken place in our church in Utrecht, and it is a great privilege for us all to be able to witness such a special event. The ordination service sets out the nature of a priest’s calling and it makes for some awesome reading. Here is what the Bishop will say to Chris on his big day.
“Priests are called to be servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent. With their Bishop and fellow ministers, they are to proclaim the word of the Lord and to watch for the signs of God's new creation. They are to be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord; they are to teach and to admonish, to feed and provide for his family, to search for his children in the wilderness of this world's temptations, and to guide them through its confusions, that they may be saved through Christ for ever. Formed by the word, they are to call their hearers to repentance and to declare in Christ's name the absolution and forgiveness of their sins.
With all God's people, they are to tell the story of God's love. They are to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to walk with them in the way of Christ, nurturing them in the faith. They are to unfold the Scriptures, to preach the word in season and out of season, and to declare the mighty acts of God. They are to preside at the Lord's table and lead his people in worship, offering with them a spiritual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. They are to bless the people in God's name. They are to resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor, and intercede for all in need. They are to minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. Guided by the Spirit, they are to discern and foster the gifts of all God's people, that the whole Church may be built up in unity and faith”.
It is hardly surprising that most people’s response to all that is to feel humbled and inadequate. It’s the sort of text that should drive anybody to their knees in prayer, which is precisely what actually happens in the service. Eventually the Bishop turns to the candidate and says -
“In the name of our Lord we bid you remember the greatness of the trust that is now to be committed to your charge. Remember always with thanksgiving that the treasure now to be entrusted to you is Christ's own flock, bought by the shedding of his blood on the cross. It is to him that you will render account for your stewardship of his people. You cannot bear the weight of this calling in your own strength, but only by the grace and power of God. Pray therefore that your heart may daily be enlarged and your understanding of the Scriptures enlightened. Pray earnestly for the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
So please would you pray for Chris and for his wife Johannette, as he prepares for his big day. Thank you and God bless you.
Fr John
HOLY LAND TRIP – LATE AFTERNOON, DAY 2
After spending the whole morning on the Mount of Olives and in the garden of Gethsemane, having a wonderful lunch at the Greek Monastery and celebrating mass at the ‘Notre Dame de Sion Ecce Homo Convent’, we were ready to start to walk the Via Dolorosa, along the Stations of the Cross. For many Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem, the most important and meaningful thing they will do is walk the Via Dolorosa: the route that Jesus took between his condemnation by Pilate and his crucifixion and burial. The first station of the cross on Via Dolorosa is Ecce Homo which is managed by a sister’s convent from Europe. It is where Pilate presented Jesus to the mob and said: “Behold the man”. This is the place where the Romans tortured Jesus and made fun of Him. Ecce Homo has all kinds of underground tunnels, passageways and caves, each rich in history and archaeology. Barney, our guide, told us that archaeologists and Christian scholars are not certain that Via Dolorosa really is the route Jesus took while carrying his cross through Jerusalem; there are other possibilities. And in Jesus’ time the road was much lower than today (maybe 10 – 15 meters lower). Father Peter said that we would carry the cross, which we had picked up in Ecce Homo, in turns. And so we started on our journey: two people carrying the cross and the others walking beside them in silence. It was very special. I could imagine Jesus walking here, tired and broken, with each step bringing Him closer to His death. At every station we stopped and Father Peter read the passage from the bible concerning that particular station: where Jesus stumbled and fell, where Jesus met His mother, where Simon of Cyrene took over the cross from Jesus, where Veronica wiped His brow and so on. Then two other people took over the cross and we walked on, still in silence, through the narrow streets of old Jerusalem, under the arched supports between the houses, through the long bazaar with all its shimmering shops, from station to station and on to the Holy Sepulchre. The only distraction was the professional Arab photographer who kept running ahead to take photos of our group, hoping he could sell us some of his pictures later on.
It was my turn to carry the cross on the last stretch and, while lifting it up onto my shoulder, the feeling of Jesus being close by intensified. The cross we carried was not as big or as heavy as the one Jesus carried but it still gave the feeling of a dead weight pressing you down. It must have been a truly horrifying and heart-breaking experience for Jesus. When we got to the end of our Via Dolorosa we went through a porch in a wall and stepped onto the square in front of the Church The Holy Sepulchre. We left the cross there, leaning against the wall, as we had been instructed.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection (Anastasis to Eastern Orthodox Christians), and is the holiest Christian site in the world. It stands on a location that is believed to encompass both Golgotha (‘Calvary’, where Jesus was crucified) and the tomb (‘sepulchre’, where he was buried). This site was discovered under Hadrian’s temples and Queen Helena had a magnificent basilica built on it which was completed in 335 AD.
Inside the church it was extremely busy. The building is divided into different sections or ‘chapels’. The part where Jesus was crucified and buried is in the Greek Orthodox area. There are also Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Syrian, Coptic and Armenian sections. Hundreds of people were crowding each section. There was a Russian Orthodox choir singing in their part. There was a queue of at least two hours in front of Calvary where people were waiting, wanting to touch or kiss ‘the foot of the cross’ (which is under the altar). The slab of stone where they laid Jesus after taking Him down from the cross was surrounded by people, many of them weeping. I was stunned by the number of visitors. The tomb, which looked like two small man-made caves, could be visited in turn by a few people each time. The church is really enormous inside and full of colour and gold ornaments. I managed to get a glimpse of everything, but only queued up to see the tomb; we had to press on. Barney said that the exact place where Jesus was crucified and buried is not certain. It might be here at Holy Sepulchre, or somewhere else. But they did find the remnants of three crosses in this place and the archaeologists are almost certain that they are the crosses of Jesus and the two robbers.
When we came outside again another Arab photographer was waiting to take our group photograph. So we all obediently posed on the steps of the church.
To be continued…..
Madeleine
TO THE TIBETAN CHILDREN
You probably all have heard of the Wilde Ganzen, a Dutch organisation that encourages and helps small projects in the Third World.
Tame geese just sit on their territory, they eat, drink and sleep and do nothing else. But the Wild Geese fly all over the world to see where help is needed. They mobilize people here, there and everywhere to fight poverty.
If you have an idea for a project anywhere in this world, you can go to the Wilde Ganzen and if they approve it, they will help you in every possible way and furthermore, they will add 70% to the revenues!
For more than forty years I have been helping the Tibetan refugee children in India, building homes and schools for them, and now furnishing classrooms for a Tibetan college in Bangalore: The Dalai Lama’s Institute for Higher Education.
The Wilde Ganzen visit their projects to see what is needed and if things are working out as they should. This year it was India’s turn: in the north there are several Tibetan children’s villages housing more than 7000 children who have escaped their country. The Chinese communists occupy Tibet and it is impossible to get a Tibetan education there, so many parents make the great sacrifice of sending their children to India, accompanied by guides. They often arrive in a terrible state, sometimes with frostbitten arms and legs that have to be amputated.
When I last went to see them seven years ago, several children were in tears when I left but I did not dare to say:” Don’t cry; I’ll be back”, because I thought I would never make it again at my age. But look: the Wild Geese had to go to India and they asked me to go with them: a huge surprise!
The journey was first planned for January, but then some of us got ill and that trip had to be cancelled. But in March there was a new opportunity and the three of us flew off to India. This was much better, since January in the Himalayas is not at all pleasant! Now the temperature was far more agreeable.
We flew first to New Delhi, which for me was unrecognizable. There was no longer a rather shabby airport, but a very impressive new building, complete with fitted floor covering and the best possible approaches. Old-Delhi was once a ghastly hell of slums, but the slums have been replaced by modern housing. This if of course just a beginning. Outside the cities it is still Old Testament country, but a start has been made.
We were too early to see the arrival of the second batch of the clothes which you so lovingly collected, but they are expected by April 20th.
This was my ninth trip and it was really impressive to see what the Tibetans have achieved in the past fifty years since they started to escape from their country. Until recently, thousands of children a year made the journey. They were always met by the inspiring welcome of H.H. The Dalai Lama and by his sister, Jetsun Pema, who is called AMALA (mother) by all the thousands of children who have already made the journey across the Himalayas.
Now the Chinese are making it even more difficult to escape from Tibet, so only about 250 children a year can get away. No more children’s villages will therefore be built but the existing ones will be well maintained. Here, the new children can occupy the places of older children who have moved on to try to find their way in India until, we hope, they can one day return to their own country.
On the first Sunday of the Tibetan New Year, called the year of the Iron-Rabbit (don’t ask me why!) The Dalai Lama gave a talk in which he explained to the thousands of the Tibetans who were there why he wanted to abdicate as their political head of state in exile and only continue as their religious leader. Many Tibetans were moved, even to tears.” I have been your leader with all my love”, he said, "but now you have learned so many things that I think you really are able to continue the work in a very good way”.
After visiting the villages of Dharamsala and Chauntra, my Wild Geese friends went on to visit various Indian projects and I continued to Bangalore, where we would meet up again before returning to Holland.
It was good to see the start of the College there. I did not recognize the city. Since my last visit many years ago, it is has become a booming city thanks to the computer business. The College is far out of the city in the bush-bush and the only buildings that are finished are the accommodation for teachers and students, the classrooms and the canteen. But the high spot for me was to meet my daughter Pema Yangchen, whom I had not seen for twenty years. Each time in the past when I have been in India, she was studying in the United States. She does a good job teaching English and Educational Science to the students.
It was a marvellous trip: lovely travelling companions, getting together again with those of my children who were still around, meeting with The Dalai Lama and his wonderful sister and being able to see that all the projects are proceeding so well. What more could a person wish?
Maya
THE FRIENDS OF THE DIOCESE IN EUROPE
The 'Friends' are people who support the Diocese in Europe and share in its life and work -
by their interest;
by their prayers;
by their gifts.
In return their for an annual subscription, Friends receive the quarterly European Anglican, the Diocesan Yearbook, and Prayer Cycle, and have the opportunity to gather, usually in London, for a Service and Reception.
Funds are distributed to support various elements of the Diocese's work, often outside the general funding: e.g. this year the Friends 'hosted' the lunch-time fringe gathering at the February Synod in London; a DVD presentation, in connexion with The Royal Maundy has been funded by the Friends; further initiatives have been discussed between the Chairman and the Bishop at this exciting stage of growth across Europe.
The Chairman, (H.E.) Mark Pellew, CVO, former British Ambassador to The Holy See, brings valuable experience and leadership to the Committee, as we seek to promote awareness of the Diocese and support for its work.
To JOIN the Friends, you can download the Donation/Gift Aid Declaration forms from the Diocesan website - FRIENDS - or e-mail: friends.europe@churchofengland.org
Hon. Sec.: Canon Arthur Siddall
April, 2011
PRAYER CHAIN
If you have any requests for the prayer chain, or if you feel called to take part in this ministry, please contact Anne Miechielsen
NOT QUITE WHAT HE EXPECTED!
A priest friend of mine was taking Communion to bedridden patients in a hospital ward. As he offered the consecrated host to one patient, she replied: “No thank you Vicar; it’ll spoil my dinner.”
Harry
FROM THE STUDENT PASTOR
This Easter was special and different for me as I took part in the Easter Vigil we organized together with the local Student Chaplaincy (IPSU).
Waiting for the Light
Imagine a dark church, the sanctuary lit with some candles. People are sitting there, praying or meditating. In another quiet corner people are reading or watching a slideshow with images of paintings by Chagall. In the back of the church, there is some more light: you can meditate on the Stations of the Cross or paint your own. If you want, there is a pastor you can talk to or pray with. Every hour someone starts to play the piano and people gather in the sanctuary to sing and pray and wait for the light of Easter morn. That was what it was like to keep watch during the Easter Vigil in the Janskerk. Up to 40 people came to watch and pray for (part of) the night. Among them some students of our congregation and some (international) students I had never met before. One of them told me she had a wonderful and blessed night celebrating Easter with people from different backgrounds. Hopefully the experience of keeping watch will inspire us to live as children of the Light!
Student Lunch
To provide a way for students (and any young people) attending Holy Trinity to get to know each other, we will offer a monthly Student Lunch. This will take place every last Sunday of the month, after the service. You’re all warmly invited to come and meet each other, eat, drink, make merry and generally have a great time! After coffee we will meet in the church hall or (when the weather is good) in the Wilhelminapark. Please bring some food to share (we’d love to taste something from your home country) and fun games/circus tricks/shenanigans you might want to play! Everyone is welcome, so please bring friends/family/pets/any others!
See you on 29th May or 26th June!
Please let us know if you’re coming: studentpastor@holytrinityutrecht.nl or sign up on Facebook!
Greetings, Annelies
WOMEN WHO KNOW THEIR PLACE
Barbara Walters, of 20/20 (ABC’s prime time news magazine programme), did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem happy to maintain the old custom.
Ms Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?' The woman looked Ms Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said: 'Land mines.'
'WIKILEAKS' FOR CHOIRS (II) THE GOOD LIFE IN THE WILHELMINA PARK
(One observant reader asked me what had happened to part II of Wikileaks for Choirs. Well, here it is!)
What life would you like to live? Do you want to live in a “good” neighbourhood with your family, enjoying the Good Life? The residents of upper middle-class Wilhelminapark are no exception of course. It all started in the year 1999 when Jacobien H., a resident of the Van Hogendorpstraat, founded an amateur operatic society originally with a close knit fraternity of friends and neighbours from the Wilhelmina Park. The society could have stayed on a little Olympus, but as with the Midsommer Worthy cricket club the board decided to look for more talented players elsewhere. The society roped in more than they had bargained for: not only a tenor and an alto from the church across the road, but also the vicar and his wife. This was the start of an enduring collaboration with the church.
Every year the society adds to the Christmas cheer by giving a special concert in church. Every Monday evening there is a rehearsal, also in church, at the beginning and the end of each of which members chat away, sometimes even chatting on into rehearsal time. And if that is not enough, once a month you can take a sip from a glass of wine at someone’s place after the rehearsal. For over a decade our hearts went out to the string of conductors who had to get the choir started. Some managed it better than others.
The members have largely been business men and women, dentists, judges, clergymen, all enjoying the Good Life but eager to live out their roles as dead common folk – a fishmonger’s wife, an orphaned girl, an apprentice - or as something much more eccentric like a murderer or a drunk.
When we first went on stage the men looked remarkably like retired Morris dancers. But thanks to the costume department they were able to live out a boy’s adventure tale: we dressed as pirates brandishing swords (The pirates of Penzance), as soldiers in the ranks, or as Parisian fishmongers (La Fille de Madame Angot) and very occasionally promoted to a more elevated status such as corrupt Peers of the Realm (Iolanthe) - which actually wasn’t far from the truth at the time because of the expenses scandal – or respectable members of the Masonic Lodge (Thamos by Mozart).
The men usually got the most laughs from the audience. Our rehearsals resembled something out of Dad’s Army, the hugely popular classic sitcom. We lacked any sense of rhythm so had to put in hours of extra practice to learn how to parade and to synchronize our movements. This accidentally resulted in hilarious scenes on and off stage. We once had to move large mirrors in a frame. In rehearsals some of us ran off with it like headless chickens and during performance we had our own Corporal Jones who panicked and ran off with the mirror in the wrong direction.
I fell in love with the stage. I had done nothing of a particularly theatrical nature, not even at university, until I got the part of Herod in one of the Christmas Plays at Holy Trinity. I played it to the full, scaring the kids so much that the parents had to reassure them: “He is not real!”. I accidentally got the same reaction many years later when I walked into the parsonage after a rehearsal, wearing a hideous costume and a monstrous wig, looking very much like a clownish Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols.
The operatic society became as popular as Blackadder, running well into its fourth series, attracting sponsors and invitations to sing at various receptions. For instance, when a bank opened its new office on the posh Maliebaan, I sighed and, class-conscious as I am, I said that I sang for God and mammon that week! We sang to dozens of networkers and bank customers who in spite of the recession still managed to enjoy the Good Life. We watched in disbelief as nearly all the networkers and customers simply ignored the entertainment that was being offered. They talked and talked and sipped from their glasses of champagne.
But familiar names of professional singers in the cast fought back: there was 'John', who spoke with a queer voice and always got easy laughter from the crowds and there was 'Olga' who, with her deep and dark voice, could play the smouldering temptress or the fairy queen.
The operatic society appears to have turned a corner: their latest production was performed in a grand restaurant offering a combination of food, drink and light opera, which suits the hedonistic tastes of their supporters best. But after nearly ten years of doing my bit, I felt that it was time to go. I had no desire to end up like a member of a 1970s rock band that did not quite know when to stop. The reason we gave was that we wanted to enjoy the Good Life too, with more of that during weekends and school holidays. But I'll get round to that in part IV!
Arnold
SPECIAL SERVICES IN HOLY TRINITY IN JUNE
So that was Holy Week and Easter with ancient and beautiful rituals. We heard many great anthems, hymns and psalms sung by the choir, but you may have wondered what are these services and rituals were about, what the choir was singing, and why; what all these extra services were for and why you should bother going to church in the evening after a very busy day. We would like to address some of these points by focusing on the services in June: Ascension Day, Pentecost & the Music and Flower Festival, Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi.
Ascension Day
Christians have celebrated this feast for at least 1600 years and in the Anglican tradition it is one of the principal festivals. After staying with His disciples for 40 days, teaching them about the kingdom, the Lord “went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom” (Luke 19:12). This Ascension procession must have outshone that of Palm Sunday for now the Lord processed into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. It’s all there in the readings, psalms, prayers and hymns set for the day. Psalm 47: “God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet” and the collect expresses our desire that “we in heart and mind may also ascend and with him continually dwell”. Choral Eucharist on Ascensions Day is at 10-30.
Pentecost and the Music and Flower Festival
On Pentecost we have two services, Choral Eucharist at 10-30 and the Choral Evensong at 14-30. This year Pentecost falls together with the Music and Flower Festival. This is a beautiful coincidence for Pentecost shows us the real reason to have a Flower Festival: not to focus on this creation under the curse of the First Adam, but on the renewal under the Second Adam. The Psalm for the Eucharist is 104:26-37, the Creation Psalm.
During the Eucharist we are called “to await the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, his Gift to His people, through whom we make Christ known to the world.” We then pray for the Spirit and we read the history of Pentecost from Acts 2. After the sermon, the choir sings a soft, comforting and worshipful motet by Thomas Tallis on the words of our Lord in John 14:15-17, “If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may bide with you for ever, ev’n the spirit of truth.”
Choral Evensong at 14-30 is a unique Anglican service. The choir will sing Psalms 67 and 133. Psalm 133 is an excellent psalm for Pentecost and speaks of “brethren, dwelling together in unity” and “the precious oil” which runs down from the head of our High Priest in heaven, to us His garments. The Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, will be sung to a setting by Murrill, a 20th Century composer and the anthem is Thomas Attwood’s: Come Holy Ghost. The words are on Veni Creator Spiritus.
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday falls on the Sunday after Pentecost. As the title of the feast says this day is set apart to confess the “Catholic Faith” which we must “keep whole and undefiled”, namely “that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence” (The Athanasian Creed). It is a day to focus on the grammar of our faith. This permeates all the prayers, hymns and readings of the day.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi falls on Thursday June 23rd this year. This is the day of thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion and there will be a Sung Eucharist at 20-00. This is a beautiful opportunity to “thank the Lord for this wonderful sacrament” and to concentrate on “the sacred mysteries of His body and blood, that we may know within ourselves and show forth in our lives the fruits of His redemption” (collect). This feast is a great opportunity to enlarge our faith and knowledge the mystery we celebrate Sunday by Sunday.
We wish everybody blessed services this month
Peter
CTC CHILDRENS TRINITY CLUB CORNER
Hi there! T’will be almost June when you read this; that busy month we all have such high hopes of with all manner of activities and festivities, including of course our time-honoured Music & Flower Festival with its promise of musical and floral delights and, hopefully, the charming English Tea Shop in the garden. It will be the last month of CTC and the crèche, in keeping with the school holidays of our area, until mid August again.
This is but a wee message this month but nevertheless a good opportunity to wish Ruth and Moses and their Mum MUCH HAPPINESS in their new home in Utrecht.
Danielle also reports that three mothers are currently running the crèche and taking it in turns to look after each other’s little ones, which is a good start.
Pam’s Youth Group could not have been prevented from doing something outside because of the weather - but more of that next time. And with a wish for this good weather to continue through June we leave you. Oh, and again a reminder that CTC will have Summer recess from the end of June until mid August.
Have a great Summer!
Nicky for CTC
GREEN AWARENESS AT THE MUSIC AND FLOWER FESTIVAL
As has become the tradition the Green Awareness group will have a stall at the Music and Flower Festival to dispense information on ecological issues and sell plants. Anyone who can make a donation of house or garden plants for this sale should bring them, in pots, to the church garden on Friday 10th June or fairly early on the morning of Saturday 11th June. As not all of us helping out on the stall are horticultural experts please label your plants (with at least a common name in Dutch or English) so that we can give appropriate advice to potential customers. Even if you are not in a position to prepare some cuttings for sale please visit our stall to buy some plants and pick up some information and we will do our best to answer your questions.
Sheila for the Green Awareness group
LAST MINUTE
A minister waited in the queue to have his car filled with petrol just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. "Reverend," said the young man, "I'm so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip." The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business."
YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE
If Jamie were writing this, he would no doubt regale you with tales of my shortcomings as a map-reader, completely ignoring the fact that over the course of more than 30 years I successfully navigated us through most of Britain and a fair bit of continental Europe as well. Mind you, there was one fairly spectacular bit of misdirection at the western end of Lac Léman in Switzerland (that’s Lake Geneva to the uninitiated) but that had nothing to do with any inability on my part to read a map. It was all the result of my inability to distinguish spontaneously between right and left. Now before you mock, it might surprise you, nay shock to the core, to learn just how many landings at Schiphol, and other airports as well I suppose, are safe and uneventful simply because the plane driver, sorry Captain, remembers on which hand he wears his wedding ring! In the course of years, and particularly after the incident at the end of Lac Léman, we resorted to giving directions as ‘your side’ and ‘my side’. That usually avoided mistakes, but not always! But, once again, I digress!
We were staying in Lausanne at a particularly uninspiring hotel that smelled distinctly of tom cat, although we never actually ran into the offending animal. One lovely sunny afternoon, having nothing better to do, we decided to circumnavigate the lake, heading off towards the east.
As we rounded the end of the lake and started on the southern side, we came across a frontier. This was in the days when frontiers really existed with border guards, red and white striped barriers, customs posts – the whole ball of wax. Now here I must confess to less than staggeringly good map-reading: I had failed to notice that we would be entering a bit of France. We weren’t in it for long though and within what seemed like no time, we ran into yet another border, this time letting us back into Switzerland.
However, once again …! I left you, and us, on the southern side of the lake, heading towards Geneva – and just to make things more interesting, it was rush hour! To get back to Lausanne, we would need to turn right around the western end of the lake and head back towards the east, and this is where my problem with right and left nearly caused a major incident. ‘Left’ I said. ‘Don’t you mean “right”?’ countered Jamie. ‘I said “left”!’ I replied, a little nettled. And so it was that poor old Jamie heaved the car across several lanes of irate traffic, heading off, once again, towards France. Then I sheepishly realized my error and said: ‘sorry; I meant “right”.’ It took a little longer than usual to restore diplomatic relations on that occasion!
However, what Jamie would have pointed out to you is the fact that, now and then, I have overlooked another tiny point when suggesting that we take a particular turning off a main road. If there is a solid line across the apparent junction, there is no junction there at all – you can’t get there from here! That too has caused minor upsets in the past.
As some of you may know, I do a bit of prison visiting. That all sounds a good deal more impressive than it is, but the Dutch Ministry of Justice, in its wisdom, has decreed that all non-family visitors, however lowly, must be screened for suitability. And so it was that we were all presented with a form which had to be handed in at our local town hall. Now Buren, where I live, is a charming, mediaeval walled community which, although no bigger than an average American car park, has city rights thanks to its walled character. The Hague, on the other hand, which some tourists imagine to be the capital city of the Netherlands, is technically only a village. Buren therefore has a city hall and not just a town hall. It’s a new building with a curious higgledy-piggledy design which would look very good in a built-up area, but in the middle of the flat Dutch countryside it is a veritable blot on the landscape. It is also not in Buren! Since we are a geographically large corporation, they decided to build the city hall in a small village about a 20-minute drive east of Buren where there was more space. Even though it is fairly isolated, there is a main road, almost to its doorstep. At least, there usually is. On my way home from the gym, I noticed a sign saying that the main road was closed. Not to worry, Bar my dear friend and tenant knows most of the roads in the Netherlands like the back of her hand. She knew a sure-fire way to the city hall using the back roads. And so it was that I headed off east towards Tiel, the nearest thing we have to a big city in this neck of the woods. As I got close to the turning Bar had told be to watch out for, I came across a diversion sign that led me steadily more and more to the west, that is, back to where I had started! I drove through some very pretty hamlets that I had never seen before until I finally recognized exactly where I was: at the top of our lane where there is a junction with the main road! The road was open at this point so I took it and headed off to the east again. Eventually I ran into the road works. Yet another diversion brought me to the city hall where I discovered that the form I had been given was incomplete and couldn’t be processed!
After the frustration of trying to get there, the city hall, from here, wherever I happened to be at any given time, and finding that there didn’t seem to be a straightforward way of doing it, I decided to calm down by doing a spot of shopping. Now around the main supermarket in Tiel there is one of the least thought-out bits of urban planning I have ever come across. The road leading to the supermarket also leads to another two pretty large stores and it is narrow and is a dead end. Can you imagine the chaos on a busy Saturday with the street full of parked cars, cars trying to U-turn, pedestrians pushing their trolleys across the road and in the middle of it all, an articulated truck that barely fits into the street at the best of times, making deliveries to the stores? It’s a delight to behold, I tell you. Happily, it wasn’t so busy when I went there. As I drove out of the supermarket car park, with my parking ticket at the ready, I noticed that the barrier was up; clearly some form of malfunction. But I couldn’t get out because of the person in front of me who, despite the fact that the way out was clear, was still struggling to get her parking ticket into the machine. You couldn’t get there from here, at least not until she gave up and drove off!
Harry
Services at Holy Trinity Church, Utrecht
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