From our Sunday School Days (Lift up our hearts)

Part of my reasoning for posting those thoughts is my head being full of media footage, of "how none of us will cope" through this coming winter with inflated heating & food costs. We will cope. It might mean that I give a bit of hospitality to my neighbour, if she is cold, or she might do the same for me. Just as with the internet, it's sometimes difficult to imagine the impact of changed circumstances. I'm not saying that being forewarned isn't right, but it's separating out the fact from fiction. This does cheer me up, if it works. ALUMINUM-SULFUR BATTERY: A BIG STEP TOWARDS COST EFFICIENT BATTERIES. In their tests, the scientists demonstrated that the aluminum-sulfur battery could operate at extraordinarily high charging rates for hundreds of cycles with a predicted cost per cell that was roughly one-sixth that of comparable lithium-ion cells. This I believe is a discovery by accident. Sulfur is often used to line the battery cases, it reduces fire by overheating risk, but when the battery content was removed, a charge was still being delivered. It was the sulfur behaving as an electrolytic on its own. Unlike many of you on our forum, my electronics is limited to an Eveready battery, a bulb & a bit of wire, but I can visualise solar panels & battery combination, as well as transport issues looking much brighter if these claims are workable. New battery research.

Hi all, “Don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring”. I need telling that, I'm often a panic monger. Wholesale natural gas prices are falling. They are astronomically high, but they were higher for a short period back in 2007. So much can happen. Russia shutting their supplies down has made no difference to the commodity or spot price. That for me was quite a surprise, I expected a new high peak. That hasn't happened. If we have a relatively mild autumn in Europe, producing countries might be trying to outbid to sell the gas. This topic, otherwise known as "Phili, try to cheer us all up", I genuinely try to do that. I can no more guarantee wholesale gas prices than I can King Edward potatoes, but I will always tell you it as it is. A lot of gas to go under the bridge yet, but producers turning up production to rake in the high prices may be over-cooking the goose. The minute that I see anything bad or good, our forum will be first port of call. Talking of port, time for one for our birthday lady. Cheers for our lovely lady Anne

'Lady Anne' has a nice ring to it.

Hi all, For many of us, there's one news item that is foremost in our minds. No matter my politics, I would like to say no matter our politics. I'm reciting the Lords prayer right now, as a matter of respect, for our Queen, as well as her nearest & dearest.

I am please to read your post Philip, I hope that you are expressing the feelings of most of us.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

Thank you, Philip. I am glad you did the honours for us. x

Hi all, I do hope that all of us on our forum are bearing up with the awful global news & so on. I'm not going into detail, as I know some folk are so depressed, that they refuse to watch or listen to media news. Am I frightened? You bet. I shouldn't be frightened, but I always try to speak the truth. I'm human & a sinner. My plea, as always, with no preaching, is that all of us have the facility to pray. To pray in earnest. That's what I'm doing. I could say so much more, but our forum is not the place. This topic is partly about our wellbeing. That's my aim for each of us. God bless.

In posting the above, some things in life are best performed by amateurs, like you & me. Take the subject of astronomy, for example. Even with all the fabulous technology that abounds, so many of the real discoveries are made by amateurs or casual observers. That I believe is so similar regards prayer. I honestly believe that. Even scripture bears that out in a story. THE STORY, from over two thousand years ago. An early preacher had been thrown into prison. A group of his comrades were in a man's house praying for his release, like we do. There was knock at the door, to which one of the servants of the house went & opened the door. The servant couldn't believe her eyes, as it was the prisoner who had been released from jail that the big-wigs were praying for. The servant rushed with great jubilation to the prayer room, told ‘em who was at the door. Guess the reply! Go away, you stupid girl! It took several attempts before the facts were realised. Now more than enough from me. I hope you liked that. Love to you all.

If ever the 'end of the world' is nigh, Philip, I hope you let me into your queue. I am sure you will be there for us to rely on. Love to you too. And so say all of us! tra la la tra la la.

Good morning all, Looking out of our window at the world, we might all be forgiven for having a sigh and thinking, what an awful mess. Closer to home, my dearest of friend members is annoyed that her grocery order is messed up. Mine is due in an hour, with one substitute, organic instead of chestnut mushrooms, so compared to Helen, my issue looks very tame. I'm reminded that, however clever and advanced our technologies are, no one on earth has yet produced a blade of grass, leave alone a turkey. One promise for our wellbeing from scripture states "That whilst the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, shall not cease". Now, if that's not encouragement to me, I don't know what is! All of the shouts of global warming, climate change, or whatever, no matter our personal views, I note that the buds on the tree just outside of my lounge window are all looking quite good. Happy Christmas everyone, Crimbo or whatever you call it, and season’s greetings to those who choose to be more comfortable with that. PS. Sometimes, a satirical look at a subject can help our understandings. At our forum breaky, Rob reminded me about a satirical TV comedy about Shakespeare, "Upstart Crow". Many literature students have learnt more about Shakespeare through that than reading ten lectures on Macbeth! Happy days.

Hi all, I'm very aware that views regards faith are so wide & varied. So please relax, I hope that this wellbeing chat will sit well with everyone. I've shared elements of this story previously, but I'm putting it together here. Title, A Right Nors-up, if ever there was. I've been involved with musical accompanying for all of my adult life, drama, chapel & so on. One common thread joins them all. Cock-ups! I was age twenty six before I became a church or chapel organist. However, most had choirs, but lacked folk able to accompany them for sacred cantatas (Handel's Messiah is a cantata). Sometimes taking on something too big to chew! That's how I became involved with the chapel that I assist with now, back in 1973. I had accompanied the choir there since age sixteen. Family involvement being the issue. "Oh, our Philip will do it kind of thing." Turning a total blind eye to my band commitments . Anyway, that totally aside, that's where I first met the lovely lady of my life. Fast forwarding to the summer of 1968, the choir master had assured all that he had in hand the fact that Pam & I would be on honeymoon on the occasion of the choir presentation of the Harvest cantata, "Gathered Grain", a moderately difficult work to accompany. The usual presentation day for a performance was a Wednesday evening, but for some reason, I haven't a clue why, the decision was made on this occasion to perform the cantata as part of the Sunday evening service. Well, what's wrong with that? It suddenly dried up the supply of organists, competent to accompany. So, it's with delight that Pam & I delayed our honeymoon, because now, I'm able to share this story with absolute delight. As we face a new year, sometimes, what appears to be so frustrating right now, might be a blessing in disguise. Happy New Year to everyone. The actual title of the cantata is Garnered Grain, but gathered conveys the modern meaning.

Hi all, A note of respect, please. As this post is intended as an encouragement, please can it have a few days airing before any responses. Thank you. I do hope that we are all living & able to tell the stories of our Christmas & New Year celebrations, even if like mine, Covid infections messed things around. My post today isn't so much about the past, but more looking towards the future. The past is past. Even the illness that in the Autumn nearly took my life. It's the value of our forum that I do appreciate. Even when things go like a box of tacks sometimes. I often get things wrong, but so appreciate when an expert puts me right. I really mean that. The contribution made regards the Daimler bus photo, a case in point. That comment thrilled me. Sat in my armchair with a tot of port, listening to a conversation as though Busman (an absolute enthusiastic expert) was here in my lounge. That doesn't get any better. Pass the port! Oh, more tea vicar? None of us get any younger, so interaction from my armchair is, may I say, vital for me. As we venture on in this new year, half of our resolutions already gone up with the cork, the forum is still here. Hip, hip hurrah. Thank you to each & every member.

Hi all, It's ages since I've posted a wellbeing post. More a sober thought as I view topics that are being discussed & shared. In my early days forum posting, I recall chasing a steam roller with you, Anne. So enjoyable. At that time, a decade ago, I've mentally named four folk, three who lived in Whoberley covering three generations, who I'm sure could have given chapter and verse on the Alvis topic being discussed now. I had Sunday lunch with them whilst Pam was on hols with her sister at the time. Alas, no longer. Our forum is so valuable, I believe. God bless everyone.

Hi all, Thank you all for your appreciation for my post. I do it out of conviction. Your delight of our forum. Brill.