Assuming that’s a positive thing, great work KarlLB.
I’m finding life somewhat dull at present. As someone who has worked from home for 14 years and has been a distance student for 30 years, I’m really used to not meeting up with colleagues in the flesh. But I usually do have at least one face to face module meeting in September which I really enjoy. The online team meetings are fine but, oh, for a change of scene and the chance for casual chat. I suspect I’m especially feeling it this year as I haven’t seen a fellow research student in the flesh for 2 years (we have an annual weekend residential as we are distance learning students and last year’s was cancelled; they are planning one for February). So I am a third year research student who hasn’t met a fellow student face to face since the first weekend of the first year! It would be so good to sit with fellow students over a glass of wine and discuss how everyone is getting on as so much has happened since then. It would also be good to see how many of us are still around as I assume drop out is high due to the demands of doing the programme alongside our day jobs.
Nothing much planned today, we are looking at my younger son’s UCAS application and researching universities for him then hopefully meeting older son later to play games online.
That’s really interesting, @Heavenlyannie, as I’ve been feeling much the same way lately and suddenly realised, yesterday, that it’s the bits of ordinary chat and banter that’s just not possible in the same way on Zoom and the like and it’s that I really, really miss. Discussions are much more stilted, so as not to drown each other out.
Assuming that’s a positive thing, great work KarlLB.
It's that thing where the ball knocks the stumps over.
This weekend is making beer and planning an entertaining jaunt through a magically created elemental plane of Earth to recover part of the key to a vampire's vault. Fortunately the journey will take place in the shared imagination of a group of D&D players rather than real life.
We went to the theatre last night for the first time since January 2020. It was The Ballroom Boys, a variety show with ex-Strictly stars Vincent Simone and Iain Waite. Some good dancing and some extremely dodgy jokes, but quite fun.
Today we are off to a vegan tea party being hosted by a new friend of my husbands. I've not met them yet, so looking forward to expanding the number of people I know in this new town.
Assuming that’s a positive thing, great work KarlLB.
It's that thing where the ball knocks the stumps over.
This weekend is making beer and planning an entertaining jaunt through a magically created elemental plane of Earth to recover part of the key to a vampire's vault. Fortunately the journey will take place in the shared imagination of a group of D&D players rather than real life.
O I dunno. If it was done IRL, you might discover the secret information, concerning Boris Johnson, which Priti Patel is holding in her vault...
...and at the same time, you could perhaps help us to leave this elemental plane called 2021, and return to the proper universe we seem to have mislaid somewhere.
Assuming that’s a positive thing, great work KarlLB.
It's that thing where the ball knocks the stumps over.
This weekend is making beer and planning an entertaining jaunt through a magically created elemental plane of Earth to recover part of the key to a vampire's vault. Fortunately the journey will take place in the shared imagination of a group of D&D players rather than real life.
O I dunno. If it was done IRL, you might discover the secret information, concerning Boris Johnson, which Priti Patel is holding in her vault...
...and at the same time, you could perhaps help us to leave this elemental plane called 2021, and return to the proper universe we seem to have mislaid somewhere.
I blame the LHC. We're in a parallel universe abandoned by God and under the control of Chaos. I think it happened in 2016.
Assuming that’s a positive thing, great work KarlLB.
It's that thing where the ball knocks the stumps over.
This weekend is making beer and planning an entertaining jaunt through a magically created elemental plane of Earth to recover part of the key to a vampire's vault. Fortunately the journey will take place in the shared imagination of a group of D&D players rather than real life.
O I dunno. If it was done IRL, you might discover the secret information, concerning Boris Johnson, which Priti Patel is holding in her vault...
...and at the same time, you could perhaps help us to leave this elemental plane called 2021, and return to the proper universe we seem to have mislaid somewhere.
I blame the LHC. We're in a parallel universe abandoned by God and under the control of Chaos. I think it happened in 2016.
Linking this series on YouTube because I think @Piglet might like it. It's called Fara's Folky Folk for the Orkney Festival: a couple of girls from Fara producing online content for the cancelled festival, going round the islands interviewing different people. They've just put up Bruce Mainland on Instagram, which was hilarious, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. These are from a few weeks ago.
Thanks for that, Curiosity - it always melts the cockles of an exiled Orcadian's heart to hear that lovely accent!
Small World moment: the East Mainland Girl's mum (who's actually Canadian) taught me English in school, and later I sang alongside her in the Cathedral choir.
In other news, it's been a rather nice day here. After a very late brunch, I set a chilli going in the slow-cooker, which is still doing its thing, and then had a nice little amble down to Tessie's for essentials like groceries, paper hankies* and WINE.
* I'm still a bit snufflous, but nothing like as bad as I was.
I'm glad you liked them. I wondered if Frank Rich had taught you maths too? There's also an interview with Billy Jolly of Jolly's Fish. And there's this one set in St Magnus singing the Rose Window by Ivan Drever (I guess Kris's father?)
I'm glad you liked them. I wondered if Frank Rich had taught you maths too? There's also an interview with Billy Jolly of Jolly's Fish. And there's this one set in St Magnus singing the Rose Window by Ivan Drever (I guess Kris's father?)
Ivan is indeed Kris's father, and a very good folk musician too.
I don't remember a Frank Rich (maybe he taught at the other school or was after my time).
The St Magnus video brings loads of connections though. I sang in the choir at the service when the Queen unveiled the new window, and David was presented to her afterwards (we weren't yet married, so I missed out). They're a bit short of VIPs up there, so the Cathedral organist counts ...
Bill Cant (the pianist's grandfather) married us, and I sang in the choir for Jeana's christening.
I had to Google Mr. Lee and his chainsaw ...
I'm having a very lazy Sunday - apart from making bread (currently on its second prove) I've done bugger all today.
It looks like a nice evening though - sunshine and blue skies.
A very nice end to a very sociable (for us) weekend. After the excitement of going to the theatre on Friday and a vegan tea party yesterday, today we went to an arts and crafts centre for a birthday lunch with my husband's younger sister. Her two daughters and younger daughter's partner came along too. A lovely catch-up as I haven't seen any of them since Christmas 2019. A mooch round the various small shops was useful as it's given us some ideas for things we need for the house.
We got home, and then walked down to see some of the dragon boat racing that was happening today on our local river. It also included a slice of rather good cake at one of the stalls, as our lunch had been a tad on the small side.
This evening it was family catch up which is always fun. It looks like my brother and family will visit soon, maybe even next weekend. I haven't seen them in person for a long time either. My nephew looks so much more grown up. His hair has gone black and curly and he looks like he's grown about a foot. I am so pleased my brother feels well enough to visit.
We spent yesterday researching universities for younger son, then playing board games online with older son til past midnight. Today has been a lazy day for me but son has been working on a college project proposal.
This evening was our first attendance since March 2020 at a fully normal service at church, which has been moved to the evening to allow for some shorter, experimental services morning and afternoon to help build church community. Lots of worship and prayer (it’s prayer week) and a short sermon. We even had a double adult baptism. We had to go in early as our son was on the sound desk and needed to do the band’s sound checks so we are now having a very late bacon and eggs!
I very occasionally iron things when I need them to not look rumpled. I have achieved the bottom of the 2 offspring washing baskets recently, but alas not ours.
Friday morning Dragonlet 3 had her 1 year review with the Health Visitor at 11 months. She is progressing as expected - fine for fine motor and social, a bit delayed for gross motor (neither of the other two being quick to walk.) I took the day off as Flexi leave as a result, and spent a few hours in town engaging in retail therapy before school pickup. I now have a belt to stop my jeans slipping down, and treated myself to some beauty products. Mr Dragon has also had his Pontefract cake stock replenished.
Yesterday was my first new tower in about 2 years, and an evening pizza party in the tower captain's garden. (He has a proper oven.) Dragonlet 3 also decided it was the perfect time to perfect pulling up to standing! Today we went to the in-laws for tea, along with the Dragonlets' aunt, uncle and cousin, so it got a bit manic.
Yesterday’s meet up with my stepson and family did not happen because the child’s mother insists on her attending several classes eg gymnastics on Saturdays. We had rather hoped that not having seen Grandad for 18 months might trump the classes, but it didn’t. To be rearranged.
Today I ate Sunday dinner with my son and his family, for the first time in 18 months. Their lives are back to normal, work, college, clubbing, school, girl friend….. they could not really understand why I am still exercising considerable caution. Three of them have been double jabbed, and the two children, 16 and 20, have recently had covid, so have good immunity. I hope visiting them was not too much of a risk. So hard to know.
Yesterday’s meet up with my stepson and family did not happen because the child’s mother insists on her attending several classes eg gymnastics on Saturdays. We had rather hoped that not having seen Grandad for 18 months might trump the classes, but it didn’t. [...]
That's indeed rather puzzling, seeing the overall health benefits for everyone. I hope it will happen soon. <votive>
This morning, as usual on a Monday, I went swimming.
I exited the changing room and started going down the steps into the pool, only to have the Lifeguard shouting at, running towards me and indicating that I must go back whence I had come.
I had forgotten to put on my trunks ...!
I retreated to the changing room, retrieved them from the locker, put them on and apologised. Whoops!
Golly @Baptist Trainfan , the other swimmers got more than they bargained for. My grandmother once went swimming in the sea in a woollen bathing suit. She turned round to look at my granddad who started waiving enthusiastically. She waved back and he waved all the harder. The weight of the water had caused the costume to reveal rather more of her bounteous figure than she'd intended. She finally understood what he was trying to convey.
We're just back from a lovely walk in the countryside circling the next town along from us. Great views of its minster and an interesting stroll through the local agricultural college. We were both very envious of the campus, as it was far nicer than the places we were at for our studies.
Lol at BT! What a shock for you (and everyone else I imagine)
Iyengar yoga this morning which I found tough going and left me with muscle fatigue. This has confirmed to me that when the academic year starts I should stick to routine admin and planning on Monday afternoon and nothing too taxing. Just a few light tasks this afternoon and now I'm going to do some reading for study.
Oh BT - I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! Maybe you ought to look for a new swimming pool ...
It's a dull, but not unpleasant day (especially considering it's a public holiday). It's been a fairly lazy one, although there is laundry laundering, and I took a wee stroll across to Fork Handles and bought a new baking tray, French sticks for the manufacture of. The fancy four-lane one I bought a while back from Mr. Bezos made a bit of a pig's ear of the last batch I made; despite my dredging it with flour, the loaves stuck, and I had the devil's own job of getting them unstuck. The new one (just a plain baking tray) claims to be non-stick, but I think I'll revert to the tried-and-trusted baking parchment and cornmeal as specified in the recipe.
You'll be glad to know that the bits of loaf that didn't stick to the tray were rather good; I had some for supper last night with Chilli con Carne Part II. I think I'll leave Part III for tomorrow, and make something with prawns and pasta this evening - I have some broccoli that could do with using up.
Oh BT - I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! Maybe you ought to look for a new swimming pool ... .
That is the new pool ... the local one closed, to be turned into a vaccination centre. It's going to be refurbished but that will take many months.
Anyway I have a good precedent in the Rev. Francis Kilvert (who thought that bathing suits were "detestable"): Thursday 24th July 1873. "This morning Uncle Will, Dora and I drove to Seaton with Polly and the dog cart. It was a lovely morning. At Seaton while Dora was sitting on the beach I had a bathe. A boy brought me to the machine door two towels, as I thought, but when I found that one of the rags he had given me was a pair of very short red and white striped drawers to cover my nakedness. Unaccustomed to such things and customs I had in my ignorance bathed naked and set at naught the conventionalities of the place and scandalized the beach. However some little boys who were looking on at the rude naked man appeared to be much interested in the spectacle, and the young ladies who were strolling near seemed to have no objection."
This morning, as usual on a Monday, I went swimming.
I exited the changing room and started going down the steps into the pool, only to have the Lifeguard shouting at, running towards me and indicating that I must go back whence I had come.
I had forgotten to put on my trunks ...!
I retreated to the changing room, retrieved them from the locker, put them on and apologised. Whoops!
Rumour had it that one of our more eccentric maths lecturers (and if ever there was an argument for needing to be able to compare infinities...) had on one occasion done so deliberately and when brought up before the magistrate he had stated that he "just wanted to try it".
I’ve just started a British Sign Language course. I have become friends with Keir’s owner (he’s one of my Guide Dog pups and dual trained as a hearing dog too) and she’s profoundly deaf only speaking BSL.
This morning, as usual on a Monday, I went swimming.
I exited the changing room and started going down the steps into the pool, only to have the Lifeguard shouting at, running towards me and indicating that I must go back whence I had come.
I had forgotten to put on my trunks ...!
I retreated to the changing room, retrieved them from the locker, put them on and apologised. Whoops!
"Oh, he's a Baptist. It's OK - total immersion, you know!"
Golly @Baptist Trainfan , the other swimmers got more than they bargained for. My grandmother once went swimming in the sea in a woollen bathing suit. She turned round to look at my granddad who started waiving enthusiastically. She waved back and he waved all the harder. The weight of the water had caused the costume to reveal rather more of her bounteous figure than she'd intended. She finally understood what he was trying to convey.
We're just back from a lovely walk in the countryside circling the next town along from us. Great views of its minster and an interesting stroll through the local agricultural college. We were both very envious of the campus, as it was far nicer than the places we were at for our studies.
The Australian author Colin Thiele wrote a very funny short story, apparently based on his own childhood, of a young boy who went to the seaside from his country town, and went swimming in the woollen trunks knitted by his mother. Similar results but a different portion of the anatomy revealed - cue red-faced pre-teen. I used to read that to my senior primary students to many giggles.
"Oh, he's a Baptist. It's OK - total immersion, you know!"
"And those they baptise they dip head over ears in cold water and naked, which as it is indecent, so it is dangerous, and has oftimes been the cause of serious diseases, yea, of death itself, and is clearly a breach of the sixth commandment!"
Puritan divine (I quote from distant memory) giving it some wellie.
Until fairly recently Baptists often people (especially ladies) to wear full-length white cotton gowns with lead shot sewn into the hem when being baptised. Now they just ask for jeans and a T-shirt.
I did have an incident, years ago, when baptising in a church not my own. I'd finished the baptisms, gone into the vestry (which was at the front of the church, adjoining the platform) and changed out of my sodden clothes. It was only then that I realised I'd left my towel in the church. Fortunately I knew it was on the floor, just the other side of the vestry door, which itself was largely shielded from view by an upright piano. I crouched down as low as I could, opened the door a crack, and stuck out my own , seeking the towel. No-one saw a thing!
I’ve heard Dolly Parton discussing getting baptised in a white cotton gown and the eyeful it gave everyone.
We had baptisms this week, two adults fully dressed in dark clothes accompanied by two others into the pool, likewise dressed.
This morning I have a TEAMS call with a module chair about my research (so I have permission to recruit her students) and this afternoon another one with my mentee about teaching and assessment. Lots of reading in between.
Until fairly recently Baptists often people (especially ladies) to wear full-length white cotton gowns with lead shot sewn into the hem when being baptised. Now they just ask for jeans and a T-shirt.
I did have an incident, years ago, when baptising in a church not my own. I'd finished the baptisms, gone into the vestry (which was at the front of the church, adjoining the platform) and changed out of my sodden clothes. It was only then that I realised I'd left my towel in the church. Fortunately I knew it was on the floor, just the other side of the vestry door, which itself was largely shielded from view by an upright piano. I crouched down as low as I could, opened the door a crack, and stuck out my own , seeking the towel. No-one saw a thing!
So, Sir, what you're saying is that you have a history of stripping naked in inappropriate places. *opens notebook*
What's your full name, Mr Trainfan?
Of course here the baptists use the see so wetsuits are the baptismal outfit of choice.
I hope you don't mean that the baptismal candidates wear wetsuits? The baptism isn't valid unless every external part of their anatomy gets suitably moistened!!!
On the other hand I have seen a Pentecostal pastor Of A Certain Girth baptising (indoors) in a wetsuit. It was very shiny and memory suggests that he also wore flippers although that may not in fact have been the case!
Of course here the baptists use the see so wetsuits are the baptismal outfit of choice.
Would that be the Holy See, then?
Homophones are not my friend.
The nature of wet suits (as opposed to dry suits) is that you do still get properly wet, so no worries there. The suits are there to prevent hypothermia from the water temperature and post-immersion wind chill.
I have just spent a lot of money getting my car serviced and through its MOT. After I paid the bill, the garage man said he had to ask me a few security questions before giving me my car key back.
Apparently he thought that I might have some cunning plan to spend a wodge of money in order to make off with a 12 year old Honda Jazz with 113,000 on the clock and a scrape along the passenger door.
I am looking anxiously at myself in the mirror wondering "Do I look stupid?"
This afternoon I made an exciting find close to Captain Pyjamas' school. The city's new eco-project is grazing sheep on the lawn (suitably fenced in, obviously). They're doing renewable mowing, apparently.
O how splendid! They'll have the neatest lawn in Paris - and well-fertilised, too...
It's not unknown for rural churches in England to let local farmers graze sheep in the churchyard, which saves an awful lot of work and upkeep, albeit perhaps at the expense of wild flora and fauna which might otherwise take over...
... full-length white cotton gowns with lead shot sewn into the hem ...
My sister (now in her mid-60s) was baptised in such a piece of apparel. I remember her complaining of bruised ankles where the little lead nuggets knocked against them.
I discovered Proper Church Music™ and the local cathedral just before I would have been expected to go through such a ritual, and my baptism was in the form of a cross on the forehead, so much less hassle.
I hope you don't mean that the baptismal candidates wear wetsuits? The baptism isn't valid unless every external part of their anatomy gets suitably moistened!!!
The wetsuit works by moistening all the anatomy. The thing you stay dry in is called a drysuit.
Comments
I’m finding life somewhat dull at present. As someone who has worked from home for 14 years and has been a distance student for 30 years, I’m really used to not meeting up with colleagues in the flesh. But I usually do have at least one face to face module meeting in September which I really enjoy. The online team meetings are fine but, oh, for a change of scene and the chance for casual chat. I suspect I’m especially feeling it this year as I haven’t seen a fellow research student in the flesh for 2 years (we have an annual weekend residential as we are distance learning students and last year’s was cancelled; they are planning one for February). So I am a third year research student who hasn’t met a fellow student face to face since the first weekend of the first year! It would be so good to sit with fellow students over a glass of wine and discuss how everyone is getting on as so much has happened since then. It would also be good to see how many of us are still around as I assume drop out is high due to the demands of doing the programme alongside our day jobs.
Nothing much planned today, we are looking at my younger son’s UCAS application and researching universities for him then hopefully meeting older son later to play games online.
It's that thing where the ball knocks the stumps over.
This weekend is making beer and planning an entertaining jaunt through a magically created elemental plane of Earth to recover part of the key to a vampire's vault. Fortunately the journey will take place in the shared imagination of a group of D&D players rather than real life.
Today we are off to a vegan tea party being hosted by a new friend of my husbands. I've not met them yet, so looking forward to expanding the number of people I know in this new town.
O I dunno. If it was done IRL, you might discover the secret information, concerning Boris Johnson, which Priti Patel is holding in her vault...
...and at the same time, you could perhaps help us to leave this elemental plane called 2021, and return to the proper universe we seem to have mislaid somewhere.
I blame the LHC. We're in a parallel universe abandoned by God and under the control of Chaos. I think it happened in 2016.
That is my theory, too!
Whoever messed with the LHC needs to own up...
Thanks for that, Curiosity - it always melts the cockles of an exiled Orcadian's heart to hear that lovely accent!
Small World moment: the East Mainland Girl's mum (who's actually Canadian) taught me English in school, and later I sang alongside her in the Cathedral choir.
In other news, it's been a rather nice day here. After a very late brunch, I set a chilli going in the slow-cooker, which is still doing its thing, and then had a nice little amble down to Tessie's for essentials like groceries, paper hankies* and WINE.
* I'm still a bit snufflous, but nothing like as bad as I was.
Yes! Hope you gave it a bit of the old Brett Lee chainsaw, I would have!
I don't remember a Frank Rich (maybe he taught at the other school or was after my time).
The St Magnus video brings loads of connections though. I sang in the choir at the service when the Queen unveiled the new window, and David was presented to her afterwards (we weren't yet married, so I missed out). They're a bit short of VIPs up there, so the Cathedral organist counts ...
Bill Cant (the pianist's grandfather) married us, and I sang in the choir for Jeana's christening.
I was too bloody amazed tbh!
I'm having a very lazy Sunday - apart from making bread (currently on its second prove) I've done bugger all today.
It looks like a nice evening though - sunshine and blue skies.
We got home, and then walked down to see some of the dragon boat racing that was happening today on our local river. It also included a slice of rather good cake at one of the stalls, as our lunch had been a tad on the small side.
This evening it was family catch up which is always fun. It looks like my brother and family will visit soon, maybe even next weekend. I haven't seen them in person for a long time either. My nephew looks so much more grown up. His hair has gone black and curly and he looks like he's grown about a foot. I am so pleased my brother feels well enough to visit.
This evening was our first attendance since March 2020 at a fully normal service at church, which has been moved to the evening to allow for some shorter, experimental services morning and afternoon to help build church community. Lots of worship and prayer (it’s prayer week) and a short sermon. We even had a double adult baptism. We had to go in early as our son was on the sound desk and needed to do the band’s sound checks so we are now having a very late bacon and eggs!
Friday morning Dragonlet 3 had her 1 year review with the Health Visitor at 11 months. She is progressing as expected - fine for fine motor and social, a bit delayed for gross motor (neither of the other two being quick to walk.) I took the day off as Flexi leave as a result, and spent a few hours in town engaging in retail therapy before school pickup. I now have a belt to stop my jeans slipping down, and treated myself to some beauty products. Mr Dragon has also had his Pontefract cake stock replenished.
Yesterday was my first new tower in about 2 years, and an evening pizza party in the tower captain's garden. (He has a proper oven.) Dragonlet 3 also decided it was the perfect time to perfect pulling up to standing! Today we went to the in-laws for tea, along with the Dragonlets' aunt, uncle and cousin, so it got a bit manic.
Today I ate Sunday dinner with my son and his family, for the first time in 18 months. Their lives are back to normal, work, college, clubbing, school, girl friend….. they could not really understand why I am still exercising considerable caution. Three of them have been double jabbed, and the two children, 16 and 20, have recently had covid, so have good immunity. I hope visiting them was not too much of a risk. So hard to know.
That's indeed rather puzzling, seeing the overall health benefits for everyone. I hope it will happen soon. <votive>
I exited the changing room and started going down the steps into the pool, only to have the Lifeguard shouting at, running towards me and indicating that I must go back whence I had come.
I had forgotten to put on my trunks ...!
I retreated to the changing room, retrieved them from the locker, put them on and apologised. Whoops!
You are going to relive that moment for a very, very long time...
We're just back from a lovely walk in the countryside circling the next town along from us. Great views of its minster and an interesting stroll through the local agricultural college. We were both very envious of the campus, as it was far nicer than the places we were at for our studies.
Iyengar yoga this morning which I found tough going and left me with muscle fatigue. This has confirmed to me that when the academic year starts I should stick to routine admin and planning on Monday afternoon and nothing too taxing. Just a few light tasks this afternoon and now I'm going to do some reading for study.
I think.
Or for prayer!!!
Just as long as ...
Nope - not going there
Thanks for the smile, @Baptist Trainfan. It's nice to start the week with a bit of a giggle.
It's a dull, but not unpleasant day (especially considering it's a public holiday). It's been a fairly lazy one, although there is laundry laundering, and I took a wee stroll across to Fork Handles and bought a new baking tray, French sticks for the manufacture of. The fancy four-lane one I bought a while back from Mr. Bezos made a bit of a pig's ear of the last batch I made; despite my dredging it with flour, the loaves stuck, and I had the devil's own job of getting them unstuck. The new one (just a plain baking tray) claims to be non-stick, but I think I'll revert to the tried-and-trusted baking parchment and cornmeal as specified in the recipe.
You'll be glad to know that the bits of loaf that didn't stick to the tray were rather good; I had some for supper last night with Chilli con Carne Part II. I think I'll leave Part III for tomorrow, and make something with prawns and pasta this evening - I have some broccoli that could do with using up.
Unnamed as yet, could this see the return of Philippa as a royal family name?
Anyway I have a good precedent in the Rev. Francis Kilvert (who thought that bathing suits were "detestable"): Thursday 24th July 1873. "This morning Uncle Will, Dora and I drove to Seaton with Polly and the dog cart. It was a lovely morning. At Seaton while Dora was sitting on the beach I had a bathe. A boy brought me to the machine door two towels, as I thought, but when I found that one of the rags he had given me was a pair of very short red and white striped drawers to cover my nakedness. Unaccustomed to such things and customs I had in my ignorance bathed naked and set at naught the conventionalities of the place and scandalized the beach. However some little boys who were looking on at the rude naked man appeared to be much interested in the spectacle, and the young ladies who were strolling near seemed to have no objection."
Rumour had it that one of our more eccentric maths lecturers (and if ever there was an argument for needing to be able to compare infinities...) had on one occasion done so deliberately and when brought up before the magistrate he had stated that he "just wanted to try it".
Exciting!
"Oh, he's a Baptist. It's OK - total immersion, you know!"
The Australian author Colin Thiele wrote a very funny short story, apparently based on his own childhood, of a young boy who went to the seaside from his country town, and went swimming in the woollen trunks knitted by his mother. Similar results but a different portion of the anatomy revealed - cue red-faced pre-teen. I used to read that to my senior primary students to many giggles.
"And those they baptise they dip head over ears in cold water and naked, which as it is indecent, so it is dangerous, and has oftimes been the cause of serious diseases, yea, of death itself, and is clearly a breach of the sixth commandment!"
Puritan divine (I quote from distant memory) giving it some wellie.
I did have an incident, years ago, when baptising in a church not my own. I'd finished the baptisms, gone into the vestry (which was at the front of the church, adjoining the platform) and changed out of my sodden clothes. It was only then that I realised I'd left my towel in the church. Fortunately I knew it was on the floor, just the other side of the vestry door, which itself was largely shielded from view by an upright piano. I crouched down as low as I could, opened the door a crack, and stuck out my own , seeking the towel. No-one saw a thing!
We had baptisms this week, two adults fully dressed in dark clothes accompanied by two others into the pool, likewise dressed.
This morning I have a TEAMS call with a module chair about my research (so I have permission to recruit her students) and this afternoon another one with my mentee about teaching and assessment. Lots of reading in between.
So, Sir, what you're saying is that you have a history of stripping naked in inappropriate places. *opens notebook*
What's your full name, Mr Trainfan?
Of course here the baptists use the see so wetsuits are the baptismal outfit of choice.
On the other hand I have seen a Pentecostal pastor Of A Certain Girth baptising (indoors) in a wetsuit. It was very shiny and memory suggests that he also wore flippers although that may not in fact have been the case!
Homophones are not my friend.
The nature of wet suits (as opposed to dry suits) is that you do still get properly wet, so no worries there. The suits are there to prevent hypothermia from the water temperature and post-immersion wind chill.
Apparently he thought that I might have some cunning plan to spend a wodge of money in order to make off with a 12 year old Honda Jazz with 113,000 on the clock and a scrape along the passenger door.
I am looking anxiously at myself in the mirror wondering "Do I look stupid?"
It's not unknown for rural churches in England to let local farmers graze sheep in the churchyard, which saves an awful lot of work and upkeep, albeit perhaps at the expense of wild flora and fauna which might otherwise take over...
I discovered Proper Church Music™ and the local cathedral just before I would have been expected to go through such a ritual, and my baptism was in the form of a cross on the forehead, so much less hassle.
The wetsuit works by moistening all the anatomy. The thing you stay dry in is called a drysuit.