What an excuse!

We have our grandson with us for half-term - which gives us a perfect pretext for doing new things. Today we went to the Southampton Aircraft Museum (I did not even know where it was) and spent a fascinating hour or two there. Huw (the grandson) sat in the pilot's seat on the Sunderland Flying Boat, which is the centre-piece of the display. I remember seeing these amazing aircraft taking off from Plymouth Sound half a century ago. My aunt and uncle flew in one down to South Africa - making, as I recall, two overnight stops, one on the Nile, the other on a Lake in Central Africa. The sheer space for passengers makes Laker & co the cheapskates they are - then there was real leg-room, to say nothing of the ashtrays built into the armrests of all the seats.

On Sunday next we fly from Gatwick to Rome on Pilgrimage; would that the journey was half as comfortable as those Flying Boats. Not all new things are genuine progress. And I bet our aircraft will not have an anchor in its nose.

It was a bit disconcerting though to see the very uniform I had worn as a Pilot Officer (Fighter Control) when doing my National Service put on display as a historic relic - and the cockpit of a Chipmunk rescued from scrap. Those aircraft were the ones we used for air experience during our training. How quickly the new becomes history! But then, I can remember air raid shelters during the war....

Surface & Texture

On his halfterm visit, we'd taken out ten-year old grandson to Southampton Art Gallery - where there is an exhibition of Bridget Riley's work. To our amazement, he said, "Oh yes, Op art; we did that in school last year". He was enthusiastic about the way her works seemed to move, though they were just paint on a flat surface. She was influenced, it seems, by pointillism (Seurat and all that), and the way the juxtapostion of different shapes can give life to a surface. Initially her work was in black and white.



Later she moved into colour. So our day today started in Southampton Art Gallery to take an old friend, a cousin of mine, to the same exhibition. Then, in the afternoon we went to the coast, where the points of light on the sea and the colours of the sunset quite eclipsed anything any artist has ever done, even Turner; "And all for free!" said my cousin, wisely.



As a change from the internecine battles of the churches I thought you might like to have some views today, and a share in the evening light over the South Coast. But if you can get to the National Gallery, there is a Bridget Riley exhbition there for the next few weeks. Just be ready for your eyes to be out of focus for a while afterwards.

[To appreciate the surface of the water, just click on either of the photos for a larger version.]

The Heart of the Matter

St Ambrose Bournemouth is a handsome church on the West Cliff, built at the turn of the 19th/20th Century to bring catholic worship to that part of the rapidly growing resort. Four years ago there was a devastating fire; and around that time the incumbent retired. Since then the parish has struggled on with the help of retired clergy. Now at last it has something to look forward to; the Church Council voted to seek extended pastoral care with a unanimous vote in June. Now they await the Bishop of Winchester's visit (promised sometime this autumn) when he will tell them what provision he will make for them, and they will be able to comment on his proposals.

In reality, this should mean the care of the Provincial Episcopal Visitor, the Bishop of Richborough, for neither of the new appointments to Basingstoke or Southampton fulfils the criteria set out in the Act of Synod. These two new bishops are both content, it seems, with women's ordination. The act of synod requires that the bishop caring for "C" parishes should himslef be opposed to women's ordination. Of course, if the proposals by the two Archbishops had been accepted during the July Synod, that would not have mattered. Basingstoke or Southampton could have been given the task of caring for "Third Resolutioon" parishes even if they were the most enthusiastic proponents of women bishops; all the Archbishops' Amendments would have offered was a male bishop, to be nominated by the bishop of the diocese, and no chance for a parish to demur.

This evening I was invited to pontificate and preach at solemn evensong. All the church plate was on display (including a very handsome monstrance - maybe next time I can be asked to use it!) and I absolved and blessed and swung incense during the Magnificat. St Ambrose has, from it vestments and fittings, clearly had its high church moments. At present it would call itself "prayer book catholic". I suggested that if they wanted to be genuinely prayer book there was a better chance of achieving that in the Ordinariate than in the rapidly disolving Church of England. It was my third sermon for the day; I had preached at 8o'clock in Lymington (My house is the house of prayer") , at 10 o'clock at St Francis Bournemouth ("The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect") - the third one you can see for yourself if you care to look at the Anglo Catholic blog - where I shall also try to put a few more St Ambrose pictures. They have made one brave decision, to seek extended espicopal oversight. Will they be ready, when the time comes, to take the much bolder decision, to join the Ordinariate? If not, it may be they will have just the catholic decor, without the heart of the matter.

Southampton

So, this weekend was spent in Brighton. But I shan't blog about it until I get some pictures forwarded; once again I forgot my camera so I wait on others to send me something. Meanwhile, yesterday. It was a trip to the dentist (three fillings and a new denture, since you ask) but en route I had time in hand and headed to the Southampton City Art Gallery.

Southampton as a City is a grave disappointment. Have you ever been to a concert in the Guildhall? Impressive 1930's building, but not a touch of paint since it was built. Went to a BSO concert there and was devastated to find even the conductor's rostrum had peeling paint! So of course there are very few concerts there. The erstwhile Bouremouth Symphony Orchestra (which I knew first when Charles Groves was Conductor, half a century ago) now has its home in Poole where there is a great concert hall, the Lighthouse. Unfortunately, though only 24 miles away from us, it takes an eternity to get there through the hinterland of Bournemouth. There are a few ancient Southampton buildings which the blitz missed and the developers have not yet cleared away, but they are generally closed. There are two things though that redeem the City. The parks, and the Art Gallery. Mind you, they were going to flog off some of the collection in order to renovate the building ... not sure where that one has reached now.

The gardens are marvellous, and very well mainstained, and run through the centre of the city. Yesterday I spotted what I thought might be a cork oak, and it was, Quercus Subur, a fine specimen. These gardens are a great feature - unlike the Solent Coast which ought to be a feature but is generally hidden behind warehouses and piles of freight containers. Well, it is a working port, but it would be nice to be able to get a glimpse of the sea now and again.

The art gallery though. Why hasn't the present exhibition been advertised nationally? Why have there been no major reviews in all the colour supplements? It is just knock-out - I almost missed my dentist's appointment.

It is a maritime exhbition, and is called something like Turner to Today. Of the many treasures (and you should be able to view them on line, but you can't: what is WRONG with this City?!) there is a terrific Maggi Hambling in her Sea series; a great wall of a painting, with a furious array of waves and spume and general fury. Wonderful. There's a nice little Boudin, some so-so Lowrys - his version of the floating bridgeis not a patch on another of a a different floating bridge (on the Isle of Wight) by a local artist - but the show-stopper is the Turner. Fishermen trying to launch a boat into such a sea! Over all, a great looming sky. The notes say there is hope in the sky; I saw it as nothing but foreboding. If you can get to Southampton before early September, then you should. It is free, and when I visited yesteerday morning I was the sole visitor. One other chap came just as I left. Made me quite oblivious of my teeth. Must go back asap and give it more time - I might even look at some of the Videos and Installations!

Oh, and today is my 15th anniversary of Consecration, so we have just split a lovely bottle of Sancerre which Jane bought to celebrate the occasion. Cheers!