Welcome to my website! There are various sections to the site; this homepage shows you the more recent / popular content in each area. Happy exploring!
Recent Blog Posts
The foolishness of the cross, and the Life of Pi
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 that the message of the cross sounds foolish and weak to someone without faith in Jesus. This can sound remote and theoretical, but is beautifully illustrated by Pi Patel’s account in the book The Life of Pi.
KDE Plasma 6.4 and Screen Locker error
Just a quick post in case this helps someone.
My PC (Fedora 42) has just updated to KDE Plasma 6.4.
Immediately, every time I locked the session (Super key + L), an error appeared on the screen
The screen locker is broken and unlocking it is not possible anymore. In order to unlock it, switch to a virtual terminal (e.g. Ctrl+Alt+F1), log in to your account and execute the command:
Reflections on Tuesday's Commons Vote on Abortion
On Tuesday 17th June, MPs voted on amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill that change abortion law in England and Wales. This post explains what those amendments are, summarises their impact, and then offers 4 reflections on how we can make sense of what’s unfolding.
Popular Blog Posts
While Shepherds Watched their Yorkshire Flocks
Several years back I wrote about a discovery that the carol, While Shepherds Watched not only fits to the tune of On Ilkley Moor Baht 'at, the Yorkshire folk tune, but that may even have been the original tune.
How To: Insert New Line / Line Break in Microsoft Word using VBA
In Microsoft Word, there's all the difference in the world between a new paragraph and a new line. To insert a new paragraph, press the Enter key. If you have "show all characters" turned on, you'll see each paragraph break with its "backwards P" icon. Each paragraph in Word has its own properties. It can have extra space above or below, it could be indented from the left / right margins, with the option of different indentation for the first line. To insert a new line, press Shift + Enter.
Which Parish do I live in?
Are you trying to find out which Church of England Parish you live in? Simply visit the link below and put your postcode into the search tool. Note, they've changed their website. You now have to wait after entering your postcode, and select one of the autocomplete entries served by Google maps; only then can you click the arrow button to begin your search. https://www.achurchnearyou.com/
Recent Sermons
It's become fashionable these days to say that there is no God. It's a bit of a modern fad. For example, Richard Dawkins: "We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further." Or the actress Emma Thompson says: "It's not enough to say that I don't believe in God. I actually regard the system as… Read more
If you're ever gone for a long bike ride, or a walk, or a run, you need to know where you are and where you're going. You have to get your bearings. Perhaps you've done that thing where you get on a train or you get on a bus and you get it to drop you off some distance from where you live, or from where you're staying, and then you walk, run, or cycle back to where you started. As you get off… Read more
Coffee currently on the go
I love my coffee! Hear you can see what I'm drinking at the moment
Current Brew
You'll also find me in a few other places online, such as …
Other Websites
I also maintain a few other websites:
- Mandelbrot ExplorerThis is an easy to use, totally free, fractal explorer — explore the Mandelbrot Set and the Julia Sets, starting with one of 6 inbuilt colour schemes, but with a totally flexible layers-based way to colour your fractals exactly as you wish. There are many other features - visit the website to find out more. Visit mandel.org.uk
- Books by Mary OakleyMy late grandmother compiled 5 little booklets of poems and prayers that helped her at various stages of her life. Visit the website to find out more about these booklets, or to order online. Visit lifetocome.co.uk
- Trinity Church ScarboroughThe church in North Yorkshire where I'm associate minister / pastor. Visit trinityscarborough.org.uk
Social Media
I use social media more to follow others and to keep in touch than I do to post information of my own. Nevertheless, occasionally I'll post things. Find me on:
