Penelope Wallace

1st August 2023 In Christianity By Penelope Wallace

Possible reasons for the C of E’s appalling record

I have recently attended safeguarding training, run by the Church of England, and it included homework before, between sessions and afterwards. So I have as required watched the harrowing 2-part documentary “Exposed: The Church’s Darkest Secret," dealing with the serial abuser Peter Ball, former Bishop...

23rd June 2023 In Ragaris books By Penelope Wallace

An early page of “Tell Me Your Name”

It does seem a long time since I drafted a post, and I can only apologise. Life is being rather busy at the moment, and I can't think of anything particularly original to say about current events. Some progress (still slow) is however being made on...

6th May 2023 In Christianity, General By Penelope Wallace

Penny Mordaunt and the Prophet Nahum

It was interesting that the Coronation came two days after the local elections. Regular readers of this blog may not be surprised that I was pleased by Labour gains, hee hee gloat gloat. I did also watch the Coronation. I had various thoughts during this long...

31st March 2023 In Books, Christianity By Penelope Wallace

The Oxford Movement

I have promised to blog this year about Charlotte M Yonge. This is not that blog. But knowledgeable people sometimes call her the “novelist of the Oxford Movement.” Novelist of the what? The definitive 1930 history book “1066 and all that” by Sellars and Yeatman is comparatively...

24th February 2023 In General By Penelope Wallace

Eco-shopping and the Slipper Saga

Did I tell you about the Monthly Eco Baby-Steps Plan, by the way? Last month’s baby-step was “try to make sure I don’t overfill the kettle” which is indeed pretty baby. It’s also trickier than I’d realised, because a short person like myself doesn’t automatically...

28th January 2023 In Books By Penelope Wallace

How do you read?

Round about May and November each year, I notice that the pile of “To be read” books by my bed is beginning to shrink. Not for long, however. The birthday comes; Christmas comes – the tower leaps up again. Occasionally there’s some rearranging, when books that...

9th December 2022 In Books By Penelope Wallace

Books 2022 with special reference to Adrian Tchaikovsky

What have you been reading this year? Please feel free to tell us below! What have I been reading? Well, I’m continuing slowly to work my way through medieval British literature (Chaucer’s “Miller’s Tale” is really funny), and some 20th century poetry; and I’m also enjoying a...

18th November 2022 In Books, Ragaris books By Penelope Wallace

Trials and smiles of an author (11) also featuring Agatha Christie

The Fourth Tale from Ragaris is still not imminent, but progress is being made. I am approaching the first draft of the denouement. It’s been tricky; this fact and the lollipop are my excuses. When you last heard about it, the book was called "Naming People...

28th October 2022 In General By Penelope Wallace

Person of Beeston

I was very flattered a little while ago when a local artist I knew slightly said he wanted to paint my portrait. His name is Matthew Lyons, and I think it was during the pandemic that he decided to paint a varied series of local people,...

4th October 2022 In General By Penelope Wallace

Democracy : a ponder

Someone I know asked whether, or to what extent, we do or should blame the people of Russia for the actions of Vladimir Putin. I had already been wondering about a post on the disadvantages of democracy. The obvious quote here is Churchill: “it has been said...