Author: raymond

In the 1880s, a wealthy father promises his young son a horse of his own for his 21st birthday. But when the day comes, instead of a horse, he gives him a motor car. Did he keep his promise, or not?

I wonder what you consider to be valuable. Maybe you invested (or are investing) years of work to achieve something special, and the value comes from the cost in time or money. Maybe you have a valuable job or pension

I read recently that one sign of a bright child is that the child will make up new rules for a game. Making up a new game or extending an existing game is one thing, but I’ve also seen children

Sitting down to eat, just before dusk, at the Beachcomber Café in Barton-on-Sea, we could see a light coming from the Isle of Wight. What was it? Why was it there? We don’t know for sure, but it looked like

There’s been some noise in the media recently about what it means to bless something. It is an expression of approval? Is it an affirmation of right-ness? Or is it simply bringing God into a situation with the expectation and

On Wednesday’s Radio 4 Thought for the Day, Rhidian Brook was talking about who we are influenced by. He wanted to distance himself from the ‘influencers’ who crave fame and fortune by ‘being themselves’ on social media, and who are

We all like something new. Sometimes ‘new’ means ‘for the first time’, but often it’s about something new replacing something old: a new coat consigns the old one to the cupboard (or is passed on to someone else); a new

“Glad tidings of Great Joy”, the angel said. So, how does that work? Does it come because of the food, festivities, families, and fun? Does it come as we realise the darkening of the winter nights has turned back? Or

On the A44 between Rhayader and Kington, there is a signpost for Llandegley Airport. But if you follow the directions you won’t find the airport because it doesn’t’ exist – it never has. The owner of the sign says it’s

In the 2012 Olympic 100m final, Usain Bolt lined up in lane 7. “On your marks”, “Set”, the gun went off and 9.64 seconds later the race was won. Years of physical and mental training justified in just 10 seconds.