What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • How did I do with last year’s predictions?

    Here’s a run down of how I did at last year’s predictions.

    • Good results for Nigel Farage following the English local elections in May. Terrible results for Conservative Party.

    Exactly what happened. YES

    • No progress towards the marriage of same-sex couples in the Church of England

    Exactly what happened. Indeed, I think things may have gone into reverse. YES

    • Turbulent year for WordPress, which powers about half of the internet.

    The year began with Automattic dramatically cutting its contribution to development leading to stagnation in development and much acrimony. Subsequently restored. Deep divisions remain about Gutenberg. I’m claiming this as a YES.

    • 2025 will be the hottest year on record.

    Final figures yet to be calibrated but all reports indicate that this, unfortunately is a YES.

    • No trade deal for UK with US. Increasing talk of re-aligning economy closer to EU.

    Well, there was a trade deal in May called the Economic Prosperity Deal but it doesn’t seem to much and some of the basics have already been reversed. I suppose I have to be honest and say I didn’t get this quite right so it is a NO. But…

    • Ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war but no long term solution.

    Hard to assess this one. No long term solution, certainly. There have been a series of ceasefires proposed but none seems really to have been fully implemented. Partial YES.

    • “Assisted Dying” aka doctor assisted suicide becomes legal in at least one of the jurisdictions of the British Isles.

    I have to put this down as a  NO  as it completed its parliamentary journey in the Isle of Man but hasn’t received Royal Assent yet, so not technically legal.

    • Turbulent year for economy but stock market higher at end of year than beginning. (FTSE currently at 8,173)

    Stock market at 9,931 today and there was quite a lot of volatility in the first part of the year. So this one is a YES.

    • There will be fewer Commonwealth Realms (ie countries which share the monarchy) by the end of 2025 than there are now.

    This one is a NO though there has been significant progress in that direction in Jamaica and moves that way in Grenada.

    • Philip Mountstephen.

    Well, I was pushing Philip Mounstephen’s name as he appeared to be the only senior bishop in the C of E who actually believed the [absurd] position of the C of E bishops on same-sex relationships. But it is a NO – nothing significant to report.

     

    So – five and a half out of ten this year. Not as good as some years. A couple of near misses.

     

    ,

6 responses to “Carol Service”

  1. Ritualist Robert Avatar
    Ritualist Robert

    Fr Kelvin, is there a link to a pdf of the order of service so we can all see it?

    Reply
  2. Kelvin Avatar
    Kelvin

    I’ll try to post a pdf later today. I need to pick it up from the office and then bring it home to change it to pdf format. I also need to correct a couple of mistakes before I forget what they were.

    I can’t post everything that was in the people’s hands for copyright reasons, but I’ll see what I can include.

    Reply
  3. Kelvin Avatar
    Kelvin

    It was something like this, Robert.

    Carol Service pdf file

    Reply
  4. Gordon Avatar
    Gordon

    And the Choir looked like this:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/gordonrasmith/sets/72157611524510670/

    Reply
  5. Layclerk Avatar
    Layclerk

    In the service sheet, verse 3 of In the Bleak Midwinter has the wrong words.

    The words as used by Harold Darke, and as sung as a tenor solo last night, from memory are:

    Enough for Him whom Cherubim worship night and day,
    A breast full of milk, and a manger full of hay,
    Enough for Him, whom angels fall down before,
    the ox and ass and camel which adore

    OK, I shall remove my anorak now!

    Reply
  6. Stewart Avatar
    Stewart

    More pictures from the Carol service at:
    http://bonnyton.fotopic.net/c1627814.html

    and

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pencefn/sets/72157611423694339/

    Reply

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