World Chess Championship

I am having the best sort of day today. I'm a big chess fan, especially in autumn and winter when the nights are long, and at the moment, there is a unification world chess championship match going on, between the FIDE (world chess federation champ) Veselin Topalov and the Classical chess champion (there was a split in 1993 when then champion Garry Kasparov went independent) Vladimir Kramnik.

Today is game 4 and I have been following it live on the playchess server. I have also been listening to live radio commentary on the game from grandmaster Yasser Seirawan which has been fascinating. It's also been a bit of a wonders of modern technology sort of a day as there has been a chat stream running alongside the game, and I have been able to read all about some grand-masters telling stories of travelling around the world playing chess, recommending different moves and making jokes about Ronald Reagan. It's been great. At the moment, this game looks like a draw which leaves Kramnik 2 wins up with 8 to play.

Topalov is the player I am supporting because he is more exciting and aggressive, but he is losing because of over-aggression at the moment. I think that chess is about the art of letting other people make mistakes, and nobody is better at that than Kramnik.

Must sign off now as the commentary is about to start again. If you're interested in this stuff, I recommend www.chessbase.com and Nigel Short's Guardian column on a Thursday which is published on their website.

Simon

Lazy Saturdays

One of our little pleasures in life is a "Traver's Lazy Saturday", particularly in autum and winter. Now the season is changing, lazy Saturdays are here again. Examples of things that characterise such days are, staying in bed late, reading the newspaper, watching nonsense on TV, going to the supermarket, eating one of Simon's many varieties of delicious homemade soup, reading some more, catching a movie, chatting, chilling and doing not a lot else.

Today, we got up at the respectable hour of 8.30am, had breakfast, read, watched an hour or so of TV, went back to bed, slept some more and got up in time for lunch. Simon then went to the Supermarket and did a little gardening. (I unfortunately had to do a small amount of work, but thankfully not enough to ruin the laziness of the day). This evening Simon is indeed making soup and I think we shall also eat ice cream, drink beer, read some more and watch a DVD. A lazy saturday doesn't get much better than that!

Alex

Airborne

One of the things that I am involved in and excited about at the moment is a thing called Airborne. This is a weekly bible study programme that our church is running.

It's based on the life of the church in Ephesus between ad54 and 95, specifically focussing on how to live a passionate Christian life. We do one study a week, but I teach that study 3 times a week to give opportunities for people to make it at different times.

We were asked a while ago to try and help revive our church's flagging mid-week Bible study programme. Attendance at the mid-week meeting had dropped significantly and it was recognised that a new approach was required. The vision was for a more interactive format to encourage practical discipleship and growth both at individual and church level. We did some experiments last year in hybrid bible study/small group format, but this only sucessfully reached a small proportion of the church. So we have relaunched the programme, returning to something closer to a traditional bible study. We have introduced three streams, of which Airborne is one. We are still seeking to encourage interaction but we hope that the increase in choice of teaching content and style will encourage wider particpation.

Simon

My First Dedication

It was a special day today, I did my first ever baby dedication in church. It was a real privelige. Here is a photo of Simeon (who was dedicated today) and me at a buffet lunch afterwards.

Views From Mountbatten Pier (at dusk)

The Pier at Mountbatten

The pier is approximately 6 miles from our house, about a 15 minute drive. It is a place where families take a strole after Sunday lunch and some people fish at dawn and dusk. It is my favourite place in Plymouth.

As I saunter along the pier, my eyes are drawn to the coastline stretching to the left; Jennycliff and the fort at Bovisand. Plymouth Sound defines the horizon, with the Atlantic Ocean beyond. Sometimes I spot warships from different countries moored or out on manoevre. Occaisonally I see a Brittany ferry departing to or returning from France or Spain.

Straight ahead lies Drake's Island and Mount Edgcombe. To the right is the skyline of Plymouth, from Devonport Dockyard at the farthest point, merging intoPlymouth Hoe, the Barbican and the marina.

Mountbatten Pier is a place of retreat for me. I don't get Wednesdays off. Sometimes, I don't even get weekends off (as one weekend in four I am on call for clients who may require assistance at the police station or at Court). I love my job, but often it is physically exhausting and emotionally draining. It is important for me to have a place to escape and be alone. When I lived in Sheffield, I used to spend hours on Bole Hill, Crookes, looking our over the city and the Peak District. In Plymouth, Mountbatten Pier is my special place. I go there to reflect, process, pray, recharge and plan. As I gaze on the beauty around, I gain perspective on life, I feel at peace and I know that life is good.

Alex

Wednesdays off

After working in a school environment for most of my working life, being regimented by timetables, I have to say that one of the most awesome things about working for the church is that i get wednesdays off. The freedom of not having to do anything is delicious.

It's not that I do anything exciting with these days, quite the opposite. But that's the point, time to fritter away on stuff is just about the best luxury in life for me. I love the Johnny Cash song about the lucky old sun, got nothing to do/but roll around heaven all day.

So I've done a bit of housework today, watched an NFL game on video, did a bit of web surfing. Later, I might read for a while, although it will probably send me snoozy. I'll cook pasta for alex tonight and go back to work tommorow.

By the way, this is a link that will take you to my yahoo radio station.
http://uk.music.yahoo.com/lc/?rt=0&rp1=0&rp2=1278410946
It plays lots of different things from Led Zeppelin to Stereolab to Flaming Lips. And if you're really lucky, it will play They Don't Know by Tracey Ullman.

Simon

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