I am beginning to wonder if St Swithin is the patron saint of Practical Theology.  Let me explain.

Each year the British and Irish Association of Practical Theology (BIAPT) have a conference in July.  For the last few years, this has been followed immediately by the (allegedly compulsory) summer school for part time doctoral students working towards professional doctorates in practical theology.  And every year it rains in abundance.

Year 1 Reading.  When we arrived it was glorious weather and we sat in the sun; by day three the campus was flooded and those travelling anywhere other than A34/M40/M1 found their routes disrupted as they travelled home.

Year 2 I was given special permission to miss it as I in was in Prague presenting to an international audience of Baptists historians and theologians.  However, I do recall sitting outside a pub where we'd gone for tea and it poured for an hour or so.

Year 3 Durham.  It rained all the time.  Serious rain.  Rain that flooded parts of Durham and left roads awash elsewhere.

Year 4 Chester.  I'm off there today.  Last it night it rained pretty seriously here and the forecast shows no sign of less rain as you cross the border.

I am therefore left to conclude that St Swithin likes practical theologians and wants to give them plenty of water for baptisms either by affusion (as it pours from the sky) or immersion (as you step into a puddle).  Well it's either that or one of our number is a rain-god in the style of the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy.

So, no blogging for a day or three but a fair bit of blagging instead.  I have a short paper to present, so hopefully people will engage with what I'm saying and the beating of rain on the roof won't drown out my voice.

(PS I'm hoping Chester uni runs to a TV room or wifi so I can get the last part of The Silence !!!!)