Steve Taylor's Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's not the one I was looking for to quote in my sermon, but one that somehow always held an appeal at the time.  A bit dated but even so, worth a reprise:

Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
The queen is losing face
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
A national disgrace

It's the middle of the night at the London shrine
Could have been the janitor, could have been divine
Someone said the thermostat never did work
Now we've got the temperature going berserk

Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
The queen is losing face
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
A national disgrace

Celebrities, statesmen, history's elite
They're dripping in the hallways, they're starting to secrete
They're pouring out the pores, they're shrinking on the spot
Someone take a photograph--get 'em while they're hot

Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
The president looks alarmed
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
A general's been disarmed

Feverish at Fleet Street - story of the year
"Get the Facts - House of Wax Photo Souvenir"
"Shameful" Says the Times, "Maybe Done By Vandals"
Panic on Wall Street - put your stock in candles

I thought I heard a ghost say
"Had my hands in my pockets on the Judgment Day
Nobody told me there's fire in the hole
Had the world by the tail but I lost my soul"

Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
A rock and roll hotel
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
They're blending very well

Elvis and the Beatles have seen a better day
Better off to burn out than to melt away
Dylan may be fillin' the puddle they designed
Is it gonna take a miracle to make up his mind?

Athletes on the floor
Meltdown
They're running out the door

Bad boy McEnroe couldn't keep his cool
Now he's with the rest of 'em, wading in the pool
"Howard Hughes - Billionaire" says the written guide
Pity that his assets have all been liquefied

"Celebrity status only got in the way
Had my hands in my pockets on the Judgment Day
You can't take it with you - there's fire in the hole
Had the world by the tail but I lost my soul"

Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
The queen is losing face
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
A national disgrace

Down in the dungeon - the Chamber of Horrors
Look at all the criminals soften to the cores
They're mixing with the head of state floating down the lane
Good, bad, there they go down the same drain

Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
(It really is a pity you know)
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
(A lot of bees gave their all for this)
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's
Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's

It's not so often the case these days that I need to work on a Saturday... indeed, despite being on BUGB six-day week settlement terms I tend to be closer in practice to BUS five-day terms, even if often working more hours per day than they envisage in their 'sessions' model.

Today has been busy in a good way...

A complete rewrite of tomorrow's sermon, so it's now closer to what I want it to be and will hopefully achieve what I feel it is meant to achieve.

A careful read through of an 'end of probation report' by the minister for whom it has been my privilege to act as mentor these past three years

Now I need to read my mentee's Guided Self Appriasal paperwork in detail, and then get around to completing my own!

I also have a mega heap of ironing to get done, a decluttering* exercise that is at a standstill, and a house that resembles Paddy's market after an earthquake!

* decluttering was due to include chucking out my cassette tape collection, then as I was cogitating over the sermon I recalled a line from a song and tracked it down to a tape from the late 1970s or early 1980s... maybe the tapes survive this cull then!  But not the engineering  degree notes, they can definitely go after I read the exam papers and thought for each question either "not a clue" or "that's so easy"!

A really encouraging story from a church in Yorkshire here as the Tour de France passed their doorstep.  Spotting a gap in provision, they plugged it and welcomed loads of people through their doors.  The Commonwealth Games cycle race passes just metres from our door on 3rd August, and we are doing something similar...

• Free big screen live stream of the race
• Free refreshments
• Free, clean toilets (inclduing accessible and baby change)
• A place to sit and relax for a bit out of the heat/rain (delete as appropriate)
• A space for small people to run aorund, or do some colouring

Lots of wonderful homebaking being baked... evidently some prototype Welsh Cakes have been tested this week... I think maybe Bakewell tart ought to be added to my 'to make' list as we endeavour to reflect a broad range of 'Home Nations' and Commonwealth cuisine...

Should be wonderful fun and a great outreach in love to people of many nations.

Home Communion this afternoon - I love doing this, such a privilege, and simulatenously intimate and universal (mystery).

Old hymns

Ancient words

Familiar prayers

Bread and juice

Tea and biscuits

Conversation

Communion

Anamnesis

Memories stirred

Moments shared

And, today, home grown roses to bring away

Privilege

Perk

Whatever it is, I love it.

Ministry has the best bits for sure.

I remind myself of this periodically, and yesterday which had begun with two really good meetings, ended up with me reminding myself of what really matters...

Having travelled a large chunk of my journey on Tuesday on a rather full train with a booked seat that failed to tick most of the boxes I'd ticked, I had not achieved any of the service prep I'd hoped for, but I had read 100 pages of the book I have to review by September.  I got up early yesterday (6:30) so that after breakfast I could catch an earlier train to squeeze in an extra (and very interesting) informal meeting.  My main meeting was good fun - old and new colleagues, great banter and I learned loads of useful stuff.  We finished quite early so I headed off for my train thinking this was great, time to grab a meal somewhere before boarding my final train...

Arriving at Didcot Parkway it was clear the trains were in disarray, automated systems announcing delays to trains that had actually been cancelled.  The tragedy of 'person hit by train'...which is almost always code for a suicide, and the horror of someone who felt life was so awful they could not bear to live anymore; the grief and guilt of family and friends who have lost one they love; the trauma to the train driver and witnesses... and the inevitable disruption to services which seem to last for many hours.

Eventually a train arrived, crammed to the gunwales with people, an unscheduled stop to scoop up those of us travelling to Oxford, as the platform was so crowded that safety would soon be compromised.  Blitz spirit triumphed, several of us helped a frail elderly woman up the steps and into the 'lobby' where we stood like vertical sardines for the ten minute journey.

Unexpectedly, and miraculously or so it felt, I made my booked train, which was on time, and safely and efficiently was carried to Birmingham International to await the 18:53 to Glasgow... except it was now the 18:53 to Preston where further announcements would be made.  No catering on board and the train was packed out, so no possibility of doing any work even if I'd had a socket, which I didn't.  Regular updates at every calling point showed we were getting later and later, and we were due to transfer to another service at Preston becuase the overhead cables were defunct north of Motherwell...

Arriving at Preston we were told to make our way as quickly as possible to a different train, which was being held for us and would take us to Carlisle.  So upwards of 200 people flocked up the steps, over the bridge, down the steps and into the already heaving train... I headed along the platform and, to my amazement, found a vacant seat to travel on to Carlisle.  Evidently the passengers from four trains had been transferred onto one - two Edinburgh and two Glasgow.

Arriving at Carlisle we once again streamed as fast as our feet would carry us to queue for the buses that would take us onwards - to Edinburgh/Glasgow/Motherwell/Lockerbie... super coaches, minibuses even a few taxis... and finally we arrived at GLC main entrance with no trains left to go anywhere, and a huge taxi queue

And then I got home, which was ultimately all that mattered, safe and sound, if hungry, tired and with almost a week's work still to do.  But somewhere, in the south of England, a train driver was traumatised, a family was grieving and a life was lost.  Today I am so tired that my concentration is poor and I have still ahcieved almost nothing that I need to achieve... but I am alive, well, fed and watered, and all will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.

Eternal rest grant unto the 'person hit by train', oh Lord, let perpetual light shine upon them, may they rest in peace.

To the train driver peace and release, to the family and friends, comfort... and to the young accountant wondering whether to claim a refund and keep it as his employers would pay anyway give wisdom, integrity and a sense of perspective.