It feels like I blinked and missed February (two weeks away but the way the dates landed left me with little or nothing of the month) and now it is Shrove Tuesday and no Lenten blogging plan even considered.  Should I do the lectionary readings or Christian Aid's blessing count, each of which has been my focus in past years?  Or should I parallel the people who so piously purport to abstain from social media for Lent and leave this space silent?  Or something else?  The last of these I think!

As so often in the past, I have bought the Archbishop of Canterbury's 'Lent Book', and to ensure I do actually read it I'll undertake to blog a response to each chapter.  The book is 'Looking Through the Cross' by Graham Tomlin, and there are nine chapters so that doesn't neatly divide between six weeks, but I'll make sure that I get through it in the time allocated and share some thoughts.

The poem a day for Advent seemed to be appreciated by those who read them - I have no neat source to plagiarise, but I'll undertake to post a poem a week for this Lent.  Probably it makes sense to do this on the same day of the week.  So I'll choose Wednesdays for no better reaoson than none.

I have to confess to having got out of the habit of reading most of the blogs I used to follow (some have stopped being wirtten, some I just forgot to read anymore!), so I will make a more conscious effort to read them and to share one post of interest each week.

Beyond that, people seem to like odd bits of prayer or liturgy that I share, and it's always nice to see some photos that carry a sense of 'hope' so I'll aim for some of those too...

So, I think what I'm saying is that each week there will be:

• A response to one or two chapters of the archbish's book choice
• A poem that somehow relates to the season (Wednesdays)
• A signpost to a blog of interest
• A photo that suggests 'hope'
• A prayer, meditation or bit of liturgy by me, appropriate to the season

That means five posts a week (sustainable) and five different approaches, so hopefully something will appeal to most readers... and hopefully I won't run out of steam in week five!

I happened to be in Auckland when two major public festivals were taking place - the celebration of the Chinese New Year and Auckland Pride.  The two seemed to coexist quite happily, with their major events on different days.

Whatever anyone may think about human sexuality and the rights or wrongs of its expression among people who profess Christian faith, it was interesting and challenging (in a good way) to see the sign outside the church opposite my hotel and the photo of some members of one of the churches I visited.

I leave it to you to ponder them and see where your ponderings take you...

First picture taken outside St Matthew in the City, Auckland (just along from Auckland City Mission - roots of course in GCM)

Second picture courtesy of Ponsonby Baptist Church, Auckland.

Let's be honest, there was an element of 'mountain top' about my trip to NZ - I felt enthused, energsied and rather proud of myself for getting there in the first place.  Day three since I came back to work I am still feeling very tired from the travelling, and the intensity of the shiny happy feeling is diminishing rapidly.  That's the thing about mountain top moments - you have to come back to earth sooner or later.

Tomorrow my plan is to make lots and lots of zeds, having worked fairly intently all week and put in a fair few hours I am ready for some sleep!

My sermon for Sunday kind of follows this thread, so I'm preaching to myself as much as to anyone else... coming down the mountain is inevitable; it's how what happens at ground level is affected by the experience that really matters.

... if one of J K Rowling's characters could transfigure the sow's ear that is my Transfiguration sermon into a silk purse... At least I have a first draft done now and all tomorrow to re-work it into something better.  Sometimes it seems I need to brain dump a rubbish sermon in order for the ideas to find their way out of my head!

Good as it is to be back at work, my brain is still rather sluggish from crossing quite so many time zones and being offered quite such odd foodstuffs at wierd hours (I declined the midnight snack of steak pie!) along the way.

... and back to work.  Somehow February disappeared without me noticing and now on the cusp of March there's a lot that needs to be done - so as you can see I am busy on the diversion tactics!  Out shortly to a meeting then need to crack Sunday's 'transfiguration' sermon and start thinking Lent planning!

Seem to have a possible cold brewing courtesy of someone on the plane who snuffled and sneezed all the way from Auckland to Dubai and/or the one who coughed all the way from Dubai to Glasgow.

Good to be home - lots to do and looking forward to getting back to it!  One last pic of the Sky Tower by night before normality returns: