A Candle for Casey Sheehan

This afternoon I popped in to the Brompton Oratory.

When I got there, a christening was taking place in the chapel I always visit - Saint Patrick's.

I watched the short service, only catching snatches of what was said; "all the godparents should now make the sign of the cross on her head", which made the baby stop crying for a moment, "this is the oil of salvation which is used to save you from the devil", the baby yelled at that. Then everyone trooped over to the font.

I lit two candles, one for Casey Sheehan and one for whoever you think needs it. All the good wishes for that little baby still hovered in the air.

Speaking of the devil, I went to the conference at the Royal Horticultural Halls at lunchtime to see what it was like.

The crowd was low key.
No significant media presence either.

He's pro-war, he's pro-terrorist-violence, he's pro-Iraq-and-Syrian-dictators, and he's ok with having his photo taken.









London is an attractive town. There are some beautiful war memorials here. This one at Hyde Park corner really is worth a look.












There's a wonderful mix of architecture from different centuries. Here's mid Victorian Big Ben and the bell tower of St. Margaret's. There has been a St. Margaret's church here from the end of the 11th century. The present building is a sprightly mid Tudor replacement (1523).






As this year winds down, yet another one where bombs went off in London, the feeling inside her old churches is still and comforting.