Last week the British government presented a new package of financial arrangements; it’s been widely analysed and commented on in the media. As usual the opinions are divided, partially because of political views, partially because of the practical effects of the budget. The only certain thing is that not everyone is happy, as it’s practically impossible to please everybody. Setting…
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Weather forecast for this Monday was really tricky. It was a bit of a gamble; generally speaking it paid off. The morning was quite breezy and drizzly as far as to the top of Beinn a’Chlachair, the first Munro of the day. Just after I’d finished with my sandwiches there – shivering in cold wind – the clouds cleared a…
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Summer has already come, and with that a polite question to me: ‘Father, are you going home for your holiday?’ My answer is invariably the same: ‘No, I’m not, because I am at home here.’ It isn’t a courteous phrase or a sort of PR stunt. In my six years long stay here in Scotland I’ve always felt that, and never been homesick. For…
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This Munro was the one I had previously left unclimbed; partially because it requires quite a long walk to the foot of the hill. Yesterday mixed weather forecast for Scotland somehow pushed me there, as other regions were expecting rain. The long walk turned out to be pretty pleasant, though still long. The entire route was rather straightforward, running along…
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Recently I’ve had a very pleasant chat with some extremely nice people; among several topics there were memories from the distant past. A person recalled that Catholics had been perceived as people preoccupied with sin, whereas other denominations apparently were passing on a much happier message about God’s love. And now a few decades later nobody seems to talk about…