Windy weather again. I've been waiting for a blustery opportunity to upload this fantastic Dudley D. Watkins panel from his 11th February 1951 Broons comic page. Last night the gales reached similar cat-hurtling violence but I certainly didn't expect an earthquake to add to the wintry excitement. Its tremor woke me from my slumbers just before 1am. Jings! Whatever next?

Rare Catholic Statues. Ever since I was a 21 year old wide-eyed visitor of Liverpool's (long gone) Catholic Truth Society shop I've loved plaster statues of Saints designed for home devotion. Sadly, even today's practicing left-footers seem to regard these inexpensive objects as incompatible with their precious property's laminated decor and who, in their right mind, would want to offend their neighbour's secular sensibilities with even the remotest display of belief in the non-material or self-sacrificial?

Happily, some of these once populist, mass-manufactured figurines are currently available for purchase on ebay. Even the ignorant should recognise the first figure as St.Sebastian, here without the details of his arrow-pierced martyrdom. The second is St.Expeditus, from Roman antiquity, and the third is the great St.John Vianney (aka Cure D'Ars), patron Saint of Priests.

Bagnall's Retreat has been on retreat!

For the last 3 days I've been living at Ushaw College a.k.a St.Cuthbert's Roman Catholic Seminary. Directed by Fr.Paul Grogan, the retreat centred around a 25 hour grand silence which was imposed on Friday evening and lifted at 9pm Saturday, when myself and the seven other male retreatants were able to re-join the rest of the community.

The first photo was taken from my room not long after arriving and the other two are from a brisk and nippy morning walk in the snowy grounds before I gathered with Anthony, David, John, Frank, Simon, Benjamin, Martin and Fr.Grogan to recite the Morning Office in St.Joseph's Chapel.