Wulf's Webden

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7 July 2026
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Red Card

I’m not following the World Cup in any detail although it would be hard to miss that it is on. However, I did see the story that FIFA had decided to suspend the one match ban penalty for the red card received by an American striker after intercession from Donald Trump. That’s appalling – the rules are the rules and several other nations have already had to play on missing key players who were red-carded in a previous game. The whole point of the red and yellow card system is to impose a real penalty on dangerous or unsporting behaviour.

Therefore, I’m very glad that the US squad, with their reprieved player, got a thorough drubbing from the Belgian team, suffering a 4-1 defeat and going out of the tournament. That is a satisfying result given the circumstances.

Meanwhile, I predict that a team will win the World Cup within the next fortnight. I think I’m on fairly safe ground with that one. However, whoever it is will be walking away with a trophy a bit more tarnished than when we begun.

6 July 2026
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Hats On

It looks like I’ve got another musical weekend coming up – an open mic in Hathern on Friday, a singaround in Thorpe Acre on Saturday and then (after church in the morning and probably listening to Loughborough Concert Band at the bandstand in the afternoon) hat back on for another Panamas gig at Kilo Wine Bar in Quorn that has just come up as an opportunity.

5 July 2026
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Verjus?

I think the wine I tried brewing last year is unlikely to lose its sourness but perhaps what I’ve succeeded in creating is not wine at all but verjus (or verjuice)? This is a traditional concoction made from unripe grapes and was often used to add an acidic component to dishes in the past. It certainly worked well in the beef stew I made for dinner tonight. I mixed about 150ml with about double the quantity of stock and, cooked with beef, onion, carrot and various herbs and spices, ended up with a very palatable result. You don’t always get what you want but, if you try, sometimes you get what you need.

4 July 2026
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Spots of Rain

When I set off from Loughborough this morning, it was warm and sunny and I was mainly concerned about overheating at the Chatsworth gig. I even put on some sun-cream but I didn’t think about packing a waterproof coat. It turned out the hour and a half drive put me in a place that was a lot more overcast. Sun wasn’t a problem but we did get a few spots of rain although, fortunately, not too much. I’m glad I at least remembered to pack a tarpaulin – I didn’t need it but it gave some peace of mind in case I needed to quickly cover my electronics!

3 July 2026
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Chatsworth tomorrow

I’ve had a fairly quiet day today… just as well as I’m headed over to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire tomorrow for my last gig of term with the Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Should be fun once I’m there and set up. I’m just hoping not too many other people decide they want a day out there as the small roads in the vicinity can get pretty congested.

2 July 2026
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Making Connections

Yesterday’s early start, the long drive up and the long drive back today were definitely worth it. I’ve had a brilliant time up at the Wydale retreat. I did some useful research for a work project, enjoyed some fun and also some profound moments of sung worship and made solid progress on my next sermon (for Sunday week). Perhaps best of all through was making connections with lots of people.

Some of that was face to face time with people I’ve only met online or even just seen as names. However, there were a couple of extra special connections. One was sitting down to breakfast yesterday morning and discovering that the person I’d joined at the table was a friend of one of my brothers from North Wales. Another was spending sometime with a university friend who I’ve not seen for over 30 years. In that case, I knew he was due to be there but it was so good to see him again face to face.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity and look forward to more such connections in future.

1 July 2026
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Early Start

I’ve got an early start today. The charity I work for is running a song writing workshop in North Yorkshire this week and I’m going up for the last day and a half to meet some of the people who will be using one of the websites I am working on. Breakfast is at 8am so I need to get on the road!

30 June 2026
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The Sheep Detectives

The Sheep Detectives (2026) is a recent murder mystery film where the victim is a shepherd (played by Hugh Jackman) and most of the detective work to find out who killed him gets done by his flock of sheep. In the world of this film, humans still don’t understand sheep but the sheep can pick up every word we say, even though plenty of aspects of human life evade them.

Jackman’s character, George Hardy, is a kindly man who settles down outside his caravan each night and reads to them. Since his favourite type of book is the murder mystery, the sheep (or at least the brighter ones among the flock) are not as woolly in their thinking as you might expect. It is a pleasant film and fits well into the cosy mystery genre that Jane and both enjoy.

The film only came out in the cinema at the start of May but we spotted it was available for free on Amazon Prime and Jane was able to sign up for a free 30 day trial. That means we might get to watch it again and, if not, it will probably go on a Christmas or birthday list.

29 June 2026
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Relief

What a relief to have a normal British summer’s day – often overcast and with temperatures in the lower 20’s (Celsius). We might even be lucky and get some actual rain at some point this week…

28 June 2026
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Hathern Open Gardens 2026

Jane and I finished the full set of open gardens this afternoon, including #14 (which didn’t get into the programme) and revisiting a few that I got a preview of on Friday evening.

There was a wide variety on offer, from small to large and with all sorts of personal styles on display. Some were densely planted without any space wasted on a lawn while others were more traditional with lawns and narrow borders with specimen plants. One was a tiny oasis, where we found the owner sitting on a bench almost hidden by a beautiful jasmine in flower. Another had almost everything labelled in botanical Latin (certainly more comprehensive labelling than most public gardens manage).

If we lived in Hathern, I’d definitely sign our back garden up for the trail and, as it is, I look forward to seeing which places are open for visiting next year.