Monday 14 September 2020

Second waves. Christian monuments. Lighthouses. Hallowe’en and other celebrations.

“Almost 86% of doctors in England say they expect a second peak of coronavirus in the next six months, according to a new survey, as concern continues to grow over a recent rise in cases.”


I just read that in a newspaper online. Nobody seems to know what’s going on. Here’s a description of the confusion, from an article in yesterday’s Guardian, so where it says “from tomorrow” it is now “from today”:


“Keeping up with lockdown rules in Greater Manchester has become a full-time job. On Tuesday, casinos and soft-play centres reopened everywhere except Bolton. Later that same day, pubs in Bolton were closed. You can’t meet other households in your house or garden, unless you live in Stockport or Wigan. You also can’t meet them in pubs or restaurants unless you sit outside, in which case it’s fine, unless you live in Oldham, in which case it isn’t. Restrictions were lifted last Wednesday for Trafford, where I live, until suddenly, 12 hours later, they weren’t. From tomorrow, along with the rest of the country, socialising in groups of more than six will become illegal”


But it’s all okay because planning permission has been granted for an “eternal wall of prayer” to be built in the outskirts of Birmingham. 


“The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will be constructed using a million bricks, each representing a prayer from a member of the public and its outcome. The aim is to “encourage and inspire people going through the storms of life”, said Richard Gamble, the project’s chief executive and a former chaplain of Leicester City football club.”


The land has been donated by Lord Edmiston, a billionaire businessman, Conservative party donor and evangelical Christian. The huge monument, twice the size of Gateshead’s Angel of the North, has three goals: to “preserve the Christian heritage of the nation”; encourage prayer; and “proclaim Jesus for the country”.


Well, okay, fair enough, if that’s what you want to do! If that’s what the country needs. But it strikes me that the £9.3m could be put to better use. It’s going to have a cafe and a visitor centre though, so maybe the proceeds from there will be put to good Christian use. That’s all I have to say on the matter.


Over in Cantabria, in the north of Spain, stands this lighthouse, which has been painted in bright colours and patterns, rather a change from the traditional white. Some people have objected but mostly it seems quite popular.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/13/infinite-cantabria-makeover-okuda-san-miguel-spanish-lighthouse

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Some of the money raised through marketing or events at the site will go to funding food banks in the area. Now, that’s the way to do things!


Mumsnet is one of those media groups which didn’t exist when I was a young mum, we had to actually meet in person to swop ideas and worries and gripes. Once again I find myself asking how we coped! One of the hot topics at the moment is Hallowe’en. (Yes, I know that nowadays everyone writes Halloween but I am an old fashioned linguist, grammar freak, stickler and I like my apostrophe!) Nobody (except perhaps me) objects to Hallowe’en per se: the big question is whether it will be able to go ahead this year. Will manufacturers of rather inflammable children’s costumes miss out? Will a whole cohort of children be deprived of a sugar rush? 


“Kids have already had Easter taken away, it’s not fair for Halloween to not happen either,” one Mumsnet poster complained. 


I’m not sure now they had Easter taken away. Surely parents could still have provided Easter eggs for their offspring. I’m pretty sure most of them would not have gone to church anyway.


Some are worried that the cancellation of Halloween is part of a wider trend. As another Mumsnet contributor sighed: “No Halloween, no bonfire night and no Christmas, [it’s] very worrying in terms of how we manage going forward. Humans are meant to come together – long-term social distancing doesn’t seem sustainable!”


There we go again. “No bonfire night”? A little family celebration in the garden - just your immediate household - can surely be arranged. 


“No Christmas” bothers me a bit more. I really would like to get all my family together again. And I wonder if people will still over-decorate their houses with Christmas lights this year. We shall see ... or maybe not!


Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

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