"When Chris shall come..."

Another funeral at St Gregory's, the second within a week. Today's affair was rather less meaningful, I felt. The feeling started during the entrance hymn, "How Great Thou Art" when (as prompted by the service sheet - replenished with typos throughout) I found myself about to sing "When Chris shall come..." The deceased, who often had a twinkle in his eye, would perhaps have joined in the giggles.

"How great thou art" comes to mind also when I walk in or near Coldwell Bottom. Not for the first time has it featured to illustrate a freeranger post. Despite too much conifer planting and the distant pylons beyond the Churn valley, this beautiful view often remains the one I'm drawn to when - as this morning - obliged to take over the dog run.

"freeranger: sixth sense?"

Another book has recently arrived in the post from blurb.com, the title as above. It's volume 6 of the set comprising my blog posts - those between 1st June and 31st December 2012. The cover photograph dates from a bike ride I did in July last year - to Tewkesbury: it was a beautiful day, one of the rare ones of a wet Summer, compared to 2013.

After a long spell of generally fine weather, we are getting some welcome rain today - welcome, that is, not just for the garden, but also to save our bacon in the 3rd Ashes Test at Old Trafford.

Dave Brubeck RIP

When his death on Wednesday was reported, I marvelled that Dave Brubeck was still living until now: he was a jazz legend in his own lifetime. Yesterday, he would have been 92.

And today I received from Blurb the book I have put together of my freeranger posts during the first five months of 2012. As it's also volume 5 in the series, "take five" seemed a logical title. Brubeck's "Take Five" was after all the first jazz record I ever bought.

Cyber relationships

I pinched this from Private Eye, received here en route for Thomas in Portugal: reading it is my perk for paying for the postage to forward it.

"freeranger: a fourth volley"

The book of my 2011 posts has arrived today. As its name implies, it's the 4th in the series, each one printed handsomely by Blurb. This time, I have used white text against a black background throughout, and a slightly larger font. All very satisfactory, though I say it myself.

Last year's posts

The publisher, Blurb's third volume of my freeranger posts reached me today, its cover as above, with an image from when we visited Cascais, Portugal, with Thomas in May last year: since then, he has moved there from Lisbon, renting a flat near to where the photograph was taken.

I'd say the quality of Blurb's photographic reproduction seems to have improved: so, it's a very pleasing record to have, though I honestly don't expect anyone other than me to be interested in buying a copy!

"A second barrel"

Over recent weeks, I have had back from the online publishers Blurb a couple of books comprising the posts to this blog - the first with those from May to December 2008, and the second (the cover is pictured above) January-June 2009. Indulgent? Certainly; but rather pleasing to think there is something more than just what's there on blogger.com.