We’re a small diocese. But at present we have two of our charges vacant and two more to come over the summer. The days when the bishop would arrive and say, ‘I have just the person .. ‘ are gone. Nowadays we devise quite sophisticated ways of making a choice – while not forgetting to leave a window of opportunity for the Spirit. It’s demanding and labour intensive. But Vestry members seem very willing to take it seriously. And I think that everybody learns a lot about clergy, their ministry and what are reasonable expectations. That in turn matters more and more now that clergy ’employment’ is gradually becoming more like other employment.
All this takes place in this huge safari park in which we live. I went over what I think was the body of a small deer on the M90 near Kinross tonight. It dislodged a panel underneath the car – lucky not to do more. Poppy caught a mouse outside today and lost it again. It was seen flaunting itself on the patio later on.