But what if not?

Poppy’s fans will be glad to know that she is safely home after enjoying pre-and-post Lambeth hospitality in Belfast. She came as a paws passenger again on the Stena to Stranraer – much more hospitable towards her than the P&O which seems a bit iffy.

It’s as well I watch almost no TV since there is almost no TV to watch other than the Olympics – the sporting equivalent of the Lambeth Conference. It’s all very moving to the point of misty-eyed, of course. But as I listen to the victors saying how wonderful it is to have the reward for all the hard work and sacrifice, I wonder about the others. Do they just tiptoe away and get on with their lives? Those who put in great effort in ministry for little visible result can of course say through gritted teeth, ‘One sows and another reaps’

For some reason, I’ve had Humphrey Lyttleton’s sign-off lines from ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a clue’ running through my mind. Is the end nigh, I wonder?

“As the vanquished charwoman of time begins to Shake-n- Vac the shagpile of eternity, I notice that we have just run out of time.”