Phil Stoddart

Phil Stoddart

Can anyone help in the darkest hour?

  • Home
    • Blogs
      • The dusty archive
      • The Blogroll
    • Stories
    • A12 To Heaven
    • Talks
      • Feedback
    • Family
      • About Phil
      • July 1st 2006
      • A Christian funeral
      • Family clips. Aug 06-Dec 08
      • Family Clips before July 06
      • Claire’s Biology Field Trip
    • TOM TV
  • General
  • Blogs
    • Recent
    • About God
    • Fun
    • Satire
    • Me & family

The dusty archive

Day-to-day snippets from further back. Select the links for expanded news and blogs.
1st July 2009. Car crash 3rd anniversary.
It seems even harder this year. But it was the night before that got me this time, especially the time around when the crash must have happened. Hard to get my mind off the impact of car on car and the aftermath and not being there and of being powerless to protect them anyway.
On Wednesday morning, Heather and me went to the grave, dug up a shrub and replaced it with another one. Then we went to Norwich where the thick grey sky of Lowestoft gave way to bright blue sky. Retail therapy is quite effective really and I found some totally unconventional trousers for wearing in school which no one can complain about for being too casual.
When we got back, Heather walked to school to pick up Tom but on the way got attacked by a big dog. The owner, a blonde woman, couldn’t control it and the bite was really deep and there’s a big bruisy swelling on her arm! It happened in a kids play area where a sign clearly says DOGS NOT ALLOWED. The bite cost £15 for the antibiotics and Heather can’t drink alcohol for 10 days which is tough for a teacher!

9th June 2009.
Heather’s 50th birthday!!!. Yes she really is that young. Rewards for the day included lots of beads, some fish tank books, a garden recliner chair, a meal out and filling in a passport form for the chav from over the road.

9th June 2009. Eastern Daily Press Article.
Lowestoft father calls for tougher sentences for drink drivers
“Perhaps we should be looking at sentences that take less into account the outcome of the crime and more the crime itself.”

1st June 2009. East Anglian Daily Times Article.
Booze and drugs link to fatal crashes Mr Stoddart, from Lowestoft, said: “There are really still too many people not thinking about the consequences.”

April 2009. Cape Town Diaries.
Part 1.**** Part 2.**** Part 3.**** Part 4.
Part 5.**** Part 6.**** Part 7.


The Stods went to Cape Town at Easter and apart from seeing two oceans collide into each other near the bottom of the world and climbing up Table Mountain, we we were taken into some townships by some people from Jubillee Church. We came across women repeatedly beaten and raped and spoke with one with HIV. Yet written into their suffering was a remarkable love and joy in Jesus. One woman had died from uterus cancer but had risen from the dead. Yes, a real life outstanding and undeniable miracle.

Sat 28th March. The RISK irritation
… then came the noble game of RISK and six competitors of widely varying standards. We welcomed the enthusiastic Erym O’Green and her dark sidekick Steven Le Bleu …

Saturday 7th March A hardening of the heart
A lazy day, sprawled out on the beach, inhaling the sweet scent of summer and the excited chatter of children. High in the cloudless sky the sun shone brightly and my body was satisfied with delicious warmth and seemed near to the point of ultimate peace…

Wed 4th March. OFSTED ARE HERE! Groaaaaan. Yuk. Urgh.
Oh I wish they weren’t. The anxiety is written on the faces of almost all the teachers. The weight of inadequacy has fallen upon us. None of us can teach, none of our classes can behave, all of our lesson plans are nonsense and our schemes of work have not been followed.
DOOOOOMED! We are doomed. Hear the the dull thud of the banging drum. They are coming. Judgement is upon us. No one sits down for too long in the staff room during breaks. We come in and sit down only to spring up in alarm. “I haven’t got time to sit down. What am I doing?”
The staff room is a waiting place for the condemned. We are all undone … but then, there HE sits as calm as a still summer day, arms folded in defiance as he surveys the panic around him with the utmost disdain.
He is Captain Black, the PE teacher. No one will be breathing down his neck for his sheer persona is one of strength and self-confidence. His plans are robust and his lessons will not change for any flowery-dressed inspectors. They will not challenge him, they will not dare. He is Mr Ruthless, a spotless house in which no mess is allowed. I wish I was Captain Black.

Sunday 1st March The Last Word
“Though you are like a grain of sand
I consider you
Though I am infinite beyond comprehension
I watch over you.”

15th February The Great Dunno (Dunmow)
After three or four days of what some would call man-flu, but I would call a highly plausible flu-like virus, my body revived to welcome the half-term holiday. Amy disappeared with a friend while Heather, Tom and I headed off down south …

2nd February Amys get baptised and my talk at Alpha
It sure was a pack out this Sunday morning. Whoever put the chairs out had no option but to ignore the highly important needs of those over six feet in size (me). I couldn’t stretch my legs out but …

26th November 2008 Why do I cry? 26/11/08
Why do I cry? It can happen anywhere, on the street or in the house, or even in the middle of a conversation. What starts with a few garbled words towards God can end with a rush of emotion that…

Blogging. 10/6/08

Short Song. 19/5/07

A flick of the switch. 15/5/07

Pacman Gibberish. 20/4/07

Simple wisdom. 9/3/07

Offending God. 18/2/07

Expectations. 16/2/07

Strange but satisfying. 23/11/06

Leave a Comment
Click here to cancel reply.

Pages

  • Home
    • Blogs
      • The Blogroll
      • The dusty archive
    • Stories
    • A12 To Heaven
    • Talks
    • Family
      • About Phil
      • July 1st 2006

Links

  • A man raised from death
  • Last Word Publications
  • Lowestoft Community Church

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org
Podcast Powered by podPress (v8.8)
Powered by WordPress | “Blend” from Spectacu.la WP Themes Club