GroomNews Christmas 2020: the strangest of years… December 3, 2020
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Death, Family, Life, News.Tags: 2020, Christmas 2020, GroomNews, NB Almost, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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2020: it’s a year none of us is likely to forget, no matter how much we’d like to, full of words like pandemic, unprecedented, furlough, shielding, lockdown and tiers. For many it’s been a year of grief (we’ve had some of that) but it’s also been a year of hope and transformation as people have discovered new ways of working and doing things differently under lockdown.
We’ll start with the grief: as the year wore on, Phil’s Dad’s health took a turn for the worse and, sadly, he died in October. Here he is sitting in his favourite armchair. Now he’s with his Lord in glory, probably discussing the finer details of theology, biblical interpretation, carpentry and how to build model windmills…
Life under lockdown
How have you dealt with lockdown and tiers? For us it began with working from home, then Phil was furloughed and told to shield (due to COPD), church buildings were closed and Sue — along with all other clergy — had to learn how to lead worship from home: zoom zoom! Then came the challenge of keeping fit…
Enter the world of bungee-cord swimming: Sue took to it, if not like a duck to water, certainly like a pro-swimmer. The biggest problem was the neighbourhood cats, who took great delight in getting their claws into the air-ring around the pool. Thankfully strategic patching and fencing helped it last until Sue’s favourite lake in the Cotswold Water Park reopened, after which it was swim, swim, swim until she was ready for this year’s sponsored swim for Aspire, 6.5km along the River Arun.
Other News…
🌟 Sue passed her LLM in Canon Law with flying colours, achieving a distinction and an award for the best Masters in Law thesis.
🎾 Phil set up an improvised tennis court in the back yard which helped keep both of us moving during lockdown.
🏊♀️ Sue swam the Henley Mile in August as part of her preparation for her River Arun swim.
🪵 Phil has sawn, split and chopped more firewood than ever to keep us going through the winter.
✅ Sue’s Mum is still living contentedly in her own home with a full-time live-in carer.
🥕 Phil’s also been keeping himself busy in the garden growing carrots, potatoes and leeks.
👍 Sue has had a wonderfully pain-free year!
🧁 Phil has done lots of lovely lockdown baking, including chocolate brownies & Ovaltine cookies using a recipe from his Mum — thanks Mum!
Holidays!
We’ve been very fortunate with holidays this year: a week in Hayle, Cornwall, with Sue’s sister Alison, which included sailing with dolphins and visits to the Seal Sanctuary & Land’s End; and a week’s retreat with the Sheldon Community in Devon, stopping off at Sidmouth en route in both directions. Saving the best till last, an undoubted highlight of our year was a SwimQuest holiday at Club La Santa, Lanzarote, way back in February, with Olympic swimmer James Goddard and a group of other enthusiastic swimmers from around the UK.
Finally a huge thank you to everyone who has cheered us on and encouraged us through what has been a very bleak year for so many: without that support this would have been a very different year. With our love & prayers for Christmas and hoping with you for the best possible year ahead,
GroomNews Christmas 2019 – A Rollercoaster of a year! December 13, 2019
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Family, Life, News.Tags: Archdeacon of Wilts, GroomNews, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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Last year we wrote about some of the surprises life had thrown our way. This year the surprises have continued and it’s been a real rollercoaster ride of ups and downs…
⬆️ Hip hip hooray for Sue’s new hip! Yes, it’s corny but never mind: she had the op in February and it was as if she’d been given a new lease of life, both legs the same length at last and free from pain. We celebrated by buying new bikes and began cycling up and down the towpaths, discovered other local cycle routes and even began to play tennis again…
⬇️ Then suddenly in the summer Sue’s back objected and a protracted episode — about 4 months! — of sciatica kicked in: the pain and discomfort was worse than ever! She pushed on through, kept on swimming and happily that episode is now over: thank you for all your prayers and encouragement.
⬆️ Having kept the swimming going, Sue decided to go for it and entered this year’s Aspire Channel Swim: thanks to your support, as we write she’s at No.7 on the national leaderboard having raised over £1,300 and swum more than 80 miles!
⬅️ This is Sue’s Aspire Channel Swim page on JustGiving – there’s still time to sponsor her if you’d like to show your support!
⬆️ Sue is now a member of Salisbury Cathedral Chapter. No, I don’t really know what that means either: you’ll have to ask her to explain!
⬆️ Phil’s Dad is still with us, battling on with the support of friends and family, most of all from Phil’s Mum. Amazingly, the stomach cancer hasn’t spread and the meds he’s on seem to be keeping his pain levels under control.
⬇️ Various trips to hospital for Phil’s Dad as other health issues have arisen.
⬆️ Phil survived the restructuring of Canal & River Trust and now has a much bigger fundraising region, Wales & South West. Look out for members of his team on a waterway near you, stop for a friendly chat — even better, he says: sign up and become a Friend!
⬇️ Sadly it’s been a steady downhill slide for Sue’s Mum as she becomes increasingly lost in dementia, plus hospital trips for her too.
⬆️ Phil passed his driving test in March, which means we can now share the driving when visiting friends & family.
⬆️ Discovering Sidmouth
No doubt about it, one of the best ups in our rollercoaster ride was discovering Sidmouth, first taking a short break there by ourselves, then another break with Alison, Sue’s sister. The people were friendly, the weather was kind and both Sue and Alison went swimming in the sea. We also fitted in a cruise along the Jurassic Coast: highly recommended!
⬅️ Here’s Almost on the K&A during this year’s summer holiday.
Watch this space: she’s about to grow longer in 2020!
All in all it’s been another interesting year with the various ups and downs, but we’ve been aware of many people praying for us through the rough patches: if you’re one of those people, thank you – we’d be grateful for your continued prayers, especially for our parents with the ongoing challenges they’re facing.
As always, this comes to you with our love, prayers and very best wishes for Christmas and the year ahead,
GroomNews Christmas 2018: A Year of Surprises December 13, 2018
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Family, Life, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Archdeacon of Wilts, GroomNews, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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One of the best things about life is its endless capacity to take you by surprise. I think it’s safe to say that certain shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night understood that…
Knitivity, by Phil’s Mum
Sometimes those surprises are good. In no particular order, as they say on Strictly:
- The arrival of a new great-nephew, Adley. Okay, not a complete surprise, his parents, Sam & Darren, did tell us that he was on the way: congratulations, Sam & Darren!
- Family get-togethers, including a wedding for one of Sue’s cousins and Phil’s Mum’s 80th birthday party…
- Phil landing his dream job with Canal & River Trust in April…
- Visiting lots of lovely coffee shops – and discovering their magnificent cakes – whilst on retreat at Alnmouth Friary…
The Village Tearooms, Alnmouth: without a doubt, one of the best cafés in Alnmouth!
- A Special Appreciation Award for Phil at this year’s Christian Resources Together Authors, Booksellers and Publishers retreat…
- The opportunity for Sue to take a holiday in Cornwall and explore Land’s End with her sister, Alison…
- Catching up with friends we hadn’t seen for years…
- Discovering the free public tennis courts at Bradford-on-Avon during our summer holiday on Almost…
Sometimes those surprises are not so good:
- Getting back from that summer holiday only for Sue to wake up in excruciating pain one day the following week, leading to various tests and investigations and – eventually – a diagnosis of a prolapsed disc, a consequence of her long-term hip problems. The good news, however, is that her back is now much better, the pain is under control and she is on the waiting list for a hip replacement…
- Phil being told in November that his wonderful new job is one of around 240 roles at risk of redundancy within Canal & River Trust as the organisation undergoes a major restructuring…
- Phil’s Dad collapsing, being rushed into hospital and being diagnosed with stomach cancer…
Meanwhile many other things in life continue as normal:
- The joys and challenges of being an Archdeacon, which include taking services and supporting parishes through clergy vacancies, meaning that most weeks we attend a different church, always good fun; sitting on various committees; licensing new clergy and other church workers; sitting on various committees; helping to resolve conflict; sitting on various committees; doing radio interviews; sitting on various committees…
- Sue’s studies in Ecclesiastical Law in Cardiff. It’s a two year course, so this is her final year already!
- Sue’s swimming, 50 or 60 lengths most mornings, interspersed with Pilates classes, physiotherapy sessions and walks along the towpath, all of which combine to help keep her fit.
- Sue’s Mum, still living in her own home with the support of a live-in carer.
- Phil’s driving lessons, the end of which are hopefully in sight as his driving test comes up just before Christmas! Clear those roads!!
All in all it’s been an interesting year with plenty of ups and downs, but we’ve been aware of many people praying for us through the rough patches: if you’re one of those people, thank you – we’d be grateful for your continued prayers, especially for our parents with the challenges they’re facing.
As always, this comes to you with our love, prayers and very best wishes for Christmas and the year ahead,
GroomNews Christmas 2014 December 20, 2014
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Family, Life.Tags: Christmas, GroomNews, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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GroomNews Christmas 2014: Printer friendly version – fold in 4 to make a Christmas card (pdf, 3.1mb)
WELCOME to another edition of our infamous annual newsletter, in which we shall attempt to entertain, inform and perhaps even enlighten you rather than bore you too much with the minutiae of our lives…
Don’t Shoot: Sue made a Canon!
That, beloved reader, is Canon spelt with a single ‘n’ in the middle and it’s essentially the Church of England’s equivalent of a New Year’s Honour, which Sue received from the Bishop of St Albans in March this year. Read the churchwardens’ announcement here: Revd Sue to become an Honorary Canon
Research Update: Paper delivered in Durham
Sue’s write-up of her research is proceeding in fits and starts as she struggles to balance it with the demands of her work as a parish priest and DDO (Diocesan Director of Ordinands). In June, however, she was able to give a paper at a research conference in Durham outlining some of her findings. It’s all about the use of the language of formation in ordination training: feel free to ask her if you want the details!
Almost passes Hull Survey
Last year it was the cabin sides and roof that received lots of TLC; this year it was the hull — and we’re delighted to report that after 25 years the deepest pitting in Almost’s 6mm steel plate proved to be only 0.6mm, so at this rate she should easily outlast us. Here she is in dry dock:
The weather was much kinder to us this year for yet another cruise along the Nene to Peterborough and back — and we even managed to fit in a day-trip on the Nene Valley Steam Railway: whoooo-whooooooooooo! Here’s Phil’s video:
Groom Family Weddings
It’s been another year of wedding bells ringing amongst our nephews and nieces: congratulations to Ben & Laura, Catherine & Pete and Andrew & Cheryl.
Online and Interactive
In between stacking the supermarket shelves, Phil’s been as busy as ever with his various online projects, including revamping our own church website (links below) and keeping the UK Christian Bookshops Directory updated, christianbookshops.org.uk. Find him on twitter @notbovvered or on facebook at facebook.com/philgroom if you’re incurably curious.
With our love, best wishes for Christmas and prayers for peace in the coming year,
www.langfordchurch.org.uk | www.henlowchurch.org.uk
GroomNews Christmas 2013: The Year of Everyone Getting Older December 19, 2013
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Family, Life.Tags: Christmas, Christmas Greetings, GroomNews, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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2013: The Year of Everyone Getting Older
GroomNews Christmas 2013: Printer-friendly version (pdf, 201kb)
… or, to be more precise, of us becoming more aware that everyone’s getting older! Let’s start in March, when we celebrated Sue’s 50th birthday with a stay in a Bath hotel: a wonderful few days that included sightseeing, meals out and a boat trip on the river as our hotel was conveniently situated alongside the river upstream from the city centre. Highly recommended!
Now fast forward to December, when Phil’s Dad took a tumble down the stairs and ended up in hospital: not recommended, even when you’re young. Thankfully no bones broken but plenty of bruises. The good news is Phil’s parents have agreed to have a stairlift fitted.
At the other end of the generational gap, we’ve heard wedding bells ringing and possibly angels singing as nephews & nieces have been busy announcing weddings, getting married and/or having babies, making us Great Uncle Phil & Great Aunty Sue all over again — or should that be Grand? But whether it’s great or grand, it’s making us feel older as we realise our nephews & nieces are no longer the little children they were: wholehearted congratulations to them all!
Health & Fitness
In the latter half of the year Sue’s hip became increasingly painful so in December we took a trip to Oxford’s Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital for a checkup. Conclusion: there’s been some deterioration but probably not enough to warrant a replacement just yet. She should keep up the swimming and pilates/physio exercises and return for another check next year.
As for Phil, in the middle of the year he was diagnosed with suspected glaucoma. Initial tests were inconclusive so he returns for further tests in January 2014: watch this space. Otherwise fine and still cycling to and from work.
5 Quid for Life: A Mental Health Safety Net
5 Quid for Life
Remember 5 Quid for Life? It’s a project launched by Phil and a group of his friends back in 2011 to provide emergency financial support for people with mental health problems who have lost (or are in danger of losing) their benefits as a result of the government’s welfare reforms; and it’s kept Phil quite busy this year responding to enquiries and requests for help. Want to know more? Visit 5quidforlife.org.uk. Donations always welcome, but there are plenty of other ways to help too, such as sharing via facebook and twitter or by putting up a poster in your local community hall or doctor’s waiting room.
Church & Diocese
Running two churches alongside her diocesan role isn’t quite running Sue ragged, but she’s always busy meeting people, preparing to meet people or preparing and running church services and meetings. We’re grateful for all the opportunities her work brings, and we’re just as grateful when we get some breathing space; which brings us neatly to…
Almost Repainted: Peterborough, Sept 2013 (Click to zoom in)
Almost Repainted
The job is done! Colin & Kevin at Spiderworx worked their magic and Almost looked most resplendent in her new livery for our late summer holiday, another trip along the Nene to sunny Peterborough — or not so sunny, as things turned out in September this year.
Sue’s Studies
are still ongoing: it’s proving to be a long slog, longer than originally anticipated, but she hasn’t given up. She’s now in the final phase, writing up her thesis: the challenge, of course, is finding time…
Thank you…
for all the Christmas cards that so many of you have sent. We’re sending out a few to close family but otherwise, as in previous years, will be making a donation to WaterAid instead.
As always, this comes with our love, best wishes for Christmas and prayers for peace in the coming year,
GroomNews Christmas 2012: A Year Like No Other December 15, 2012
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Family, Life.Tags: Christmas, Christmas Greetings, GroomNews, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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GroomNews Christmas 2012: Printer-friendly version (pdf, 168kb)
Thank you…
to everyone who has already sent us Christmas cards: we’re sending out a few to close family but otherwise we’re making another donation to WaterAid in lieu of cards; please accept this news roundup instead.
Phil’s Ankle
The beginning of the year seemed to slip by quietly and uneventfully until a dramatic turn of events landed Phil off work for three months with his left ankle strapped up in a “Beckham Boot”. You can read all about it here: The car didn’t get me, but the cardboard did… — to cut a longer story short, he skidded on a piece of cardboard at work and broke his ankle. The three months weren’t wasted, however, as Phil used the time to carry out some long overdue updates to UKCBD, the UK Christian Bookshops Directory: christianbookshops.org.uk
Sue’s Sabbatical
Not to be outdone by Phil taking three months off work, Sue did likewise in the autumn: from September to November she was on sabbatical. Unlike Phil’s time out, though, Sue’s was planned and we take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making it possible, from those in the diocese who took on DDO responsibilities to those in the parishes who kept the respective shows on the road. She spent most of the time in Durham, working on her DThM thesis on the language of formation in ordination training. Staying with religious communities and worshipping at the Cathedral provided her with wonderful spiritual refreshment.
Silver Wedding Cards and Flowers
Silver Wedding
At the end of October — two thirds of the way through Sue’s sabbatical — we celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary by booking into a hotel in Durham, from where we proceeded to sample the city’s cuisine with visits to different restaurants each evening, interspersed during the day by various outings. Another vote of thanks, this time to everyone who sent us cards, gifts and greetings on the day as well as for your friendship and support down the years.
Repaint for Almost
And how better to celebrate that anniversary than to commission a repaint for Almost? If you’ve seen us out & about on the waterways in recent years, you’ll have noticed that her paintwork leaves much to be desired. It was easy to keep on top of it when we lived afloat: whenever the sun was shining, one of us would be out there with a paintbrush; but since she’s been a holiday home rather than our main residence, it’s been more of a challenge, so we’ve at last called in the professionals: as we write, she’s with Colin & Kevin at Spiderworx (www.spiderworx.co.uk) undergoing a complete repaint and getting new signwriting.
Family News
Last year we reported the birth of our great-nephew, Oliver. This year it was wedding bells as niece Ruth married Ashley; and more wedding bells are planned for 2013: niece Claire to marry Simon, and nephew DJ to marry Nat: congratulations to one and all; only another 10 to go … not sure how we’ll ever keep up with them all! That’s all on Phil’s side of the family: over on Sue’s side, Alison, her sister, has left her job as a chaplaincy assistant in Plymouth to set up on her own as a counsellor, Cuthbert Counselling — if you’re in the south west and looking for counselling (or know someone else who is), do give her a shout: www.cuthbertcounselling.co.uk
Health & Fitness
Sue has added Aquafit and Pilates to her regular exercise routine alongside all the swimming, and the routines are paying off, keeping her supple and, on the whole, free from aches & pains in her joints: doing very well, in fact, for someone who hits the big 50 in 2013! Phil has resumed cycling to and from work, and since his work itself is a matter of constant physical activity, he too is pretty much as fit as ever.
Taking Time…
Christmas: it’s all about God taking time out from eternity to be God with us. This year we’ve realised how important that is, and in the year ahead we’re determined to take more time out to reconnect with our friends. We look forward to seeing you! For now, however, as always, this comes with our love, best wishes for Christmas and prayers for peace in 2013,
This One’s for Luke: Happy Birthday! February 21, 2010
Posted by Phil Groom in Family.Tags: Birthday, Luke Groom
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It’s not every day your youngest nephew turns 16 and decides to adopt the family name: nice one, Luke! Have a great day and take good care of that name!
Lots of love,
Phil & Sue
Say No to Marital Unfaithfulness January 25, 2010
Posted by Phil Groom in Current Affairs, Family, News.Tags: Faithfulness, Family Breakdown, Marital Breakdown, maritalaffairs.co.uk, Marriage, Relationships
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Church Times Blog, 25/01/2010 - Christians mount campaign against 'marital affairs' billboards
First, my thanks to the inimitable @davewalker for highlighting this issue on the Church Times Blog today: Christians mount campaign against ‘marital affairs’ billboards.
Now, please forgive my bluntness, but what on earth is going on in the heads of the plonkers running the Advertising Standards Authority? How can anyone possibly say that advertisements promoting unfaithfulness in marriage are unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence? That such advertisements do not offend against “widely accepted moral, social or cultural standards”??
Has our society really degenerated to the point where extramarital affairs are considered normal, harmless fun? Where were the ASA when things fell apart in Northern Ireland recently because of an extramarital affair? Enough families are wrecked by marriages falling apart as it is without promoting unfaithfulness as some sort of game.
Time for action! Here’s my letter of complaint to the ASA:
This advertisement is outrageous.
Publicly promoting unfaithfulness in marriage is offensive. This isn’t about fun: it’s about encouraging people to engage in lies and deception.
Nor is this simply a matter of ‘bad taste’ – it is promoting an attitude that undermines social cohesion, that will inevitably lead to family breakdown with all the concomitant effects upon innocent children.
I understand that you have already rejected complaints about these advertisements because you say that they are unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence. You are wrong: more than 1,000 people, myself included, are already seriously offended.
You have said “We can only act if the ad, in our judgement, offends against widely accepted moral, social or cultural standards.”
Faithfulness in relationships, in marriage in particular, IS a widely accepted moral, social and cultural standard, not only here in the UK but in all civilised societies. I put it to you that if in your judgement this advertisement does not offend in this way, then your judgement is at fault.
I call upon you to immediately review and reverse that judgement before any further offence is caused.
I regard this as a matter requiring urgent attention and look forward to receiving a prompt response from you.
Thank you.
I’ll let you know what response I receive, but in the meantime, if you share my concerns, please join the facebook group Stop marital affair .co.uk advertising publicly in the UK and send in your own complaint to the ASA.
Happy Birthday, Paul! April 17, 2009
Posted by Phil Groom in Family, Frivolity.Tags: 50, Birthday, Paul Groom
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It’s my brother’s birthday today: bet you can’t guess how old he is!!
Have a great day, Paul — and many happy returns!
Phil's Boring Blog 