Catching up on the Diary

An account of some recent activities to catch up on the diary.

Saturday 8th June: I went to Conway Hall for a discussion featuring Prof Peter Atkins from 11 am to 2:30 pm. The first speaker was a theologian and the third a philosopher. This was quite enjoyable knockabout mainly on Scientism. He maintains Theology obfuscates, Philosophy equivocates, Science elucidates, and with this I'm inclined to agree.

Thursday 13 June: was our Hastings Humanists meeting in the form of a Question Time. On the panel was Simon Clare of the SE Skeptics Society, with which we may become more involved. The most lively part of the discussion as I recall it was on Europe and UKIP.

Friday 21 June: I took the train to London and from there to Woolwich to enquire with the Council about possible sheltered accommodation in that area which is where I was born, but it seems you have to reside there for five years to go on the list. Walked from there to my childhood home in Plumstead. Looked in at the Library there. Externally it is much as it used to be, but the old interior has been gutted. Last time I visited the same old books were on the same old shelves. Now it's been modernised, and the book-space much reduced, the old heavy book-cases gone. Disappointing.

In the evening I looked in at a GALHA meeting for the first time. Authors were reading short stories from a recent compilation, but the first three were quite horrible, full of grotesque violence, though some of the audience seemed to think them hilarious. The last one was more subtle science fiction. Very little humanism. Don't think I'll go again.

Saturday 29 June: A sunny day at last! In the morning I took a walk up to Asda at Silverhill to buy coffee, uncut bread and biscuits. Then walked through Alexandra Park. There was a cormorant standing on a branch just above the water with its wings spread out to dry, just like a heraldic standard. Walked all the way down to the town centre and back along the seafront. Felt a lot better for the exercise.