The coach trip from Stansted to Wolverhampton took me through Birmingham. The last time I was there was back in the mid-fifties. I have a dim recollection that the buses were dark brown but I must have been mistaken or else they have changed, for they are now decked out in a red and cream livery. That previous visit to Birmingham was arranged by my prep school on the occasion of a "Catholic Fair". I can't remember much about this apart from a brisk trade in Indulgences. Could it really be true that we were asked to fork out good money in return for a few hundred days off purgatory?
It could indeed. I have just found a "Prayer for the Canonization" of Edmund Campion, carrying an indulgence of 300 days. To be redeemed at check-in presumably?
I am not sure I believe in Indulgences, but all the same, I make sure to purchase them any chance I get, just in case. On another note, I see that your blog has been visited a very respectable 20 K+ thousands of times!! You should consider selling some of that valuable space to advertisers --and use the money to buy said Indulgences --at least for your grandkids, who, I am sorry to report, will be in dire need of them at some point...
ReplyDeleteWhere did you see that my blog has been visited 20 K+ times? I had no idea! You're not confusing it with the indulgences (green shield stamps) you've collected, are you? I wonder how one goes about selling advertising space. I must look into that. Any ideas?
DeleteI think I see. My site has been visited 20,000 times by about 4 different people!
DeleteI saw it too, Mr. Dunn. There used to be a map up in the top rt.hand corner which seems to have disappeared today, and if you clicked on that it showed the areas around the world where you have readers and approx. numbers. I was v. impressed.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the redundancy: I started writing "20 thousand times", then thought a "K" would look rather cool, then forgot to erase the first option and added "of", for which I have no explanation --nor excuse-- at all! Fascinating, isn't it? (it's called "flow of consciousness"). Anyway, 20,000 is quite an achievement and at this point, I am sure you just have to sit and wait for those advertisers to come and eat out of your hand! Love xxx
ReplyDeleteAnon Dubai
Back to the indulgences. I'm sadly ignorant of these as the nuns in my skool preferred to sell us Black Babies (okay okay, it wasn't quite what you read about in the papers nowadays, merely a matter of becoming a Godmother and doing some naming). But I've been into Wiki and I see that these indulgences can only be claimed against already forgiven Venal sins. Might that fully meet the need, Mme. Dubai ? HoHoHo !!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Mrs Braintree! I've just been stocking them up and am now thinking that ignorance is bliss. I am thus chosing to pretend that you never warned me (for which I'll just purchase another Indulgence! It's as simple as that!)
DeleteLove!