‘Strictly Snakes and Ladders: a Litany for Lent’

Feb 1, 20241 min read

We are all familiar with the board game, 'Snakes and Ladders' ; a game in which we roll dice to make our way across a board where we hope to make progress to the goal of 100, taking opportunities which present themselves with the ladders to fast track our journey, whilst hoping to avoid the snakes which not only impede our progress towards the winning post, but have the potential to wreck it. Snakes and ladders is a game of progress and disappointment.

The season of Lent can be a little like a big game of snakes and ladders. If we regard the board as the dogged determination to journey from the first day to the fortieth day of Lent, the ladders as our opportunities to be better people and the snakes as the set backs, we have, not only a blue print for Lent, but for the journey of Life.

Tomorrow evening, we gather a group of young people from Newport Cathedral to explore some of the opportunities and challenges of life whilst crafting 3D snakes and ladders for a playing board to be installed in the cathedral during Lent. It is hoped that though discussion, we can create a framework for prayer.

Watch this space......

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Realising a Dream..

This is me. Setting out on my journey as a hobbyist potter.

Pottery was an ‘add on’ O level course when I was at school, only offered in the sixth form. In to studying Music and RE to A level, I embarked on pottery ‘O’ level as a bit of light relief. I loved it although I was never particularly good at it. I made a few pots, mainly handbuilding using slabbing and coiling but didn’t really learn much.

What I wanted to do more than anything was throw on the wheel – the school did have a wheel but no one was allowed near it unless they knew what they were doing… an interesting approach to the process of acquiring skill methinks. I do have one of my very first pots – rather crude really, but its mine, with my initials ‘scrauped’ on the base. Over the intervening years, of which there were many, I watched the art of throwing from a distance, always hoping that one day it would happen.

We had bought our little cottage in Halifax in 2009. Six years later the adjoining house became available so we set about creating a home by combining the two halves. The ‘under-dwelling’, a feature of a number of houses in that area of West Yorkshire was a real gem; we converted into a pottery studio for me and there began my journey. I enrolled on a course in Springhead. Oldham and my amazingly talented pottery teacher, Sue Devine gave me one-to-one tuition in throwing. I bought a pottery wheel and was given a small kiln. My journey had begun – 40 years later!

Twelve month ago, my partner and I moved to Newport in South Wales. I am most fortunate have a pottery studio here. Why Andante Ceramics? Well, I work slowly, I go with the flow, I create no deadlines for my self. My world of clay is completely self-asbsorbing and tomorrow, if I am fortunate to have one, is another day.

My media pages give a flavour of what I do and my blog documents my thoughts as I journey through the wonderful world of pottery and ceramics. I wont sell any of my work but I delight in making pieces specifically for friends; I love the challenge that creating bespoke pieces bring. If you would like me to make something special do please ask.

Wendy Diamond

‘Strictly Snakes and Ladders: a Litany for Lent’

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‘Strictly Snakes and Ladders: a Litany for Lent’

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