Jonathan from Newcastle reports on a Sunday trip to Glasgow to the Cathedral where Gene Robinson was presiding at the Eucharist:

Yesterday, in the cathedral, with the blessing of his bishop, Father Kelvin presided at the blessing of two men (marriage) after their civil service.

When I got home this evening I noticed that the Grand Tufti [the Archbishop of Canterbury] is demanding that there should be a moratorium on including gay people in the Anglican Church. Well, all I can say to him after today's experience is...

YOU'RE TOO BLOODY LATE, MATE!

One little known feature of the New Blogger software is the little button behind the "dashboard" button. If you press the "dashboard" button four times with the correct pressure it reveals a control called Long Distance Time Travelling Hypothetical Universe Spectacles. I'm putting them on now and yes - there's ++Idris at a table having lunch last Friday with the bishop of one of Glasgow's future partner dioceses. They are deep in conversation as a young steward approaches the table:

Lambeth Steward: Excuse me Bishop Jones, there's a call for you from Glasgow. Somebody named Kevin, I think.

++Idris: No, no that would be Kelvin our Provost. For God's sake don't refer to him as Kevin he gets really shirty about that. Oh crap! Um...tell him that Lambeth is winding up over the next couple of days and that I'm busy having a last minute conversation with a potential new Partner Bishop. Tell him I'll see him back in Glasgow when I get the time. In fact, tell him that when you told me he was calling, I got red in the face and pounded the table.

Lambeth Steward: Uh, okay....I'll try....

++Idris: Sorry about that. Yes, so I think that an exchange of theological students would be a grand idea. I'm worried about the heat at your end that time of year, though. Our postulants are all a little over the....

Lambeth Steward: I'm sorry, Bishop Jones, this Kelvin says that it's precisely 'partnership' that he wants to talk to you about. He says that his congregation is the only really exciting place in the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway to worship and that if you won't talk to him he'll talk to The Herald. Um....he asked me to put that in a way which didn't sound like he was exerting too much pressure but, Jeez Bishop Jones, I'm only seventeen and ......."

++Idris: Good night nurse! Give me the damned phone, will you!

At which point the Long Distance Time Travelling Hypothetical Universe Spectacles start to get hazy. It's a Beta thing you know. The folks down at Blogger.com haven't ironed the bugs out yet. I'll let you know if they start working again.