21st October 2022

‘I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.’ So wrote Jerome K Jerome in Three Men in a Boat and it is, of course, a joke about hard work and idleness. But I really do like watching people at work. And the more their skills go way beyond my own, the more I enjoy the show. I was always delighted when I was teaching and got the chance to take groups of students on visits to factories, research labs, sorting offices and got to watch and to talk to those people who were improving our lives with their skill and effort.

I recently got a chance to watch two people hard at work in contrasting jobs.

I took my car to a hand car wash, yet again, I was impressed by the energy, organisation and care that went into what many would see as quite a routine task. My car looked quite stunning by the end and stayed that way for at least the next 12 hours!

Secondly, and in contrast, I went with mum to have a couple of nasty grazes examined and treated. The practice nurse was kind, gentle, friendly, skilful, efficient and seemed able to do several things at once while giving her full attention to the treatment. It was astonishing. And the wounds are healing nicely.

How fortunate we are to have people who come to us from all over the world enrich our lives with their skill and dedication. We thank God for them all and pray for their continued health and well-being in these difficult times.

Nick Parsons