With today being Father’s Day in the UK, I thought I would take the opportunity to write about my Father,  Colin Frederick Sibbald and also at the same time explain why this blog is called “Sibblad’s Blog” and not “Sibbald’s Blog”.

My father, was an amazing guy, who I miss a lot.  We sadly lost him 10 years ago, and I think about him a lot.  Especially as I get older, how much I am like him.  Particularly his laugh, humour and sarcasm.  Apart from him being my Father, I had the great pleasure of working with him closely at the Old Stacians Cricket Club (As fellow Committee Members and as Trustees),  but we also worked with each other professionally for a while. 

When I left school in 1993, I did not go to University.  I decided to take a year out and earn some money before going off to university.  I got the chance of a full time job in the warehouse at the company where my Dad was the company accountant.  The company was Kent Pharmaceutical Ltd.  After six months working in the warehouse, I got the chance to take a promotion and become the Receptionist at KPL which meant me reporting to Dad as my line manager.

Now this is where the “Sibblad” name change comes in.  Within my Dad’s team was a lovely lady called Jill Norris.  She was the one who coined the phrase “Sibblad”. Dad was the senior so he was Sibbald.  I was the junior, therefore, the “Lad” so she swapped the A and the L in Sibbald and my nickname became “Sibblad”.  Ingenious.  Thank You Jill.

I worked with Dad for two years in this role and due to my youth and inexperience, and it being my Dad I was reporting to, it did lead to some fraught arguments at work as I thought “it’s my Dad” not “It’s my boss”.  However, any work argument we had, was left at work but they didn’t last long. 

Dad and I also shared a hobby. This being philately (stamp collecting). Many an hour, sometimes until the early hours of the morning, in the conservatory debating if a stamp was “yellowish green” or “greenish yellow”. Now that may not sound much to you, but to a philatelist, it can be the difference between a “cubic zirconia” and a “diamond”. Mother was more than content to leave us debating such matters. While we were working on the stamp collection, Dad sat at the PC entering the data while I sat at the dining room table in a similar way as a Master and an Apprentice. When Dad died, it took me a year to look at the stamps again, because I felt I could not sit in the Master’s seat as I felt I was not worthy.

I could write so much more about my Dad, a wonderful, caring, kind man who would do anything for his family especially his son.  I realise it now more than ever I wished I had said “Thanks Dad” more often. 

However, being the Christian that I am and believing in eternal life, I will see him again and there are a fair few “Thank Yous” stacked up and I will deliver them.  In the meantime, I know he is up on his cloud looking down, sometimes disapproving sometimes being proud. 

As I sit in my local enjoying a drink and writing this blog entry, something Dad and I never did, I raise a glass to you Dad on this Father’s Day. I miss you and look forward to seeing you again…..one day……. Xx

Music is such a major part of my life in fact probably the biggest part.  I started piano at the age of seven (apparently according to my Mother I had asked for a piano at the age of three). I then started classical singing at sixteen and that became my principal instrument within two years and still is.

Now today’s blog is not about how I got started in music. That is an entire blog on its own and I will write that blog some day. It will just take a while believe me. 

I can always remember as a child my parents and grandparents saying how a piece of music reminded them of an event or a period of their younger lives. At the time being the dismissive child/teenager I was (i.e., young and thought I knew everything) I thought “yeah right? Really? Whatever?”

Well as the old saying goes, “If I knew then, what I know now!”

Now I am 44, I know exactly what they meant.  The trouble is being the musician that I am, there are more pieces to remind me of my past than I could list.

However, if you will indulge me tonight, I would like to share three of the pieces with you. What got me thinking about this tonight was I was walking to my local for a Bank Holiday beverage (as you do) with music playing on my iPhone and one my top three tracks started playing reminding me of many many happy memories.

Funnily enough, all three are linked to my very happy school days at The Norton Knatchbull Grammar School for Boys in Ashford.

It was during my A-levels at school, I started my real singing training and at the same time, I came to hear of the singer Lesley Garrett and after listening to her, felt that if I could learn to sing like her, with such vitality and passion, I’d be one very happy singer. (Ok, I then found Joan Sutherland, but again that’s another blog entry). When I heard Lesley Garrent sing this piece (particularly 2 minutes 10 – 2 minutes 18), I fell in love with it. It always reminds of my sixth form at school. A very happy time in my life.

Now, this piece no matter where I am, it reduces me to tears. Again, during my sixth-form at The Norton Knachbull, the school orchestra performed this piece and I was on the grand piano for it. I can still remember that it was a beautiful summer’s evening when we performed it. It could not have been performed better. However, I do remember one rehearsal though when I didn’t follow the conductor and made a complete mess of the ending. The “ticking off” I got from my Music Master John Hall has never left me. I now always look at the Conductor.

Now this choice is probably the most obscure for me. I had never heard this piece until my mum introduced me to it (yes my Mum). I have always enjoyed listening to it. However, one night, my two dearest friends from school (Ben Macklin and Chris Bentley) went out to a gig in London. After the gig, we ended up in deepest darkest Covent Garden in a club and they played this piece. I think everybody in the club sang out the chorus (ok rather inebriated) but it was an amazing event and will never ever leave me.

So there you go. My top three that either make me smile with pride or cry with joy. However, what I would say to anyone reading this blog, is providing you have a spine that you can let tingle with the wonder of music, just relax and go with it (regardless if it makes you smile or cry just enjoy it and let it take you where it takes you). It does not matter what the music is or what it reminds you of. It is there to give you many happy memories and I wish you every enjoyment of those pieces.

Now, if you wanted to let me know what your choices are, please click on “Leave a comment”. I would love to hear them.

As always, thanks for reading (and tonight, thanks for listening)

Well even if you do or don’t like Star Wars (How could you not??) you will have known it was Star Wars Day yesterday (May 4th). Ok for those of you that don’t know or have never seen the series of films, the legendary catchphrase is “May The Force Be With You”.

Now, I was two years of age when the original film (Episode IV – A New Hope) appeared in cinemas worldwide. and as I grew Episodes V (1981) and VI (1983) came out and I can remember being hooked and wanting all the toys (and the ones I didn’t get, I built from lego). Then rushing back to the cinema in 1999 when Epidoes I, II & III were realeased. To me it was then (and still is now) a great series of films and I will always love them as films.

However, I heard in the 2001 census, that 390,127 people put down as their choice of religion “Jedi”. My initial thought was “What???…..O come on that’s taking things a little too far“. However, I did start to see possible similarities between Faith and “The Force”. Now any of my fellow Christian friends reading this blog, don’t panic I am not going to convert but I would like to perhaps looks at some of the possibilities….. if you would allow.

First off it is quite simple, the Jedi are the light (good) side of the Force and the Sith are the dark (evil) side of the force. The good always fighting the bad. George Lucas himself is stated on camera likening the character Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious (a Sith Lord) to the Devil and that would certainly fit with the way he manipulates the storyline to get what he wants. This being ultimate power. He manipulates Anakin Skywalker (a Jedi) and turns him to the dark side and he becomes Darth Vader. Palpatine does this by manipulting Anakin’s thoughts and tempting him with power as well. Anakin did give in to Tempation. (Bad move Anakin..never give into tempation….. However it made for a good film plot).

Now this character of Darth Vader in the first three films became one of the most iconic “badies” in movie history and accumulated a lot of fans of the movie series. However, the interesting point here is the running time of the first three movies in total is 376 minutes and Darth Vader was only on screen for a total of 37 minutes. That is only 10% of the screen time of the first three movies and he became an icon. How’s that for temptation!….. It does not take long for temptation to win! Do we not say as Christians in the words that Jesus taught us “Lead us not in to temptation”.

What then got me really thinking about this subject this weekend was a) it being May 4th, I watched a lot of Star Wars movies yesterday, but also b) there was a line of liturgy in my church communion service this morning. The line was “And now we give you thanks, because in his victory over the grave a new age has dawned, the long reign of sin is ended, a broken world is being renewed and humanity is once again made whole“. Now at the end of Episode VI (Return of the Jedi) Luke Skywalker fights his Father (Anakin) and brings him back from the Dark side into the Light. Anakin in turn destroys the Emperor thus ending his long reign of sin.

Now, I am sure there would be Theologans out there that would argue some of these points and dismiss them, which is fine. However, I just wanted to air my thoughts being a big Star Wars fan but an even bigger committed Christian. It just got me thinking (as you do).

As always, thanks for reading

Being an openly and proud gay man, I have always felt lucky to have had the full support of my family, friends and my church. I am far luckier than some have been who are openly gay. Many have faced attack, hatred and even being disowned, even killed for something that is in the genes. There was just one person, I recall who just thought all I needed was the “Love of a good woman to sort me out”. My response was “My dear, a course of penicillin is not going to cure this one…trust me” (And neither did I want it too).

I did have some reservations when I started taking on more public facing roles within the Church of England. However, again I need not have been, people were again very supportive.

So where is this leading to for today’s blog “Well there’s a first & second time for everything”. A couple of weeks ago, I was at a meeting for work. All meetings start and end with prayer (rightly so). We used some prayers from the Iona Community and included in those prayers was a prayer that gay people could walk down the street hand in had not in fear of persecution. Now that was the first time I had ever heard prayers for gay people in any form of offical prayer or liturgy. I tell you, it meant alot to me.

Now please do not think that I am saying that churches are not praying for the gay community, they are and there is a lot of love and support in most areas of the churches worldwide, I am just saying that it was the first time, for me, that I had heared in open published prayers and it felt amazing and so affirming and it made me one happy camper (if you’ll forgive the expression – tee hee)

Then within the same week, I was at a service where we were doing an adaptaion of a bible reading that dealt with persecution. It referred to all types of people, poor, victimsed, those sold into slavery, abuse victims and within the list was “the person suffering with AIDS”.

Now when the AIDS virus first appeared, it was seen by some as the “gay persons” disease, which as we know now (and some of us did then) was totally wrong. You did not get AIDS just by being gay, it was what you did that got people the virus (and not just gay people I hasten to add). However, this again struck a chord with me becuase of the stigma attached to AIDS and gay people, in the early days and while we were talking about someone’s suffering, I again felt affirmed that it was not being swept under the carpet but being spoken of openly and in church.

Wow, God is Good.

I have been thinking about this particular blog and how to word it for a couple of weeks now, but sometimes, there is only one way to do thing. Upfront, Open and honest.

Again, Thanks for reading and I wish you all a fantastic May Day Bank Holiday

Ok so now I have got your attention. No this blog has not gained an 18 certificate nor have I gone mad.

From the picture you will hopefully work out I am referring to the drink named the “Porn Star Martini” . I do not have the foggiest idea why it has that name, it just does!

I have been to a wonderful Italian restaurent in Tenterden named “Prezzo” and they serve this drink on their cocktail list. It is a drink consisting of vodka, passion fruit liquier, passion fruit juice and a double shot of Presecco on the side.

I would highly recommend this restaurent for a wide raning menu (including a seperate Gluten-Free menu), great service from the staff and excellent food. Also a decent wine list too 🙂

Ten of us sat down for dinner this evening and everyone said how good their food was.

Thank you to Helen Holeman for arranging a wonderful evening and to Geoff Holman for driving (with a bad migraine). A true gent. Get well soon Geoff.

So if you are looking for somewhere different to eat, try out this restuarent. I don’t think you will be dissapointed.

A shorter blog tonight from than normal but as always………

Thanks for reading.

For those of you who don’t know, I worked in London for eleven and a half years for Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal. A job that I loved. I could have seen myself to retirement at Dow Jones, however, my current job with the Church of England came up and it was the dream job. So I left London in March 2017.

Tonight was my fourth visit back to London since I left and it was an evening of mixed emotions.  When I arrived at St Pancras International and set foot on the platform, the song called “As if we never said goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber came into my head.  The song is when Norma Desmond goes back into the film studio after many years being out of the industry. Seemed rather similar to me……

I don’t know why I’m frightened
I know my way around here
The cardboard trees, the painted seas, the sound here
Yes, a world to rediscover
But I’m not in any hurry
And I need a moment

The whispered conversations
In overcrowded hallways
The atmosphere is thrilling here as always
Feel the early morning madness (Well I remember that for sure)
Feel the magic in the making
Why, everything’s as if we never said goodbye

I’ve spent so many mornings just trying to resist you
I’m trembling now, you can’t know how I’ve missed you
Missed the fairy-tale adventure
In this ever-spinning playground
We were young together

The song finishes with the line:

Yes, everything’s as if we never said goodbye”

That is exactly how it felt standing on the platform of St Pancras. In known surroundings but a stranger as well.

However, tonight, I was the tourist and going to see an old friend in Baker Street Area. An area of London I have only ever been to once.  So being the tourist for the night and going to Baker Street, plus having heard the Sermon mentioned in my previous blog on “Easter Day” and having recently watched the entire four series of “Sherlock” with Benedict Cumberbatch [if you have not seen it, it’s on Netflix and so worth a watch] I had to take the follow pictures.

So, I met up with my mate at pub called “The Volunteer” in Baker Street (If you are ever in the area, they do an excellent New Zealand Sauvignon). 

When I left Baker Street, I had a couple of hours to spare before I was due to catch the train home, so I decided to visit London Bridge where I worked in The News Building.  Now this was the part of the evening that was strange.  I hope you understand when I say, that so much had changed yet so much had stayed the same……if you don’t understand, how do you think I felt ???  However, the one thing I had forgotten was how much of a “wind tunnel” that part of London Bridge is.  Not a good look I can assure you 😉

So now I am sitting at home writing this blog with a coffee, I have had a wonderful evening with so many happy memories, but I am asking myself the following question…

“How on earth did I do London every day for eleven and a half years?”

Regardless, I don’t regret one day of it.  I don’t miss the commute or the job (well perhaps the job a little…)  However, I miss the people I worked with and the friends I am still in contact with …. especially Ulrike Scholz. 

Thanks for reading