Interview with the vicar: Gordon Summers

20/4/2020

There are few people more loved at S Giles than Gordon. He's one of those human beings towards which it is impossible not to feel a genuine affection. Even though he can't boil an egg. In good British fashion, he seems to be making the best of a difficult situation.

1 Comment

john Moore

21/4/2020 09:52:07 pm

What does it mean to be likeable or agreeable? Is it a product of education or as Lucy explained in her interview, loving and dutiful parents?
What a wonderful interview. Thank you Gordon.
It raises the question about the arbitrariness of life. Just think if the Luftwaffe had delayed pressing the bomb-release button a millisecond earlier it might have been Gordon’s house rather than others who perished. And this interview wouldn’t have sparked thoughts about the arbitrariness of life because he wouldn’t be here to talk about it - having succumbed to arbitrary obliteration.
Except I don’t believe life is arbitrary.
I was particularly impressed that Gordon was not intimidated by a question that threatened a potential twitterstorm reaction. He raised his head above the parapet and admitted that he is a man of his generation. Old-school. Polonius said to Hamlet “unto thyself be true” and Gordon raised his head above the parapet to say, “I cannot cook and I cannot do any house work. I’m completely useless”. Bang, bang, bang, bang-bang-bang. But he added that he was not proud of this. He remains a product of his day. Old Wine Father David.
Gordon said that the current ordeal does not seem as bad to you as the war when apart from indiscriminate bombing there was food rationing and the only thing to sustain people when all seemed to be lost was the war speeches of Sir Winston Churchill. Cometh the hour. Cometh the man. Hellos Boris. And Churchill, the man who epitomised the foreign policy of the Victorian Lord Salisbury, believed in ‘splendid isolation’.
I would just like to say Gordon, that if you could have been on one side of the negotiating table with Churchill perhaps I could have occupied the other side with Hitler drinking Pesi Cola.
Also Gordon you admit that the chief thing to enjoy in a woman, is a sense of humour. Boy do we need this now.
Thank you for the advice that temporary isolation is small price to pay for survival. Almost as valuable as the advice from Justin that I should shower and dress before attending the online Mattins service even though this is a sound-only channel. But as you both advise, it is important “to get into routine”. I would add it is also so helpful to have daily life regulated and punctuated by St Giles three daily online services.
Bernice sat quietly out of camera during the interview. Well done Bernice. Now we need your side of the story. If Gordon doesn’t cook or ‘hoover’ what does he do? If the drains need clearing does he go down the man hole? Obviously a woman can’t go down a man hole.
Thank you for the interview Gordon. What makes you agreeable? Every time I pour Jan and myself a G&T I shall think of you and Bernice and think that just for this day, Ich habe genug.

Food in the wilderness

Interview with the vicar: Gordon Summers

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Lucy Stothard & Fr David & Fr Tomas

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