What My Harvey Award Looks Like

Pretty cool, huh?

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UPDATE: At my friend Sherwood's request, clicking on the photo links to a larger version of the same. It's even cooler.

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This Sunday, 7th October 2007

We wait and see what the impact of Quaker Outreach week will mean for us at Banbury. If you are thinking of attending, but need just a little extra push to come into Banbury....

It is Banbury Canal open day and if the weather holds out, this should be a grand event as it has been in previous years. There is, as they say, something for all the family! Previous years have always been busy and it is nice to see the canal buzzing with activity, especially as the waterways quieten down towards winter. There is a good mixture of activities and crafts for sale as well as a fine array of boats.

East House, Adderbury, where several of our members live, is holding its open day also and everyone would be welcome.

Just a quick reminder that it is PM after the main meeting for those who want to stay on.

An Illustrated History

I have better regular readers than I deserve. I've not been particularly blog inspired and have been otherwise busy for several days, and appreciate the loyalty of all six of you.

When I was a teenager trying to figure out how these things called "comics" were made, my local public library was a lode of meager treasure. The "treasure" was big, beautiful books about cartoons, comic books and comic strips, some written by or including information straight from the creators themselves. It was a meager trove because the library only had about five of them. I knew exactly where they were, had a favorite chair by a window next to their shelf, and spent hours reading and re-reading the same five books. I mourned when one was checked out and mourned more as, one by one, they were pulled from circulation over the years.

Of course those were the pre-Internet Dark Ages. Now we have the miracle/curse of eBay, which is where I stumbled across one of those jewels from my youth and bought it for less than its 1974 cover price of $15. It's The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art by Jerry Robinson, and I'm pleased to say it still holds up. It offers a terrific overview and sampling of newspaper comics from 1896 to the then-present. It's probably where I first saw Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo" and Herriman's "Krazy Kat." Best of all, it contains full-page essays by Milton Caniff, Lee Falk, Charles Schulz, Mort Walker, Chic Young, Hal Foster, Walt Kelly, and others that I remember absorbing through my pores as a kid.

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Do kids ever actually spend afternoons hanging out at the library anymore? (Maybe they never did; maybe it was just me. Little freak....)

I met Jerry Robinson at Comic-Con in 2006 and wish I'd remembered to mention this book to him instead of whatever lame hero worship I managed to stammer out. He's had a heck of a career, from his very early contributions to Batman (creating or co-creating Robin and the Joker) to editorial cartoons to syndicated comics to, obviously, comics historian. Maybe someday I'll get another chance to thank him. This book was important to me and I'm thrilled to be reunited with it.

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Banbury Open Weekend

Banbury Meeting House enjoyed a steady stream of visitors over the weekend and one of the comments heard more than once was that it was 'lovely to see the meeting house buzzing with people'. It was generally felt that the weekend was a success and was worth the frantic putting together of the displays, exhibitions and organising the event.


Janice gave a talk about the history of the Quakers in Banbury, which was well received and certainly surprised a few people as to how richly Quakers and their legacies are woven into the town. The talk was complemented by a walk around the town with local historian Brian Littlejohn on Sunday afternoon, for which the weather held out for us.

Inside the Meeting House, were provided drinks and cakes which went down well and stalls displaying a selection of Quaker publications, a number of items celebrating the Quaker tapestry, books, fairtrade items and plants.

It was interesting to see cautious faces coming into the Meeting House, perhaps unsure of what they would find, soon relaxing as they enjoyed tea and cake and curiosity leading to conversation about the building and the Quakers in Banbury. More than once it was heard, 'I wonder what this building used to be?' and then surprise when they learnt that our Meeting House is the oldest place of worship in the town and how far back it dates; others commented 'I have walked past so many times and have often wondered what was inside'.

The exhibition at the Meeting House and the local museum appeared to attract interest and we are thrilled that the library wants to take the exhibition to display in its reference section. It is also a good opportunity to thank St Mary's church and the Banbury Operatic society for their assistance in providing exhibition stands at very short notice.

We hope that we really have 'reached out' and will wait to see if we see new faces in the coming weeks at Meeting.

Sunday 30th October

Meeting was well attended and several people spoke ministry, touching on a number of subjects including what God meant to them and touching on the theme of 'living adventurously' and about how important it is to seize opportunity however small it might seem.

Taking an opportunity and living adventurously was beautifully demonstrated by a visitor from Wales,Nigel Worth. Nigel is undertaking a mammoth journey rowing a boat he made himself from Denbeighshire in Wales to Tower Bridge, London with his dog 'Taz' for company. Moved by the suffering of orphans of AIDS in Swaziland, he hopes to raise money to improve their chances in life through education and access to health, projects he has close links with. Nigel shared his experience with us and stayed for lunch after Meeting and certainly gave us all plenty to think about. We are grateful that he found time to share with us.

You can learn more about his journey by clicking HERE and HERE.

Our thoughts and best wishes go with Nigel and Taz as they continue their adventure, especially as the nights get colder.