Prester John - A King from the East

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Prester John – A King From the East

                                               

Prester John - A King from the East

It was the time of the first crusades. Many Europeans believed in Prester John, a Christian king from the east. And, Prester John's army was the most powerful of all. There was no one he couldn't defeat. No one could stand in his way.

And, just at that time, the retaking of Jerusalem was not going to plan, the infidels were proving hard to defeat. The Crusaders were not so good as believed. In fact, they were bad. An ally was needed. And so, a messenger was sent to the east with a letter from the Pope. Prester John, Pope Alexander the Third believed, would be a friend he could count on. Two Christians together and one common cause.

But, there was one very small problem. No one knew where Prester John lived. No one knew where to find him, and, he had never been seen. Prester John was a mystery. And, to make matters worse, the messenger never returned. And, the Crusaders had to do the job on their own. But, where was Prester John?

The answer was easy. If it wasn't the far-east, then India was next on the list. But, he wasn't there either and the search was taken to Africa. But, Prester John and his army were nowhere to be seen. And, to this day, they still haven't been found.

Prester John was one of the greatest myths of all times. Many people believed it. The truth is that Prester John was thought up by Bishop Otto of Freising in the 12^th century. The story the bishop invented was that Prester John was a descendant of one of the three wise kings mentioned in the Nativity story in the Bible. The rest of the story, the army, power, and so-on, grew on its own.

People like stories, and the stronger and bigger the better. Prester John was – and still is - one of the best of all times!

Prester John – A King From the East

Innocent Rescue - Life and Death - A Long Time Ago!

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Picture - Lake Victoria in Africa

Innocent Rescue

I heard the following story a long time ago. It's a story of miracle, luck, and good chance. And, it's a story that moved me. And, it's something I've never forgotten.

It was Vienna. The summer of 1973. I was having tea with the Clarks. I was a family friend. And, the Clarks had 4 very nice children. Nicola and Roger who were 18 and 19, and Emily and Peter who were twins. And, Emily and Peter were still very young. In fact, only 6. And, the story I heard was all about Emily and Peter.

The Clarks had recently come up from Africa. Noel Clark, the father, had worked there as foreign correspondent and was now doing the same in Vienna. And, the story took place whilst the Clarks lived in Africa.

An old friend of the Clarks had dropped in for tea. A doctor from London. He was in town for a conference. And, then came the sandwiches. But, there was one person missing. Little Emily. She was up in her room not feeling well. And, then, when the doctor asked how little Emily was, it was Peter, Emily's twin, who spoke.

“Little Emily cries very much, she's tired all the time, she never wants to play, and, she never eats supper. And, there's one other thing, my sister looks kind of blue”. The doctor stopped eating. He was taken to Emily.

The very next morning, Emily and her mother were on the plane back to London. And, it was all thanks to Peter. In his innocent way he had accurately described the symptoms of Emily's condition. A hole in the heart. And, there at the airport in London and waiting for them was an ambulance. There wasn't much time. Speed was important.

The operation took place that very same night. It lasted more than 6 hours. And, 3 days later Emily woke up. She had come through.

And, 6 other little children were treated for the same thing that week. Only 2 survived. Emily and one other child. Emily had been very, very lucky. She'd had a Guardian Angel. And, Emily's Angel was Peter her twin. It was Peter's innocent words that had saved Emily's life.

A doctor on holiday, little Peter's innocent remarks, and a plane that was leaving. Good chance, good luck, and very good timing. All three at the very same time. A story I've never forgotten. And, I often wonder what happened to Emily. It was all a long time ago. The afternoon we had tea in Vienna,

Lake Victoria by Nigel A.  JAMES

The Texas Bar - Lots of Red Wine

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Picture - On their way to Pecs Cathedral - by Nigel A. JAMES

The Texas Bar

Pecs is a wonderful city in Hungary. A city of flair and adventure. And, whilst visiting Pecs at the end of last summer I discovered a bar. The Texas Bar. An interesting bar with a story. But, the Texas Bar was no normal bar. It was an underground secret. In fact, the Texas Bar was an underground tunnel with a strong liquid history. And, the Church played a very big role in this proud liquid past.

Originally, the Texas Bar was a very small part of a very big wine-cellar network. And, one of the many ways-in was in a barn not far from from the palace where the bishop resided. And, one of the many ways-out of this network of cellars led straight up to the bishop's busy kitchen. Bishops must always have very good wine. But, the Texas Bar was more than a cellar, it was a blessing when times became hard.

The Communist era was not a very good time for the church. The church was tightly controlled. And, being a believer was no easy thing. Visitors to church were all on a list. AVO, the Hungarian secret service knew all. Believing was very much a struggle.

But, the everyday business of church had to continue as well. And, this, too, was a struggle. Meetings had to be held and letters had to be sent. Staying connected with Rome was very important. And, the Texas Bar was the perfect solution. Clandestine callers made their way to the barn, and straight into the Texas Bar. And, waiting for them, deep under ground in the Texas Bar was the Bishop of Pecs.

And, AVO, the Hungarian secret service never found out and the meetings continued until the end of the Communist time. In fact, the Texas Bar was the best kept secret in the history of Hungary.

And, the Texas Bar had one other secret as well. The Texas Bar was full of good wine. There was never a dry moment. Red, after all, is a Cardinal colour. And, much better, of course, when it's flowing!

Pecs is a wonderful city in Hungary. A city of flair and adventure. And, whilst visiting Pecs at the end of last summer, I discovered a bar. The Texas Bar. An interesting bar with more than a story.

On their way to Pecs Cathedral

Collecting Time! Andrew J. Roberts

(B) - A Collector of Time - Andrew J. Roberts has no seconds to spare! 

Photo - Time on Their Hands - by Nigel A. JAMES
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Collecting Time

Time is something that never stops still. Sometimes it crawls and sometimes it races. But, for Andrew J. Roberts, time is a wonderful hobby. His collection of clocks is the finest I've seen.

In his collection, which numbers almost 1000, Andrew J. Roberts has many interesting chronometers. He has grandfather clocks, grandmother clocks, mantelpiece clocks, kitchen clocks, and many other fascinating clocks from all over the world. And, all together, they're worth a small fortune. But, Andrew J. Roberts's favourite time keeping device has neither hands nor a digital display. Andrew J. Roberts's favourite timekeeping device is something he couldn't do without. It's an egg-timer. An hourglass from Egypt with Saharian sand.

When Andrew J. Roberts moved into his very first house, his granny was the first to come calling. And, being a sensible woman, the egg-timer was the present she gave him. And, Andrew J. Roberts found it easy to use. He soon got the hang of it. No winding up and no batteries to change. All very simple. Just a flick of the wrist, that's all. And, after 35 years, this wonderful very old device still keeps perfect time. And, thanks to advanced Egyptian technology, Andrew J. Roberts's soft boiled eggs are always delicious. Never too hard and never too soft. Just perfect.

Andrew J. Roberts is a collector of clocks. He has much time on his hands. But, most people say he has a bit of a tick! He gets wound up very quickly. Just like his clocks. But, just like his egg timer,

Andrew J. Roberts keeps perfect time. He never comes late. And, just like his eggs, he's neither too soft nor too hard. Just right for cracking. And, a pinch of salt is all that is needed.

And, do you have a tick, too? Do you collect stamps?

Collecting's a wonderful way of passing one's time. Just ask Andrew J. Roberts, he has time on his hands and, of course, on his walls. And, time never stands still.  It's just slow when you want it to hurry, and fast when you're late for your train.

Andrew J. Roberts.  He collects clocks.

Time on Their Hands - by Nigel A. JAMES