Ladydale Diary
Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions 2022
How is it possible to live through two hundred years in only four days? The answer is the writing of two chapters, one on the fourteenth and the other on the fifteenth century, between Tuesday and Friday. This has been my roller coaster ride through time these past few days.
I refer to the writing of my next book, a history of Christendom, which will tell the story of Christian Civilization with one chapter per century. It is not often that my calendar is clear enough to enable two full days of writing in one week. This week was such a week. I spent all day on Tuesday in the fourteenth century and yesterday and this morning in the fifteenth century. Who says time travel is impossible!
In practical terms this means that I’ve written around 7,000 words. Good going, even if I do say so myself!
This rapid progress has been possible for many reasons but one of the major contributing factors was the editor of the Imaginative Conservative kindly agreeing to publish a modified version of a foreword I’ve written for a new edition of one of Robert Hugh Benson’s novels In lieu of my regular weekly essay. This freed up half a day. It has also been a week that’s been relatively free of online teaching and other online commitments. In any event, I’ve made the proverbial hay while the sun has shone. Next week, I’m teaching an online class for Homeschool Connections for three days in a row which will almost certainly preclude any progress on the book.
Apart from the writing, this week has been characterized by a good deal of socialising with friends and neighbours. We had friends around for dinner on Saturday and Thursday (yesterday) and on Tuesday I met a friend at a local brewpub at which I enjoyed the IPA and the conversation, though not necessarily in that order!
Yesterday evening, we hosted an old friend, now working for the University of Dallas, who was in town with a colleague to promote classical education (a noble cause!). Apart from our friend and his colleague (who was delightful), we also hosted two other couples who also know our mutual friend. We all sat on the deck, eating and drinking, discussing and convivializing (which should be a word) and watching the fireflies. Glorious!
What else?
On Wednesday, I discussed Hilaire Belloc with the very interesting host of a philosophical podcast who has just been received into the Catholic Church. I hope to post the link to this conversation in the Thoughts from Home and Abroad section of this site. Look for it. You won’t be disappointed if you listen to our conversation. Also on Wednesday was the recording of the FORMED Book Club.
Yesterday I was interviewed by my old friend Raymond Arroyo, who I haven’t seen for years, on The World Over for EWTN. We discussed my new book on “true England”, which I’ve already posted on this site.
This afternoon, I recorded another hour-long discussion of my new book for The Catholic Conversation, a radio show of the Diocese of Phoenix. I then recorded this week’s podcasts for the Inner Sanctum, which is my cusotmary and preferred way of winding down on a Friday afternoon, at the end of a long week. And that brings us to now.
Thanks, as always, for supporting me and my work through your membership of the Inner Sanctum. Every blessing of the spirit as we approach the glory of Pentecost.
