text:
The Third Man
The change in the offside law in 1925 altered the game forever
"Without offside, there would be no football."
Michel Platini
13 June 1925, a Saturday, is not generally viewed as a particularly auspicious day in football history. It should be. It was a day on which the game took a significant step towards adopting the modern guise in which it has conquered the world.
Meeting in Paris, the International Board (IFAB) agreed to change the offside law. Until then an attacker had been offside unless there were at least three opponents between him and the opposing goal-line when the ball was passed to him. Henceforth, two defenders – usually a back and the goalkeeper – would be enough to play him onside, essentially as today.
The move was a reaction to the much-used defensive tactic known as the "one-back game". This was a ploy whereby one full-back would hang deep in a covering position while the other would step up in an attempt to effect the offside trap. Some pairings had become so adept that interruptions in play multiplied to intolerable levels, with the action, such as it was, compressed into what Jonathan Wilson has described as "a narrow sliver either side of the halfway line".
Football by this time had already achieved a dominant position in Britain's popular culture and was starting to do the same elsewhere in Europe. With crowds of 50,000 or more flocking to big games on fine days, entertainment value was an issue. The notion of somehow liberalising the offside law had been under discussion since at least 1913. After a spell of post-war buoyancy, economic times were hard and getting harder: the 1925-26 football season would be followed immediately by the General Strike. It seems likely that one factor in persuading the conservative middle-aged men who ran the game finally to grasp the nettle of offside reform was the slide in attendances that had begun to set in. According to a table in Matthew Taylor's book The Leaguers, top-tier attendances dropped about 17% to 10.4 million between 1921-22 and 1924-25.
The potential significance of the alteration – labelled "the daring experiment" by the Times – was grasped at once. The leading weekly sports newspaper Athletic News pronounced that "no more important change in the laws of play has been made since football became the ruling passion, in the winter, of the people." CP Scott's Manchester Guardian declared that "Nothing that a mere Parliament or a League of Nations is likely to do will come home to the masses who follow professional league football, or even the average schoolboy, so much as the news that the International Board has adopted the alteration of the offside rule."
In intent, the amendment may be likened to rugby union's decision more than four decades later to penalise direct kicking for touch from beyond the defending side's twenty-five yard [now twenty-two metre] line. Both innovations were designed to reduce sterile play. With the new season little more than two months away, the change left little time for teams to get their tactical ducks in a row. Failure to do so might leave defences horribly exposed, like a Swedish motorist still trying to drive on the left after högertrafikomläggningen – the day in 1967 when the whole country switched to driving on the right.
The new season in Scotland kicked off two weeks earlier than England. As on Swedish roads, the changeover was remarkably orderly. Hibs lost 5-0 at Celtic one week and hammered Kilmarnock 8-0 the next. Overall, however, the super-prolific scoring some had predicted failed to materialise. The average number of goals per game in Division One on that first Saturday went up only to 3.7, compared with 3.1 throughout the 1924-25 season. What is more, games in a country known already, three years prior to the Wembley Wizards, for its close-passing, head-up, ball-on-the-deck style, as distinct from the virile athleticism that held sway south of the border, flowed much better. The Watchman, assigned by the Sunday Post to cover that rather one-sided fixture at Celtic Park, was pleased to report that, "For the first time I witnessed a senior football match in the course of which not a single free kick was necessary for offside." Andrew Allan, a leading referee, pronounced the new law "one of the best ever made".
We can probably assume that the nerves of administrators and defenders would have steadied somewhat in light of events in Scotland, as the start of the Football League season, on August 29, approached. Aston Villa, in any case, had other distractions. A period of what would today be described as "boardroom turmoil" had prompted the resignation in July of Fred Rinder, their long-serving chairman. Five days before Burnley were due at Villa Park to begin the season, Athletic News reported that control of the club was "still uncertain".
Under the circumstances, the nightmare that overtook the blue and white-shirted Lancastrians was eye-poppingly unexpected, even allowing for the law change and their 19th-place finish in 1924-25. Inspired by the talismanic Billy Walker, Villa's talented forwards were electric. Burnley were severely hampered by the withdrawal of Jack Hill, an all-action player who ended the season as England's first-choice centre-half, after a clash of heads. But the home team were already 2-0 up by then. The final verdict was 10-0. The centre-forward Len Capewell, who had netted after 20 seconds, ended up with five, more than half his tally for the entire 1924-25 season. When George Stephenson, who had collided with Hill, notched the final goal, his head swathed in bandages, it summed up Burnley's afternoon. "Might have been 20," noted the Burnley News, gamely applying a humorous gloss on proceedings. "The wits remarked that Burnley would do better next innings."
However traumatic this start to the season for the men from Turf Moor, the unusual double-figure score-line ensured that the offside law retained its topicality around whatever passed for water-coolers in inter-war England. It has remained a staple of pub bores and office banter ever since.
After this dream start, it was in a way surprising that, among a host of players quizzed by the press after their first experience of the new conditions, Frank Moss, the Villa captain, told the Observer they would "throw a severe strain on the defence". More understandably, he also said that the change "must lead to prolific scoring". Sam Wadsworth, rock of the defence of the champions Huddersfield Town had swiftly concluded that "defenders would have to be very speedy".
That Midlands mauling marked the beginning of a remarkable white-knuckle season for Burnley, who changed two half-backs for their next game against Leicester and won 4-0. In 42 league games, they conceded 108 goals in total. They saved themselves from relegation with a 4-1 win over Cardiff on a sodden pitch on the season's final day. They had plenty of scoring power themselves, as seen most strikingly in their other league visit to Birmingham, on April 10, when they crushed Birmingham City 7-1. As six of these goals were scored by Louis Page, a future England international, occupying the centre-forward's berth for the first time, you might surmise that questionable selection may have been part of the problem. As with the Villa game, however, physical frailties and the absence of substitutes (about which more later) played a significant part, with a Birmingham player falling injured after just twelve minutes.
By the time jubilant Burnley fans swarmed onto the pitch in celebration of the team's crucial last-match win over Cardiff, it was clear that the new law was here to stay. Traditionalists still fretted about it encouraging unimaginative kick-and-rush tactics, with balls belted upfield for fleet-footed forwards to chase. A changed offside regime, moreover, had done nothing to improve England, who finished rock bottom of the International Championship table, extending their title drought to 13 years. The reform had, however, resulted in a substantial reduction in free kicks and a 43% increase in the number of first division goals: 1703 against 1192 the previous season. The decline in attendances had also stopped, at least in the first division, and would not reassert itself until Depression hit in the 1930s.
Ted Harper of Blackburn Rovers topped the scoring charts with 43, better than a goal per game. His feat came in spite of not being selected for the first three matches and was insufficient to prevent Blackburn slumping to 22nd and last place in the league table by early February, though they subsequently rallied. Nor did Harper prove the answer to England's centre-forward problem; neither he nor the team could score in their latest defeat by Scotland at Old Trafford in April.
Sunderland's Dave Halliday, signed from Dundee, destined for Arsenal, lanky and determined, and Huddersfield's George 'Bomber' Brown were not too far behind Harper with 38 and 35 goals respectively in a profitable season for front-men. This was also the year when the young Dixie Dean began to make a name for himself with Everton, notching 33 goals in 40 league and cup matches. Dean had forced his way into the first team by scoring seven for the reserves against Bradford City in early September in another 10-0 battering.
With the currency of the game devalued, the sort of scorelines that, in my childhood, would have had to be spelled out on the teleprinter were frequent. Sheffield United 11 Cardiff 2, Sunderland 7 Everton 3 (Sunderland trailed 3-2 on the hour), Bury 6 Manchester City 5 (on Christmas Day) and so on.
Manchester City, who experienced the most extraordinary helter-skelter season of all top-flight clubs, and possibly of their existence, were involved in more than their fair share of such encounters. In one remarkable two-day period in October, they walloped Burnley 8-3, then travelled to South Yorkshire and lost to Sheffield United by the same score. Like Burnley, their goals-conceded column in the League reached three figures, 100 exactly, but they also scored 89 – plus a further 31 in a remarkable FA Cup run that took them all the way to Wembley, whereupon they lost to Bolton Wanderers via David Jack's goal.
The most extravagant scoreline in that Cup run, which also saw them run rings around the best team in the land, Huddersfield Town, came in an 11-4 demolition of Crystal Palace. So one-sided was this game, particularly in a first half which ended 7-0, that the Palace goalkeeper Billy Callender was carried off the field shoulder-high by appreciative spectators. Callender's life ended tragically at the age of 29 some six years later when he was found hanged following the death of his fiancée from polio.
City's eventful season ended in the dual misfortune of defeat at Wembley and relegation. While their rivals Burnley were engineering their great escape, managerless Manchester City were going down 3-2 at Newcastle, courtesy of a hat-trick by the great Hughie Gallacher, who had arrived earlier in the season from Airdrieonians as part of a startling – and expensive – exodus of Scottish talent. Poor Sam Austin missed a penalty that might have saved City, hitting it straight at the goalkeeper. Austin, "a player of moods" with "a long, raking stride", had scored a few days earlier in an important 2-1 win over another fellow struggler, Leeds United. In a symptom of the amateurishness that still pervaded the game, the Leeds Mercury reported that play had to be halted in the second half when darkness fell prematurely leaving the players "mere ghosts from the stands". Very fortunately, the light improved and after a six-minute cessation, play resumed and the match concluded. With 50,000 jammed into Maine Road, knowing that every point was vital, it is hard not to reflect that this lifting of the murk was most opportune. This was before the introduction of floodlights, of course, and it is worth recording that officials would decide routinely in midwinter to dispense with the half-time interval if they feared the light might give out before the end.
The Times had concluded as early as September 7 that the new law had changed everything. "The balance has swung completely over," it thundered. "Previously, defenders, by their astuteness in exploiting the offside law to their own advantage, were able more than to hold their own. Now forwards are the masters of the situation." The goalless draw was not extinct, however. The first of fifteen in the top flight came at Anfield on September 5. A Reds rearguard featuring the dependable Tommy Lucas and that peerless goalkeeper Elisha Scott had a lot to do with the scoreline – and with Liverpool's comparatively sound defensive record throughout the season, which was bettered only by Wadsworth's Huddersfield. The Hammers left-winger Jimmy Ruffell, impressive enough under the new conditions to be capped by England later in the season, was reported to have been flagged offside four times. Nor was the law change enough to prise open the Tyne-Wear derby. At this blank encounter at St James' Park, indeed, the old warrior Frank Hudspeth, the Newcastle full-back who, in partnership with Billy McCracken, had turned the offside trap into an art form under the old regime, was "quite jubilant when once in the first half he cleverly forced an offside decision as in the old days."
By the end of the season, after much suffering and much experimentation, defences had recovered a fraction of the ground that had been legislated away. The first division averaged 3.84 goals per game up to December 5 and 3.57 goals per game thereafter – still almost exactly a goal a game more than in 1924-25. Oldham Athletic were still able to run up eight in Division Two against Forest on the last day of the season. Sheffield United, meanwhile, despite an abysmal start, surpassed 100 league goals. The one hundredth, scored just before half-time in a comfortable 2-0 win over Manchester United, was netted by David Mercer.
When Athletic News in early April conducted an extensive poll on the impact of the change, the consensus was overwhelmingly positive. "No longer can defenders rely on a law to get out of a difficult situation," commented Alderman H Cropper of Chesterfield approvingly, while Middlesbrough's H Bamlett proclaimed himself "a convert". He explained, "A forward can now concentrate – keep his eyes on the ball – whereas he had formerly to watch a back 40 yards away on the other side of the field, who did not tackle but stopped him by stepping forward." With the game now noticeably quicker and punctuated by fewer stoppages, A Brook Hirst of Huddersfield predicted astutely that the change would "tend to shorten the career of a player by two or three years."
So how did defences mitigate the tide that had threatened to overwhelm them? A whole series of factors, some tactical, some not, appear to have contributed towards moderation of the early season goal-rush. Their repertoire of new tricks undoubtedly included meting some of the rough stuff – and this in an era when football had about as much in common with Pep Guardiola's conception of an acceptable level of physical contact as mud-wrestling has with chess.
A light seems to have flashed on in the wake of a Cup tie in February between second division Clapton Orient and Gallacher's Newcastle. The Londoners upset their opponents 2-0 and, in the words of the experienced Athletic News reporter known as Achates, achieved the "total eclipse of the much-boomed Scottish international centre". Gallacher, whose exploits in his debut English season included scoring four Christmas-time goals in two games against Liverpool in the space of 24 hours, was marked out of the game by an uncompromising centre-half called John Townrow. Achates wrote that his mission was "quite plain. He had to keep the ball away from the visitor and though the manner in which he did this did not meet with approval from the referee, he succeeded in that mission. He took many risks in the unceremonious way he bowled Gallacher over, and was repeatedly penalised." Gallacher, for his part, was "inclined to become querulous and finicky".
One consequence of this, in a reflection, one suspects, of a degree of desperation among the selectors, was that Townrow was put straight in the England team for the impending international against Wales. (They lost.) Another, though it was not the first instance of foul play being used to meet an objective that might once have been achieved by judicious application of the offside trap, was an apparent increase in robust defending. More than 90 years on, we are probably beyond the point where corroborating statistics on this can be compiled. What we can say is that match reports for the remainder of the season alluded to rough play with increased frequency.
The nub of the matter for old school offside practitioners was that the new law took away their insurance policy. With the old three-man law, the trap could be sprung and there would still be a burly defender between the onrushing forward and the goalkeeper; now the keeper was on his own. Faced with a choice between a) compressing play by encouraging both full-backs to adopt a high line and b) instructing the centre-half, traditionally the team's pivot, to lie deeper and be more defence-minded, most first-division teams plumped initially for the latter. Spurs' excellent start, beginning with a 1-0 win over Herbert Chapman's Arsenal, was attributed partly to the form of the centre-half Harry Skitt, who "adopted a position midway between his backs and darted left or right whenever danger threatened with amazing energy." The Sunderland captain and centre-half Charlie Parker had concluded by the end of his side's opening 3-1 win over Birmingham City that the "centre half-back may have to become a sort of third defender." A few weeks later, he had become confirmed in this view, confiding that "defence is now my first consideration – though of course I advance in support when it seems safe to do so."
By mid-September, however, Athletic News was pondering a curious state of affairs: notwithstanding the new law, both first and second division tables were headed by known offside specialists. "Last season West Ham United exploited the offside manoeuvre as freely as any club in the country," it wrote. "The change seemed likely to hit them hard. Today, however, they are top of the League… with only one goal conceded to opponents in five games." In the second tier, early pacesetters Hull City were managed by the aforementioned Billy McCracken, "the full-back who brought the offside system to perfection". Hull's defences had still to be breached at all. It did not last: West Ham ended the season in 18th place, after their key defender Billy Henderson strained a knee ligament; Hull could only manage 13th. However, as the season wore on, a growing number of teams – including success-stories such as Chapman's Arsenal and the eventual second-division champions The Wednesday – reverted to offside play in spite of the increased risk. In this, they vindicated the impressively far-sighted view of the Clapton Orient goalkeeper Arthur Wood who told the Observer before August was out that when defenders got used to the new game, "they will cramp the play by keeping up with the halves and probably a new game will result in four half-backs with one full-back just behind them".
With long balls out to the flanks or behind the back-line an increasingly popular ploy, height and heading ability were becoming ever more important attributes for the modern centre-half – even those who like Bury's 6'2" Tom Bradshaw and Burnley's 6'3" Jack Hill endeavoured still to make a full attacking contribution. Sam Cowan and Jimmy Seddon, who filled the role in the FA Cup final for Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers respectively, were cases in point. Cowan starred in September in a 1-1 draw with United in front of 66,000 at Maine Road in what was the first Manchester derby for four years. His "headwork was a feature of the match," reported Athletic News. It was said that the 5'10½", thirteen-stone Cowan was "able to head a ball as far as many a junior can kick it". He was "monarch of the centre of the field" in what might have been a vital 4-3 win at Elland Road in December. Seddon, taller at 6'1½", was said to be "ungainly and unattractive", but was endowed with Vieira-esque snaking long legs. When Bolton thrashed Cowan's City 5-1 on a frosty November day, he was "the rock on which most of City's advances broke".
By contrast, in the new conditions, speed was a more prized asset for centre-forwards, who could expect more often to enjoy clear runs on goal without having to barge the last defender out of the way. Accordingly, as time wore on, a number of teams tried out wingers to spearhead their attack. At Spurs, the South Africa-born Frank Osborne was a spectacular success in the central role, the supremely rapid Frank McPherson rather less so at Manchester United, while Louis Page's extraordinary entrée as attacking leader for Burnley has already been mentioned. Huddersfield occasionally played their star Scottish right-winger Alex Jackson there before signing Cowdenbeath's scoring ace William Devlin before deadline day. Aston Villa experimented with the winger Dickie York down the middle as their season wound down to a respectable sixth-place finish.
Though the deeper-lying centre-halves would often man-mark the opposing centre-forward, this was not invariably the case. Charles Buchan, whose close-season transfer from Sunderland was one of season's other main talking points, not least because of an innovative £100-a-goal clause in the deal, has left an account of how Arsenal determined their strategy, in the wake of a 7-0 thumping at the hands of Newcastle. The role of the deep-lying centre-half that they would adopt, he wrote, was "not to be a 'policeman' to the opposing centre-forward". Instead, "he was given a beat of a certain area bordering the penalty line, which he was to guard. The other defenders were to arrange themselves around him according to the direction of play. It was," he went on, "the beginning of Arsenal's 'defence-in-depth' policy, brought to almost perfection by later teams." I am not sure we can rely on every detail of Buchan's account. He describes how Hughie Gallacher was among those who "made holes in our defensive plan" in Arsenal's mauling on Tyneside. Yet that happened on October 3 and Gallacher did not make his Magpies debut until December. Nonetheless, there seems no reason to doubt the gist of Buchan's story. The Wednesday's centre-half Frank Froggatt appears to have been no fan of man-marking either, not troubling to "metaphorically have his hand on the shoulder" of the opposing centre-forward, as it was put in one match report.
With the erstwhile pivots moving deeper, there quickly developed an issue with cohesion – how to maintain adequate communication with the five-man forward unit of the classic 2-3-5 formation? This was still posing problems a year later, as the Times observed two months into the 1926-27 season: "It is not unusual to see a gap of 20 or more yards between half-backs and forwards and, in such conditions, there must inevitably be a lack of combination between the two sections of the team."
The more thoughtful sides had worked out a solution well before this, however, with Arsenal, once again, in the vanguard. The answer, in essence, was to move another player deeper. As Buchan recalled, "I said I not only wanted a defensive centre-half, but also a roving inside-forward, like a fly-half in rugby, to act as a link between attack and defence. He was to take up such positions in midfield that any defender would be able to give him the ball without the chance of an opponent intercepting it." The Gunners began by entrusting this role to a reserve-team player called Andy Neil. The Scot was prominent as Chapman's men charged to the top of the table by mid-season, being described as "as full of tricks as a monkey" in a 3-2 win at Blackburn. But a rash of injuries caused the North Londoners to go off the boil and Neil was transferred back to Brighton in March.
Quite a number of teams adopted this tactic, or something similar, during the autumn, often entrusting the part to their most creative player. Athletic News's Harricus wrote of Newcastle as early as September 12 that their "forwards took up what I might term the "M" formation". Other inside-forwards reported to be lying deep included Harry Chambers of Liverpool, Blackburn's Syd Puddefoot, Billy Gillespie at Sheffield United and the great Clem Stephenson, skipper of the then two-time champions Huddersfield Town. Of Stephenson, who won his one England cap in 1924, it was written that "no player for many years past has possessed in greater degree the ability to get the best from players alongside." In somewhat different vein, Thomas Smith and Charlie Rennox, the inside-forwards of Manchester United, then a hard-working newly-promoted team with no real stars, were said to be willing to "fetch and carry until they drop".
It should not be assumed that all teams left three or four men upfield at all times, irrespective of circumstances. When Liverpool got a goal back against Huddersfield with 20 minutes to play, the Yorkshiremen "deemed it prudent to strengthen the defence" to protect their 2-1 lead, the left-winger WH 'Billy' Smith being moved to a midfield position. That same March week, Cardiff built up a 2-1 lead at Leicester with 10 men after their outside-left George McLachlan suffered a broken leg. As soon as their second goal went in, forwards Len Davies and Hughie Ferguson "dropped back among the half-backs", leaving two up front and "a phalanx of eight men in or near the Cardiff penalty area". They duly held out to take the two points then awarded for a win.
By the run-up to Christmas, the offside trap was well and truly back in business, as more teams concluded, as Airdrieonians' Jock McDougall had it, that "the centre-half who forms his plan on the basis of having to yield ground is courting disaster." Chapman's Arsenal were at the heart of the revival. When a 2-0 win over Sunderland brought them a fifth consecutive victory and took them to the top of the table, Alec Mackie – destined eventually to be ousted by Tom Parker – was said by Achates to have "exploited the offside tactics so thoroughly that at times one imagined we were back in the old days". Buchan, inevitably, scored one of the goals. On January 2, in the return fixture with Spurs, there were seven offsides in 35 minutes. Later that month at Anfield, "the exploitation of offside tactics by Mackie and [Bob] John was at times exasperating". Athletic News's Junius reports "more than a score" of such stoppages, with the Liverpool forwards "pulled up in the proportion of at least 5:1." The home side nevertheless won 3-0.
Burnley, Notts County, Spurs and Aston Villa were among others who sought to adapt the offside trap to the new circumstances. Villa used it to good effect to control the dangerous Gallacher in a 2-2 draw at St James' Park.
In the second division, effective offside play helped deliver promotion back to the top tier for Sheffield United's local rivals The Wednesday. The risk now attached to deploying the tactic was underlined, however, when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by New Brighton. According to Athletic News, "During the second half especially, the Wednesday backs reverted to the expedient of throwing their opponents offside, both backs lying well forward." They duly won "a dozen or more" free-kicks. But disaster struck when a speculative New Brighton pass was deflected by a Wednesday player, rendering the recipient onside.
As this suggests, the ruse required skill and a little luck to be worth adopting under the new law. Some experiments failed spectacularly. When the Athletic News editor Ivan Sharpe went to Old Trafford for the season's second Manchester derby, he was surprised to see Jack Silcock, United's normally ultra-dependable back, lining up with the half-backs. He was not surprised by the disaster which ensued. "The one-back game simply invites trouble, especially as in this case, when the back who stays at home is inexperienced and not reliable," he wrote. "Manchester United asked for trouble and it arrived with a capital T." Result: United 1 City 6.
The high defensive line deployed by some teams encouraged the very occasional glimpse of another tactical innovation with resonance today: the sweeper-keeper. In a similar way, the fondness in England for the long-ball game utilising width seems to have been instrumental in encouraging wingers, such as Huddersfield's Jackson, more often to drift into the box in anticipation of crosses from the opposite flank to finish off.
Even for defences who contrived to perform proficiently under the new circumstances, there was one uncontrollable factor likely to stretch even the best teams to breaking-point: injury. Substitutes would not be permitted in the Football League for a further four decades, so when serious injury struck, teams were confronted with the prospect of plotting a course to the final whistle while at a numerical disadvantage or with the crocked player dispatched pathetically to shiver on the wing. A significant number of matches – I would estimate one or two per Saturday programme in the first division – were so affected. It could be argued, indeed, that the increased pace of the game and reduction in the number of stoppages may even have increased the frequency with which match-ending injuries were incurred.
Under the old law, the offside trap afforded the 10 men a means of damage limitation; this became more difficult under the new regime, since one slip, resulting in a clear run on goal, might well mean the game was up. This issue was highlighted eloquently towards the end of the season by the Birmingham City player George Liddell, a trained teacher. "Under the old offside law," he wrote, "it was possible for the injured player's side to overcome their handicap by the adoption of what was called the 'one back' game. Under present conditions, to rely upon a similar resort is practically impossible, and the consequence is many games have been won and lost through players being injured. Birmingham alone have lost four games this season when winning goals in each case have been added after players have left the field hurt… So why not adopt the idea of playing substitutes? If any player has been incapacitated during the first half-hour during any game, substitutes, I think, should be allowed." Birmingham, indeed, had rotten luck with injuries, a contributing factor probably in their slide to 14th place in the final table, down from eighth the year before. In their 5-1 derby defeat by West Bromwich Albion, the hard-tackling half-back Jimmy Cringan was hurt when the scores were level. He came back on and played out the game on the right wing. However, his teammate Ernie Islip then collapsed with a split cartilage, reducing the side in effect to nine players.
In another injury-related hard luck story, Wales lost their centre-half Fred Keenor within five minutes of the start of their home international clash with Scotland. The team reorganised and held out heroically against the class act of international football for nearly seventy minutes. With nothing to be gained from a plucky 1-0 defeat, they then switched to one at the back – and promptly conceded two more goals.
If injuries were a factor in keeping the goals-per-game average high, there was another imponderable without which the end-season first division goal tally might have approached 2000: the highly variable English weather. The winter of 1925-26 threw just about everything at the national game, including a cold snap running almost unbroken from mid-November to mid-January. It is worth mentioning in passing that wretched weather took a toll on attendances too.
Surfaces as hard as flint were not generally deemed sufficient grounds for postponement, though when clods of frozen mud or snow were left littering the surface, the authorities did occasionally admit defeat. Though the treacherous underfoot conditions accounted for the odd goal here and there – Manchester United defender Silcock was "stuck in the snow unable to move" for one Arsenal score – they actually tended to moderate the overall goal flow by taking all pace out of the game and making the ball "as lively as a piece of mercury" according to one evocative image. West Brom won one match largely through their choice of footwear – boots with rubber bars as opposed to the shortened studs worn by their opponents. "Albion were as sure-footed as a denizen of the mountains," reported Athletic News, "compared with the sliding spread-eagled men of Newcastle."
The freezing conditions left a hangover, since the measures used to combat them often had repercussions later in the season. At White Hart Lane, 3000 trusses of straw were placed on the pitch, covering it to a depth of about two feet. Others used sand; 50 tons were said to have been put down at Bramall Lane. Ivan Sharpe put his finger on the problem while enduring a drab goalless draw between Blackburn – Ted Harper and all – and Leicester City. "For the cart-loads of sand that were spread on football grounds during the recent period of frost-bound pitches, there will be a penalty to pay," he wrote. "At Ewood Park, the sand deadened the ball and clogged the footsteps of the players." Huddersfield's attempts to bring artificial heat to bear also had negative consequences. Visiting on Boxing Day, Sharpe reported: "The grass had disappeared," adding: "It resembled the aftermath of the cattle show." Even by April, the situation was evidently little-improved. "Eighty-six braziers were burning on the ground of the champions when winter came," he wrote, in florid mode. "And as they burnt up some of the nature in the soil, about eighty-six blades of grass now strive to persuade the visitors that this is the turf of the Colne Valley, where the cricketers come from." The winter weather was also a factor in stemming the goal tide in Scotland. "Worse conditions than those which prevailed at Aberdeen could not be imagined," wrote one reporter in February. "Half a gale blew from the sea and the pitch was sodden from the incessant rain of 24 hours." The result? Aberdeen 0 Dundee 0.
That, then, is the story of the 1925-26 season. For the race to adapt to a major law change with limited preparation time and the consequent spate of experimentation, there may never have been another quite like it, before or since. And yet, here's the thing: in terms of outcomes, remarkably little changed. The teams which were successful under the old regime, by and large, were successful under the new.
This goes well beyond Huddersfield's feat in shrugging off the departure of Chapman, their managerial genius, to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of league titles. Bolton Wanderers lifted the FA Cup with no fewer than ten of the players who had won the 1923 'White Horse' final. In Scotland, Airdrieonians finished runners-up for the fourth consecutive season, although this time it was Celtic, not Rangers, who pipped them. Still more remarkably, Plymouth Argyle were runners-up in Division Three South for a fifth consecutive season. It happened yet again the following year. They finally obtained promotion in 1929-30. One team, of course, did achieve a marked improvement: Chapman's Arsenal, who jumped from 20th spot the previous season to second. But this too can be classified as an example of continuity, not change: if broadly the same teams prospered under both laws, so too did the same managers.


text:
Children's Ministry
Youth Ministry
Young Adult Ministries
Life is a journey. Sooner or later we all lose our way.
That, my friend, is an inevitable side benefit of being human. Every journey begins with a single step in the right direction, but as life goes on, when we don't have our eyes fixed on the outcome, it's all too easy to veer off track. You've probably heard it said that when our focus is off by even just one degree over a long enough time, that leads us to places we'd never planned on going.
And unfortunately--we've all been there.
The good part is that no matter where you are it's not too late to get back on track, and we would love to help.
Give us a call today, or come by for a visit. We have a great staff of trained people that would love to connect with you and help you get back on track and help you to get your eyes refocused on Jesus Christ. Once there, we will help you get connected with other believers to help you in your daily walk with Him.
Make your next step one that will help you get back on track.
1. "There is no one Righteous, not even one;" (Romans 3:10) 2. "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23) 3."For the wages of Sin is Death, but the Gift of God is eternal life in Christ jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23)
1."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). 2. "For Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be Saved.' (Romans 10:13
1. "Jesus also said: He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16). 2. "Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become Children of God" (John 1:12)
1. "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door." (Rev. 3:20) 2. "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be Saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9,10)
Dr. Bruce Cannon
River Valley Director of Missions
Pastor Richard Felton
Education, Evangelism, Youth, IT

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tyee - The new Perspective
Looking at things from a new perspective, being courageous and breaking new grounds, improve and develop yourself, start a new chapter. – That was our vision
for the new Tyee.
With the 2020 Tyee we have completely reinvented our Enduro bike. The ideas and experiences of the last six years have flown into its development.
The result is a Tyee bike that meets 100% of the definition of an Enduro bike: a versatile and balanced bike that sets new standards, both uphill and downhill.
The new Tyee is our next level Enduro!
Frame concept and PRO10
New design concept
Overall concept and geometry
New wheel size
The long-awaited upgrade to our Tyee is here, 29" wheels! It took us a while, but we wanted to enter the 29" Enduro segment with a BANG. Of course, we also kept the 27,5" option for all fans of the smaller wheels.
Every frame is optimized for the wheel size. It was designed to make the most out of the unique characteristics of the different wheels.
Suspension travel
Front: 170mm; Rear: 160mm
New size concept
Colors and decals
As before, the Propain logo can be chosen individually. So, everyone has the freedom to choose their favourite colour combination. A very robust, plotted vinyl foil is used for this. All current colours will be available further on.
New in the range is the decal in chrome and the frame colour Mars Red Dark (glossy) and Petrol (matte). The Carbon Raw (glossy) gets a unique look through the clear varnish and the special processing of the Blend Carbon becomes visible.
Compared to its predecessor, the Aluminium Raw is now treated with a special clear sealant and stands out with its elegant matte finish.
Frame colors Carbon
Frame colors Aluminium
Frame Features
Blend Carbon
Blend Alloy
Internal Routing with channel
Propain ISCG Mount
Chain stay protection and down tube protection
Bottle cage
Shock compatibility
Frame weight (in size M)
Aluminium 3,7 kg
Carbon 2,7 kg


text:
Try this lasagna variation. It's a great twist on classic lasagna and one of our most popular.
Below are the ingredients you'll need to get started and directions for putting it all together below. Enjoy!
Chicken Filling
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lb chicken breast halve, skin on bone in
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 1/3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 tablespoons white wine
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
Cheese Filling
24 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 cooked lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
How to make the magic happen:
1. Reserve enough rosemary to measure 1/2 teaspoons. Chop and set aside. Place chicken and remaining rosemary springs in a medium skillet. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then cover, reduce heat to med low and simmer 10-15 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in the center.
2. Place chicken and rosemary on a plate. Shred the chicken, remove the bones, the rosemary stems and finely chop the chicken and rosemary together and place in a medium bowl.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add onion and cook until tender. Add mushrooms, bell pepper and wine. Cook 3-4 minutes or until reduced and veggies are tender. Stir in pine nuts and then remove from heat.
4. In a small bowl mix together all cheese filling ingredients.
5. To make a sauce, in a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter then add garlic. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in milk until well blended and smooth. Then whisk in salt and pepper and cook until thickened about 2-4 minutes.
6. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13×9 pan with non stick spray. Spread 1 cup of sauce
in the bottom of the pan and then layer as follows: 3 noodles, half of cheese filling, half of vegetables, 3 noodles, 1 cup of sauce, chicken filling, 3 noodles, remaining cheese filling, remaining vegetables, 3 noodles, remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Gruyere and reserved rosemary form the beginning of the recipe.
7. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and the lasagna is heated through.
8. Let stand 10 minutes and serve and put a smile on someones face!
Want more a few more great recipes:
Roasted Tomato Soup … great for those upcoming cold nights.


text:
Join Kristy Sorensen, story-time guru at Prairie Path Books (the cutest, coziest book shop in DuPage County!), for an evening of discovery. Kristy will introduce us to some new and familiar books, sharing hands-on activities to expand the book experience for children ages 2-7. You will have an opportunity to browse the book store and receive a 10% discount on your purchases that night.
Prairie Path Books
302 E. Wesley St.
Wheaton, IL 60189
The entrance is behind Toms Price.
Parking is available west of the store on Scott Street or
north of the store in the Chase ATM parking lot across the street on Wesley Street.


text:
When I was going to the pre-study abroad orientations they kept going on and on about culture shock and reverse culture shock. Now, culture shock I can understand. It can be incredibly disconcerting to leave home and be in an entirely new environment, but reverse culture shock?!
I just assumed the professors leading the orientation were saying it to cover all the bases and that it probably didn't happen to everyone. After all, I've lived abroad before, I've traveled; it won't be that big of a shock, right?
When I got to London, the people running the program there also started talking about shock and how it could be disconcerting when you go back to the United States, and I figured they too were just being somewhat alarmist. After all, I had survived two full days in London and I was doing great, minus getting lost on the buses and getting back to the residence hall at five in the morning on a day when orientation started at eight.
It wasn't until around midterms that I started realizing that studying abroad was really affecting me. I was starting to think of London as home and I was realizing what really mattered to me back in the States. I realized who and what were important in my life.
I suppose this is a feeling similar to going to college and suddenly realizing somewhere during your freshman or sophomore years that you are calling Knox home.
Nonetheless, it was still disconcerting, especially since there was still a lot about London and Europe that was somewhat strange. It was even more disconcerting because I considered it home-like while the people there viewed me as an outsider or guest. This was probably the biggest part of culture shock.
Even when I went through culture shock I just figured this reverse culture shock thing must be blown out of proportion, what could be strange about coming home?
The strange thing about coming home is that it isn't home anymore. Everything seems to be different. There are new inside jokes and changes in people and places. I never realized coming back wouldn't be to the same place. That sounds like a silly assumption now. Of course things will change, that is part of life, but at times those changes make it so that coming back from abroad is like visiting an old home, it isn't the safe base it once was.
It isn't just that home, Knox or anywhere else is alien, my perspective on the things I was familiar with changed significantly. The things I value, think about or want to change have altered. I'm not the same person I was, Knox isn't the same place it was when I left, everything changed and for a brief time my path and the path of my home, Knox, have diverged and I'm still trying to find my way back.


text:
April 6, 2016
Calvin Davidson of Plainfield, Indiana, weighed in four bass totaling 16 pounds even Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament of 2016 on Patoka Lake. For his victory, Davidson took home $6,652.
"The weather was forecast to be calm, but by 10 a.m. we had 30 to 40 mph winds," says Davidson, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. "It affected some of my decisions, but I was able to remain fairly consistent."
Davidson dialed in on bass along points near the Patoka Lake dam.
"I fished 50-yard stretches of rock or wood, in 4 to 5 feet of water," says Davidson. "I concentrated on a few small areas; basically anywhere I could still feel my tube and stay out of the wind."
Davidson said he used one bait to catch his fish – a green-pumpkin-colored Secret Lures Stupid Tube.
"This time of year, we rig it to mimic a crawfish," said Davidson. "I dragged it around, and hopped it here and there, which gave it some erratic action."
The Indiana angler says the fish he weighed in were the only four bites he had the entire day.
"I had three of them by 10 a.m., and the fourth around 1 p.m.," says Davidson. "I kept thinking that I'd need a fifth for a limit but luckily they were the right kind of bites."
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Calvin Davidson, Plainfield, Ind., four bass, 16-0, $4,652 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Jerad Schwedler, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 15-15, $2,326
3rd: Richard Hardebeck, Elwood, Ind., three bass, 14-15, $2,236
4th: Eric Moore, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 14-6, $1,086
5th: Kevin Reece, Elizabeth, Ind., four bass, 14-0, $930
6th: Mario Mills, Valparaiso, Ind., three bass, 13-2, $853
7th: Ted Scheeter, Jasper, Ind., four bass, 12-8, $775
8th: Ray Brunner, Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 11-14, $998
9th: Eric Johnson, Columbus, Ind., two bass, 11-10, $620
10th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 11-9, $543
Complete results can be found here.
Hardeback caught a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day's Boater Big Bass award of $685.
Konopacki wins co-angler title
Michael Konopacki of Valparaiso, Indiana, weighed in three bass totaling 18 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to earn $2,629 and win the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Michael Konopacki, Valparaiso, Ind., three bass, 18-10, $2,629
2nd: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 12-12, $1,146
3rd: Nathaniel Hester, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 10-0, $765
4th: Marshall Lachecki, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 8-0, $535
5th: James Wathen, Louisville, Ky., two bass, 6-15, $458
6th: Charlie Kuebler, Jasper, Ind., two bass, 6-4, $420
7th: Scott Moon, Beech Grove, Ind., two bass, 6-0, $382
8th: Arthur Stahlhut, Garrett, Ind., one bass, 5-13, $344
9th: Bob Ungren, Jeffersonville, Ind., one bass, 5-11, $306
10th: Shane Oxford, Saint Meinrad, Ind., two bass, 5-9, $254
10th: J.P. Lamphere, Bloomington, Ind., two bass, 5-9, $254
Konopacki also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces and earned the day's Co-angler Big Bass award of $337.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
Tags: hoosier-division patoka-lake headline-story 2016-04-02-patoka-lake


text:
Clothing is collected, dry cleaned and returned
(price includes GST)
Clothing is collected, washed, folded and delivered
Our trusted cleaners will complete all of your in-home cleaning requirements. After we receive your request, you will receive a personalised quote fro our team
Clothing requiring alterations is collected, sent to our tailor and returned to you.
Please note your alterations will be quoted by return email.
Groceries are ordered and delivered to fridge/pantry
Hampers by Village Concierge are the perfect way to give a tailored gift for someone special - celebrating a holiday, birthday, anniversary, the arrival of a new baby or just as a special way to say thank you. Our signature hampers, hand-picked by our team are created in premium black boxes and tied with a beautiful ribbon to create an element of luxury and surprise! The collection is priced from $120 (plus GST) for a standard selection and range upwards to $200 for an ultimate gourmet hamper, noting that all hampers can be tailored to your every wish and preference.
If you have any questions, please email email@example.com before submitting order.


text:
All Rideable Pokemon In Pokemon Let's Go
In Pokemon Let's Go, you can have one more of your Pokemon outside of its ball, along with either Pikachu or Eevee depending on which version of the game you own. Did you know that you can actually ride on some of them though? That's right – if the Pokemon is large enough and is in this list of rideable Pokemon in Pokemon Let's Go, then you can let it out and hop aboard to give your legs a rest. Of course, some of these are Water-type Pokemon, so they're only able to ride on bodies of water, but it's still pretty cool.
Rideable Pokemon In Pokemon Let's Go
Here's the full list of Pokemon you can ride in Pokemon Let's Go in alphabetical order.
- Aerodactyl
- Arcanine
- Charizard
- Dodrio
- Dragonite
- Gyarados (Water)
- Haunter
- Kangaskhan
- Lapras (Water)
- Machamp
- Onix
- Persian
- Rapidash
- Rhyhorn
- Rhydon
- Snorlax
- Starmie
- Tauros
Impressively, despite being a Water-type, you can ride Starmie on land. It doesn't use its pointed star parts to walk along as you'd expect though… it floats in the air. How? That's not for us to question.
Our favorite is definitely Onix though; you climb up him and sit on his enormous head as he slithers around like a huge Rock-type snake. Unfortunately, despite Haunter letting you cling on to the back of its head, you can't ride Gengar. Machamp is also incredibly cute, using his upper arms to hold on to your legs, along with carrying either Pikachu or Eevee in his big strong arms.
It's worth noting that some Pokemon move slower when you ride them, notably Snorlax. The enormous chunkster isn't exactly expected to move quickly, but as you hang on to its stomach for dear life, it casually plods its way around. Kangaskhan is another cute one, letting you sit on its shoulder while placing Pikachu or Eevee in its pouch next to its child.
If you opt for a flying Pokemon like Charizard, Aerodactyl, or Dragonite, you also gain the ability to soar over some smaller buildings like the Game Corner in Celadon City. Have you found and caught Mewtwo yet?


text:
For an intensive coffee aroma
More room for more taste. The brew chamber of Miele coffee machines expands when water flows in. The ground coffee is mixed very thoroughly with the water and the coffee aroma can unfold even better. You can look forward to enjoying wonderfully aromatic coffee.
You can select 2 more products.
You can select 1 more product.


text:
The author of this review: Iris from Austria - now retired
You may see we had wonderful biking weather in Austria.
With doing a part by train saved our energy. We started with the local train "Mariazellerbahn" at St.Poelten (Austria) heading to the town Winterbach, which is already rather elevated (round 500 meters).
After a short ride, we found an inviting restaurant. As it was noon, we decided to to stay for a beer.
Riding further leaded to an elevation of 1.110 meters. We have seen the first snow of this year.
A colorful fall day was our award of all the little climbing's.
The overall distance of our tour was just sweet 110 kilometers.
Long enough to ride the last kilometers in dark. And the night has felt on the setting sun.
Some pictures are exciting some not ...
Anyway, you may see colorful fall pictures from our short Austrian "Indian summer".
Enjoy the pictures and my report.
Good luck to our followers.
picture set 1:
picture set 2: our lunch rest
picture set 3:
picture set 4:
Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites


text:
Chris Birdwell, area veterans to be honored Monday at Windsor High School
November 15, 2012
Thousands of students, faculty and community members will pack the Windsor High School gymnasium Monday morning to recognize, remember and celebrate the town's rich military heritage during the second annual Veterans Day Celebration.
The event will not only honor a long line of the area's servicemen and women — it will pay special tribute to Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Birdwell, a 2005 Windsor High School graduate who was killed by small arms fire while serving in Afghanistan in August.
"When it comes down to affecting one of our own in the town of Windsor, it affects us all," said Scott Romme, head of the school's booster club, which is presenting the event. "The loss of Chris this year was a loss for the entire community. It affected everybody here."
Marine Corps Maj. Isaac Moore will address the crowd as the guest speaker, and the color guard will be presented by the U.S. Marine Corps. The school's marching band and choir also will perform.
"I think as a community, there is a sense of gratefulness, and there is a sense of respect to those people who have served," Romme said.
When helping to organize the event last year, he said people from all aspects of the school and community agreed there was a need to "reinvent how we recognized" Veterans Day.
Recommended Stories For You
In a display of community unity, elderly members from a nearby retirement home will be bused to the event — an important move that will bridge the generational gap with young students, Romme said.
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10:15 a.m., and the one-hour ceremony will start at 10:50 a.m. With more than 2,000 people expected, Romme urged people to arrive early.
"It's not something we have to do or feel obligated to do," Romme said of the event. "It's our honor to do that. The programs will reflect that from the music to the speakers to the recognition of Staff Sgt. Birdwell.
"It will all come out in the program how indebted we are to those veterans," he said.


text:
Monday, July 6, 2009
Changing POV
I started editing then realized I was spending most of my time changing 'he' to 'I', 'him' to 'my', etc. Hours of tedious Find/Replace later, I am finally into real editing. And it's better.
I love being a writer. I love being a writer.
Actually, I do love writing. I wouldn't be willing to do all of this work with no promise of publication otherwise.
Posted by Sarah Laurenson at 11:50 AM 7 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Eric Sprott: The Operative Word For Gold & Silver? Patience
Everything seems to be going the right way for precious metals investors – except price. What's behind this puzzling trend? Eric's here to break-it down…
Eric Sprott interviewed by Craig Hemke on The Weekly Wrap-Up
March 22, 2019
Everything seems to be going the right way for precious metals investors—except price. What's behind this puzzling trend? Eric Sprott breaks down the latest gold and silver news as you head into the weekend.
On this edition of the Wrap-Up, you'll hear:
• Why gold prices are lagging behind the data
• What's driving the about-face by the Central Banks
• Plus: the Shares' bull run
"I'm quite surprised, when you think of the 180-degree turn from about three months ago, and we really haven't accomplished a lot in gold yet. And the more I think about what other people—what investors— must be thinking in the world about what's happening here… they're all buying bonds and the yields are going down. As you've mentioned, the yield curve gets inverted. They're buying stocks, and quite frankly, I think they're buying gold. But we have some forces at work in the COMEX that aren't quite letting us get to where we think we should be."


text:
I've been a little overwhelmed lately. Full to-do lists have kept my mind on eveything but what I'm doing at the moment. I've lost my focus.
While I have been getting adequate workouts, I've just been going through the motions. My nutrition of late is a whole other story. I've been all over the map with too few calories one day, too much processed junk the next, followed by a day with 7-8 servings of veggies and way too much booze.
During my awful long run Monday, I thought about my body. I may not love the way it looks in the mirror, but it's healthy and strong. My legs and lungs allow me to run 13+ miles. My arms allow me to push press and thrust 65+ pounds. This is such a huge blessing. My long run problem was stomach pain, due to poor nutrition...something I brought upon myself.
Everyday people have their body fail them. It could be an injury, such as my dad's torn rotator cuff, or declining health due to a lifetime of bad habits and aging, or a disease that affects a person for unknown reasons. The fact God gave me a capable body is a gift and I should take care of it to the best of my ability.
One day, my body will fail me. It's a fact. I hope that when it does, I know that I used it to its full potential.
I often feel obligated to exercise and eat healthy, doing it because I should. That is not the right attitude. I should do it because I can. So many others can't, and I won't be able to forever.
My inspiration for re-focusing is doing it because I can. Part of this is pushing my limits and seeing what I truly can do!
What inspires you?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Because I Can
Posted by Miss Magnolia at 8:00 AM
4 comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
GOSPEL OF MARK – ROBBY GALLATY – Program 33
By: Dr. Robby Gallaty
|By: Pastor Robby Gallaty; ©2011
|Divorce and remarriage. What does the Bible say?
'Til Death Do Us Part
The title of the message this morning is this: 'Til Death Do Us Part. This message this morning is not meant to criticize or condemn you. The message this morning is mean to encourage you and to warn you. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Mark 10:1. There are three progressions that we will see in the text this morning and I want to show you the first one as we dive in. We're going to notice the testing from the Pharisees about divorce. They begin to test Jesus and ask him questions about divorce. Verse 1:
"And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them. And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' He answered them, 'What did Moses command you?' They said, 'Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.' And Jesus said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, "God made them male and female." "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.' And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'"
The testing of the Pharisees about divorce. Now you have to admit, the question from the Pharisees is pretty surprising. They knew that you could divorce in the Old Testament. They knew the Old Testament well. So the question is really an interesting question. Go to Matthew 19. I want to show you the same account from a different perspective. Matthew adds one interesting addition here in verse 3: "[The] Pharisees came up to [Jesus] and tested him by asking, 'Is it lawful to divorce one's wife [here's the key phrase] for any cause?'"
Now, in the first century, there were two schools, rabbinic schools, that were around, the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel. The school of Shammai was the more conservative school. The school of Shammai said you could issue your wife a certificate of divorce but only for one reason, and that was if she was unfaithful to you or if the committed adultery on you. On the other hand, the school of Hillel was more liberal. The school of Hillel said you could divorce her for anything. In fact, it says a man may divorce his wife even if she spoils a dish for him. See, the sense of the question Jesus is getting asked is interesting. They're asking Jesus "Is it lawful to divorce your wife for any other reason than adultery?" That's what they're asking Jesus.
Now, to really understand the question, you have to understand geography. Geography plays a huge role in this passage, I believe. Jesus Christ, it says, goes into the area of Judea. Commentators believe he's in the region of Perea. And the region of Perea, if you notice, the ruler of that region is a man named Herod Antipas. Do you remember Herod Antipas? Herod was the one who put John the Baptist to death by being beheaded for speaking out against his new wife, Herodias. You remember the story. John the Baptist said, "Herod, you're in an adulterous affair. God's going to judge you." And because of that, he got beheaded. The Pharisees, if you will, could be testing Jesus in this region in order to get him in trouble. They're putting him on trial. "Okay, Jesus, tell us what you think about divorce," because Herod divorced King Aretas' daughter in order to marry Herodias which, in the eyes of God, was an adulterous relationship.
Now for you and I to really get this, we have to do some finger flipping to the Old Testament to really get the heart and to lay a biblical groundwork and a framework for divorce. Go back to Deuteronomy 24:1: "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes [why?] because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house…."
The passage does not encourage divorce in this sense. It offers a fair ruling in the case in the unfortunate event that someone is adulterous. That word indecency is the key word there. In the language of the Old Testament, that word is another word for nakedness. It's another word for spiritual lewdness. What the Pharisees did is they took it to mean whatever they wanted. They said that a husband could divorce his wife for any indecency. If she burns the toast or she ruins the bread, then he can divorce her. And things like this were happening in the first century. See what the Pharisees were doing is this: they were trying to find loopholes in the system to justify their sinful behavior. Jesus interprets the law—go back to Mark 10—and he says this amazing truth. He says the reason God set up Deuteronomy 24 was because of the what? Hardness of your own heart. That's what he says. He says because God knew that you would be disobedient to follow his command, he set up this ruling.
Go to Deuteronomy 7. Let me give you an illustration of what this looks like. In Deuteronomy 7, God gives the Israelites an interesting prediction about the land of Canaan. You will come in contact with people who are Gentiles. They have different dietary laws. They eat differently. They drink differently. They act differently. They worship false gods. They're filled with idolatry and sensuality. And you don't need to hang out with them and you definitely don't need to what? Marry them. God says do not marry these people. Look at 7:1.
"When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites [and other names we can't pronounce; verse 2] and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them [that's the key word] then you must devote them to complete destruction." God said destroy them. Don't leave these people around the community because they will infect and infiltrate your belief system. "You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. [Verse 3.] You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons [Why?], for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods."
So what did they do? They went into the Promised Land and guess what they did. They intermarried. They intermarried and did the very thing that God said was despicable. "Don't do this. It's going to ruin your relationship with me." And they did the unthinkable.
Ezra 10. Go there. Let me show you how it plays out. In Ezra 10, this is just moments after the Babylonian captivity takes place. What happens because of the disobedience of the people, the Babylonians came into Israel. They captured the Israelites, brought them back to Babylon. We pick up in Nehemiah. When Nehemiah hears about the city destroyed and the temple ransacked and the walls taken down, and so Nehemiah decides to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and before they commit the temple to the Lord, the people say, "Okay. What are we going to do to re-institute, to reinstate our covenant with God?" You've got to see this because it really blew me away when I saw
Ezra 10:2. Well, let me go back to verse 1. The people came and were weeping before God. They were weeping, uncontrollably sobbing before God. "We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law."
Do you know what they're doing there? Massive divorce. Massive. If you're married to an unbeliever, she's gone. If you're married to an unbeliever, he's gone. If you're kids are from an unbelieving relationship, they're gone. Massive divorce. "Robby, I thought God hates divorce." He does, but he despises idolatry. And God says put those people away. What's even more amazing is verse 18 lists the names of the disobedient people. I mean, imagine if your name was in there: Robby and Fred and Michael. Let's go ahead and list the names. Look at verse 18: "Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers." All the names of the disobedient people are listed in this passage.
God put the command in here because of the hardness of their heart in Deuteronomy, because he knew they would be disobedient. God hates divorce but he despises idolatry. And guess what. Then Jesus comes on the scene and he raises the bar. This is what God said in the Old Testament but grace always raises the bar.
We see the testing of the Pharisees about divorce. Then we see the teaching or the truth from the Lord about divorce. Jesus gives us a couple of interesting characteristics in Mark. Go back to Mark 10. First of all, Jesus shows us the intimacy of marriage. He said you've heard it said that way but let me tell you what marriage is about. There is an intimate relationship between a man and a woman. Verse 6: "But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife [that word hold fast is the word for glue. They shall stick together] and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh."
As I've already stated in other messages, the idea was that the husband or the male will leave his family and hold fast as one to his wife. The two shall become one flesh. This is a union. This is an intimacy that you cannot get any other place in the world or through any other relationship.
After you have a child for the first time—I guess this happens to men; I know it happens to women, but I guess it happens to men as well—there is a huge weight that goes on your shoulders when you have your child for the first time. Am I there, men? Think about it. Because you realize not only do you have to take care of your wife, but now you have to take care of this helpless and hopeless baby, right? I mean, without you the baby can't make it at least for the first few year.
Rig and Ryder and I have an incredible relationship. I have a closer relationship with Rig because he's a little bigger and he likes to wrestle and we always wrestle at home. But we have this tight bond, Rig and I. I mean, I love him with all my heart, but the connection I have with Rig is nothing compared to the connection I have with my wife, Kandi, because the connection with Rig is a father to a son. The relationship I have with my wife, because of divine inspiration and the divine appointment of the Lord to cause us to be two as one, is the one flesh union that can exist only in marriage. In the same way you can't take Rig and cut him in two to break him apart, God says the same way you can't take a marriage and break it apart, even if you have biblical reason to break it apart. You're still ripping the one union flesh that [God] put together. There is an incredible intimacy in marriage.
In addition to that, there's a permanence in marriage. There's intimacy and there is permanence. "So they are no longer two [look what he says]. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." R. Kent Hughes says it best. "Divorce is always a tragedy, always a departure from the divine ideal. All the modern talk about creative divorce and positive growth oriented steps is a lot of pseudo-scientific and pseudo-liberated bunk. Christians who go ahead with an unbiblical divorce sin with a high hand against God who despises divorce in the Old Testament. They place themselves in harm's way."
Marriage is like a hair braid. See what's interesting is this. If you braid hair with just two pieces of hair—it looks like a hair braid only has two pieces of hair—but if you really look into it, in order to make the hair braid, you actually have to have three pieces of hair. The three pieces of hair actually hold the two together. Friends, in the same way that you're married, the two2 are actually held together by three—and the third person in the marriage to make it work is God's presence. God's presence actually holds the couple together. It's God's presence that creates the intimacy. It's God's presence that actually creates the permanence in marriage.
But let's take a turn in the text because that's what the text does. We see the intimacy of marriage. We see the permanence of marriage. Let me show you the consequence of remarriage and divorce. The consequence of remarriage and divorce and Jesus says it's adultery. Verse 10: "And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'"
You see, the disciples are pragmatists. They want to know practically what does this mean. This is what Jesus would say to them, I believe. "Guys, if you can be single for the rest of your life, do it for the glory of God. You can do that. But if you feel the Lord leading you to get married, then you are stuck with your wife for eternity. Do not think of being divorced for any reason whatsoever." Why? Because Malachi 2:16 says it this way, "'For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her' says the Lord God, 'covers his garments with violence.'"
But Robby, what about the exception clause? Didn't God put an exception clause in there? He did. Go to Matthew 5:31. Here's the exception clause in the text. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, says these words in verse 31: "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
You have to understand the context of this section. Jesus is using a rhetorical device to compare and contrast. This is what he says: "You've heard it said in the Old Testament, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' but I say to you turn the other cheek." Right? Jesus said, "You've heard it in the Old Testament you shall not commit murder, but I say to you do not call a man a fool." You know what he's doing? He's raising the bar. Grace always demands more from the law. "You've heard it said [in the Old Testament] do not commit adultery [but I'm going to raise the bar.] Do not even look at a woman with lust in your own heart."
Jesus is saying when a man divorces his wife for any other reason other than sexual immorality, meaning she commits sexual immorality or adultery on him, if he divorces her for any other reason, the divorce is not recognized in the eyes of the Lord. What he's indicating is this also. When the second marriage begins, it begins with committing adultery because God does not recognize the divorce of the first marriage if it happens for any other reason than divorce.
When Jesus is saying that the only grounds for divorce is sexual immorality—don't miss this, church—the suggestion, I mean, the unfaithfulness is the only reason. He's not saying it's the permission to do it. He's not saying it's the suggestion to do it. He's saying this is the only reason it's allowed, but that's not what I'm challenging you to do.
Now that word sexual immorality is an interesting word. It's the word porneia. It's the same word we get what? Pornography. It's the same word where we get lewdness. It's the same word where we get immorality. It's the same word for homosexuality. It's the same word for bestiality. And what's amazing is in the Old Testament, if you engaged in sexual immorality, bestiality, and homosexuality, you not only got a divorce but you got a death sentence, right? In the Old Testament, if you engaged in any one of these practices, your marriage didn't end by divorce. It ended by death and I'll prove it to you.
Remember the woman who was caught in adultery? She runs to Jesus with all those men pursuing with rocks in their hands about to stone her to death for what? Adultery. Remember Jesus? He writes in the sand and he says, "He who has no sin cast the first stone." They were following her because of adultery. In the Old Testament, if you committed adultery or homosexuality or bestiality, you were sentenced to death.
Now, what's puzzling is this. Matthew is the only gospel that includes the exception clause. In Luke, there's no exception. In Mark, there's no exception. Jesus says if you divorce and remarry, it's adultery. Period. And I think what Jesus is saying here is this: the exception is not the suggestion. What he's saying is this: I put this in here for the hardness of your own heart. One commentator says this, "It is a text of concession not a text of intention. You do not learn to fly an airplane by following the manual for making a crash landing. You don't do that. You do not learn how to go into a war by studying how to retreat from the war. The same is true of marriage and divorce." See, when a husband leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, the mathematics is this: 1 + 1 = 1. And so when you separate that, I think the sin of divorce is this; you're taking matters into your own hands. In essence, you're becoming your own god. Divorce is never mandatory. Keep that in mind.
"So, Robby, what do I do? I have a situation in my own life where I have my wife, who has been unfaithful to me. What do I do?" Friends, infidelity is not a one-way ticket out of a marriage that you didn't intend to be in in the first place. Because that's what some people do. "My wife's been unfaithful. My husband's been unfaithful. Then I'm out of the marriage." What you should do is this. If you have a partner who has been unfaithful to you, you need to look at their life and see this: is this the pattern of their life? Is this habitual? Is this something they actively engage in, or is this a one-time momentary lapse? Secondly, have they confessed sin to God and to me? Have they repented and are their actions now different than they were before?
The exception clause should be understood this way: No matter how difficult things are, regardless of the pressure and depression that you may face, nothing allows for divorce except one thing—unfaithfulness. And even then in that situation, it should not be used as an excuse to get out of the marriage. "But, Robby, you don't know who my husband slept with. But, Robby, you don't know my wife has been unfaithful to me." Men, if we are as Christ is to the church as our visual image to the world, my question is this. How many times has Christ taken you back into his arms after you have prostituted your bodies out to the world? Ladies, how many times has the Lord Jesus Christ accepted you back after you served self and sin? But there are so many questions surrounding this, Robby. What about this situation or what about that situation?
I thought it would be good for us to end with 1 Corinthians 7. Paul knew that we would ask questions and so he goes through this practical dialog with the Corinthian church and he says, "Here are some challenging words to you, pragmatically how to live this out." Go to 1 Corinthians 7. We're going to see the teaching from the Word about marriage. We saw the truth from the Lord about marriage and divorce; we saw the testing from the Pharisees about divorce; let's go to the teaching of the Word about marriage.
"To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. [If you can remain single, remain single for the glory of God.] But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion."
That phrase if they cannot exercise self-control probably means that you have a strong desire for another person. And that means you probably won't end up being celibate for the rest of your life. So Paul says if that's you, then you marry. But if you can remain faithful to the Lord and single, do it for the glory of God because it's better. That's what he's saying.
If you're a widow this morning or if you're single because you've been divorced for biblical grounds or unbiblical grounds, listen to me. God is not through with you. God can still use you. The final chapter of your life has not been written and I want you to know we love you, I love you as your pastor and God is still using you and will use you for his glory in the days ahead. Whether you have biblical grounds or no, listen to me. You serve the Lord where you are. You commit your life to him for his glory and you say "God, I'm going to be faithful to you all the days of my life." That's what happens when you're single and when you're widowed. You exercise self-control.
Secondly, notice this. Saved couples exercise faithfulness. This is the picture of two believers in the marriage. Verse 10: "To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord):…" What Paul's saying there is this. God doesn't specifically explain this so I'm going to give you practical application on what God means. "…the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife." What he's saying is this. The wife should never separate from her believing husband and that the husband should not divorce his believing wife.
Here's the thing. If you're thinking about divorce today and you're a believer, don't do it. Seek help. Seek counsel. Bring in friends and family to help you walk through the process. Saved couples exercise faithfulness. Singles and widow exercise self-control.
Finally, saved spouses exercise holiness. Now, this is the most difficult. This is a situation where a believer is married to an unbeliever. Verse 12: "To the rest I say…that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. [Confusing but we'll explain it in minute.] But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved."
What he's saying is this. If the unbelieving husband leaves you or the unbelieving wife leaves you, you're no longer enslaved. God has called you to peace. God doesn't want you to fight in the marriage so he's called you to peace. Verse 16: "For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"
This is the toughest marriage to be in and I know in a group this size and in a church our size, there are many cases of this. The unbeliever can be exhausting to live with, difficult to deal with, agonizing to converse with. John MacArthur says this, "Furthermore, God looks on the family as a unit. Even if the family is divided spiritually and most of the members are unbelieving and immoral, the entire family is graced by a believer living among them. Therefore, if an unbelieving spouse is willing to stay, the believer is not to seek divorce." Notice Paul doesn't say the believer leaves. Remember this. Paul says the believer shows Christ to the unbeliever. He doesn't say you do this through agonizing and being obnoxious. He's saying you do this through being holy before that person. You don't nag your husband or wife constantly because their lost. "Look at yourself! You're not going to heaven. You shouldn't drink like that! You're going to hell! What kind of attitude is that? Why don't you ever…." No. That's not what he's talking about. He's saying you win your unbelieving spouse to the Lord through meekness—get this—through humility and through a holy and devoted walk to Christ, not through being obnoxious.
Zig Ziglar said it best, "I have no way of knowing whether or not you married the wrong person but I do know that many people have a lot of wrong ideas about marriage and what it takes to make marriage happy and successful." Listen to what he says. "I'll be the first to admit that it's possible you did marry the wrong person. However, if you treat them like the right person, you could well end up having married the right person after all. On the other hand, if you marry the right person and treat that person wrong, you certainly will have ended up marrying the wrong person in your own mind. I also know that it's far more important to be the right kind of person than it is to marry the right person. In short, whether you marry the right person or the wrong person, it is primarily up to you."
Now at this point, I know there are a lot of questions. "Robby, what about me? I'm divorced. Robby, what about me? I'm remarried without biblical grounds. What do I do now? Am I living a life of sin with my new husband or my new wife? Am I continually living in adultery now because my marriage was not dissolved for biblical reasons? Should I divorce my new spouse and go back to my new spouse and go back to my former.…" I've heard all these questions. "Should I divorce my new spouse and go back to the former spouse before and try to make that marriage right? Am I continually living in sin?" Those are good questions.
Let me just explain shortly, quickly, I don't have a lot of time to do it. Divorce and remarriage for any reason other than adultery is a sin. However, just as if any sin is committed, the sin happened when you entered into the divorce. One time. And the sin happened when you reengaged in the new marriage. One time. Now, with all that being said, let me say this. Divorce and remarriage is not the unpardonable sin. God says don't let failure be final. And if that's you in here today and you've been divorced and remarried for biblical grounds or unbiblical grounds, the only thing that you need to do at this point is this. You repent of your sin, your past sin, and you commit your life, you commit your family, you commit your spouse, you commit your kid, you commit your ministry unto the Lord. And the only thing you can do from this point on is to move forward.
The only way you can serve the Lord in your marriage is by surrendering to the supremacy of Christ, to the Lordship of Christ in your marriage. The only way you can love your spouse is if you know the author of love, who is God. And so that's what you do in your marriage. Whether you're married for the first time and you've never been divorced, whether you're remarried because of divorce for biblical reasons or you're remarried for unbiblical reasons, you serve the Lord in the strength of the Spirit, committing to Christ as Lord of your life, knowing the author of love and living for him.


text:
A taste sensation – The Roozen Residence | Blog
It's easy to see why Vasse Felix has cemented itself as one of the region's finest vineyard restaurants.
After browsing through the impressive Holmes A Court art gallery we headed upstairs for a long leisurely lunch. The contemporary restaurant decor is understated and enjoys expansive vistas over the vines, an ideal choice for a friends special birthday celebration.
Choosing between the degustation or a la carte was tormenting, popular vote went to a la carte option! The next dilemma was what to choose a la carte (mmmm, maybe we should have chosen the degustation).
The knowledgeable waitstaff educated us on the menu explaining, "The ingredients are listed, so if you like the ingredients, you'll love the dish".
For entree Ron and I ordered the Kangaroo, macadamia, saltbush and (2nd entree) Kingfish, cucumber, fig leaf, ginger.
The kangaroo was delightfully tender, served on a soft macadamia mash dusted with light shavings of saltbush. Then the kingfish, beautifully seared and lightly sandwiched between silky cucumber all delicately drizzled with a fig and ginger anglaise. Both entrees a serious highlight to the pre-dinner show!
For main course we both ordered Today's fish, scallop, miso, seaweed. Having asked our attentive waitress how the dish was presented I experienced way more than I bargained for. Beautifully seared fish, the scallop delicately created into a light flavoursome mousse sparingly coated in black and white sesame seeds, served with a miso broth drizzle and fine yet crispy seaweed accompaniment. Simply a taste sensation.
Mains were accompanied by two extraordinary side dishes, Lettuce, anchovies, black garlic and Tomato, nouc cham, basil, both delightfully clean and well balanced.
Perfectly paired Heytesbury wines, chosen by our wine aficionado Nola from Lifestyle Margaret River, complimented the meals perfectly.
In hindsight, I think the degustation with matching wine would be sensational, taking the hard work out of going to lunch. (Ouch, did I just say that.)
Vasse Felix is definitely one of our favourite vineyard restaurants, the best of the best, one we confidently recommend to guests staying at The Roozen Residence. For restaurant bookings phone (08) 9756 5000.


text:
How do we work together as partners?
As partners we each have responsibilities to make the business work. Time Express will bring and negotiate commercial agreements with end users. Through our agreement you will become our appointed partner to cover certain areas, territories, or destinations. As we increase volumes and parcels in your local area, your transport vehicles become better utilized generating for you new source of revenue.
Why partner with us?
We provide the advanced technology, tools, systems, infrastructure, network, as well as the commercial drive to ensure your business grows. By partnering with Time Express, your focus is on operations and ensuring parcels to businesses and residential customers are delivered on time every time.


text:
Peter Pan Coach Tours has worked with many schools and student groups across the Sydney area, and we are standing by to assist with your group's next outing. With 15 years of experience providing chartered group transport, we offer one of the most reliable coach services in Sydney. Contact us today to find out how we can assist your school with an upcoming student outing.
Safety is a priority at Peter Pan Coach Tours. We operate a modern fleet of five-star luxury coaches, each fitted with seat belts and a host of amenities including televisions, CD / DVD players and adjustable climate-control settings. Furthermore, each of our coaches goes through stringent check-ups on a routine basis to ensure that your students arrive safely and without incident.
Due to our many years of experience working with student groups, we understand that dependable school coach hire in Sydney must deliver more than reliable transport. Our drivers are friendly and courteous, and they'll conduct themselves in a professional manner fitting of your institution. Above all, they understand that, while behind the wheel for your school outing, they are actively serving as adult role models for your students.
At Peter Pan Coach Tours, we are committed to working according to your group's schedule. Whether your outing is going to last several days or just a few hours, we'll work closely with your trip organisers to ensure that your group arrives at its destination on time and ready to go.
We offer affordable, high-quality transport services across all of Sydney, greater New South Wales and beyond. The following are amongst the school-oriented outings that we can accommodate:
Educational Trips
Whether it's an afternoon field trip or an extended, cross-country outing, our fleet is standing by to accommodate your student group. Our coaches can accommodate at least 48 passengers, and that helps to keep your per-person cost low. Whether you're planning a visit to Sydney Harbour, an outing to the Royal Botanic Garden or a day trip to the Australian Museum, let Peter Pan Coach Tours handle your transport needs.
School Sports Trips
Transporting school sports teams can be complicated business – especially when you have to cover considerable distance to get to the venue. Our five-star coaches come equipped with spacious, easy-to-access luggage bins that make it easier to transport sporting equipment along with your team.
School Club Outings
As a reliable provider of coach hire for schools in Sydney, we are also prepared to transport your student club or organisation to an event in the Sydney area. Arrange the transportation for your school club outing with us so that you can focus on your students and their line-up of activities.
Reliable and Affordable Transport for School Groups
Planning an event for a large group of students is complicated, and expenses can easily escalate out of control. Peter Pan Coach Tours focus on keeping our prices low – but never at the expense of your comfort, convenience or safety. Contact us today through the enquiry form on our website to find out how we can assist with the transport for your next student outing.


text:
Disney Trivia for Kids and Teens
*The event has already taken place on this date: Wed, 07/08/2020
School-Aged Kids are encouraged to join this Virtual Disney Trivia Game with Recent HFL Grad and Disney Enthusiast, Miss Ellie. Sign up online at email@example.com by sending your Name, Age, and Email so we can send you a link to join the Zoom event. Get ready to have FUN!!!
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization's website to verify.
Organization:Mendon Public Library
22 North Main StreetHoneoye Falls, NY, 14472
United States
See map: Google Maps
Contact name:
Mendon Public Library
Email address:
The event has already taken place on this date:
Ages6-8 years 9-12 years Teenagers
Web Service


text:
|Project by Tillir
|posted 02-19-2018 03:25 PM
|839 views
|1 time favorited
|2 comments
This is a Monroe Ditched pattern from volume 2 The New Scroll Saw Basket. I really enjoy making these, however it does require practice. My first ones had issues. I would like to have a copy of the first volume, but it seems to be out of print. The basket that I am most interested in making next is the napkin basket. It isn't in volume 2 – the basket on this site by John Sandor is the one – I would like to have a copy of the pattern.
I have made many baskets using cherry, oak, walnut, maple and pine (too soft). I use purple heart and red heart for the stakes.
2 comments so far
#1 posted 02-20-2018 02:39 PM
This is a beautiful basket and so nicely done.
helluvawreck aka Charles
-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
#2 posted 02-21-2018 06:20 AM
Wow! That's very impressive improvement!
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
Have your say...
You must be signed in to post the comments.


text:
Our office
Come and experience why patients have been trusting Carolyn Agnew ARNP-C, MSN for over 10+ years. She has been a mentor and trainer for her peers, students and other professionals in the industry.
At Redefine Beauty Aesthetics we believe all patients deserve to be treated with honesty and respect and will come to know that our knowledge and expertise will bring the best results. We pride ourselves in making realistic goals and results for our patients to have the best non-surgical outcomes.
Our Master Esthetician
Elizabeth Arias,
Master Esthetician
Elizabeth's passion for skincare led her to obtain her license as a Facial Specialist.
She has a background in medical office administration and enjoys working with people and helping them achieve their skin care goals.
She believes that beauty comes from the inside and outside.
"When you feel good, you look better, and when you look better, you feel great."
"When my clients come to me, they get an overall experience…
I truly enjoy what I do and love sharing that with my clients..
With the upmost in skincare, you can achieve your best skin.
Given the opportunity to make a difference in someone's day, is what I enjoy the most!
Most importantly, I love working with Carolyn and her amazing team!"
She is so passionate and knowledgeable, always researching the best in skincare and aesthetics!
Our Medical Director
Tony Watt, MD,
Plastic Surgeon
Originally from Wisconsin, Dr. Watt fell in love with Tampa. He began his medical education at the Medical College of Wisconsin and spent six years perfecting Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the USF Plastic Surgery Residency program. Dr. Watt has done over 2,000 plastic surgery cases. He is currently Board Eligible for the America Board of Plastic Surgery.
Contact us
Contact Redefine Beauty Aesthetics:
- Address:405 S. Kings Ave., Brandon, FL 33511
- Phone:813-820-3138Opens in your application
- Hours8:30 am to 5 pm Monday - Friday; Closed Sundays
- Saturdays & Late AppointmentsAvailable Upon Request
- Email:email@example.com in your application


text:
On this island, with the ocean as prison walls.
The waves rush to the shore.
I am watching them slam into the merciless cliffs,
preventing me from escaping this endless bore.
It is light blue in the warm and sunny daylight.
It reflects the light beams
like the eyes of children. A starry sky on earth,
as they light me up by one thousand million.
And in the gloomy moonlight it turns bottle green.
The orange lights dimming,
sounds of the waves killing this peaceful summer night,
and the rocking fishing boats restfully clinging.
I take a walk alone down the beautiful bay.
The ocean calls my name.
Unable to resist it, I take off my clothes,
and I dip into this breathtaking midnight frame.
All of a sudden, I'm not feeling imprisoned.
Cleansed from my discontent,
I thank the walls protecting my beautiful home,
and I hear it swell as a replying consent.
By: shoutevenshy Read more of her at http://allpoetry.com/shoutevenshy


text:
Like a plague of locusts
or chaff erupting from split wheat,
though if I were in the storm's path—
practicing my dying or unburying
my daughter from our wind-wracked
house just to bury her again in an equally
unforgiving earth—I'm sure no metaphor
would suffice. This is not the sky
our grandmothers taught us to pray to;
this canvas of bald trees & splintered
schools not like anything
we can shape a childhood from.
Harvey, Irma, Maria. The intimacy
of naming without knowing. I don't know
where the line is between empathy
& the world. I imagine the revolver of her
tiny body misfiring over and over into
a savage wind. A darkness so dark it hurts
to see the other side through it.