Mark Hadfield

Updated on Tuesday 16th February 2021.

The U.K. is in full lockdown against Covid-19 at the moment. Which means that I'm not okay ... but, thankfully, neither am I falling apart.

Like lots of others, I'm finding lockdown to be tough. I miss people. I miss Street Pastors for which I am the local co-ordinator. I miss Healing On The Streets too. I can meet with some of our small house churches online but I miss meeting in person and I miss those who are on the wrong side of the digital divide. I am also resisting the tendency to feel guilty that I have a lot of leisure time on my hands.

I'm blessed to have the great outdoors accessible right from my front doorstep and I'm continuing to make the most of it. I've always found solitude and wild places to be good for my mental health, and I need that more than ever while lockdown continues. Biking out to a local lochside to brew a cup of coffee and practice contemplative prayer has become something of a lifeline.

I continue to find meaning and purpose in those limited connections with people that are possible, in praying for others, and in ensuring a state of readiness for our Street Pastors.

A little bit about me

I'm Mark Hadfield. I maintain this blog for my own pleasure but you are of course very welcome to share it with me. I grew up in Sheffield, Yorkshire, and moved to Inverness, Scottish Highlands, in 1997 with my wife, Sue. Our grown-up daughters were born here.

The blog subtitle "A little bit of every thing" is my nod in the direction of Richard Rhor's book "The Universal Christ" which had the working title "Another Name For Every Thing" before publication.

I'm learnng to see God in every thing. I'm learning to enjoy all of life. I'm learning to allow myself to be loved. I'm learning to care for other people and other things. I am very aware that will always be a work in progress but I think that's what it means to be a "disciple", i.e. continually learning and growing.

I love the outdoors and I've been a cycling nut since I was 11 years old. I also enjoy running, swimming and hiking.

I've always loved snow. There's no better kind of day for me than that of the winter sun's low angle in a clear blue sky gently warming a snowscape. The last few weeks have been an absolute gift. I've had some great times biking out to places to make coffee on my camping stove, running in fresh snow which is still grippy, or simply going for walks in our local woods. These photos are just some of the highlights.