Matthew Henry John Bartlett

+64 27 211 3455
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Wednesday 23 March, 02011

Apathy, art then and now

by Matthew Bartlett @ 8:05 pm

“I wish you would write a poem in blank verse,” Coleridge wrote to Wordsworth, in 1799, “addressed to those who, in consequence of the complete failure of the French Revolution, have thrown up all hopes for the amelioration of mankind, and are sinking into an almost epicurean selfishness, disguising the same under the soft titles of domestic attachment and contempt for visionary philosophes.

[from The Making of the English Working Class, by EP Thomspon]

Friday 18 March, 02011

Something from the Wellington City Mission newsletter

by Matthew Bartlett @ 8:19 pm

My Christmas Hamper of happiness!
I never married and my siblings and their families all live overseas.
   They have helped me by making sure that the visits I get each week from my care-giver still meet my needs, and they also help me with visits to my various medical appointments, because they can be very confusing to me.
   When I was younger I used to have a grand time celebrating Christmas with my friends and their families. We used to go off to church; sometimes midnight mass; open a few presents; and have a superb roast meal with all the trimmings. However, for the last few years this hasn’t happened, as I am now basically bedridden.
   To my surprise, last year I received an amazing Christmas hamper from the mission, and I was overcome. It had treats in there that I would never have bought for myself. I enjoyed being able to offer my friends a piece of Christmas cake, and I managed to keep nibbling away at everything right through January too! I was able to take part in some of the Christmas cheer, and the Mission told me they only had these things to give away because of the people in Wellington who donated them. I hope you all know that thanks to you, I had the happiest Christmas in a long time. Thank you.