Reason of Absence/Absence of Reason

Regrets and apologies to anyone expecting posts last week. I have experienced an odd confluence of misfortune, being brought low with an amorphous illness which hung on for a while (and I might even be reinfected, joy), and which caused me to croak through a sermon on Pentecost and lay around most of the rest of the time. Also I have had some bizarre interference on my phone line which the phone company has been surprisingly reluctant to address, but which makes connection to the internet at home impossible. So hopefully soon I'll be in better shape, with a better line at home, but for now, thanks for your patience.