Thrill Rides & the Anglican Church

<< Rowan Williams' top 3 Alton Towers rides:
1. Nemesis - 'gnarly'
2. The Log Flume - 'sweet'
3. Oblivion - 'biblical'


Today I went for the first time to Alton Towers, a place where you're instructed to leave all sentient thought at the door. Stop thinking so hard, it says. Come and have a go on this instead, it'll make you feel like you're turning inside out. Regardless, a splendid time was had by all - it was a non-stop, full-throttle, white knuckle ride, and that was just the M1. I can recommend the oddly named Rita: Queen of Speed, and can assure you that however fast it looks when you're queueing, it's faster than you expect. I thought the Air ride was pretty, ahem, gnarly, but it was judged by most of the others to be 'tame'. I should shamefacedly admit here that I am an awful baby when it comes to rollercoasters - when the Air ride starting hauling us up a hill, and prepared to jettison us onto the ride itself, I literally wanted to cry. I did of course, hide my intense coaster-phobia, and I do quite like them once the fear subsides.

I can't recommend Oblivion because, well, I choked. I didn't make it. I went and hung around KFC instead, which is much more comfortable territory for me. Anyway, as I said, whilst my solar plexus, bowels and dignity were sorely tested, my brain took the day off. I was even told quite a good fact, but it has since been erased by eight hours of mindless entertainment. So, apropos of nothing, here's today's fact, hastily cribbed from the BBC website:

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is deaf in one ear.

Presumably this is the ear into which advisors suggested he might not want to wade into the debate on Sharia law. I have a similar problem - I lost all hearing today in the ear into which people were trying to persuade me to ride Oblivion. I'm trying to find a closing connection between theme park thrill rides and the Anglican Church, but unsurprisingly, I'm struggling, so Instead it's time for a Chinese and a long lie down, for I fear my brain has gone on sabbatical for the bank holiday weekend.