But for locals, the sycamore tree held a profound presence — there, for as long as anyone could remember, for picnics, shade and quiet moments of reflection. In the weeks and months after it was felled, visitors wrote short poems dedicated to the tree. “I treasure memories of walking up that rough, steep path to see this open-armed wonder of a tree, lit by bright blue skies, a patchy shade for sandwiches and a home to so many creatures,” one person wrote in a visitor book at The Sill the day after the tree was felled. “You’ve always been there throughout our lives and before,” wrote another. Mr. Whinney, a woodworker who is studying regenerative design at Central Saint Martins at the University of the Arts London, incorporated some of the messages into the art installation.

Reports have claimed that the R&A have offered cash to prevent them changing tee timesIRON IT OUT The Open warning over major disruption to tee times which would cause live TV chaosTEE times at The Open next week could be disrupted amid concerns about a planned loyalist parade in Portrush. Event organisers, The R&A, are considering a plan to start the third round of the major early to try and minimise the disruption. If tee times aren't moved it is likely that the parade would clash with thousands of golf fans leaving the sold-out course. Reports have claimed that the R&A asked Portrush Sons of Ulster, the parade's organisers, to consider rearranging their event. The event is anticipated to be the biggest sporting event to take place in Northern Ireland.

Hotmail Outage: Where things stand nowLive EventsMicrosoft Outlook down: How bad is it? In its words, “We identified an issue with the initial fix, and we’ve corrected it,” the Microsoft 365 Status account posted on X. Only last month, Microsoft blamed a smaller Outlook meltdown on an issue with its Forms Library. There’s also no link to the planned password changes coming with Microsoft Authenticator this August, despite speculation.While some have tried resetting their passwords, Microsoft has warned against doing that too often. As Microsoft put it, “We’ve determined the cause of the issue and have deployed a fix.

THE humanitarian crisis in Yemen is often forgotten as other global crises arise, say ophthalmologists from the Anglican diocese of Cyprus & the Gulf, who have been working at a specialist eye clinic at Christ Church, Aden, since 2002. Paul Feheley, Middle East partnership officer for the US Episcopal Church, told the Episcopal News Service (ENS). The Ras Morbat Eye Clinic is described as seeing a steady stream of patients, despite running on two hours of electricity a day and having intermittent phone and internet service. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees brings Somalians from the Kharaz refugee camp to Ras Morbat every Tuesday for ophthalmology services. A resolution passed by the Episcopal Church’s 2022 General Convention launched the campaign “Fund an Ophthalmologist at the Ras Morbat Clinic”.

Just before Easter, I gave Catherine a lift to church so that she could polish the brass. AdvertisementReal absenceEVERY church needs a Catherine (and we are lucky to have a few younger models). Drawing stumpsTHE same day as Catherine died, I lost another friend. A charity auctioneer, whose gavel-work had raised £11 million, Fingers had opinions that were almost as loud as his blazers. This backfired at our wedding, when I insisted on having the Stainer tune for “Love Divine, all loves excelling”.

THE visit of the Orthodox Patriarchs to England has naturally increased interest in the troubles of the Church in Russia. The Russian correspondent of the Times reports that the so-called Holy Synod has summoned an all-Russian Convocation to meet on October 18. This Synod consists almost entirely of nominees of the atheist Bolshevists, and two years ago it recommended the unfrocking of the sainted Patriarch Tikhon. The business of the Convocation is to create a governing body of the Church in Russia. The Church Times digital archive is available free to subscribers.

Bob Dylan will perform in Dublin, Killarney and Belfast as part of his Rough And Rowdy Ways world tour. Photograph: iStockSinger Bob Dylan is to return to Ireland as part of a 13-date tour following a successful run of gigs last year. The 84-year-old will perform in Dublin, Killarney and Belfast as part of his Rough And Rowdy Ways world tour, which has been running since November 2021. [ Bob Dylan, the rebellious troubadour, film star, icon and enigma: A guide to the movies’ true shapeshifterOpens in new window ]Dylan’s songs have been covered by the likes of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Rolling Stones and Adele. The full list of UK and Ireland tour dates are below.

The news of the tour follows a successful run of gigs last year that included three nights at the Royal Albert Hall. The shows fill form part of his Rough And Rowdy Ways world tour which has been running since November 2021. Why Bob Dylan’s UK and Ireland shows will be phone-freeThe shows will be phone-free and fans will be asked to put their phones in a Yondr pouch which closes automatically when in the venue and unlocks in the venue’s concourse. How to get tickets to Bob Dylan’s UK tourTickets for the tour will go on sale on Friday, July 18 at 10am. He's had six UK top 10 singles and nine UK number one albums.

The NHS has outlined plans to become the world’s first net zero health service by 2040 (NHS England, 2022). Over the years, the NHS has become less green and more wasteful – usually in the guise of saving time. Then trollies with coffee and tea loaded into plastic cups were introduced; the plastic cups were thrown away after each use. In 2018, the NHS bought at least 163 million plastic cups, 16 million pieces of plastic cutlery, 15 million straws and 2 million plastic stirrers (OHID, 2022). Such practices can lead to infection risks, cause discomfort and are wasteful (NHS England, no date).

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The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday's newspapers...MIRRORNapoli are back in for Alejandro Garnacho and are hoping to sign the Man Utd forward for £45m. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player We’ve picked out five of Alejandro Garnacho’s best Premier League goals for Manchester UnitedTHE ATHLETICBayern Munich have enquired about signing RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons. Former Shrewsbury and Cheltenham striker Ryan Bowman has been banned for three-and-a-half years for breaches of FA betting regulations. Liverpool women have held talks with the former Manchester City head coach, Gareth Taylor, about their managerial vacancy. Celtic's successful player trading model is set to come to fruition once again, with the Hoops poised to bank big bucks for Nicolas Kuhn.

PALESTINIAN Christians are “grieved and disappointed” by the decision not to schedule a debate during the General Synod’s sessions in York, which begins on Friday. It also points to the the introduction of new Israeli military checkpoints as impeding the supply of aid into the West Bank. The Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh referred to attacks by settlers on Taybeh, a predominantly Christian village in the West Bank late last month. “There is a continuing pattern of crops being destroyed and outposts being set up, and it is happening all over the West Bank. Two days later, on Saturday, 29 activists were arrested outside Parliament, including an 83-year-old priest, the Revd Sue Parfitt, for supporting the banned group Palestine Action.

The British police arrested four people, including three teenagers, on Thursday in connection with an April cyberattack that cost the retail giant Marks & Spencer millions of pounds and disrupted operations at Harrods and Co-op. All four people remain in custody, arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offenses, blackmail, money laundering and participating in an organized crime group, according to a statement by Britain’s National Crime Agency. Among the three retailers, Marks & Spencer, one of Britain’s largest, was hit hardest. The attack caused months of damage. The company said in May that the “highly sophisticated” attack cost it about 300 million pounds ($407 million) in lost profits this year.

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Fine beaches and fine dining too were top of the list for high praise from a local MP. Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan MP is keen to encourage visitors to explore the countryside, towns, coastal villages and beaches across his constituency including beaches like those at Cullen and Spey Bay which have been included in the new Times and Sunday Times newspaper’s Best UK Beaches Guide. Cullen beach has been hailed a sone of the top 50 in the UK. Picture: Daniel ForsythThese two beautiful beaches have made the top 50 best mainland UK beaches list in this prestigious national guide. “We welcome visitors to come and enjoy the delights of our beautiful beaches at Cullen and Spey Bay and all across the coastline stretching from Cruden Bay to Buckie and beyond.