About this time last year, in the women's book group at Oak Hill, someone put forward the view that the skins in which Adam and Eve were clothed after the fall were in fact their human skin. I think I collapsed into giggles, imagining the skinless Adam and Eve before this moment.

However, I now find that such a view has strong historical precedent:

Adam and Eve received their sentence: He [God] made garments of skin for them and they put them on, that is, the skin which is stretched over the [human] body, causing the pain [that humans feel].

From Cave of Treasures (W) 4

Still seems pretty unlikely to me!

Something I like to do from time to time is write letters. I don't mean personal letters to friends and family (though I do also sometimes do that). I mean letters of complaint and letters of protest.

It's a while since I wrote to Tony Blair about anything, though I did write to my MP last year about the religious hatred bill. However, I've just discovered that one can sign up to online petitions at the 10, Downing Street website. I signed a couple and have just received a 'personal' response from Tony. So I've emailed him back, explaining precisely where his arguments are fallacious and what he needs to do instead.

It seems to me that in a modern democracy, we all have a responsibility to hold the government accountable. I like to complain about politicians, but I don't feel I have the right to do so unless I've done my part by voting and by letting them know my opinions.

Apparently for every one person who bothers to write to Tony, his office calculate that there are 10,000 who agree but can't be bothered to write. So that's quite an incentive. And you always get a letter back, which is kind of fun.

So next time you want to groan in protest at some idiocy, why not pick up a pen and tell the idiot exactly what you think?