Have a go at our next caption competition (above, click for full image). Send entries by email only to captioncompetition@churchtimes.co.uk by 9 a.m., Monday 22 August
Here is the winning entry for the previous competition:
Julie ConaltyJulie Conalty
When it came to blessing the flock, the Bishop always got ovine confused with bovine (Rob Falconer)
PHOTO opportunities with animals can be risky endeavours: “You won’t be smiling when you see what you’re stood in!” (John Saxbee); “The Bishop enjoyed his pastoral work, and kept smiling, while wondering what he had just stepped in” (Julian Ashton); “Be careful, Bishop — one step closer and she’ll take your cross for a snack!” (Jonathan Haigh); “Daisy the cow says: ‘Bishop Sam won’t be smiling so much when he sees what he’s just stood in!’” (Jeanette Main); After sneakily grabbing the Vicar’s pass, Daisy had only to reach his cross and collar and her first step towards identity theft would be complete (Philip Lickley).
To milk or not to milk? “Don’t milk it, Bishop” (Martin Kettle); “You don’t exactly look dressed for milking” (Neil Pearson); “Holy cow! When Daisy got the chance to photo-bomb a bishop, she milked it for all it was worth” (Charles Taylor).
The puns were inevitable for a picture like this, but welcome nevertheless: “Holy cow!’’ (Eric Jones); “At long last, the holy cow everyone talks about” (Rena Plumridge); “Oh, look, Holy cow” (Sonia Williams); “‘Holy cow!’ exclaimed the Bishop as he made a new acquaintance” (Heather Baillie); “The cow and the Bishop agreed that life would be better if everyone mucked in” (Celia Stevenson); “Is this what is meant by ministry on the hoof?” (Chris Coupe); “The Bishop had his sermon off pat” (John Appleby); “No one warned me how busy a bishop’s dairy becomes” (Andy Crook).
Some other entries that we enjoyed: “More like Synod than you might think: motions passed peacefully after due rumination” (Ian Barge); “The Bishop decided he needed some moo-tivation before he spoke at the General Synod” (Richard Spray); “First the bulls of Bashan, now the steers of Stockport!” (Sue Chick); “He’s so full of the milk of human kindness” (Paul Brett); “He was confident that the diocesan office would never find him here” (Richard Hough); “‘He might be the new Bishop, but I wish he would moove out of shot. I’m the celebratory in this parish!’ ruminated Ethel” (Paul Crabb); “He put a brave face on it when he realised that he had misunderstood the kind invitation to visit Cowes” (Ray Morris); “If we can’t get a donkey for the cathedral’s nativity, do you think we could manage with Buttercup?” (Lynda Sebbage); “Having been invited to Cows’ Week, the bishop had been looking forward to a spot of sailing” (Michael Foster); “The Bishop had been expecting to collect freesias for the high altar” (Thomas Glyn Watkin).
“Meet my new director of evangelism, he’s got the whole world on his nose” (Alistair Bolt); “‘I think I chew the cud better than you do,’ they both thought” (Sue Fulford); “The herd and unheard” (Michael Doe); “I remembered to refer to my new ‘flock’ as a ‘herd’, but it didn’t go down very well” (Valerie Budd); “No, no, Bishop! You’re meant to be a shepherd, not a cowherd” (Susan Leslie); “Brian smiled nervously as he realised the fête rodeo involved a real bull” (Vicky Deasley); “Hurry up and take the photo. It’s Friesian out here” (Alison Woods); “Save the Parish claims that the new Diocesan Animal Foundation Trust is indeed DAFT” (Don Manley); “Somehow, the cow knew that the Bishop was looking forward to a nice steak-and-ale pie” (Stephen Disley); “Common Worship ‘Dairy’ prayer, led by the Bishop of Stockport, the Rt Revd Sam ‘Cowley’. . .” (Che Seabourne); “I think you’re confused. I’m part of the ‘herd’. Your flock is in the barn” (Julia Armstrong); “This isn’t quite what I meant when I said we needed a cash cow for the church-organ restoration” (Pearl Davison); “The cow was bemused. Surely he wanted a photo op. in front of the sheep to promote his plans to extend his flock” (Steve Pugh); “As you can see, it’s quite easy to distinguish between the Bos taurus and the Homo sapiens. The former have white patches, whereas the latter have purple ones” (Philip Bourne).
As ever, the winner receives a prize of Fairtrade chocolate, courtesy of Divine Chocolate.
divinechocolate.com
