As November arrives, so does the annual onslaught of fireworks. Now, I realise that some people actually like firework displays and pay good money to go and see hundreds of pounds worth of the things blown sky high – but I’m not one of them. To me, they are noisy, showy things that sparkle for a moment and then extinguish, leaving nothing behind but smoke and a big sense of disappointment. Having said that, one of the best sermons that I ever heard, (and saw) was based on a firework; a sparkler to be precise.

The sparkler was lit and the congregation informed that, if they didn’t like long sermons they were in luck, because this one was going to last only as long as the sparkler did. Our attention was drawn to the beauty and glitter of the light –nice in its own way, but not much use in a power cut! A candle, on the other hand, was plain and ordinary, yet its light is steady and will last quite a long time – even a small tea-light will last a few hours. A candle is not as flashy as a sparkler, but it’s a lot more useful. So, the lesson went, those of us who are called to bear Christ’s light to the world, needn’t worry that we are not beautiful or flashy or spectacular – sparklers are of little use; it’s candles: plain, simple and ordinary though they might be, that help lighten a darkened world.

That was it. Brilliant eh? (pun intended). I heard that sermon nearly thirty years ago and it’s as true today as it was then.

By the way, if you are going to a firework display – I genuinely wish you a very good time, from the safety of my living room!

On a recent holiday in Northern Ireland I came across the story of St Bronagh – a little known Irish saint, who lived some time in the 6^th Century AD. Even after trawling the internet, I can only find a few brief details. Her name means, “sorrow” and she became the leader of a monastic settlement that devoted its life to prayer. Several times a day the bell would ring out over the valley to summon the faithful to their devotions. This particular bell was not housed in a tower, but hung in the branches of a tree. It is said, that, in time, the tree’s branches grew around the bell and hid it completely from sight. Later on its very existence was forgotten and, on occasion passers by would be surprised when the blowing of the wind would animate the bell and its ring, would once more be heard across the valley.

The bell reappeared when a great storm blew down the tree, and eventually, after many more adventures it ended up encased and on show in the church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, where it remains today. But Bronagh’s legacy is not limited to one ancient artefact. The valley she sanctified with her prayers has now become home to the Benedictine Monks of Holy Cross Monastery. They too, dedicate their lives to prayer and serving God, and in the few short years they have been in residence they have made a tremendous difference to life in Bronagh’s Valley. Their mission is one of reconciliation in a land where the sectarian divide still causes so much pain and distress.

The story of how the monks came to be where they are is a long and inspiring story that began in 1982, and many, many people have been instrumental in helping the community find its place in the world. But, perhaps, the story began even longer ago than that, when Bronagh’s prayers caused the valley to become, what the Ancient Celts called, “A thin place.” That is, a place where heaven can be glimpsed on earth. That’s certainly my experience of this beautiful place and I am already looking forward to my next visit.

In the meantime, here are some more photos of my trip:

A pilgrimage trail at the bottom of the garden…

A very moody sky over Slane.

A Waterfall at the monastery.

A spooky tree in the cemetery at Monasterboice where the crows added a spookier and very noisy soundtrack.

and finally,, no trip to the Holy sites would be complete without a pic of St. Patrick..

Yesterday, the Facebook page of my favourite yarn shop, Along Came Polly, told me that something called, ‘needle huggers,’ had arrived in the shop.  Now then, i wondered, what on earth might they be?  Well it turns out that needle huggers are cute little jelly-type bears that hold your knitting needles, (and work in progress), together, so that you can safely leave it and it won’t all fall apart when you next pick it up.  So, being the grade A arctophile that I am, (it means bear-lover to the uninitiated), I just fell in love with them on site and duly forked out the cash to make them part of my knitting collection.

I also fell for the lovely sock yarn in blue and purple hues and some double pointed needles so I can join in the present blogosphere fashion and make my own socks.

The marriage of Prince William and Princess Catherine. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, who could resist this sweet pic? Only the hardest of cynics surely?

Even on Facebook, where opinion is divided between my monarchist and republican friends, everyone is talking about the Royal Wedding; even those who complain there’s been too much talking about the Royal Wedding!

The radio informed me yesterday that about 2 billion people, worldwide, would be watching the televised ceremony and, from the look of the crowds outside Buck House, (Buckingham Palace to those outside the U.K), most of them were actually there! Now, I am not the squishiest invertebrate in the plastic bucket, but even I, yes, even I was drawn into the Disneyesque revelry of the occasion. Everyone, it seemed was there to wish this young couple every blessing as they embarked on this commitment of a new, shared life together. People were united in their good wishes and high hopes for Wills and Kate.

I suppose that there is a universal hope for happiness in the hearts of all those who find their life-partner. The feelings of love, respect and hopefulness are present in any who find themselves ‘tying the knot.’ Perhaps that was part of the fixation for most of us yesterday. We were reminded of all that could be; the happy ever after that is, in fact, the beginning of something new.

Folk from Churches Together in Nailsworth met at Christ Church for a 10.30 am service; a short reflective act of worship. Afterwards we set off into Town for our annual Walk of Witness, stopping at various points for readings, prayers, silence and songs. The weather was a huge improvement on last year’s when it rained and was very cold! See for yourself…

Here we all are then – setting off on our walk.

Two of our younger contingent….

Prayers at our first stop.

The final stage – but no pink bunnies this year – denied!

The Town was very busy and noisy today – a Friday just like any other, perhaps. The constant roar of traffic, beeping of car horns and loud shouts and talking from the populace was actually very helpful in creating the right atmosphere to remember the Crucifixion. I doubt that the people who witnessed Jesus’ journey to the cross stood in mute silence. I expect most folk continued to go about their daily business and if they did stop to watch, I doubt it was with reverence.

For me, the most striking thought came from some of the liturgy we used in the Church service – taken from “Stages on the Way” by the Wild Goose Worship Group, so I’ll leave you with that same thought:

    … He (Jesus) let them do their worst; until their worst was done, as on a Friday they ended it all…

    and would have finished themselves –had he not cried, “Father, forgive them…”

And began the revolution.

As you can see from the picture, the trees don’t have new leaves yet, but the moss that spreads all over the trunks is thriving.

As I was on ‘silent retreat,’ at this point, I suppose I was more attentive than usual to my surroundings. The evening before, in worship we had heard a poem by Ann Lewin – I forget the title, sorry – that, at one point, states that, “…anyone can make a hippopotamus… but a sparrow, that’s real craftsmanship.” I listened to the many and various sounds of the birds – something that often provokes me at home – and realized that there were dozens and dozens of different bird songs all around; and even more than that, even the same species with their particular calls were not identical. Now, I have a soft spot for the hippos of this world – even though they are reputed to kill more humans than any other African animal, (allegedly), and I’m often really grumpy about the noisy birds that live in my garden; however, listening to all the diverse and wonderful hymns of praise that were being sung in the woods was very uplifting and life-affirming. Later on this year, I shall be exploring silence and if this little taster is anything to go by, I’m in for a real treat.

Portrait Of A Giraffe

I'm not exactly sure how 'wild' my animal was, but it was certainly an unusual encounter. Many years ago, I travelled up to London to stay with my sister for a few days. Whilst she was at work, I set about the business of being a tourist. I soon got fed-up with the Underground system; I was beginning to feel that I understood what it was like to be a mole, coming up to the surface and blinking in the daylight. I decided to travel around the old fashioned way and walk.

So, here I was in the middle of the nation's capital, minding my own business, when, all of a sudden I find myself face to face with a giraffe! An actual, long-necked, really belongs in the African savannah, giraffe! I was quite taken aback.

When I say face to face, that is what I mean. I couldn't actually see the rest of the giraffe as s/he was peering at me over a tall hedge. After a moment or two, I realized that there was some kind of commotion going on on the other side of the hedge and that people were trying to coax my new friend back into her/his enclosure.

This was when I finally realized that I had reached the perimeter of Regent's Park Zoo and that the giraffe, although still within the confines of the zoo was making a bid for freedom.

S/he didn't make it though – I could hear from the valiant efforts on the other side that re-capture was imminent. Probably just as well. A giraffe on the loose in London could've caused all sorts of havoc – imagine sitting behind one at a West End show!

Anyway, it's an encounter I shall probably never forget.

This beauty is beside the library and this one is near the bus station – a bit of a grandiose title for a small piece of concreted space where the few buses that service the town occasionally congregate….

Sorry about the quality of the photos – I took them on my mobile as I didn’t want to miss the loveliness, but the camera’s not brilliant; not bad though, can’t complain really. Despite the relative dullness of today, (following on from some really lovely sunny, blue-sky days), the reality of spring is all around. What you miss in the pictures is the associated sounds of the birds. All over town they are singing their hearts out. At the moment, it’s a joyful and welcome sound, but if last year is anything to go by, they are about to drive me crazy with their incessant twittering. Last year, from mid-April until well into June, birdsong began outside my bedroom window at 4am and went on continuously until 10pm! I don’t know if I am particularly sensitive to their pitch, but I was certainly glad when they finally shut up!

I’m no twitcher, so I don’t recognize all the different birdsong. I daresay I shall get to know them soon enough. I currently have a crow that likes to perch on my roof and caw down the chimney. It’s like a soundtrack to a horror movie. The sooner s/he pushes off the better!

I am so glad that the warmer weather is on its way now. Hope you’re enjoying the changing of the seasons where you are. Wishing you every blessing! xx

A week has passed since the cataclysmic earthquake and Tsunami struck Japan. Amid all the loss and grief comes a new threat, nuclear annihilation. In the scramble to supply aid and help to Japan, voices all over the globe are asking the same questions; everyone wants to know why and how this happened. Everyone is looking for reassurance. If we can find a reason, then we can avoid this happening again. It would be comforting were this the case but, unfortunately, we seem to be completely unable to prevent ‘natural’ disasters. After all, if a highly developed and resourced country like Japan can suffer such devastation, then who on earth is safe?

That is the heart of the matter. Of course we do care about the people who are suffering, but I wonder if our concerns are tinged a little with fear for ourselves? We, here in the U.K have nuclear power plants too. We are not subject to the same threats of Tsunami and earthquake, but how safe are we? I can only imagine what it must be like to have the ground beneath one’s feet pitch and roll away – it would be easy to think the end of the world had come.

Many of us are struggling to make sense of this seemingly senseless, loss of life and destruction.

Centuries ago, a Bronze-Age people believed that God was responsible for bringing down fire from the sky or flooding the whole world to wash it clean from humanity’s evil. Unfortunately there are still some Bronze-Age thinkers out there today, but for most of us, our thinking has moved on. We now know much more about the cause and effect of our exploiting the earth’s resources. Those of us who claim that God is love refuse to believe that God is responsible for such horror. We see, in the actions of aid workers and others who strive to help, the love of God shown by one person to another. That love is not to be underestimated. Love is patient, love is kind and love never gives up. That kind of determination is enough to rebuild a nation’s infrastructure and offer hope for the future.

The weather generally has seemed much warmer and the early plants in my garden are looking a bit droopy, ’cause they’ve been out for quite a while now.

These primroses are at the bottom of the garden….

and these snowdrops are just by the front door –well, back door really – but the main entrance to the house, anyway.

You can see that the crocus’ are on the way. I’m looking forward to seeing them again, they were soooo pretty last year. It’s hard to believe that I’m about to experience Spring in this place for the second time, but that’s the case.

Of course, the (slight) downside of all this lively activity is that the weeds are having a good go at breaking through and I shall need to engage with them pretty soon in order to stop them going for world domination. Sigh – I have a very long ‘to do,’ list at the moment – nothing new there though; I shall just have to bite the bullet and get on with it.

Sooooo, I s’pose I should sign off and do a bit of work before the day is over!