Around the grounds.

 An early morning walk in the sunshine around the Parish Hall grounds ...

 Interesting colours and textures ....

The changing seasons ...

Sometimes there's too much going on to blog!  Another day.

We will lay us down in peace and take our rest.
For it is thou, Lord, only, that makest us dwell in safety. 

Book of Common Prayer

Compline

Culture Shock!

Hi Paul!

Welcome to Belfast and to a month of healthy eating that isn't going to cost the earth!

I do wish I'd taken your picture in the fresh fruit and vegetable aisles ... it is hard for me to understand just how expensive this kind of produce is in a country the size of the US.  We came home with a trolley (did you say "cart"?) full of top quality fruit and veg ... For the next month we'll be eating a mostly vegan diet (well I may slip occasionally for a piece of cheese or an egg) and I know that it is going to be so good for me!

 The variety and price of tinned beans and tomatoes faced us at almost the end of the shopping trip.  At that stage I suspect "overload" was happening ... and Paul sits mesmerized ... looking at the shelves but not really taking in any more information.  There's only so much the brain can process before it goes into "standby"!
After this stop it was straight to the coffee aisle and then the checkout.
It makes such a difference when you're shopping to have a helping hand ... Paul unloaded the trolley while I packed up the items as they were scanned ... it is certainly quicker than trying to do it on your own!

 Home is only ten minutes from the store so everything was packed quickly into the fridge and cupboards and then ... Paul cooked the evening meal!  What an extra special treat that was.
Wonderful flavours ... spicy potatoes, boiled rice and a stir fry of mixed vegetables.  Green salad and fruit salad on the side.  A feast both to the eyes and the stomach!

 The sharpness of the raspberries with the sweetness of the orange and banana, added to the crispness of the apple, made a lovely fresh accompaniment to the flavoursome vegetables.  I could get used to this style of eating!  Who needs meat or dairy?!!
While Paul was enjoying his first cooking experience in Ireland I was getting ready for a funeral service tomorrow.  That service is in Saint Nicholas' at noon.
So now ... soon to bed ... early to rise ...

O Lord, support us all the day long
until the shades lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy, grant us safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Funeral Service

Mammy's wee house.

It was never called anything else ... just ... Mammy's wee house!  There you'd find all kinds of things ... razor blades, a torch spare bulb, a man's collar stud, three bicycle valves, keys to a money box, tokens taken off Robertson's jam pots to be saved until there were enough to exchange for a small badge, a few odd screws and pins .... a collection like you'd find in many homes ... mixed in with a some totally useless things whose original purpose is long forgotten.  Mammy's wee house was where you'd put small items that had to be kept "safe".  

Would it qualify for the 365Project "Vintage" theme?  I guess so.  The history of this small ceramic jam pot is lost ... my reckoning puts it somewhere in the 1940s ... or maybe early 1950s.  

All my life it has been around and now sits carefully protected in the china cabinet.  The roof is badly cracked and held together with sticking plasters!  It could be repaired ... but there's something very 'homely' about the short term measure that has lasted for fifty years or more!  The base is three inches along the front and two and three quarter inches down the side - so it qualifies for "wee". I wonder if it was used for serving jam when new?  

So ends another Sunday.  This morning we had a Celebration of Wholeness and Healing when there was an opportunity to pray for folk and to anoint with oil those who came forward.  The prayers in that service are useful for many occasions. 

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people;

in the multitude of your mercies look with compassion

upon us and all who turn to you for help;

for you are gracious, O lover of souls,

and to you we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

now and for ever.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Celebration of Wholeness and Healing.

A hundred pictures on a rainy day!

No, you're not going to see them all ... nor even half of them!
Two events provided photographic opportunities ... the Spring Continental Market in Belfast for the Bank Holiday (wet) weekend and a choir from California in Saint Anne's Cathedral.
In spite of the rain there was a reasonably good crowd wandering around with kangaroo burgers, spit roasted hog, hot coffee and ice creams.  Yes, ice creams!

This vintage van did a steady trade to rain soaked and umbrella carrying passers by.

It was tempting ... but at the time I had a nice warm coffee from Jimmy Bean's ... and that was a more comforting thing on such a cold and blustery morning.
The flags on all the stalls were blowing horizontally today and lighter items on the stalls had to be firmly held down or they'd have been swirling around the City Hall in no time!
Nobody seemed to mind.  There was the usual good humour and stallholders helping to create an atmosphere of fun and celebration.  Not easy when your fingers are turning blue with the cold and the rain is soaking the goods on display!
The circle of porta-loos behind Queen Victoria amused me ... an essential part of the event ... but looking a bit less than festive in the grey light.

 The thrones behind the Queen ...

 Food from many different countries is on sale ... I didn't try this one as had just eaten one of my favourite French dishes.  Not sure if there'll be an opportunity to return to sample anything else.  There's not much available for vegetarians (or vegans) as nearly everything is meat based and often full of cream, cheese or eggs.  There's a gap in the market there if anyone is available to rise to the challenge.

 The south American knit wear corners are by far the brightest and you could almost feel the warmth of the sun streaming out from the colourful good ...

 I could go on and on ... illustrating the various food stands with pictures ... Poland, Greece, China, Germany .... but "enough is enough"!
Behind it all is the cheerful music of the carousel ... a gentle fairground sound with memories of the horses with their shiny backs and holding on to the pole in case you slipped off the great height.  They don't look so big now ...

I'd gone to the market on my way to the cathedral where an American choir was to give a concert.  That was fantastic .... and they're in Armagh tomorrow if you're in the area.  The Magnificat was a new setting and utterly stunning.  A solo voice from the sanctuary and then the choir were stationed in twos around the remainder of the building so it was truly "surround sound"!  Seldom have I heard or experienced anything like it.

 The advertising for the concert was abysmal.  So attendance was embarrassingly low ... I mean ... really embarrassing!  There were FIVE in the audience ... two from Saint Nicholas', two travelling with the choir and one other person!  Eventually another five or six tourists happened to come in and they stayed for a while.  I felt very bad for the choir but they enjoyed singing in the space. 

 The tall guy in the centre back of this picture is Paul Burkle who will be doing a month at Saint Nicholas' as an intern.  We're looking forward to getting to know him and to hearing him play and sing.
Already two nursing home concerts have been arranged ... a bit surprised that the others haven't got back to me but maybe that will happen early next week.
And now ... for a couple more shots...
This bit of creative advertising in the grime on a wall amused me!

 And, the 365Project theme is "vintage" so I couldn't pass by without taking this snap.  Not the best photograph I've ever taken but it fitted the title too well to miss it.

Finally ... what about the dog?  Well ... he's much the same as usual ... contented to lie about when he must and more than willing to explore the local park.  Always when I come in (or indeed when any visitor arrives) he finds a toy and looks for a moment of play!  A small price to pay for such a loyal companion.

Thinking of folk who are bereaved just now ... two within the parish ... others within my friendship circle ... maybe others who read this.  Praying that each will know the comfort of the Holy Spirit at this sad time.

Give faith and comfort, O Lord,
to all who are bereaved.
Strengthen them to meet the days to come
with steadfastness and patience,
not sorrowing as those without home,
but in thankful remembrance of your mercy in the past,
and waiting for a joyful reunion in heaven
in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Funeral Service. 

Friday

Once upon a time ...

... in a bed ... in a hospital ... in a city ... a tiny baby was being packed up to make the journey home!  This case has been with her since that day!

It then became a doll's house, a holiday suitcase, a book shelf ... it just about survived the 1960s "Ban the Bomb", "Peace" and "Jesus loves you" fluorescent stickers (you can see the scars!) ... after that it was a storage box, an occasional overnight bag and finally, a clerical robes carrier ... until, one day, a couple of years ago, a very inquisitive dog decided to burrow his way in to find some chocolate!  That's why there's a gaping hole on the lid!

End of useful life ... at least ... until repairs can be done!

 If only it could talk!  When the stickers were removed some of the outer paint came too ... in those days we covered everything with them.  It was a colourful era ... if a rather crazy one too!  Those were the days when we went on Jesus walks following Arthur Blessit and his huge cross ... when camping overnight at the City Hall in Belfast seemed like a good idea.  All I remember of that night is the singing and the cold!  Being a student in the 60s must surely have been one of the most exciting times in history ... though as we moved into the 70s things in Belfast (and Northern Ireland) were to change dramatically.

I'm not sure how much we students felt the trauma of the Province ... it is possible that we were so wrapped up in our little cocoon of protected student life that we didn't really feel the pain.

For us ... living on the edge of "The Holy Land" there were always soldiers in our house ... our landlord was a very generous Englishman who was 'doing up' the property as we lived in it ... so it was always a building site ... into which the whole squad of soldiers on patrol in the area were invited for tea and toast.  It helped that landlord owned the general store on the ground floor so there was always plenty to eat!

You'd come in from the library and often find a row of guns stacked on the bare stairs ... I don't think they were ever carpeted ... that was normal life for us!  Sheba, the huge Alsatian dog, shared the property too and walking her at night meant that you had nothing to fear.  I think she probably would have eaten anyone who tried to attack you.

Little brown case was part of that life ... coming home on odd weekends with dirty laundry ... returning with freshly ironed clothes and a good supply of home made cakes and breads.

No wonder it looks so battered.  I wasn't thrilled when Eliot wormed his way through a tiny tear ... the cardboard was never meant to withstand that kind of abuse ... but I'll have a go at fixing it.  At some stage the original lining paper was covered with wallpaper!  It's not so easy to get that off ... but I've removed a bit of it to reveal the red/pink check of the original paper.

The 365Project theme "vintage" has sent many of us hunting for items around our homes ... and with the object comes the story!

Tender God,
gentle protector in time of trouble:
pierce the gloom of despair
and give us, with all your people,
the song of freedom and the shout of praise,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Celebrating Common Prayer

Thursday morning. 

Somebody to lean on ...

Bill Withers "Lean on me"
If you click on the line above you'll be taken to the song.

I'd forgotten about this song ... and it did make Number One back in 1972 and again in 1987 when recorded by Club Nouveau.  And it won a Grammy that same year!  Not many songs get to Number One on two occasion ... just nine hold that honour.

 It was this "vintage" picture for 365Project that prompted one of my viewers to quote a verse from "Lean on me", so I looked it up and found the above YouTube version.

The crutches, rarely seen anywhere in the world these days, were photographed in the early morning light today ... around six o'clock when I was about to take Eliot off for a walk.

Without intending to I sparked off some thinking on the need that we all have for support ... the value of friendship and the strength that we receive from God.  Human beings were never meant to "go it alone" and to be isolated ... each one "paddling his or her own canoe".

God designed us for relationships and community where each contributes gifts to build up one another.  The church is described as a "body" where one part depends on all of the other parts.

Each of us has times when we need to lean on others ... and then it becomes our "turn" to be the one on whom another may lean for support.

These crutches may be vintage and out of date but the concept of mutual support is very real.  Let's not be afraid to ask for help and not shy away from giving support either!

Help us to share in Christ's ministry
of love and service to one another;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who in the unity of the Holy Spirit
is one with you for ever.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Wednesday Daily Prayer

The pup!

Perhaps a bit old to be called a "pup" even if he still behaves like one.  I guess we're all as old as we're able ... so ... chronological age isn't the only measure!  It isn't even an accurate one.
Just before the outing this evening I took Eliot on a long walk ... both of us returned fairly tired.  Indeed he was so exhausted that I couldn't interest him in a game of "tug" or persuade him to catch the tennis balls.  My aim was to leave him so tired that he'd sleep for the whole time he was alone.  Hopefully it worked!

 This park is near us ... but not as large as the 21 Acre Wood.  Eliot doesn't seem to mind and there are clearly enough smells to keep him running around.  Pity he came home smelling of fox!

 I love being among the trees and this afternoon's sunlight was beautiful as it filtered through the fresh and rain washed leaves.

 We could have stayed a lot longer except I was due to be on the Ladies Guild outing.  That was fun ... garden centre and then a fabulous meal at a nearby church.   I'll keep those pictures for the parish web site and the next edition of The Messenger.

 We're at the height of the buttercup season and a huge patch of them caught the sunlight.

 Meanwhile the pup managed to find a large muddy puddle.  And I mean muddy.  Deep, dark, sticky mud!  He was in his element!

 Perhaps it felt rather cooling after all the running around ... the only good thing was that he didn't actually sit in it!  Then I'd really have been in trouble.

We did a lot of walking in long, clean grass after this to dry him off and to remove the worst of it.  But I love him anyway.  It really doesn't matter and the Dyson will sort out the inevitable dust and dirt that he'll bring home.
I'm not so keen on the smell of fox ... but that will fade!
It was a fun hour and, since the park was deserted, it might be a good time to take him there on other occasions.  The car is parked at the church tonight so he's going to have a nice walk first thing in the morning ... just hope it isn't raining or blowing a gale!

The other blog today was for the 365Project.  The vintage theme reminded me of the top hat in its original box ... and since you put up only one picture on 365 I needed to add the others so that folk could see inside the box as well as the interesting exterior.

O God, by whose command
the order of time runs its course:
forgive our restlessness,
perfect our faith
and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise,
grant us to have a good hope
through the Word made flesh,
even Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Celebrating Common Prayer

Tuesday evening. 

Rather old ...

A few pictures to which a commentary may be added tonight ... or maybe not!  It depends on the Ladies' Guild outing ... if we return late then I'm going straight to bed!

Change of plans.

I'd intended this blog to be an account of a quiet lunch time in church where the sweetly scented stock was filling the building with a heady perfume!

 During my time in the Saint Nicholas' a couple of folk came in for a bit of space ... and maybe a refuge from the strong winds!  I'd already picked up one of our bins that had blown round the car park ... some of the rubbish is still blowing in the bushes but it was too cold and wet to do a thorough job at that stage.  If it is a bit calmer in the morning Eliot can give me a hand to round up some more!

Then, mid-afternoon, when I was doing a home communion ... plans for the blog and the 365Project picture changed!
Thankfully a very alert young parishioner who was at home doing revision (at least, I assume that's what she was doing) spotted the problem and telephoned me.  Her prompt action more than likely saved us from a great deal of secondary damage.

About a quarter of the roof had blown off the Youth Centre!  It had then blown right across the grassy area to the boundary fence.  At that stage there was nothing I could do but soon afterwards managed to make contact with the Glebewarden and he and another parishioner turned up to get things sorted.

When I arrived they were already watching the work team ... from the Fire and Rescue Service!!!

The lads from the Fire Station had come round to help and were clambering all over the roof tacking down bits of rescued felt and having a great time!

 All this work was done in a howling gale without any sense of us being a nuisance.  The Fire Service have come to our rescue on a number of occasions.  Last Christmas season it was their pump that sucked out the flood water from the below ground level boiler house.  It is to them that we look for help when we need heavy objects moved!  Maybe it is a break in routine for them and provides an interesting diversion ... but we certainly appreciate the help we receive.

 Eliot was in his element!  A vehicle to round up ... and a large one at that!  Right now he's fast asleep from exhaustion as he did many laps around the engine.

The temporary repair job is a strong blue tarpaulin weighed down with anything that we could find lying about the grounds - great lumps of concrete, metal pipes, cement blocks .... it is tied on with an extra line around it so that any movement in the wind is kept to a minimum.  Hopefully there'll be only a few more hours of this and then the gusts will have gone so that repair work can begin. 

As the work was finishing I managed to get the dog back on a lead as his presence running round the Fire Engine wouldn't be appreciated as they negotiated the narrow entrance to our property.  The Park is quite narrow and gives very little space for negotiating such a long vehicle ... and this is frequently made much worse by people parking on the roadside.  To park there is, at present, perfectly legal ... but some show little consideration for cars or fire engines that need to move in and out of gateways.

We're going to see if it might be possible to have a double yellow line painted along part of the road near the two entrances ... it's worth trying.

So, another day draws in.  The rain is heavy and the wind still very strong.  But I'm thankful.  Thankful for a good visit this morning, a quiet hour in church, the perfume of sweet scented stock, a beautiful private sacrament of Holy Communion.  Thankful too for an alert young person and parishioners who were ready to drop all and make phone calls and see what could be done.  And filled with gratitude for the men of the Fire and Rescue Service who so cheerfully did a temporary repair for us.  And, I'm thankful for my daft mutt of a dog who drives me to distraction and fills my days with fun!

Guard us, O Lord, with the shield of faith
and fight for us with the sword of the Spirit,
that in all our spiritual warfare
against the powers of darkness
we may gain the victory
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Celebrating Common Prayer

Tuesday evening.