Crows Nest

Crows nest is a tiny village near Liskard. Its also where David's son and daughter in law are now living. We went over there after church to sit in glorious sunshine and eat a cream tea.

Communion

I am at St Just this morning and it is a relief that we are back to normal, the Bishop has lifted the ban on sharing the chalice. It has provoked some resentment from the congregations because they felt they should have the right to decide if they are going to receive wine. Its sensible to keep the hygiene precautions in place I think, no one minds having their hands washed with anti septic gel! Only a handful of people in this parish has actually had swine flu but I suppose with winter approaching it could spread so its better to take some simple precautions.

Still Sunshine

Our late summer disappeared yesterday in a day of mist and precipitation! The suns back today so we have another golden day. David and I went over to the Lizard again yesterday passing through places even more remote than the Roseland! We sat out side a pub on Helford Passage. It had been seriously tarted up last year and we found sitting outside even in the gloom easier to cope with than the plush interior would have been. What had been a typical Cornish fisherman's haven is now a chic restaurant which would not be out of place in Hampstead.

We have had a sort of Indian summer.

After a few days of delightful weather it is back to blowing again today. So every things normal again. I went over to Veryan on Sunday to take the communion service and came home wishing I had not made quite such a mess of it! The service sheet is dreadfully complicated with all the prayers in the wrong place but I have done it twice before so I should have remembered! One complication was that I was only told I was doing intercessions two minutes before starting! The sermon went well though and afterwards I was startled to be thanked for giving them "A lovely homely service" I think she meant it kindly!

Qweek

We took the Boullier family over to Gweek so they could take their boat back to St Mawes. We watched it being lowered into the water and then they set sail. It was very exciting and the sun shone on us. The name of the boat has been changed from Jezail to Anam Cara which means Soul Friend. Lois took the pictures of us standing by the boat whilst it was still on its cradle and then having waved them off we went for a pint at the Pandora, down on a creek in full sun and ate spare ribs. Happy day all round.

Joe's Funeral

It was very appropriate that I should have taken part in a funeral yesterday for an old man who had got to 90 before popping his clogs. I opened the service and closed it with the burial. The rest was done by a lovely methodist minister, Janice and members of the family. It was a good example of the covenant working but as well it had a feeling of completion, a rightness which the family fully appreciated. Joe had been born and lived most of his life at Tregear Vean which is where I now live. So had quite few of the family. It was mentioned lots of time by various of them and when I told Joe over the coffin that I would keep Tregear Vean safe and was planting an orchard on one of his fields there was a sigh and then they clapped. The family approved and so did Joe I know. I am going to get a lot more visitors in the next months...it mean't so much to them to be able to come and look. God has His mysterious ways after all.

More visitors

September is the month when the children have gone back to school so their grandparents can come out to play. Cornwall is full of golden oldies. This is very good news. They have spending power and use the local pubs and restaurants freely. Yesterday one of David's old friends arrived on his boat. We met in the pub for lunch and were joined by other old friends. Having put the world to rights several times over, we could then come home and sleep it off. There's a lot to be said for being old!

Summer Sunday

Its a very beautiful day. I have been down to St Just for the 8am communion and we had a large congregation , all out and about to celebrate the arrival of the sun before it disappears again. It was wonderful down there, peaceful and bathed in golden light. I had a brief word with my daughter before doing the service and I will go back again for a wedding this afternoon. Thanks be to God.

Sun

Summer has finally arrived. We are not making too many presumptions but for a few days it is very pleasant here. The summer house and all its paving is up and running so I have bought some new plants to put around the little courtyard. Gracious living! The blackberry bushes at the end of the the garden are full of luscious fruit. If anyone wants some we have enough to go around St Mawes twice!

Funeral

The man who used to live in my house died at the weekend. He was 92 and was born here , brought up here and worked the farm here for the whole of his life. He was a lovely old boy and I was fond of him. He came to see me to tell me how the house had changed since his time and was a mine of information about the old farming community. He was also a strict methodist so I was not expecting to have anything to do with the funeral till yesterday. He had left his instructions. He is going in with his wife down at St Just and he wanted one of the Methodist ministers to take the service but he also wanted me there to help out. We will do a joint service Methodist and Anglican . The covenant between us seems to be working.

Time passing fast

I dont know where last week went . I really dont. I have been very busy over the weekend but I feel as though I've lost a few days somewhere which is very careless of me. The baby I christened on Saturday was the best baby yet. She gurgled and smiled and waved at her adoring public. No protest came even as I was wetting her head. She took it all in her stride and looked wonderful in a Victorian long gown which was pristine and stayed pristine! As I married her parents a couple of years ago I of course take full credit for this lovely child. Megan will go far!

Holidays Over

The time is approaching when I have to review my life. This sounds very pompous but it does happen in an involuntary way every year at this time. It stems from my time as a teacher when it heralded the start of the new year with all its potential disasters and triumphs. Its now about 25 years since I was a full time teacher but it still happens! This year I've been more than usually introspective and have reached some conclusions which were not even remotely on the agenda at the beginning of the process. We will see how they work out but the bottom line is that I now return to my original agreement with God, the one that got me to this place anyway! The agreement is simple. I will do what I am asked to do and He can chose the path for me to follow from now on. Simple.