Harwell Feast

The English Civil War Society were one of the features at this year's Harwell Feast. The event began with a Parade of vintage vehicles and floats. There were crafts, a car boot sale, all the fun of the fair, and a couple of arenas with entertainment. The Winchester Regiment, of the English Civil War Society,  had set up camp in a field adjoining the show area, and marched in to give a display of pikes and musketry. Despite rain through much of the day there were still a lot of people enjoying the event.

A walk done many times before

This morning we walked up to Birkrigg to the limestone common that rises up above the town. At the stone circle somebody had performed some sort of ceremony and left  crystals, flowers, and ashes near one of the stones.

We then descended by farm tracks to Morcambe Bay by way of Bardsea.

At the Holy Trinity Church my wife's Grandmother, formerly of Hull, is buried, aged 100 years. That funeral was 22 years ago. We remembered how hot it had been that early April and how Cindy who was then new to the family had been very emotional. We said goodbye to Cindy at the Crematorium in Warrington just 2 months ago.

Then we had an ice cream by the shore having peeped in at the Restaurant where we had our wedding reception almost 30 years ago. The same priest still serves at the catholic church in Ulverston, although he is now a canon. He won't remember us as he offers us a basket with small chocolate eggs after the Easter Day service like so many times before. We may also go to the 6am service on Birkrigg but have said that many times before and not done it yet.

Good Friday at the Market Cross in Ulverston

About 60 members of the Churches Together in Ulverston met at the Market Cross on Good Friday at 10:30 for a short service.
 
They were led by a band in singing the three hymns:

• There is a Green Hill Far Away 
• Were you there when they crucified my Lord 
• There is a Redeemer It was a lovely summer morning. 

 Only about half the shops were open.
 
After the service we went for a walk up Gill Bank, and then through some woodland, and out towards Hode.

Kenley Treatment Works Saved

Politicians went down from London to Kenley to view the floods that were in danger of engulfing the water treatment work this week.

A nearby school was evacuated and its playing field acted as a flood plain. Sand bags and other barriers constructed, and pumps brought in to save a vital facility. Boris Johnson(Mayor of London), Ed Milliband (Labour Leader),and Eric Pickles (Minister for Communities) wentdown to show support, and leadership in what could have been a messy situation if things had got out of control.

In The First of the Welsh Valleys

My sister moved into a community in Wales about three years ago - a few miles from where our Granny Llewellyn lived. It was once an area of coal mines and steel works. The Working Mens Club closed in December 2013 when the Co-op Bank foreclosed on a loan the club had taken out for improvement work.

We drove up into the Brecon Beacons where slag heaps are deeply furrowed by decades of rain.

We saw industrial sites that had helped make Britain Great.

My sister and her partner keeps hens. The hens have grown old and don't lay eggs that often, but they seem happy. They still get fed.

As time and money allows they work on the property. Previous owners have built new walls hiding what was behind and so there are secrets to be revealed like an old bread oven.

A lot of the old old oak beams had to be replaced with new but the old timbers are kept. They did not go in the skip with the breeze block and concrete

Lots more work still to do.

Story Museum soon coming to Oxford ....

Along Pembroke Street, near the Museum of Modern Art, a Story Museum is being made and they have put a storyboard outside to make it much more exciting.

It is going to be much more than just the building you see now.

The planned opening is in the spring, and there is a special post box where people can post ideas about what they would like to be in the Story Museum.

Some entries are displayed inside an old telephone box. This one says: Secret Passageways ... dress-up costumes .... competitions ... LOTS OF VISITING AUTHORS ...

Giraffe

My daughter was to start work at Giraffe the new cafe next to Tesco on Sunday 30th December.

Monday was really the 30th so I assumed they meant Monday and persuaded my daughter she could still come with us up to the Lakes and get back in time to start the job.

 So we had a weekend in the Lakes including a birthday party and a visit to the zoo which is free from December to February. And saw a real giraffe.

But when we got back we found my daughter had lost the job as they really wanted her to start on Sunday 29th. My fault for making assumptions.

Himalayan Balsam - Dry Sandford

We walked along a footpath from Dry Sandford that entered woodland. There were a few Himalayan Balsam on the nearside of the wood but when we came out on the far side the Himalayan Balsam had taken over.

The name 'Himalayan Balsam' sounds calming and the flowers are attractive. Bees love them as they produce large amounts of nectar. They dwarf other plants and get all the light, like stinging nettles and bracken (native species).

Try to press a Himalayan Balsam seedpod and it explodes with such force you get a shock - scattering seeds everywhere.

They are an alien species, and will easily take over - best pulled up when they are not in seed or the seeds fly everywhere.

Elephants in Transit

We visited the noon day feeding of the young elephants in the transit centre.

Having been found injured or orphaned they are cared for until old enough to be released into the semi-wild of a national park.

These two were fed before the rest. They were like the two newest pupils at a school sticking  together. The youngest had been there two weeks. The older one had a broken leg.

The Mystery Machine

The Scooby mobile was outside Peace at the Park on Saturday. 

 

Inside the park, late in the afternoon, it felt surreal... Many people were listening to a life changing talk by Sister Jayanti on the subject of meditation.We heard flute music in  the chapel, and Sitar music in a tent.  Younger people were playing on trees swings and other were clambering over nets of ropes.

I chanced to meet Janti who I have not seen for at least a couple of years. We used to work together in Solihull so meeting there was quite a suprise.

Janti's wife was dressed in  a white sari like a lot of the sisters. He explained that they were celebrating 20 years of The Global Retreat Centre at Nuneham Park, and his wife is a devotee.