EVENING MEDITATION - MEETING RIVERS

As our journey tonight took us for a walk along the river and canal I thought the following meditation appropriate:

Listen, O Lord of the meeting rivers,

Things standing shall fall

But the moving shall always stay.

(St Basavanna (1106-67)  India

A WALK BY THE RIVER WEAVER & TRENT & MERSEY CANAL

The theme of my blog is Journeying. I invite you to share some of my journeys.

 Tonight I invite you to join me on one of my favourite walks along the River Weaver & Trent & Mersey Canal. 

Our walk starts at the Swing Bridge at Acton near Northwich.

As we walk along the river bank we see a heron standing at the side of the river

He sees us and takes off

 

We pass Dutton Locks

 We notice a train on the Viaduct at Dutton

Hello Swan
(Do you remember the tongue twister in an earlier blog)

Our walk takes us over the old white bridge

Through the fields we go, up the hill passing the old woods

Eventually we arrive at the canal 

Daylight dies as we wend our way along the canal towards home

No fishermen tonight

Our path takes us back through the fields

Down once again to the River Weaver

And home once more

I hope you enjoyed your walk with me. Come again.

THE RIGHT MOMENT

There is only one moment in time when it is essential to awaken.

That moment is now.

(The Buddha (C503-C483BCE) India

LEAP YEAR DAY

St Bridget complained to St Patrick that women could not propose marriage, so he permitted them to have this privilege on one day in one year out of four. When St Bridget proposed to him, however, he turned her down and gave her a silk gown as a consolation present. Until the 19th century in Britain, a man was obliged to give a silk gown to any lady whose marriage proposal he refused in Leap Year.

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The occurrence of five Sundays in February comes only three times in a hundred years.

UPDATE ON ROB

I think Robert may be a little better but progress is very slow, his face still looks swollen but he is more talkative and a bit more interested in things. He goes to see the nurse tomorrow, he is still taking his tablets.

THOSE WOODEN HILLS & CLIMBING THE STAIRS

When I was a child my Auntie Rachel used to say she was going to climb those wooden hills to bed. I didn't understand what the wooden hills were until I was a bit older when the meaning dawned on me that she actually meant she was going to go up the wooden staircase to bed! I have just found this prayer so thought it an appropriate one to close the day.

It is called Climbing the stairs:

By gradual steps I rise to the topmost attic of this house, from which the views are spectacular.

I could rise to the palace of heaven if there were steps enough.

Let me take two or three steps to the palace of heaven each day.

Let me think of being a little better, a little kinder, 

a little more grateful to you for your gifts, each time I climb these stairs.

(Modern prayer from Jerusalem, Israel)

BLOSSOM

Spring is on its way. I have noticed several trees with beautiful blossoms. The Blackthorn is now flowering in the hedgerows. 

(According to the language of flowers Blackthorn stands for Difficulty).

CHORUS FOR TODAY

This morning I have had a chorus going through my mind. It is one I learned in Sunday School many years ago. I often find myself singing it or humming it especially when walking by the sea.

Wide, wide as the ocean,

 high as the heavens above,

Deep, deep as the deepest sea is my Saviour's love.

I tho' so unworthy

Still am a child of his care,

For his word teaches me, that his love reaches me,

EVERYWHERE.

FLOWERS FOR ROB

Yesterday Robert's work colleagues sent him a beautiful boquet of flowers:

The boquet consists of hyacinths, roses, purple astrantia and eucalyptus leaves.

My language of flowers suggests white rose as meaning 'I am worthy of you' and hyacinth meaning, sport, game and play (quite appropriate as he fell of his mountain bike). The book I am looking at does not tell me what the astrantia means nor the eucalyptus, more research for me.

MEDITATION

My two chosen pictures for tonight were taken in Bodnant Gardens 

I, the blazing life of divine wisdom,

I set alight the beauty of the plains,

I radiate the waters,

I glow in the Sun, and the Moon and the stars,

With wisdom I order all things right.

I beautify the Earth,

I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.

I am the rain coming from the dew

that makes the fields laugh with the pleasure of life.

I call up tears, the perfume of holy work.

I am the yearning for good.

(St Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) Germany

LITTLE WHITE RABBIT DOES SOME COOKING

Little White Rabbit is studying the recipe leaflet as he is thinking of cooking in the family's new tagine.

He has decided to make some meat balls and here he is making the tomato sauce.

 He is stirring the meat balls ready for the sauce to be added

In goes the sauce

Better make sure everything is right, it smells good

Little White Rabbit tries to lift the tagineall by himself!

Here is the coffee and walnut cake Little White Rabbit helped to make yesterday, it needs some butter cream icing.

Little white Rabbit stirs the icing

 His mum and dad have arrived now and they are all ready for their tea

Little White Rabbit brings out the Fat Rascals he made yesterday

 Little White Rabbit is very tired now but has enjoyed seeing his parents again. 

Goodnight Little White Rabbit

ALWAYS PRESENT

 The ultimate Consciousness is always present everywhere.

It is beyond space and time,

with no before or after.

It is undeniable and obvious.

So what can be said about it?

(Abhinava Gupta (10th century) India

ROBERT UPDATE

Robert came home this afternoon with a large bag of tablets, he is not very well. He will have to see the nurse on Wednesday and Friday and probably go back to the hospital on Sunday to see the consultant.

It has been a difficult week and we hope this coming week will see an improvement.

It has been a pleasant day weather wise and I have managed to get out this afternoon into the garden and tidy the flower beds at the front. The crocuses, tulips and daffodils are all showing their heads. The birds have sung nicely and the fish have come to the surface of the pond to take some food. All signs of Spring. We eagerly await the arrival of the first frog spawn, no sign of the frogs yet.

EVENTIDE

Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh,

Shadows of the evening, Steal across the sky,

Now the darkness gathers, Stars their watches keep,

Birds and beasts and flowers, Soon will be asleep.

Jesus give the weary, Calm and sweet repose.

With Thy tenderest blessing, May their eyelids close.

Grant to little children, Visions bright of Thee'
Guard the sailors tossing, On the angry sea.

Comfort every sufferer, Watching late in pain;

Those who plan some evil, From their sin restrain.

Through the long night watches May Thine angels spread

Their white wings above me, Watching round my bed.

When the morning wakens, Then may I arise,

Pure amd fresh and sinless In Thy holy eyes.

Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son,

And to Thee, blest Spirit, Whilst all ages run.

Sabine Baring Gould

ANOTHER UPDATE+ TODAY'S THOUGHT

Robert is still waiting to find out what is happening, hopefully the doctors will be round this morning to confirm whether or not his operation is to go ahead. Meanwhile, we will be back in church to say a prayer for him.

Time moves not like a river from here to there:

we do that. Time moves in waves - it ebbs and flows,

There is time for everything.



ANOTHER TONGUE TWISTER

Thought this tongue twister quite appropriate as Robert has an infection, it is difficult to say it quick!

Good blood, bad blood, good blood, bad blood, good blood, bad blood.

SATURDAY 25TH FEB UPDATE

Red Badger and Mrs Badger have gone off to visit Robert who has now been told he may not have an operation at present and may be sent home with antibiotics etc. He is feeling rather down as he just wants to get the whole thing sorted, he says his jaw and teeth don't feel right. It is one week today that he fell off his bicycle whilst riding in the Peak District, his first weekend away with the mountain bikers. We will visit him tonight.

UPDATE ON ROBERT

Poor Robert is still waiting for his second op. They decided his infection was too bad to do it today and hopefully it can be carried out on Sunday, he is very disappointed. Big brother (Red Badger) is on his way home tonight and hopefully may be able to cheer him up tomorrow.

LWR RIDES AGAIN!

This is a stray picture from our weekend away last week. LWR found a new toy to amuse himself.

NEW EVERY MORNING

Chosen morning hymn of praise:

New every morning is the love 

Our wakening and uprising prove;

Through sleep and darkness safely brought,

Restored to life, and power and thought.

New mercies each returning day

Hover around us while we pray;

New perils past, new sins forgiven,

New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

If on our daily course our mind

Be set to hallow all we find,

New tresures still, of countless price,

God will provide for sacrifice.

Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be

As more of heaven in each we see;

Some softening gleam of love and prayer

Shall dawn on every cross and care.

The trivial round, the common task,

Will furnish all we ought to ask;

Room to deny ourselves, a road

To bring us daily nearer God.

Only, O Lord, in thy dear love

Fit us for perfect rest above;

And help us, this and every day,

To live more nearly as we pray.

(John Keble)

UPDATE ON ROBERT

Robert had a small op on Wednesday night and had a tube inserted under his chin into the wound to release the build up of puss, also had 24 hour antibiotics and if his infection has cleared he will undergo another operation to fix his jaw which will probably include insertion of a metal plate so he is in for a rough weekend!

DEAR LORD & FATHER OF MANKIND

I am reading through the book I mentioned I had bought on the Nation's Favourite Hymns. One of my favourites has been the above written by John Greenleaf Whittier who is a well known writer of hymns. Apparently, he wanted to be a poet but his father resisted him saying that poetry would not give him bread. He became a journalist instead but when his father died he had to return home to run the family farm. He soon found that he could not cope with the physical labour of farming.

At this time, slavery was a burning issue in the United States. Using his journalistic skills, Whittier took up the anti slavery cause, calling it 'the national crime'. He was frequently abused and attcked but he was not afraid of unpopularity and he found great solace in writing poetry.

In 1872 he wrote what he called a hymn poem 'The Brewing of Soma'. It had 17 verses and verse 12 is the start of the hymn that Songs of Praise viewers voted into second place (2002), 'Dear Lord & Father of mankind'.

The first eleven verses? The clue lies in the title of the original poem. The 'soma' that Whittier described in the poem was a drug - a potent drink brewed by Hindu priests that induced wild and uncontrollable behaviour.

Dear Lord & Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways!

Reclothe us in our rightful mind; in purer lives thy service find,

in deeper reverence praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard beside the Syrian sea

the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word

rise up and follow thee.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee! O calm of hills above; where Jesus knelt to share with thee

the silence of eternity interpreted by love!

With that deep hush subduing all our words and works that drown

the tender whisper of thy call, as noiseless let the blessing fall, as fell thy manna down.

Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm;

let sense be dumb; let flesh retire;

speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,

O still small voice of calm!

(I like the three verses especially).

The tune which usually accompanies the hymn is called Repton by C Hubert Parry.

UPDATE ON ROBERT

Just telephoned hospital, Robert has had a good night and is actually eating something but more surgery seems planned for Friday, nurse won't say much over the phone so will have to wait until visiting time. (Forgot to say that he turned to the left in the photograph on previous blog so I couldn't photo the large purple arrow which had been painted on his cheek to point to the part of his jaw which was fractured.)

JOURNEY HOME VIA RUNCORN BRIDGE

On our way out of the hospital the alarms sounded and the fire engine arrived.

Our journey home takes us across the Runcorn & Widnes Bridge over the River Mersey

 And back home down Runcorn Expressway which was very busy tonight.

PATIENT (ROB DEAN)

Just returned from our visit to Aintree Hospital. Robert is dressed in theatre gown and doesn't know when he will be taken to theatre. There is talk of him having to have a metal plate in his jawline but surgeons won't know until they perform the op.  The worse time for us all is the wait, we don't know if it will be today or tomorrow so please remember us.

Although LWR put in an appearance Robert is not too impressed as both he and my other son think my stories of LWR are silly.

UPDATE - MISSED PANCAKE DAY

I actually missed my pancake for the first time in years with all the excitement over Robert yesterday. I got as far as making the batter so hopefully may be able to use it today. Robert is still in Aintree Hospital and we are going to visit him this afternoon. We don't know much. We didn't leave there until 1.30 a.m. this morning. He had stitches out in Chester which were infected and he had a blood infection. We hope for better news today. We had been led to believe there would be a bed waiting for him but actually we had to wait quite a long time in A&E before he was eventually admitted.

THE CLEAR PATH

All is transient.

When you perceive this, you are above suffering;

The path is clear.

All is suffering,

When you perceive this, you are above suffering;

The path is clear.

All is unreal.

When you perceive this, you are above suffering;

The path is clear.

The Buddha (c.563-C483BC) India

UPDATE ON MY SON

Unfortunately, my son who had the cycling accident on Saturday which resulted in stitches in his chin and a hairline jaw fracture has taken a turn for the worse today and has seen two doctors and had a trip to A&E Department at the Countess of Chester Hospital, I am now awaiting his return from Chester and then am having to take him to Aintree Hospital for an overnight stay as the Countess of Chester Hospital cannot accommodate him tonight as they are having an audit tomorrow! Hopefully things may be better tomorrow.

DUCKS

I learned the following two poems when I was very small and whenever I see ducks am reminded of them

 Four ducks on a pond,

A grass bank beyond,

A blue sky of spring,

white clouds on the wing;

What a little thing

To remember for years -

To remember with tears! 

(I can count more than four ducks on this pond!)

Verses below are from The Duck's Ditty from Wind in the Willows

All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall,

Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails, Yellow feet a-quiver,

Yellow bills all out of sight, Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth, where the roach swim -

Here we keep our larder, Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes! We like to be

Heads down, tails up, Dabbling free!

High in the blue above, Swifts whirl and call -

We are down a-dabbling, Up tails all!

(I think there was too much food for these ducks to be up tails all, although I think I spy one a dabbling).

MORNING VERSE

Through the night Thy angels kept

Watch beside me while I slept;

Now the dark has passed away;

Thank Thee, Lord, for this new day.

North and South and East and West

May Thy holy name be blest;

Everywhere beneath the sun,

As in heaven, Thy will be done.

Give me food that I may live;

Every naughtiness forgive;
Keep all evil things away

From Thy little child this day.

(William Canton 1845-1926)

(The School Hymn Book)

NETHERSEAL WEATHER VANE

We came across this cockerel standing guard on the weather vane of a building overlooking the field with the llamas shown in yesterday's blog. Alison Uttley wrote a children's story about a weather cock which flew down from her village church as it was bored one winter. 

When the East Wind blew he warned the old villagers to stay indoors and sit in the chimney corners:

East Wind, East Wind, Stay behind, stay behind.

When the wind blew from the North he flapped his iron wings and called@

A Wind from the North, Pray don't come forth.

A West Wind, a West Wind, Put on your cloak and never mind.

A Wind from the South is sweet to the mouth.

(The Weather Cock - Stories for Christmas by Alison Uttley) 

I hope to take a photograph of the weather cock on Kingsley Church as I have a poem about it, hope to do so in the coming weeks.

GOOD MORNING - THEME - SERVICE

One of the hymns I enjoy singing is called 'Brother, sister, let me serve you' and was written by Richard Gillard. Richard says that in the first half of 1976 he wrote verse 3 (I will hold the Christ light for you) but initially no more than that. It wasn't until one particularly summery Sunday afternoon in December 1976 or January 1997 back in Auckland that he took a scrap of paper out of his guitar case and began to meditate on that single verse, exploring the possibilites that it suggested. The other four verses came quickly. He prefers the down to earth groundedness of a guitar accompaniment and a simple folk song treatment but it still sounds great on an organ.

Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you;

pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey, and companions on the road;

we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ light for you in the night time of your fear

I will hold my hand out to you speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I'll laugh with you;

I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven we shall find such harmony.

born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you.

Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

EVENING THOUGHTS

Red Badger was too busy to put anything on the blog for me this weekend.  My youngest son has been mountain biking in the Yorkshire Dales and has fallen off his bike and has three stitches in his chin and is feeling sorry for himself tonight. Despite this he has managed to cycle 25 miles today! A couple of years ago he fell off a wall and had stitches in his forehead. I am glad he is still in one piece.

My thoughts tonight are with those who have lost loved ones. There has been a lot of sadness in the news this week and today we hear of a teacher losing his life in a coach crash and also a Vicar stabbed to death at his vicarage. Earlier in the week a 13 year old girl was stabbed in London. 

I leave you with a prayer for peace.

Spirit of peace, come to our waiting world,

throughout the nations, may your voice be heard.
Unlock the door of hope, for you hold the key;

spirit of peace, come to our world (Geoffrey Gardner)

VOM FASS TRENTHAM

On our way home we called in at Trentham Gardens once again. We visited Vom Fass where there were so many interesting liqueurs to chose from. We chose Rum Trufle Liqueur and Blueberry Liqueur with Grappa.

www.vomfassuk.com

www.vomfassuk.com/franchise

1940s VALENTINE DANCE AT NEWTON REGIS

Ms Lola Lamour entertains

 Peter produces a white rabbit

 Little white rabbit meets Lola