The helps

I am reluctant to admit it but I do have helps around the house and garden. They are not my helps originally but my husbands. He looked after his first wife after a stroke and then coped after she died for several years before he met me. So I've got them by default.
My cleaner Angie is truly wonderful. She chats and drinks coffee more than she cleans but is a wonderful source of local knowledge and I would not be without her. She has become a real friend and I married her to her long-term partner last month.
The Gardener and I will never see eye to eye about anything. I could however not have managed to put in hundreds of trees and shrubs without him. John does the garden of the Catholic priest after ours. He describes that morning as his Holy morning but again he keeps me and Father Terence up to date with everything that happens in the village. Now I've persuaded him not to destroy the Cornish hedges or the bluebells or blackberries that grow in profusion along them then we rub along reasonably well. It's been a bit of a culture shock to my working class roots but I am fully adjusted now when I realize how much they rely on working for us. Johns eyes filled with tears when I told him his job was safe last week. He had been worried about my son coming to live in the next village.
I am not sure which of them was the more relieved when I said that I would prefer John in the garden for the foreseeable future. Sighs of relief all round.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Autumn pics

Looks like the end of summer.

Lovely Day

It has been an almost perfect day here. The sun still has real strength in it and we have been basking in it. Across the water have been lots sails and the beaches are full. Driving through the village though cars are being packed and the road out St Mawes has been busy all afternoon. The sadness that comes at the end of the summer is very evident. Yesterday we had over a hundred people many of whom come every year. " see you at Christmas" some of them said as they went out. The local post lady says it been a very good year, much better than the last three so let's hope she's right.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Aggressive rough sleeper

Following complaints by both lady church wardens that our present sleeper was still hassling them David and I got to church fairly early this morning. I shook Peters hand and said we needed to talk. I intended that we should go into the vestry but he turned his back on me and went to sit in a pew. The conversation that followed was acrimonious on his part but something had to be done. He had gone out last night yet again to try to get something else for his stay in the pews but neither church warden would open the door to him. He was not in a good mood this morning. He complained that it was cold in church, that he had only been given old stuff and told me that in most parishes they gave him money and food and what sort of Christians were we anyway!
I told him that we knew he had been out trying to get money from people and wanted to know how long he planned to stay!
That did it. He roared at me flung his stuff around and went up to the altar. We watched in amazement as bags of stuff were pulled out. He had moved in! Taken up residence!
I was shouted at some more and then he made a dramatic exit wondering if maybe we were due to be vandalized. On the way down the hill he encountered one of the church wardens, was equally rude to her and stormed off telling me he would report me to the bishop!
It was not the best way to start Sunday especially as I then had two services and a christening to do.
I hope we've seen the back of him. but the remark about vandalism has worried me.
I am also worried that our proud tradition of not locking the church could now be in question. We are not ungenerous in this area but in this instance our hospitality was being abused.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rough sleepers

Over the years we've had a lot of rough sleepers. There are two churches in this parish. One of them, down on the creek at St Just is always locked at night because it's so remote. The other one in the town is always left open. We have had men who come for their holidays every summer and sleep at the back of the church. My husband then the church warden never minded this if they were careful not to leave litter behind. Many of them used to stay for Sunday services and joined in with gusto. One with a guitar used to play when it was an all age service and the guitar was left at the back of the church quite safely through the week.
Our current rough sleeper though is causing ripples of dismay. He's been there for a week and has found the house of the new churchwarden who is a rather frail older lady. She has given him a mattress and a blanket so far but last night he came back to complain that the blanket was musty and he needed a pillow.
She has no previous experience of how to deal with this and is now quite frightened. I got to church early this morning and he had gone leaving his
bag and bedding neatly stacked behind the font.
She wants to ring the police. I am reluctant to give the impression that we want him thrown out of the church. In the end it's her decision. I am going to do the 9.30 there in the morning. I'll try to talk to him then. P


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The field

When we got married nearly five years ago, we went to live in Davids house. It was a beautiful house built high on the cliffs over looking St Mawes and the light house. The views were glorious but it had a major drawback. It was 53 steps up to the front door. This was fine for a while but getting the shopping and suitcases up the steps got very tedious. We moved house. On the state agents blurb they described it as having a very large garden. It was indisputably a field.
There were just three trees growing in it. The rest had been pasture for cows 30 years earlier. The farmhouse was old and I have resisted all efforts to get us to tart it up.the original paving stones are still down in the hall and it's not pretty or rustic but we love it.
The field is different. Starting a garden from scratch was a challenge. We were in the middle of an interregnum so we were both busy but we made a start.
Now we have put in around 30 trees and another 25 fruit trees. The shrubs number about 50 and it has actually started to look like a garden now. Well more parkland really but we are getting there.
Everyday we walk round it several times and the dog sometimes comes with us. Today he walked slowly and for the first time since his operation he cocked his leg up ! Ridiculous how happy that made me.
From one side of the field we can see Falmouth over the roads. From the other we look out over Gerrans church spire as far as Nare Head on clear days.
Watching the field grow into a garden absorbs and delights me. I am a very lucky woman.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Truro,United Kingdom

Christening

On Sunday I am doing a baptism of a seven year old girl who is very excited and I fear is thinking of this as a rather large party. The new frock sounds more bridal than baptismal. I have already spoken to her ,her parents and her brother to try to make sure they understand what it's actually all about. Her brother, christened as a baby has asked if he can read her something so I have looked out a couple of prayers for him and I will talk them all through it when they come again on Friday. Because this child is not a baby I can't bypass her completely by just dealing with the Godparents so I've told her that I will be asking her some questions about God too. She was much reassured when I said that the answer to all of the questions will be yes..
In the meanwhile I found this in a book of Celtic Prayer
Lifted high
A little child ran across the street, runny nosed, a bit scruffy,tripping over almost. She ran towards a man whose arms were opened wide to welcome her.
"Give us a swing Jesus " she said and she felt herself lifted high and she saw the street and the sky whirling around her, ablaze with colour, like a mixed up rainbow.
She was laughing then, excited, free, gasping for breath.
"Enough," she said and she felt herself slowing down, relaxing, safe as Jesus held her in his arms and smiled.

Unless we become like little children
Unless we risk that joy
Unless we run and ask and let ourselves
Be lifted high
We are never going to enter the Kingdom of God.

Wonderful.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Truro,United Kingdom

Neighbours

My next door neighbour moved out of her home today. We were not close but I feel extremely sad for her. I remember only too well how lost I felt after the first David died, it was as if somehow my place in the world had gone along with him. If at the same time as mourning him I had also been told that I had to move house into something very tiny because it was all I could afford I would have been utterly bereft. I've just walked around my garden and looked at all the things she has had to leave behind, a beautiful summer house that her husband gave her before he died, the chicken run where I used to find him talking to his girls and reminding them to lay eggs! No one has touched the garden for two summers, he was too ill in his last years and the hedge has grown tall and thick with rose hips and crab apples. I find myself hoping that the next neighbours will leave it all intact for a little while. The worst thing is that my neighbour has now to leave Cornwall. She no longer has their boat, her children are a long way away and she is going to live nearer one of them . I just hope she's going to find some peace.

Lovely Sunday

With just one service today life was very sweet. It's true I drove into a curb just outside church but there was nowhere else to park! There was a large congregation and they were all very appreciative of the sermon. Mostly because their incumbent seems to have given up!
Afterwards we went out for lunch to a very good pub with an excellent chef.
David had the roast beef, I had moules and then the big treat of the day. Summer pudding. To die for!
Crispin is in good form and although he still has staples, in his fur has started to grow back!
I am making the most of the day because next week my present incumbent is away. He's off to Greenbelt lucky chap so I will be busy. But that is the nature of the job. It's all good.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Veryan

Tomorrow I am doing a communion service in a small inland village about 10 miles away direct or 15 miles if you avoid the very narrow lanes. The church is lovely with beautiful grounds. Until a year or so ago this parish would not have a woman priest officiating. They were very cool when I turned for someone elses service. Now they greet me with open arms and a lot of laughter. Their sister church nearby will still not have any women so they only have one communion a month.
"They don't know what they're missing" says Marge dismissively.
It is a great pleasure to go there and even more to be breaking new ground.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My husband the churchwarden

David and I met the first I turned up at his church wearing a pink clerical shirt.I was licensed to his parish just after my priesting. I was then a curate in two parishes. In the second parish I had been in place for just one week when the incumbent went off sick with depression. It wasn't cause and effect. David and I then spent much time together running the parish. We got close. My best friend came in from her parish and we got married one sunny Monday morning at St Just. There were just the church wardens and us. An ancient priest gave me away muttering that it was the only way he could think of to keep a curate in the parish. We all went out for lunch at one of the sea view hotels in St Mawes and then in the evening we all went to the PCC meeting.
Shortly afterwards my incumbent took early retirement and we spent the next two years running the parish together until thankfully a new bloke turned up and took the strain.
Now David has just retired a church warden so he is an ex warden as I am an ex curate. Strictly speaking I am now on PTO. Actually I am part of the local team, the dogsbody who the new incumbent has called the assistant priest.
I still do everything I always did and that makes me happy. Marrying my churchwarden caused ripples of amusement throughout the diocese but it makes me very happy.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Techno rage

It's not really rage. It's more impotent frustration. It takes hold when things you use frequently with no problems suddenly fail to work. With us it only takes the merest flicker of electricity to effect the wifi net work severely. As we have overhead power lines and live fairly high up this can happen several times a week.
We know when it happens because a daft floating globe that I bought my husband for Christmas thuds to the ground when the power fails. We then dread trying out the web because we know there's usually a problem.
I have my computer, my iPhone, my iPod and my iPad all connected. My husband has his computer and his laptop.
When power has come back on very often at least one of our gadgets won't connect. When it's very bad it's all of them. Today I got on via my computer only to be knocked off moments later by being told another device was using it. My husband had switched his lap top on.
The solution is always to turn off the router and switch on again when it's not looking! Even after this one or other pod doesn't work properly. Agggghhhhhh.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Brides

When you marry someone you feel connected with them. Often they stay in touch and more often they tell you when they are expecting their babies and ask you to christen them in due course. This obviously doesn't happen if they are rather more mature! I recently married my cleaner to the man she'd been living with for 23 years. It was a quiet affair and my husband gave her away. All was well but this week she arrived rather earlier than usual to say

"Is there a guarantee on this deal I did with you? Can I return my husband before the 12 months are up? Not fit for purpose!"

It turned out he'd broken his shoulder blade and was in a lot of pain and so a tad difficult to live with. I sympathised and when my husband came in she repeated the question .

"Look here "said my man "I gave you away....I'm not having you back!"

I look forward to the news that they want a baptism

Sunday

It's been a quiet day. So far. crispin walked around the garden with me so that's a huge improvement. I made the lunch myself today having had only one very early communion. David usually does most of it whilst Im out working but today I got on with it and we enjoyed the roast beef and the Eaton mess.
I am still playing with this iPad and finding new things you can do with it. Today I learned how to use my phone camera to put pics on here wirelessly and very easily. If I can do it, it must be easy.
A trawl through the vestry cupboards this morning revealed that we are running out of baptism forms and cards, especially the ones with candles..
I need some for the christening coming up in a couple of weeks. In the past I've got them from the SPCK shop which is now a mere shadow of it's former self.. Church publishing may help but tomorrow I will see what's available on the internet.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crispin 3

After a week of doing well we had a set back yesterday. I had taken Crispin back on Thursday to have his stitches out but the lady vet decided he had better have another week. On Friday Crispin took the law into his own paws and took his own stitches out. A scene of horrifying proportions met us when we brought him in from the garden. He had done a very thorough job. We got him in the car and rushed him back to the vets yet again. The poor dog then had the whole wound re stapled without anesthetic. He was as good as gold. But it was his own fault.
We brought him home in the hugest lampshade anyone has ever seen. He hates it but there is no alternative. So we'll try again next week!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rhiannon

Grandaughter Rhiannon is going home tomorrow so today is their last day. My son will, I know miss her a lot and so will I but she is now 16 and so growing up fast! The last day of the hols is usually an annual event, the shell competition. She has of course won it every year...This year she has announced no more shells, they have hardly been on a beach since her arrival. So this morning I am called in to judge a new competition. The cheese on toast competition! They will all make their version of this and I have to eat them! I've tried to award it on the appearance and presentation but no, I am going to have to eat them. Master chef has a lot to answer for!

I have often made the prize some small piece of jewellery but this year she will treasure the bag it comes in more than the necklace. She collected bags, paper or canvas, its got to be a shopping bag,nota big stylish one. So this year her prize will be in a brown paper bad from Raffles in Singapore! I 've saved it for her specially.

Then, stuffed with cheese on toast I am taking Crispin back to the vet. Its time to take out all his staples . He's not going to like going back there but hopefully it'll be the last time for while a while!

Portloe

Portloe is a very rugged fishing village up the coast from here. It was the background to a disappointing comedy series with Dawn French in it. But today it was truly glorious. I had done the communion at Veryan early and there was no point in going home so I parked in front of the chapel and looked at the view. It was a place me and David S had loved and it was at its best today. The congregation was small but very appreciative and were mostly locals. The chapel is shared with the Methodists and they difficulty following Common Worship with an order of service. Every time I went into the part just for the priest they were all turning pages over desperately trying to find their place. It was fine..and afterwards David and I went to the lugger for a lovely meal before coming back to find Crispin very much better, I could have done without the power cut in the afternoon but you cant have everything in this life!

Crispin 2

I was up very early this morning. Praying that we are doing the right thing by him. He has been very bright and full of beans now he is on pain killers. But this growth is expanding daily now and has to go. To have a much loved old dog is always pain full in the last years. I have had to tacked the decision for my last two dogs, William and Major and I still miss them. Crispin though is my last dog. I shan't have another....at my age it's not fair to take on a dog who could outlive me!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crispin...

I took him to the vet today and it seems to be make or break time. His spot is growing and now quite fast. We can either just let him go on with it untouched or operate and I have decided the best thing to do is go for it. This does not mean I'm happy about it but I have reassured the vet that he is an old dog so if anything did happen I would not blame him. Just getting him there was a nightmare. He was unable to get into the car unaided and it took me and David to lift him. Getting him back was even worse so I am worried about Friday for all sorts of reasons. When my last Golden was struggling I bought him some small steps and he used to amble along and into the back of my Discovery with no problems at all. Crispin used to follow him so I hope he can remember the steps! Fingers crossed time.....

St Just

St Just was full of visitors this morning....quite a few children. It was dark and gloomy outside and several of the younger families had arrived straight from "New Wine" It went well I only coughed once at the very end which scared them to death. Some of them were old friends that I havn't seen for a while so the whole thing was very satisfying. I have even had e mails telling me how much they enjoyed my sermon! The weather continues horrid... the only good thing is that my young trees need it but its bad luck for the people down here on holiday. This is the time that David and I were always here so its no wonder that faces from the past keep popping up! Those who havn't seen me in a dog collar are suitably surprised!