Advent Sunday

                                                                                     Advent: A Carol

                                                 What did you hear?        Who then shall hear them?

                                                 Said stone to echo:        Said stone to echo:

                                                 All that you told me        All people on earth,

                                                Said echo to stone.         Said echo to stone.

                                                 Tidings, said echo           Turned into one,

                                                 Tidings, said stone,         Echo and stone,

                                                 Tidings of wonder           The word for all coming

                                                 Said echo to stone.         Turned into one.

                                                 Patric Dickinson

That was the week that was

A weekend in Glasgow was a little truncated because we could not miss Bill Goyder's jazz evening at the village hall. It was worth the delay and Bill and his quartet played a wide selection of music to listen to or even to dance to. The bonus was a lovely super provided by the ladies (yes, sorry, all ladies) of St Mary's congregation.  It is amazing how shepherd's pies and tempting desserts just appear.

A leisurely journey by train to Lenzie on Sunday gave us the opportunity of catching up with family news over lunch and on Monday, after yet another lunch, this time at a superb Italian restaurant, Nonna's Kitchen in Kirkintilloch, we caught the train home. I fear this blog is rapidly becoming a food and restaurant blog but that may not be a bad thing.

So to mention food for the last time this week I picked up a leaflet from the hairdresser. Even my thin head of hair needs the occasional trim and Angel Hair in Gainford is very convenient. The leaflet was from an enterprising couple who run a mobile delicatessen business, 'Deli to your door' based in the local village of Caldwell. They have a rota for visiting  neighbouring villages and we will catch up with them. I am sure they won't mind me copying their web site picture.

'The lady in the van' is one of the 'must see' films of 2015. The DailyTelegraph says:

'Maggie Smith is a tottering, staggering force of nature in this cherishable adaptation of Alan Bennett's beloved play'. 

Directed by Nicholas Hytner you would expect it to be good and it is a funny, yet poignant, story  based on fact. Richmond Station Cinema is also a very comfortable cinema to enjoy the  film.

So perhaps the theme of tis week is 'vans' as well as food.

On then to prepare for Sunday's services. It is Advent and we begin the time of waiting for Christmas. I will be talking about the play 'Waiting for Godot' by  Samuel Becket which is a rather cynical dig by Becket at Christians who are waiting for a God who does not come. The Christian has a more hopeful outlook because he or she knows that God has already come and in Jesus we see signs of that coming. Advent gives us time to reflect on what we know is to come and the joy, peace and hope of the incarnation.

The week in Gainford and beyond

Friday, after band practice, we headed towards Linconlnshire, to familiar places, and to meet up with friends. It was our friend, Jan Marshall's 70th birthday and her family had organised a surprise party.

We had decided to make a weekend of it and wandered down narrow country roads near Grantham to a tiny village, Burton Coggles, where we had booked a room in the village pub, The Cholmeley Arms. Greeted at the door by a golden labrador we gravitated towards a log fire in the bar. Before we allowed ourselves to fall asleep we found our room, one of four purpose built ones in the grounds. The room could have graced a 5* hotel, and the Trip Advisor reviews were not exagerating when previous guests had waxed lyrical about this country inn.

Local bitter with dinner, in front of the now roaring fire, all following a long drive, persuaded us to return and watch the increasingly bizarre  things people do to raise money for Children in Need.

The events in Paris greeted us on the TV on Saturday morning. Enough has been said about the horror of it all, but Children in Need seems to have been forgotten. In the inhumanity of human beings in Paris we have witnessed the evil we are capable of.  But in Children in Need we see how others can push the boundaries of selfless love and courage.

On Saturday morning we had to apologise for not being able to make much of an impression on the feast spread out on the breakfast table. Lunch was too close.

Before setting our for Fotheringhay, we wandered around the corner to St Thomas' Church, recently renovated but still with a notice of October's services on the notice board, but not those for this month. Out of date notices do not inspire confidence, and will fail to draw visitors to worship

Fotheringhay is an important village in Northamptonshire. Once the site of a castle it now boasts a smallish church with a large tower, seen for many miles across the gently undulating countryside. Richard lll was born in the castle and Mary Queen of Scots was executed there. We spent some time in the church reading the history boards and thought of Kim Hardings's talk at the breakfast about Richard and the controversy about his place of burial.

But we found the Falcon, the pub where the birthday celebrations were to take, The plan was to secretly gather in the bar and surprise Jan when she came in with husband Len. As friends arrived, we chatted about past times until silence was ordered. In walked Jan and the look on her was somewhere along the scale of horror, surprise and joy, but with plenty of tears.

We travelled back to our pub and, exhausted, went to bed. The next morning we did do justice o the breakfast and set out for Gainford early, The journey was perfect until we reached there Teeside turn-off and discovered the A1 was closed to Scotch corner. We diverted to Northallerton and Croft, only to discover the river had burst its banks at Croft. Fortunately,  the water only reached the hub caps and we slowly drove through.

The rest of the week has been uneventful and included an evening with the house group. This group originally studied the Alpha course and decided to carry on meeting. They are attracted (theologically of course) to Nicky Gumbell who I don't think I have heard for 20 years. Like all of us, he has aged a little but still has that smile which can be quite disarming. The DVD the group is watching is based on the Beatitudes and there was plenty of material for discussion. Despite our differing theologies, there were many points where we were in agreement.

At the risk of this blog becoming and Egon Ronay pub guide, I will just mention that we enjoyed a super lunch yesterday at Farnaville's Rest in Whorlton, former The Bridge. The pub has been tastefully converted, and again a log fire offered a warm welcome. A 3 course lunch for £5 was excellent and incredible value for money.

The Cholmely Arms at Burton Coggles, The Falcon at Fotheringham and Farnaville's Rest at Whorlton, my recommendations of the week.

And to end...

“the search for meaning is really the search for the lost chord. When the lost chord is discovered by humankind, the discord in the world will be healed and the symphony of the universe will come into complete harmony with itself.” 
― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

The week in Gainford

Preparations are in progress for a journey south for the weekend, but not before band and choir practice for me and a meeting Kathy has to help a friend with an employment issue. Her NHS mangement experience is coming in useful.

Last Saturday was Gainford's annual bonfire and firewords display.The Green was packed and the display was the best yet. We had been invited to a post bonfire party at a neighbour's home. It included the 'Great Gainford Bake-off' where the men bake 12 biscuits and the women judged them. My macaroons looked good but were chewy and I expected to receive the wooden spoon. In announcing the results our host took that honour and I have a strong suspicion that he was being gallant.

Remembrance Sunday was busy. Two morning services were followed by an afternnon showing the local community the new Village Hall kitchen. Treasurer's wife, Maire had prepared a lovely supper which we shared with friends, and at 10-00am se were ready for bed.

On Wednesday I went to fhe Annual Forum of The Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership. The background to this project is that it was established in 2010 following a successful  bid to The Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2011, a successful second bid enabled the Partnership to implement a number of projects which benefit the local Teesdale community. The projects are varied and include work on the river and its surrounds, forests, footpaths, ponds and the restoration of farm buildings. Also as part of the project was the installation of history display boards in Gainford church.

I am especially interested in 'Music at the Heart of Teesdale', run by Gegenforde member Neil Diment.The success of this project is focussed on the young folk band, the 'Cream Tees', who have delighted local audiences with their fiddle playing.

Last night  I joined other parishioners on a coach for the induction of Martin Jacques at Tynemouth. It was a splendid service followed by a  welcome buffet  and Martin and Louise looked very much at home The only thing I was disappointed with was that the Bishop substituted 'Receive this cure of souls which is yours and mine' with 'Receive this ministry....' I do think 'cure of souls' is a wonderful encapsulation of a priest's vocation.

The weather is looking threatening and our friends on Barra seem to be at the centre of the gales. I am hoping that our journey south we will not encounter them? I leave Sunday's services in the capable hands of the Archdeacon.
  

Russellings in Gainford

“Beannacht / Blessing

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.” 
― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

 A tale of two Parkinsons

Friday and Saturday were days of imposed inactivity as the pleasure of Thursday's trip to the theatre was succeded by one of those periods when brain asnd muscles refuse to talk to each other. Still, every cloud.....I was able to finish Bill Bryson's book snd join him in the Lake District, Yorks Dales, Teesdale and Scotland. It was in Scotland that his journey ended, at Cape Wrath. 

Having spent the day walking near Leyburn, Bryson writes 'I spent the night in Barnard Castle, a pleasant market town on the River Tees in County Durham. I arrived much too late to go to the famous Bowes Museum there, a disappointment. So instead  I had a walk around the town as darkness fell, and found it entirely agreeable. C. Northcote Parkinson, I was interested to see, was  born at no 45 Galgate....Never has anyone milked a single thought more vigorously and successfully than he did.'

The line for which he is remembered was 'Work expands to fill the time available for its completion'. The line was first published in a comic essay in 1955 which he stretched into a thin book, which became known as 'Parkinson's Law'.  He was unrelated to Dr James Parkinson sho in 1817 began research into a disease of the brain which became known as 'Parkinson's Disease'.

Water that really sparkles

We ordered a bottle of sparkling water with a meal in Cafe Rouge in Newcastle last week.It was sourced and bottled by Belu (www.belu.org.uk). I read fthe label and discovered that Belu give 100% of their profits to Wateraid and have pledged to give £1m by 2020. Their products are also carbon neutral. I am now trying to find out who sells their products.

Rob

Rob is resealing the paving on our drive. I first heard about Rob from a neighbour and he is not your usual 'i've got some spare materials left over from a previous job' sort of man. Rob is a young man who lives in Darlington and travels everywhere on his bike, His most distant destination was China, so Darlington to Gainford is a short hop. All he needs is carried in a small trailer attached to the bike and he is very thorough.

Iyanla Vanzant

I was recently told about Iyanla Vanzant and share with you some words she recently wrote:

'People cannot change who you are and what you were born to be. They can create obstacles in your path. They can do things that make you believe you are other than what you are, but people cannot change, alter, or in any way hinder the truth of your being. The truth is you are divine.'

http://www.iyanla.com