As long as we're living

The Unfolding Pamphlet on Change - Ribbonwood Designs

"...change will be happening."

I can certainly vouch for that! Like the proverbial buses that are conspicuous by their absence, before several appear all at once, the CH word is looming large in my life at the moment.  Someone, somewhere seems to be muddling up the seasons; I was under the impression that Spring was the time for new beginnings and here we are edging our way into the season "of mists and mellow fruitfulness." 

Well, maybe the bus analogy isn't entirely accurate, given that I have had some warning of most of the changes afoot in the GP support network.  The first came totally out of the blue,  however, and when it struck several months  ago, by some wonderful serendipity this little leaflet The Unfolding Pamphlet on Change by Trish Harris came to my notice. It was the vivid, colourful artwork that first  attracted me, that and its  simplicity -  as it unfolds the process and impact of change on our lives and offers us ways in which we might begin to engage and live with  it. I bought a bundle of leaflets on impulse and have been giving copies away ever since.  To date it's helped me avoid the wobbles; I've been remarkably calm about the whole process, even found it quite exciting: change can herald growth after all.

Though I suspect some of this calmness might be covering shock. After the latest goodbye the other night, to a good friend and one third of our giggle and gossip group prayer triplet, I had to fight off a distinctly unBritish quivering lip. The next Ch event, coming up way faster than we'd anticipated, is that of GP daughter moving abroad;  even more seismic potential there, except that the whole process is moving so fast that I think we'll not have the opportunity to have a wibbly fit  until after she's gone.

So...deep breath...keep calm and carry on.

All is safely gathered in?

image from freeimages.co.uk

How Harvest Festival has changed. Especially when most churches in  our area have a foodbank collection point. Especially as our seemingly prosperous little town has need of a foodbank - Pip Wilson's reflections are making me realise again  that there  are more types of poverty than the obvious ones.

Summer Wanderings: Bikes, Buddhists Bunting and Birds

Welcome back to the blog after the Summer break. And what a Summer it was this year! Sun, sea,  soggy sand, (which Mr GP had to pull me out of!) and...silliness. Well, not the last, but  I had to find something else beginning with the same letter. Here's a quick tour of what I've called the Summer of the volunteer.

Souvenir from LEL 2013 - Control Eskdalemuir

First off, we caught two  trains  and a bus to  the wilds of Eskdalemuir in Scotland to join the doughty team of volunteers supporting thousands of cyclists riding the LEL London-Edinburgh London cycle event. How do you begin to describe such a mammoth undertaking? Mr GP rode in this four years ago; this time he wanted to experience it from the other side. We'd deliberately chosen this remote location, because of it being one we'd passed through several years previously on our Durham-Iona walk. Also due to to the nearby presence of the Samye Ling Buddhist monastery and Tibetan centre: a wonderfully peaceful place to wander round between shifts; the fact that they have a great coffee shop is neither here nor there... I'll keep you any  longer, but in true Blue Peter style, pass you on to something somebody else made earlier -  by Peter, a fellow volunteer who captures the whole experience far better than I ever could.

Siloth on Solway - Milennium mosaic

From there we hurtled back down to Carlisle and out to sunny Siloth on Solway. What a discovery there, too! Simple, honest to goodness unspolt seaside with wonderful views from  the Solway back over to Scotland in one direction and towards the 'proper,' Lake District in the other. Somebody told me that you've not visited the true Lake District until you've been to Keswick.

Home Comforts: A little corner of Greenbelt 2013

Then on  - for me at least - to Greenbelt Festival where I was volunteering again  in one of the worship venues. I've said before my personal experience of the festival  seems to alternate between one good and one bad year. 2010, good, 2011, less than positive, 2012 much better. 2013? I'd say it was the year of change and challenge - for many of us, I'd guess, as we came to term with the challenges of a re-configured (because of the damage done to the racecourse during last year's floods) and much smaller site. Apart from the inevitable noise pollution which was unavoidable with several major music venues Big top and beer tent all located up one end of the festival village, and the loss of several much-loved venues to the downscaling, I rather liked it myself. It seemed much cosier and less intimidating to this dyed in the wool introvert, whilst as a hard-working volunteer I found that with the smaller distances between locations, I actually managed to get to more than one talk this time round. Sue Pickering's first talk on the Friday evening on the spirituality of ageing, Hopeweaver's creative morning prayer, Steve Chalke, Abbot Christopher Jamieson's breathtaking session on contemplative prayer - I was stewarding for this one, but it was so popular that we had the doors open. I'll never forget standing there watching what must have been over 300 people, deep in silent prayer, some I guess, for the first time ever,  whilst the hullaballoo of the festival was all around them. Plenty other memories too - many of them came with the volunteer experience. A classic being helping to steward a long, long queue of folk queuing for the Goth eucharist whilst a silent eucharist was being held just across the hallway. Surreal isn't in it!

That pesky 'inner parrot!'

Finally, last weekend, I'd a great time introducing some groups to the Sybil MacBeth colouring prayer methods as part of a series of interactive workshops over the county border. Pictured here is that pesky 'Inner Parrot,' (inner critic), who played a walk-on part being ceremoniously binned at the start of each session! I fancy he looks suitably  subdued now, don't you? 

So, on with the autumn with many changes forecast in my little corner. Fasten your seatbelts now...

Another week - another labyrinth

Labyrinth Norwich Cathedral

What a wonderful surprise, and what could be more appropriate than to introduce GP son to the labyrinth on his graduation day! Here he is walking...(well 'galloping' might be a more accurate way of describing it) his way round.

It was his second graduation; we now have a "Ma" as well as a Mum in the family! Actor Jack Davenport - there to receive an honorary Doctorate of Letters and Chancellor and author Rose Tremain offered, I thought,  heartening advice to all those young men and women embarking aiming to make their career in the creative arts: not to be discouraged, to look to the long process and above all, cultivate the qualities of patience and empathy, ("If you don't learn to listen to people, you'll run out of stories to tell."). Qualities that could benefit all of us, wherever we are on our life's path, I reckon.  We're looking forward to seeing where DS's journey takes him.

Wilting

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, as Smudgie, another absentee blogger has reminded me. Not that I need reminding - today I've walked plodded wearily up and down the hill to church twice, once to the morning service, then  to a great summer concert, where we were serenaded, entertained and fed Pimms and strawberries. Who wants to linger at home in the sweltering heat, (the photo here was taken months ago; our lawn being a fetching shade of beige just now), when you can sit in a cool (ish) building, enjoy a repertoire ranging from Widor to Queen, Piaf to Telemann, MacColl to Vaughan Williams? Not me! I suspect I've lost pounds in sweat and as an added bonus can sit back in smug satisfaction in the knowledge that I've already clocked up four  30 minute exercise sessions in one day.

Last Saturday  saw me pottering round the labyrinth once more in the blistering heat ( even the grass felt crispy beneath my feet),   and experimenting ('experimenting' being particularly apt in my case) with watercolours at the BRF Festival of Prayer, whilst on the Sunday  all the GP 'children,' and daughter's bf home for a family photo. I'm longing to see the results; the photographer even managed to get GP dog to behave, a true miracle! 

Wind back one week further and we were in Winchester for a friend's priesting,  and associated celebration and jubilation. I have no stamina whatsoever, hence  crawled into her first communion the next morning  with a distinct hangover. Even so, what a wonderful time -   right from the first drink (Bucks Fizz in a Winchester shoe shop -nothing to do with the goings-ons at the Cathedral!) as I strolled  through the town in the glorious sunshine.Then  as a perfect finishing touch, my favourite Celidh band - 'Threepenny Bit,' were busking in the shopping centre. The ordinations weren't bad, either  - although as I was sitting much further back this time, I wasn't able to work out if the supporting clergy had cheered up since  last year.

Add to that several  train journeys and associated pottering around the length and breadth of the nearest city  for necessary meetings, combined with early morning dog-walking to avoid the heat and nobody can accuse me of lazing around during the heatwave! 

I'll be donning my posh frock for another Big Event during the week of which more later. It's a mad social whirl here , I tell you!

Words fail me...

Yup, it's the silly season all right. I come in from a meeting thinking noble spiritual thoughts, only to learn from  Kirsten M and Antonia that my chemical element classifies me as a noble, inert and odorless gas. What Mr GP will have to say about this I daren't think!

Then as  if that wasn't enough, my comments have been invaded by someone purporting to be a 'druid in training.' I have my doubts; she looks more like Little Miss Naughty to me. Come back Archdruid Eileen, all is forgiven.

You know, I could be such a super-spiritual being if it wasn't for other people!

Changes, Changes

It must be the effect of all this sunshine.  I absent myself from blogland for a couple of weeks and when I get back, what do I find? The revered Archdruid Eileen has ********  /hopped off on sabbatical, that's what. It's not good enough!  And as if that wasn't enough  The Love that moves the sun is busy tinkering around with alternative blog titles. What is this;  the silly season?