Come on in ...

We're off to New Wine this week, with a small party from church ( I have to say that as the first thing vicars say to each other when they meet on the showground is "How many have you brought?")

Anyone else going to LSE who wants to get together can come and find this van on White 6

see you there

aww, go on ...

A marvellous Friday night camp out in a secret location near Stebbing led to a wonderful encounter with these swans this morning. The cygnets don't look to be much more than a couple of days old. When we first met this family the pastoral idyll was somewhat undermined by the arrival of a family of geese with goslings, leading to a turf war which the geese lost.

It's been a long cold lonely winter

Well, not lonely actually; busy would do. Now here comes the sun for a busy spring.
Good week this week.
Went to a New Wine leaders' network meeting in Colchester which was most encouraging (women priests, no toeing the party line, buns, coffee, small degrees of separation).
Steering on the VW camper playing up on the way home was the only downer.

Had a quiet day yesterday (as in a quiet day retreat type thing rather than a day that was quiet). Due to comms failure with East London Franciscans I ended up just going for a very long walk - all around the 4 churches and then home. This gave me ample time to
1) be away from the phone
2) pray
3) reflect on the last 2 and a half years since we got here
4) Enjoy wildlife e.g. hares boxing, harris hawk (with jesses on so escaped from captivity). Also fab flowers in Little Saling churchyard (photo coming soon)
5) plan our benefice Good Friday walk and worship event which will take the same route I did.

We've got a housefull tonight what with ailing relatives, sleepovers and Pulse team members in the house, so I better get the washing up done

Phew!

For the last three weeks its been non stop in this house. Now it is slowing down a little for the summer, which is good as we have all been at breaking point because the parish eventually just invades everything else, which makes us all a bit crabby with each other.

I am so looking forward to going to New Wine this week (although don't even think about breaking into my house if you are reading this with that intent as you will not want to mess with what's here while we are gone!)

I am getting the camper ready and planning our route, starting to think about who I might run into on the site (apart from God obviously!)

Still time to reflect a little about Lambeth etc. Seems the parable of the weeds was a pretty good choice of gospel reading for last Sunday - wonder if they fixed that on purpose or whether God really does work by his Spirit through the lectionary - I think the latter!

Probably won't be able to post from Shepton Mallett so see you next week.