Garden in Autumn . . .

I didn't have time today to go far to enjoy the beautiful Autumn day but I did manage to step outside the back door . . .

When I got back from work at lunchtime, the PF was busy collecting leaves in the front garden, but luckily hadn't touched the back so it was still a beautiful carpet of leaves (well, rug really, it's only a small garden.)

If there's one plant in our garden that really deserves its place it's the fuchsia. This plant has been flowering all summer and is still going strong. Luckily it seems to thrive on neglect too!

My final comment on the garden today - At the same time as the trees are becoming bare and bedding plants are really looking sad if, like me, you haven't yet got around to replacing them them with bulbs or winter bedding, isn't it fantastic to see signs already of new growth in other areas? Just look at the buds on this camellia - even allowing for losing some through frost, I'm looking forward to a good show in very early Spring.

How can you not see God's hand in all this?

Basic hygiene, surely, Frank? . . .

Sorry, I've been quiet on the blog for a while. I've been busy but also haven't felt inspired to comment on anything recently for some reason.

Today, however, I thought, 'now what shall it be? Two bits of news concerning Cardinal Cormac - firstly his lecture on ARCIC and the progress of ecumenism in general, or perhaps, secondly his important appointments in Rome?'

But no, what caught my imagination was something Frank Skinner mentioned in passing in the Times Online today.

Talking about the reappearance of health warnings regarding swine flu and the warning to footballers to stop the disgusting habit of spitting on the football pitch (oh, how I dislike this!), he then moved on to talk about the withdrawal of the chalice at Holy Communion in his own parish as a precaution against swine flu. We have carried on as normal in our parish with Holy Communion under both species and I must admit I haven't notice the congregation decimated by swine flu.

That's not, however, what I was referring to earlier. It was his reference to not usually bothering to wash his hands after visiting 'the little boys' room' - for want of a more delicate expression.

I would just like to say, it's not just about what germs you might pick up Frank, it's also about what you might spread to others .

I must remember, in the highly unlikely event that I ever bump into Frank Skinner just after he's been for a 'comfort break' (gosh, you could write a whole post on euphemisms for visiting the loo!) that I must avoid shaking his hand or accepting any food he might offer in his unwashed hands!!

I do enjoy reading his very down-to-earth comments though.

Interesting statistics . . .

I'm the sort of person who finds a graphical representation of something a great help. If I see a picture of something I almost instantly 'get it'. Whereas if I'm faced with a long article, I often need to read it several times to understand it.

Of course we need both words and pictures to understand anything fully but whilst looking around the web today, I came across these pie charts in a BBC article and thought, 'now that's interesting' so I though I'd share them with you.

First of all the situation in the UK and Ireland:


. . . and the situation in the world:

I'm not trying to make a point, I just found it interesting to see it like this.

Update:
Following Epsilon's comments, she has since added her own charts and comments on her blog. Do go on over and have a look.

6 points regarding the recent provisions . . .

Luke Coppen of the Catholic Herald has an excellent post on his blog concerning the recent provision for personal ordinariates. (Thanks to Londoniensis for the RT on Twitter)

Summarising what Archbishop Vincent Nichols has to say, he outlines 6 points that we should understand about the new provision.

1) “It is a response, not an initiative, by the Holy See.”

2) “This is a response to those who have declared that they share the common Catholic faith and accept the Pope’s ministry as something Christ willed for the Church.”

3) “Much work now opens up, not only for those who hold such faith and will have to consider carefully the formal response of the Holy See, but also for the Catholic community.”

4) “This response does not alter our determined and continuing dedication to the pathway of mutual commitment and cooperation between the Church of England and the Catholic Church in this country.”

5) “We also need to appreciate what this moment makes clear about the mind of Pope Benedict XVI.”

6) “The Holy Father clearly believes that legitimate diversity does not threaten the unity of the Church.”

See Luke Coppen's blog for his comments on these 6 points.

The Ukraine's got talent! . . .

Another interesting video from Sr Anastasia.

The quality is not brilliant but it's worth sticking with, I think. These children are amazing. It certainly makes a change from all the negative images we see of so-called 'feral' children roaming the streets looking for mischief.

Everybody's talking about it . . .

It's all over the 'blogosphere'. Everyone is talking about the News Conference this morning with Archbishop Vincent Nichols and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

This was timed to take place at the same time as the announcement in Rome from the CDF. Thanks to The Hermeneutic of Continuity for the link and for the tip off that something very interesting was expected this morning.

After Mass this morning, I tried various news sites for details and couldn't find anything but got a link from Twitter (amazing how quickly news gets around by 'tweeting').

As a former Anglican myself, it is heartening to hear any news concerning a possible solution to the difficult question of how to integrate into the Catholic Church those Anglicans who wish to be received into Full Communion with Rome whilst still retaining some of their Anglican traditions.

Now I have to go and look up all these 'long words'! 'Ordinariates', 'Apostolic C0nstitution' . . .

Aahhh - Beautiful Benediction . . .

I've not long since got back from Rosary and Benediction.

I always enjoy this devotion. N0 matter how busy a Sunday or weekend it's been, it provides a little oasis of calm in the middle of the afternoon and I come away calm and refreshed, ready to tackle the rest of the day.

Today was extra special as our organist was able to play for us and we sang O Salutaris; Tantum Ergo;and Adoremus in Aeternum - you can't beat a little bit of Latin now and again!

Afterwards no-one is ever in a hurry to rush you away and as our organist quietly played Schubert's Ave Maria, the altar servers reverently cleared the altar and many people stayed behind to continue praying. Ah, bliss . . .

A little more serious - honestly! . . .

Oh upside down pudding
your troubles never stop,
‘cos upside down pudding,
your bottom is your top!!

The homily at the 10am Mass today was directed at the children and our parish priest spoke about the human tendency to wish for or even expect to be rewarded for our good behaviour (the Gospel, you remember, was about James and John asking to be seated on Jesus' right and left in heaven)

Fr was explaining to the children how Jesus turned the world upside down with his teaching and that his answer was that none of us should expect to be rewarded in this way but rather we should follow Christ's example and serve others.

I gather that at the earlier Mass, Fr had used the example of the 'upside - down pudding' to explain how when Jesus came he turned the ways of the world upside down - what looks like the top of the pudding, and is very ordinary- looking, is turned upside down to reveal a delicious and attractive topping. In the same way, when we follow Christ's example rather than the 'ways of the world' we see the very best way to live our lives.

It reminded me of the silly rhyme the Pater Familias always quoted when I used to make this pudding years ago (sadly, we're all watching our figures now and such puddings are now rare in our house - strictly high days and holidays only!)

I couldn't remember the rhyme so had to email the PF as he's away on a business trip in foreign climes. He replied straight away but said to make sure I credited the source!

Mmmm . . . . I'm feeling a little peckish now.

A bit of light relief . . .

You Are a Bit of a Procrastinator

You tend to get things done in a timely manner, but you can't help but put off tasks you hate. You have no problem getting the fun or easy stuff done. You generally enjoy taking care of responsibilities. However, if a task arises that you dislike, it might get shelved for a long time. And even though it's human nature to procrastinate, your procrastination is hindering your productivity. Take a look at the things you are putting off doing. Do they really need to be done? Complete any task that's important. The other stuff you're procrastinating is probably not worth doing.

Are You a Procrastinator?

No prizes for guessing who was messing about on the computer today doing a quiz when they should have been doing some work/ironing/gardening/tidying up etc. etc. . . . ?

I think I'm actually a little more than 'A bit of a procrastinator'!

News from afar . . .

Occasionally on this blog I’ve posted amusing stories which I’ve been forwarded by Sister Anastasia.

Today, I thought I’d share something received recently from her of a more serious nature.

Sister Anastasia who is based in the capital Colombo, has recently been to the North of the Country to visit others of her community in the area and to see what progress has been made since the ‘end of the war’ and to assess the situation for herself.

I was moved by the letter she sent and thought I’d share a few extracts with you.

‘It was nearly a year after my last visit to Jaffna. On that occasion, the war was over in the east, and the Sri Lankan military was battling it out in the north. Late in the night we could still hear the thunder of artillery firing in the distance. There were hardly any visitors to Jaffna. The tension in the air was palpable and the people melted from the streets by 5 pm.

On this occasion when I visited Jaffna the war had been over more than four months. The streets had people on them well past 9 pm and the tension was much less with the sound of thunder being only caused by lightning . . . .

One of my purposes in travelling to Jaffna was to find out how life there had changed with the end of the war apart from being with the sisters.. The first encounters, however, were not favourable ones . . .

In a manner that was similar to the physical travails of travel to Jaffna, the outer appearances in Jaffna were also unfavourable. There was the appearance of a run down town with ramshackle roads and the fearful scars of past battles in the form of massive physical destruction of buildings.

On the positive side, conditions also have improved. There has been a reduction in the level of tension, and people feel more secure about their safety. The last time I went to Jaffna people showed me where someone had been shot and another had been abducted. That was a time of great tension when half a dozen or more such incidents could occur in a day. This had all stopped . . .

The resilience of people was to be admired with the Saraswathi pooja being celebrated the schools and the children had daylong programmes for a week. It was a happy time for them. Also catechetical day fell during my stay. All the young ones are being encouraged in many ways but one cannot forget the cloud that hangs over them from the past and the long awaited bright future.

So, some signs of hope at least, thanks be to God, but oh boy, doesn't it make you think? It's reading things like this that puts it all into perspective for me. How fortunate we are with not much more to complain about than the weather and the price of our weekly supermarket shop!

The photos above are of Holy Family Convent in Jaffna.

Parlez-vous français? . . .

Fascinating!

I was just having a look at my site meter today (the way you do . . .) when I noticed that a reader in France had translated my blog into French - mind you, I don't suppose it makes a lot more sense in French, than in English!

However, I found it fascinating. I do speak a bit of French and was very interested to see how it read. If any Francophiles out there would like to have a look at the French version of 'Melange d'Musing' click on the link here.

Now for something completely different . . .

As I said, we left the Teams Gathering to go onto another function in the evening. This was a company 'do' at an hotel in Cobham, only about 20 minutes drive away.

It was a real luxury to be able to relax in the hotel before the dinner, unwind and take our time to get ready to go and join nearly 100 other colleagues and their wives or husbands.

This was an annual event for all employees who have served with company for 25 years or more and they always do us proud with a lovely meal followed by not-too-long speeches and dancing.

As the Pater Familias has retired from the company now, this will probably be the last time we will qualify for this event so we really made the most of it.

A late, relaxed breakfast (now that is a luxury!) followed by a short drive home and plenty of time to catch up with the chores before Monday morning. As I've often heard others say, 'God is good!'

Teams of Our Lady Gathering at Wonersh . . .

The Teams of Our Lady Gathering at St John's Seminary, Wonersh went very well on Saturday. After the overcast day at Aylesford, we had a lovely sunny drive down along the A25 to Wonersh. I always enjoy this drive whatever the weather, passing through lots of Surrey villages on the way; out beyond Dorking, past Abinger Hammer, Gomshall, then through Chilworth and beyond.

There were over 140 of us gathered from all over the Southern Region. The animating team had done a really good job on the organisational side and everything was in place when we arrived. Name badges, booklets, coffee and tea on tap and a delicious shared lunch. We were even treated to scrumptious home cakes at the afternoon tea break.

We had an excellent talk from Fr Tim Buckley CSsR on the theme of 'Passing on the Faith' which gave us all plenty to think about and discuss in our workshops. We had to miss the talk by Emily Davis from CASE later on as we left early to go and get ready for an evening 'do' elsewhere.

The picture above shows the altar in the ambulacrum as you enter the seminary with, very appropriately, a photo of Ste Thérèse

Venerating the Relics of Ste Thérèse . .

I joined our parish outing to The Friars at Aylesford today and am very pleased that I did. It was quite a cool day today but having visited Aylesford before I knew what to expect and wrapped up well.

It was worth it. There were plenty of people there including lots of children and young people but we all managed to find a seat easily and had a good view as the relics arrived by car as far as the Gatehouse and were then carried by the 'Knights' to the place of honour in the main shrine.

A slight embarrassment as we were sitting in the front row of the rear seats and were surprised when one of the local media thrust a microphone in our faces and asked why we were here! Nothing like being put on the spot - I mumbled something barely coherent so I'm sure it would have been scrapped straightaway. (Note to self - when sitting in a visible spot and there are media people around, don't make eye contact!)

Off to Wonersh tomorrow for the Teams Conference - it's all go!

Busy bees . . .

My 'manic Monday' is fast becoming a 'manic week'.

I'm joining the parish outing to The Friars at Aylesford on Friday with Number One Son to venerate the relics of Ste Thérèse. I'm looking forward to this naturally but it means I'll have a day less in the office so tomorrow will be a bit of a rush to get everything done in time for the weekend.

On Saturday the Pater Familias and I will be going to St John's Seminary, Wonersh for the Teams of Our Lady Gathering. 140 members of Teams in the South East will be coming together for talks, workshops, lunch together and finishing with Mass.

We have a clash as we also have a company 'do' in the evening so have to leave Wonersh in the afternoon to go and get 'spruced up' for dinner in the evening.

We're treating ourselves to an overnight stay at the hotel where the office function is being held - I'm really looking forward to that - especially the breakfast! This means of course that we'll miss our usual morning Mass and go to Mass on Sunday evening which this week is followed by a bit of a social to welcome new parishioners to our parish. We'll be going along as 'old hands' to welcome the newcomers.

After that I'll be ready to go home and put my feet up - hooray!

Does God exist?

I saw this on a friend's Facebook recently. I expect it's 'doing the rounds' but I thought I'd post it here for readers who don't use Facebook.

It particularly appealed to me as I'm still in 'German mode' after our recent trip to Cologne (or should I say 'Köln'?)

Manic Monday . . .

It's been one of those 'Manic Mondays' at work today. Which reminds of this old hit from the 80's.

Mind you, this later acoustic version doesn't sound anything like as manic as my day today.

Hope you enjoy it anyway.

The things people say . . .

Sometimes I'm struck by the slightly amusing and misleading expressions I hear used by fellow-parishioners.

I don't know if it's peculiar to our parish but I suspect not. Have you ever played the game 'Pictionary'? It involves someone drawing a picture and the opposing person or team having to guess what phrase or expression the drawing is supposed to represent.

How about this one?

At the risk of sounding like Rolf Harris, 'do you know what it is yet?'

Some people I know when talking about going to Mass have a habit of saying, ' I took Mass at St John's (or St Joseph's or whichever church they attended for Sunday Mass.) Am I the only one who finds this odd? Just where are they taking the Holy Mass to, I wonder and how are they able to transport it?

Here's another one. When our children had just celebrated their First Holy Communion and were thinking about becoming altar servers, several of the other mothers would say something along the lines of, 'Oh, I do like to see my son on the altar'.

The picture above is my version of the image this has always conjured up in my head when I hear this. It still makes me smile when I hear it.

Does anyone else have any other similar expressions that make them smile, I wonder?

From the sublime to the ridiculous . . .

First of all the sublime . . .

We only had two nights in Cologne so as obviously we wouldn't be able to see everything, we opted for the cathedral as a priority, and a city tour to give us a flavour of the place. Both were good choices. Here is the magnificent reliquary of the Three Kings which is placed near the main altar in the cathedral.

And here is . . .

This photo was taken from the top of a city tour bus and just made me smile - who said Germans don't have a sense of humour? This seems proof to the contrary! Quote of the week from our travelling companion Danny - 'It's a Köln Cone'

Charles Bridge . . .

When I told friends we were going to Prague, one of the things they all said was, 'you must visit Charles Bridge'. Strange, I thought, to get so enthusiastic about a bridge no matter how interesting it might be architecturally, but having seen it myself, I too would recommend all visitors to Prague to add it to their 'not to be missed' list.

We first visited it in the evening and even then could see it was an amazing bridge but decided to go back in the morning and see it in daylight.

Charles Bridge is Prague’s oldest bridge. Its foundation stone was laid by Charles IV 1357 and the construction stretched almost for the rest of the 14th century.

There is still today a large arch at either end of the bridge which links the old town to the newer part of the town on opposite sides of the river.

What makes it really interesting are the 30 sculptures spaced out along the bridge, 15 on either side.

Sadly they all seem in need of a good clean but even in their current state you can imagine what an amazing impact they must have had when originally erected.

Here are just a few photos:

The arched entrance to the bridge from the old town.

St John of Nepomuk. He was a priest and court confessor. Legend has it that he refused to break the seal of the confessional and divulge the details of the Queen's confession. As a result he was tortured, bound and gagged and thrown from the bridge. Five stars appeared above the place where he entered the water which is why the statue is crowned with the same stars.


Another legend is that if you touch the plaque at the base of St John's statue you will be certain to return to Prague some day.

The bronze Hebrew inscription (Holy, Holy, Holy God) on the crucifix came in 1696 from the fine of a Jew, who jibed at the cross.

St Bernard

There is so much I could write about our trip but I think I've gone on enough for now. Maybe a few photos from Cologne tomorrow . . .

It's no good, I couldn't keep away . . .

Gosh, where to start?

I must admit I've enjoyed a little break from posting but recently have just felt there are so many things I wanted to blog about - mainly our recent holiday.

We drove to Prague with some very good friends - when I say 'we' I mean the menfolk took it turns whilst we 'girls' sat in the back seat giving 'advice' !! We had a very good journey stopping overnight in Cologne on the way there and again on the return journey and had a great time.

Talk about coincidences - when the Pater Familias and number one son joined a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May they were following in the footsteps of Pope Benedict all the way. In one of the hotels they stayed in, the Holy Father had been there the previous day.

Naturally in Prague we visited the church of Our Lady of Victory where the statue of the Infant of Prague is situated. We couldn't help but notice that there were posters outside the churches publicising the visit of Pope Benedict just a few days after us.

Friends and family reading this will recognise the Pater Familias in this shot kneeling in almost the same spot as the Holy Father would be kneeling a few days later.

The beautiful altar to Ste Thérèse- again particularly apt at this time when her relics are touring the UK.

The magnificent High Altar.

And a slightly clearer picture of 'The Infant of Prague.'