A different perspective . . .

Well, we've been and 'gorn' and done it, as the saying goes. For years I've been threatening to drag the family away for a few days at Christmas and after 30 years of hosting the family Christmas, we took the plunge and decided to spend Christmas away from home.

Not sun-soaked beaches for us, or alpine resorts but a lovely, comfortable, peaceful cottage a few miles from Salisbury and within driving distance of the New Forest for our Boxing Day walk.

Overall I think it was very much a success. Of course we missed being in the parish for Midnight Mass and exchanging Christmas greetings with all our friends there but we went to a lovely Midnight Mass in Salisbury and it was quite nice for a change to be the 'visitors' in the parish rather than the 'welcomers'.

We had booked the cottage on the internet but it was even better in reality than in the photos and description on the web site. We had lots of space for just the four of us and everything was provided - just down to us to provide and cook the Christmas lunch. Luckily all my 'menfolk' are always very willing and helpful in the kitchen so it worked very well.

I don't know that I would like to do this every year but it was the most relaxing Christmas for quite a while.

On the way home we stopped for a good look around Salisbury Cathedral and I couldn't help smiling to myself when the Cathedral guide took us to the tomb of St Osmond and explained what an important part he had to play in the building of the original Cathedral at Old Sarum and in the formation of the Sarum use and rite.

I say I smiled to myself, as the previous evening we had been to Midnight Mass in the Catholic church opposite the Cathedral which is dedicated to St Osmond. I wonder what the saint in question would have thought of the strange situation where his remains are laid to rest in the Anglican cathedral on one side of the road whilst Mass is being celebrated in the Roman Rite on the other side of the road in a church dedicated to his memory.

Rose vestments? . . . You bet!

Gaudete in Domino semper. (Rejoice in the Lord always)

I really enjoy Gaudete Sunday, as indeed we are supposed to. What's not to like about rejoicing?!

It does make a difference having the 'proper' rose-coloured vestments. We will have beautiful flowers in church again tomorrow after a bare-looking sanctuary for the past couple of Sundays, and I'm sure we shall have some lovely joyful hymns too.

It does us all good to have this Sunday of joyful encouragement to persevere with our spiritual preparations for the arrival of Our Saviour at Christmas

It's very tempting to get out the decorations and the lights etc. etc. and get into the full swing of Christmas as many of our neighbours here seem to be doing already but we still have two more full weeks to wait. I am happy to focus on Advent for a while longer. We have our Advent wreath at home and shall light the rose-coloured candle tomorrow.

I do like the quote from Pope Benedict in the CTS Sunday Missal that introduces tomorrow's Mass (at least it does in my version of the Missal. I assume it is the same for all editions).

"What does 'the Lord is at hand' mean? In what sense must we understand this 'closeness' of God? The Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit, already at that time understood increasingly better that God's 'closeness' is not a question of space and time but rather of love: love brings people together! This coming Christmas will remind us of this fundamental truth of our faith and in front of the manger we shall be able to savour Christian joy contemplating in the newborn Jesus the Face of God who made himself close to us out of love."

NB. Photo above is of last year's wreath as we shan't light our 'rose' candle until tomorrow, although as it's past time for Vespers I suppose we could light it now.

Updating my blog list . . .

I have just discovered that this little blog appears on the blog list of two other Catholic bloggers.

I naturally wish to repay the compliment and have thus now added two more excellent blogs to my own list. Do please pop over to Porta Caeli and Linen on the Hedgerow and see what they have to say.

The Angelus . . .

I always consider myself very fortunate in that we can hear the Angelus bell of our local church from inside our house.

This evening ours was a very quiet household, not that we're particularly noisy at the best of times. I was sitting at the computer, the Pater Familias was similarly quiet and Our Eldest was not yet home from work.

6pm and the bell rang out clearly three times. Occasionally I also hear it at midday on my day off if I'm at home or in the garden or walking around locally.

I love this sound. It sums up so much for me in just the three rings of the bell.

I love that it reminds me of the continuity of our faith. I always picture the famous Millet painting of the workers in the field pausing in their work to pray this simple prayer.

I too, can easily pause in whatever I am doing to spend the few minutes it takes to pray the Angelus prayer.

I was prompted to do a little research as I know very little about the origins of the Angelus.

The prayer in the form we know it today dates from the first half of the Sixteenth Century but the practice of reciting the Hail Mary three times in a row daily dates from at least the Twelfth Century. St Anthony of Padua strongly recommended it, and St Bonaventure, amongst others.

The ringing of a bell was introduced at this time so that all the faithful would know that after Compline it was time to recite the Hail Mary.

Pope Sixtus IV in 1475 endowed the recitation of the Angelus at noon with an indulgence, and this was extended by Pope Leo X to those who recited it in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

It is of course particularly relevant during Advent as we prepare for Our Lord's coming at Christmas as it is a devotion based on the Annunciation, the message of the Incarnation delivered by the Angel to Mary.

Woohoo, it's arrived . . . !

I had a lovely surprise when I got home from work on Saturday - a parcel from CTS containing . . . . yes, you guessed it, my new Sunday Missal!

I had put this on my birthday list a few weeks ago although I knew it would not be available until now. I had my fingers crossed that it might have been ordered by someone and true enough the Pater Familias has come up trumps again.

I can't wait to have a really good look at it. It is a beautiful book and I shall treat it with great care whilst making sure I use it. I do believe books are for reading no matter how beautiful they might be.

Martyrs: English, Canonised, Beatified and otherwise important . . . !

I must admit to being a little confused today. (What's new, I hear some say!).

Several mentions have appeared in the blogosphere, on Twitter and in conversations generally, to The Feast of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales.

In July last year four new feast days were approved for the National Calendar in England and Wales.

The saints in question, naturally, all have special significance for England and Wales.

St Gregory the Great (3rd September), St Thomas Becket (29th December), The English Martyrs (4th May) and St Augustine of Canterbury (27th May).

When Saints' feast days are elevated to a National Calendar it means that feast takes precedence over the universal calendar of the Church which is why we are not celebrating the feast of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales today as we used to.

Simple, really. I hope I've got that right. That's how how I understand it to be.

So, what happens to the feast day of the 40 martyrs canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1973? I hear you say.

They haven't been forgotten. We now celebrate their feast with the 85 beatified Martyrs of the Reformation and other later martyrs. This includes such well-known saints as St Margaret Clitherow and St Cuthbert Mayne, on the feast of the English Martyrs on 4th May.

I knew I'd have an opportunity to post some of the photos I took last week at St Osmund's in Salisbury. They have a marvellous collection of stained glass windows portraying the English Martyrs. I hope you enjoy them. (As usual, 'double-click' on the photos to see a larger version)

I took several more photos and may upload a short slide show later if I have time.

A day off and a day out . . .

We had a lovely day out last week on my day off. We went to do a 'recce' of the holiday home that we've booked for Christmas.

We couldn't find anywhere available right in the New Forest where we wanted to be but found a very acceptable place not far from Salisbury which is a beautiful Cathedral city and not that far away to drive into the New Forest for exploring (weather permitting & fingers crossed!) on days out.

We don't take the opportunity often enough to have a day out as a couple, I think, and it was good to be just the two of us for a change.

We were lucky to have chosen a beautiful sunny day for our outing and having located the cottage, we then set off to explore Salisbury. I can't remember if I've visited the town before but I was very impressed. I think most Cathedral cities are very attractive with a good combination of historic buildings and modern amenities.

We strolled through the town and everyone seemed to be enjoying the sunshine -what a plethora of fantastic coffee shops and patisseries - my idea of heaven!

On my 'to do' list was also 'find the nearest Catholic church' so armed with my printout from the web we located the nearest Catholic Chapel in Downton (no Abbey in sight!) and also the beautiful Pugin church of St Osmund in the centre of Salisbury. We're hoping that we'll be able to go to Midnight Mass there on Christmas Eve.

The Cathedral has a very interesting exhibition of life-size sculptures of people dotted around the Cathedral (outside) and they were even to be found in the cloister and the quadrangle.

We didn't want to be too late getting home so set off on the return journey in the early afternoon. We found a lovely pub for a super very late lunch on the way home - one to remember for our trip in December.

The Comedian and the Archbishop . . .

Those of you who are familiar with Twitter will know there is an option to 'favourite' a Tweet. It can be used in various ways but I use it in the same way as I might 'bookmark' a web site or page so that I can easily find it when I want to come back to it later.

A while ago I had 'favourited' a link to a discussion between the comedian Frank Skinner and the Archbishop of Canterbury. I had heard favourable reports of this event and thought I'd come back to it when I had time to read it or listen to it in full.

If you haven't already heard it you'll find a link here both to the audio version or, if you prefer, a transcript of the discussion.

I do think it was well worth the half hour or so I spent reading the transcript. I was very taken with Frank Skinner's ability to talk about his faith and, even in the written word, the spark between the two men was apparent. I think there was a mutual respect between the two.

I wouldn't say I agreed with Frank Skinner on everything he mentioned but quite of lot of what he, and the Archbishop, said resonated with me. Here are a few examples . . .

- but when I go to church on a Sunday morning I feel like we are discussing the most profound important serious things in the middle of a children's playground, and I find it quite difficult often just to even hear what's being said in a homily, for example. In the Catholic church I imagine this is even worse, because we are not that big on contraception as you may have heard. So there are a lot of kids screaming and shouting. I think it's a real problem. I think it makes church - I love kids and I love kids being around - but I kind of go there to be inspired. I kind of go there to be given something by the priest that I will take away with me and it will get me through that week.

and . . .

- And my point is, I’m not sure and in fact I think faith, that kind of complete and utter blind faith, is a very dangerous thing. I see myself as a person of doubt, and I think doubt is absolutely at the centre of being a human being, and is important. I worry when I hear religious people who have no doubt, just fundamentalist beliefs, and I worry when I hear atheists who seem to have no doubt at all. I think that that is an essential part of being a human being. And I think that when Jesus is on the cross and says “my Lord, my Lord, why have you forsaken me?” that’s the moment when he completely becomes a human being - and then he can die because he's done the full works. So I don't think anyone in this church tonight who believes in God should feel bad if there are days when they find it very very hard to believe.

And even slightly . . .

I sometimes wonder if maybe it's not a bad thing that churches don't have as many people in as they used to. I’m quite keen on quality rather than quantity. There was a time when there was a big social pressure to go to church, so a lot of the people there didn’t really want to be there and weren’t that interested. I know it often looks like the people there are not that interested, but I often look around during a sermon - just for something to do really - and I look at the people and people are looking at their shoes but I think, you never know actually – someone can look bored but inside they might be thinking very profound spiritual thoughts about their life. I would never assume. I think anyone who’s at church now, unless they’re a child who’s been dragged along, are there because they’ve made that decision. There is certainly no social pressure to go to church. On the contrary. So it might be good to have less people who are more committed.

So if you've get a few moments to spare, have a look or listen and see what you think.

St Cosmas and St Damian . . .

This one is for all you 'plantsmen' out there . . .

Here is one half of the fourth century martyred twins whose memorial falls today.

Well, for years I was under the impression that it was Saint Cosmos and Saint Damian and that was probably where the flower got its name from for some obscure reason! Of course I'm much older and wiser now . . .

So this beautiful photo is for all doctors and those who care for the sick with a prayer for them all.

Catholic Saint of the Day Church Christian Books Bible

God Welcome Prayer to the Catholic Answers Online Shop. As a shopper, you can browse through our product catalog of faithfully-Catholic titles, Jesus place your selections into your cart, and then click "Check out" to select shipping and payment options. As always, we have designed this new site to comply with the latest security standards. For more details, please see our:

Christ Pope Vatican Apologetics Mass Sacraments Saints Moral Chastity Church History Fathers. Spiritual Exercises Ignatius. Church of Rome Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit is the third person of the holy Trinity. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God. St. Joseph if the foster father of Jesus as we know from the Bible and tradition, which is part of revelation.

Harvest Sunday . . .

According to our Diocesan Directory, tomorrow is Harvest Sunday.

I don't how this is remembered in your area but I always feel it's a bit of a non-event somehow.

I was brought up in the Anglican tradition with great emphasis put on our annual parish Harvest Supper; a church building where every possible nook and cranny was crammed with some sort of natural produce.

Even though it was an urban parish, it really was an amazing sight to a youngster who came from a family where food was always adequate but not usually abundant.

To see real sheaves of corn and the amazing skill of local bakers who had lovingly produced the huge (to my eyes) harvest loaves in the shape of sheaves of corn and 'cottage' loaves appetisingly placed on windowsills that were just out of reach (probably just as well) was an absolute delight.

And what Harvest Festival Sunday Eucharist was complete without 'We Plough the Fields and Scatter' sung with great gusto by all present.

I remember my first experience of a Harvest Sunday in a Catholic Church and was struck by the contrast between the celebration of Harvest today and my childhood memories. It was hardly marked at all. Perhaps a reference in the Prayers of Intercession but I don't think there was any other reference to giving thanks to God for his bountiful provision for us through his creation.

Perhaps it has changed in the Anglican church too.

A beautiful Mass . . .

Well, where to start? I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the special Mass at Westminster Cathedral today in Thanksgiving for the Anniversary of Pope Benedict's visit to the UK.

I say 'fortunate' but I also felt very privileged to be there. We were luck to have excellent seats with a very clear view of the altar. Not being particularly tall, to put it mildly, I was quite prepared for having to sit behind some fairly tall people, or even 'women in hats' as we were advised that the dress code was 'smart'.

We were seated for about an hour and half before Mass began and I was impressed with the reverent silence all around. Sadly, this isn't always the case, I've found, when large groups of Catholics gather.

Before the clergy processed into the cathedral we were treated to a procession of Knights (and Dames) and other dignitaries; a splendid spectacle. Instantly recognisable are the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and the Knights of Malta. Who are the Knights in dark green uniform? Are they the Knight of St Gregory?

It's always encouraging to see so many young seminarians. They moved around the cathedral giving out programmes before Mass, smiling and courteous, naturally. A marvellous sign of hope for the future.

We were wondering about the music for the Mass; would we hear any of the new Mass settings? As it happened we were treated to Mozart's Spatzenmesse and, one of my favourites, Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, at Holy Communion. I think I floated on air all the way back to Victoria station.

It was frustrating as I had a fantastic view to take photographs but naturally didn't as I couldn't have done it unobtrusively. Maybe I'll have to think about getting a 'serious' camera that I can use to take photos inside without using a flash. Do such things exist? I do like taking 'snaps' with my little 'point and shoot' camera but it is very basic.

I did manage to take one sneaky picture before Mass began but the external shot is one I took on my last visit.

A cure for most things . . .

I was really looking forward to a lazy day off today. Things have been very busy recently and I usually find when I'm getting over tired and stressed, a few extra hours in bed has an amazingly restorative effect.

Being a firm believer in the saying, 'pictures speak louder than words' this is what I had planned for today:

Plus

Equals

Or, even . . .

Sadly, this was not to be as our neighbour had decided that today, and in particular, as early as possible today, would be a good time for this . . .

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . .

I'm off to find a peaceful coffee shop for the second best remedy to all ills - a good cappuccino!

Is it really a year ago . . . ?

I was really pleased to receive my invitation to the Mass of Thanksgiving at Westminster Cathedral in the post today. I was a little anxious as there were a few administrative problems at the time of the Papal Visit which meant that our parish, and a few others, didn't receive any Pilgrim Packs for those who went to the Hyde Park event. I'm relieved that all has gone smoothly this time.

In some ways, it's hard to believe it's a year ago that we were all glued to the TV/Computer/Twitter etc. hanging on every word that the Holy Father said, and delighting in the images relayed from the various places Pope Benedict visited during his visit to the UK.

I can vividly remember the huge 'high' we were on at the time, and dashing back from our parish Mass to catch as much as possible 'live' of the Beatification at Cofton Park.

We have recently shared in a repeat of some of those heady days in following the coverage of the recent World Youth Day in Madrid.

It will be a wonderful privilege to be present for the Mass of Thanksgiving at Westminster Cathedral. I'm really looking forward to it.

Something old, something new . . .

How was your weekend? Ours was great.

Something old? . . . . You don't get many things much older than a Royal Castle that dates back to the Norman Conquest. To celebrate the birthday of our older son we had an outing to Windsor Castle on Saturday, at his request. It's many years since our last family visit but vague memories returned as we strolled passed the queue of waiting tourists to collect our pre-booked tickets (wise move!)

It was a gloriously sunny day on Saturday and Windsor was very busy but the castle is large enough not to feel crowded.

It was difficult to take any photos without including lots of strangers but here are a few shots anyway.

Of course we had to walk along the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park.

St George's Chapel. Not a brilliant view but we were rushing to have enough time to have a good look inside before the last entry at 4pm.

A beautiful peaceful spot. One never knows quite what to do with a redundant moat, does one?

Visitors everywhere but Queen Victoria looks on unperturbed. Perhaps she was actually 'amused' to see some many people interested in looking around one of her old castles.

And the something new? . . . Naturally, I'm referring to the first Sunday Mass using the New Translation of the Missal.

From the point of view of one of those sitting in the pews, I think it went very well. I hope our PP thought so too. Of course they were a few times during the Mass when people nearby could be heard automatically using the old responses. It's difficult to tell whether this was because they'd taken their eyes off the New Translation cards helpfully provided in the pews, or a momentary lapse in concentration.

Strangely it seems that one of the slight changes that one would imagine would be the easiest to grasp, i.e. from 'And also with you' to 'And with your spirit' seems to be the one that caused the most slip-ups.

Not only is it very straightforward but it also occurs several times during the Mass so we get a chance to practise it. I seemed to be able to get it right some of the time but not every time, and I certainly wasn't alone in this. I'm looking forward to more practice in the coming days and weeks.

We should be word perfect by Christmas, if not Advent!

Out with the Old and in with the New . . .

Ooh, I was so excited this morning. I was up at the crack of dawn to get to church for Mass this morning.

Our Parish Priest has decided to begin using the New Translation of the Missal at the weekday Masses this week to help ease the transition into using the new translation for everyone this coming Sunday.

Being a Bank Holiday, there were fewer than usual at Mass this morning, probably not many more than a dozen of us.

We were all clasping our new Order of Mass sheets, eager to join in with the new responses on cue.

Our PP has been gradually introducing some of the new texts over the past few weeks so the regular parishioners should already be familiar with some of them. I have been saying some of the basic new responses such as 'and with your spirit' and 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed' under my breath too to try and get them into my head so that they become automatic.

As several other people have commented, one of the positive side-effects of the new translation is that it makes one much more aware of the words being spoken, both by the celebrant and the congregation. It's interesting how much of the liturgy is so ingrained in our minds that just a few minor alterations, make one's ears prick up and many heads were lifted today when the old, familiar words were replaced with new, and usually, more fitting ones.

Today, our priest used the First Eucharist Prayer which I think is the most beautiful anyway, but it was so very meaningful because every word made a mark today, at least for me.

I must say, I think we acquitted ourselves very well for a first attempt. Hopefully by Friday, we'll all be beginning to feel a little more at home with the new translation and be able to give a bit of a lead to others on Sunday.

Perhaps the real challenge will be to see how we get on with the Gloria and the Creed which of course we don't say during the week.

The Devil's Punchbowl - revisited . . .

Sometimes on a Sunday we manage to drive a little further afield and enjoy a day's outing with a bit of a walk and a bite to eat.

We haven't been to The Devil's Punchbowl in Hindhead since the opening of the new A3 Hindhead by-pass with the amazing tunnel.

Being a typical female, I must admit I don't usually get terribly excited about new roads, tunnels etc. but I was curious to see how access to the National Trust car park at the Devil's Punchbowl might be affected. Also being married to a civil (most of the time) engineer - sorry, couldn't resist that old chestnut - who for at least some of his working life was involved in similar projects it seemed like a good idea.

The tunnel was very impressive actually; lighter and airier than most road tunnels I've been in before. The old A3 road which ran alongside the Devil's Punchbowl Café is being returned to nature so that Hindhead Common is reunited with the Devil's Punchbowl. The road now stops just after the entrance to the car park. It's very odd driving practically up to the end of a previously very busy road which now just ends abruptly with temporary barriers. It seems to work well enough though and the car park was full as usual so the disruption doesn't appear to have deterred people from visiting this beautiful spot which is a haven for wildlife and walkers.

I didn't think to take any photos inside the tunnel but I found this video on YouTube of a Ferrari going through the tunnel. I'm afraid the only way we're going to drive through in a Ferrari is in our imagination.

The heather was really beautiful, a sea of subtly different shades of lilac and purple. We obviously picked the optimum time to see it.

Our route also took us past some friendly-looking highland cattle.

The Café came up trumps with Bangers and Mash; we had an enjoyably tiring walk and managed to miss the showers. I think I can say, a jolly good time was had by all.

An Armchair Pilgrim . . .

Photo Credit: Madrid11_en

I've been so busy following World Youth Day on Social Media and the live streaming on the Internet, I haven't had time to blog about it at the same time.

As one who is well past 'Youth' I nevertheless found it an amazing experience. It was so uplifting, so encouraging and so energising to see so many young people from all around the world who are enthusiastic about their faith.

I found all the liturgies very moving in different ways; from the exuberance of the opening Mass to the amazing closing Mass and of course the Vigil and Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. To see over a million youngsters in the aerodrome at Cuatro Vientos and the transformation from a jubilant carnival-like atmosphere having welcomed Pope Benedict, to a sea of silently adoring youngsters on their knees as the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in the amazing monstrance was a truly incredible sight.

I could go on and on . . . The beautiful Stations of the Cross with the transportable Pasos; the Holy Father struggling against the buffeting winds of the storm at Cuatro Vientos (it looked as if all four winds were making their presence felt); the young people so happy to be there with Pope Benedict that they seemed quite oblivious of the downpour; the beautiful singing of the Gospel at the Welcoming Liturgy by Ordinariate Deacon James Bradley etc. etc.

There are many videos, photos and blogs of the whole World Youth Day event in Madrid but it's interesting to hear some of the statistics now in the calm which has descended.

2,000,000 participants . . . 14,000 priests . . . 800 bishops . . . 192 nations . . .

Feast of the Assumption . . .

Time for a video, I think. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

I saw this quote from Pope Benedict XVI on the website Women for Faith and Family.

"By contemplating Mary in heavenly glory, we understand that the earth is not the definitive homeland for us either, and that if we live with our gaze fixed on eternal goods we will one day share in this same glory and the earth will become more beautiful. Consequently, we must not lose our serenity and peace even amid the thousands of daily difficulties. The luminous sign of Our Lady taken up into Heaven shines out even more brightly when sad shadows of suffering and violence seem to loom on the horizon.

"We may be sure of it: from on high, Mary follows our footsteps with gentle concern, dispels the gloom in moments of darkness and distress, reassures us with her motherly hand. Supported by awareness of this, let us continue confidently on our path of Christian commitment wherever Providence may lead us. Let us forge ahead in our lives under Mary's guidance".

— Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience at Castel Gandolfo Aug. 16, 2006

I don't think I could improve on what Our Holy Father has to say so I'll leave it at that!

29 days and counting . . .

Well, I'm ready, are you?

One of the reasons I went up to the 'big bad city' on my day off the other week was to have a mooch around the CTS bookshop and St Paul's Bookshop by the cathedral.

Of course the main reason was to spend the day with Our Youngest and give his new abode the once-over, but the bookshop thing was also quite important.

As soon as I saw the Order of Mass book that Our Eldest had received through the post, I reverted to my childhood and almost stamped my foot and said, à la Violet Elizabeth Bott, I want one, I want it now and if I don't get one 'I'll sthcream and sthcream 'till I'm thick!'

No need for any screaming, you'll be pleased to know. I came home with several useful little booklets including those pictured above. Now I'm counting the days until the first Sunday in September when we begin using the New Translation of the Missal.

Lazy Summer's Afternoon . . .

I love my garden . . .

Sorry, I couldn't bear to leave any out . . .

Pushkin the Oratory Cat . . .

I've been asked to publicise this interview . It's not often that one is asked to promote a blog featuring an interview with a cat, albeit a very famous cat, at least in certain circles!

In any case, I'm happy to do so. Do please pop over to the Catholic Heritage blog and see for yourself.

Silent Sunday . . .

Alien invaders . . .

Standing chatting to my friend outside our house after our walk on Thursday, (the way only women can, even though they've been together chatting for the past few hours anyway!) my friend pointed to the top of a neighbour's beech tree and commented, 'Oh, no, look at that. Looks like we're being visited by green parakeets'

Straining my eyes I could make out what she was looking at perched at the top of the tree, and, as the bird flew away, I heard the squawking cry.

Over the last couple of days, as I've left or returned to the house, sure enough the new arrivals are definitely still around.

I had heard that these noisy invaders were not particularly welcome but wasn't sure why so I did a bit of 'googling' to find out.

Apart from the fact that they dominate the bird feeders in our gardens, I can imagine their squawking can soon become quiet annoying.

It's early days yet, so I'm reserving judgement until they chase away all the smaller birds from our garden.

They made a lovely splash of colour at any rate.

10 Reasons to go to Confession . . .

Thanks to the link from The Anchoress on Twitter for this blog post by Sr Mary Ann Walsh on Confession.

Amongst Sr Mary's ten reasons for going to Confession she includes; housekeeping for the soul, a balm for the desire for revenge, and free therapy!

Something that struck me as being particularly helpful was 'forced time to think'.

I find that making time for a good Examination of Conscience before I go to Confession is critical in making a good Confession and 'making the most of' the Sacrament. Not that I'm saying I always manage to achieve this but I try, and as in so many things, I find that the better the preparation, the better the result and when I've rushed the preparation, I'm not usually very satisfied with the end product.

There are innumerable resources 'out there' to help us with Confession but I think there's always room for another.