Blogging silence due to overload

A brief moment of relaxation - the weather is glorious - so there must be time to swim!

The gaps get longer and longer between posting a blog due to the work load of this rector's wife (who doesn't do scones, Sunday school, flowers, rotas or clean brasses). Over the last few weeks, these have been a few of my 'duties':-

1. Make door curtains into 18th Century dress for myself

2. Research then find pattern for 18th Century Rector's costume and make.

3. Find / make suitable headwear for said costumes including wig for rector.

5. Fill in for church secretary at church warden's meeting and take minutes.

6. Write up minutes.

7. Meet with enthusiastic group to share ideas for church display during village fete.

8. Visit scrap store to find materials for previously mentioned project.

9. Poo pick horse fields in midday sun for owners x4

10. Back a young horse for first time and survive.

11. Rescue mauled pigeon and make decision over its future.

12. Attend lunch party, supper party x2 and not look tired.

13. Plan menu for 'come and share' August house groups being held at Rectory x5

14. Redecorate upstairs smallest room (not finished)

15. Remember to celebrate 33rd wedding anniversary

16. Find suitable clothes for supper at the Bishop's (what is suitable?)

17. Attend supper with Bishop and smile.

18. Keep newly planted garden vaguely alive with constant watering.

19. Chase grouse / partridge / pheasants out of the garden before they get vegetables or dogs get them.

20. Arrange / hid clutter so spare room is available for my mother's visit.

21. Visit beach, National Trust houses and sewing shop.

22. Organise my mother to sew on 24 buttons to rector's 18th century costume (now button holes to do)

23. Organise spare room for nephew to stay while on work placement - he won't mind clutter!

24. Pick the vast number of gooseberries - and try to find a home for them (I don't do jam / pickles)

25. Pick remaining white and black currants - the birds have got there first.

26. Write blog ....so here it is!

PS I forgot to mention the fantastic evening spent on the beach with my husband - life is good!

Returning relaxed, revived and raring to go.

What a difference a week away makes to how we view life. We have been back from Devon a week now and, as usual, The Rector@6 had to hit the ground running...and so did I, as I am now helping with some Andalusian horses (adding to the heavy horses and the Dutch friesians who I visit). Suddenly life seems exciting again. We have had a week together in the familiar surroundings of our PO days (pre ordination), the weather was kind to us. We travelled from South coast to North coast and spent a day riding on the bit between. We went to see a film (this is now a luxury as we are not near a cinema in Dorset). We watched Summer in February, which is about an Edwardian artist colony and the erratic artist, Sir Alfred Munnings. It was romantic, moody, with stirring music and a stunning setting on the Cornish coast - pure escapism. And we stopped talking church!

The dining room

It took several days to unwind and to discover that life was not totally centred around six parishes and their parishioners. Our three hundred year old cottage did what it has always done since we have lived here - it soothed and relaxed us and reminded us of who we are. The much loved garden, where I know almost every plant, is overgrown after months of neglect but the roses and wild flowers are stunning. Some evenings, the garden was framed with a huge expanse of inky blue night sky, scattered with handfuls of stars. This is the place to see shooting stars.

The Rector in high places

We were supposed to be doing repairs on the house - and we did do some - but the fine weather seduced us and we walked the coastal footpaths and paddled in the chilly sea. We had the beaches to ourselves (most of the time) and there is no better place to be reminded of how insignificant we are, than under the towering rocky cliffs. It was time to just stand and stare and breathe deeply. When we first moved to Devon, these were the secret beaches - the ones that you had to climb down a long, overgrown path to, or walk the fisherman's (smuggler's) path to find. Now there are footpath signs and even road signs sending people to the nearest parking places. I know it's good to share but sometimes......I would prefer not to. These are the places that need to be chanced upon or passed on by word of mouth. That way they keep their magic and do not succumb to the health and safety brigade and TV chef's latest, greatest authentic dining experience. But to tempt you to step out and chance upon these places yourself, I will share some of  the photos - then you must get the map out and find them for yourselves.                                                          

One path down to the beach

and another secret path..

 

view across to a well known island and hotel

Happiness is on a horse on Dartmoor

Riding on Dartmoor is such a contrast to riding in Dorset - the wide-open spaces, capped with an expanse of sky, make you feel like you are riding on the top of the world. When the weather is kind, you can see for miles and miles - right out to the ships entering the Plymouth Sound. At times the silence is engulfing. At other times, there are sky larks high above you, singing as if their lungs will burst. You can feel like you are 'home on the range', surrounded by grazing cattle or, at this time of year, by ponies with diminutive foals, each one seeming cuter than the next.

We have had a lovely afternoon, the Rector@6 rode out for the first time since we left Dartmoor. He has been too busy in the new parish to escape for a horse ride with me in Dorset. I fear the afternoon's ride may have a lasting effect on him - in more ways than one!

Back Home!

I know - I'm not allowed to say that I am back home because we have moved to Dorset but we still have our house in South Devon. So here we are and it's good to be back for a week of R and R.

The Throne Room

This is a delicate, personal subject. I have come to realise how important it is for the smallest room in the house to be comfortable! I shouldn't complain - I have an indoor, upstairs flushing (on 3 attempts) wc in our house - we are incredibly fortunate compared to many parts of the world. It is a functioning wc and that should be enough surely - but so too, is the outdoor karzy that many houses had in the past (and some still do). It is about keeping rectories and vicarages up to date. Our smallest room has the feel of a public toilet but with less space - or the school cubicles of yesteryear. There are certainly no niceties about it at the moment. We asked for the handbasin to be put it as it seems incredible that there were not handwashing facilities in the room - and as a result we have a basin and some of the ugliest pipework to go with it. Obviously we are not suppose to have any aesthetic values - but I certainly wouldn't accept it in my own home but for some reason, I am suppose to accept it when I am a rector's wife. We questioned the gap in the newly laid floor that was left when the pan was changed recently. We asked for a new floor rather than accept the offer of filling the gap with mastic! It is the waste of money that annoys me more than anything. I am challenged to work some creative magic on this smallest room - so watch this space! I can't make the room bigger - and the powers that be say they won't knock it into one family sized bathroom but I shall see if we can turn it into a room suitable for contemplation. Any suggestions will be carefully considered so feel free to use your imagination and come up with some ideas!

Building matters

The gloriously fine weather has broken and we have a day of low cloud and fog - so I have time to write the blog. The Rector@6 and I are still so very busy. It is difficult to believe life will slow down - but it is good to be busy. I am riding regularly on a lovely shire cross and I have even been jumping her in the paddock. The last time I jumped on a horse (and it was a pony) was over forty years ago. It is so good to play horses

again!! We have had some lovely invitations to accept and we begin to feel quite 'local' when we join with others to celebrate  occasions such as birthdays or the opening of the second village shop (a shortage of celebrities meant that the Rector@6 had to say a few words.) Last Saturday we stepped in at short notice to host the 'Marriage Matters' course for engaged couples. This is a short course aiming to equip couples to consider the many different aspects of marriage, from parents in law to money matters to the meaning of the wedding vows. It focuses on more than 'the big day'. It was good to work alongside The Rector@6 and another experienced couple - despite two of the three couples dropping out. (If they only knew how I cleaned the Rectory - but it was such a beautiful day, I would probably have pulled out myself - if I had had the choice!) So life is busy for me and even more so for the Rector@6 who often looks and sounds worn out by the end of the day. Today is an 'at home day', (except for the visit to the coffee morning to meet the Sudanese Bishop who is dropping in, the discussions with the neighbouring vicar who is popping in and the churchwardens meeting this evening!)

It just so happens that as we are in today - the builders have returned to carry out some of the jobs identified in the 5 year inspection (which was a year late). As they are replacing a cracked WC upstairs and adding more insulation to the roof space, they are all over the house. The dogs and I are confined to the front room or the kitchen. I expect we will see a lot of these builders as there is quite an extensive repair list and, if they just do a few jobs at a time, I can see that we will get to know them very well!

In contrast, the roof thatchers who are working on many of the village houses at the moment, work with great speed to complete the jobs, as they are so dependent on good weather. These skilled men have been repairing ridges or replacing one side of a roof or occasionally the whole roof. Our village pub remains closed after having had half the thatched roof repaired. It is looking great but there is no one prepared to take the lease on - or manage it at the moment. Many rumours are flying around but in the meantime the door is firmly shut. Anyone want to manage a friendly village pub in deepest Dorset?

So many cottages are needing repairs after the very wet, cold winter we experienced this year. The cottage across the road was to have its ridge repaired but the thatchers have had to repair all of one side, as the roof was in such poor condition. This will have been an unexpected expense for the owners. It amazes me that we still have thatched cottages today but they are so much part of Dorset's charm. It is good to see firms of skilled men are still available to continue the thatching trade.

 

 

Water, wine, candle oil... a rector's dilemma!

I have the Rector@6's permission to tell this tale of misfortune as a warning and to prevent anyone making the same mistake. It is also serves to reinforce the importance of the vital role of all who volunteer their time and talents to serve the church in different roles (- especially when you have a new rector/vicar!)

On this particular Sunday, in one particular church, the Rector@6 was involved in setting the altar for the communion service. All completed, the service began in this small parish church. There was only a small congregation of familiar faces (which was probably a good thing on this Sunday). Each person came to receive the bread and wine and returned to their seats. I hear that there were some comments about the taste of the wine at that stage of the service but the Rector@6 was not aware of these. It was only as he came to clear the table that he noticed a globule of something floating on the top of the wine. He is required to finish the left over consecrated bread and wine so, anxious to finish the service on time, he duly drank the remaining contents - and was aware of a very, strange taste indeed!

On the completion of the service, the Rector@6 went to check the cupboard where everything was stored, and there were the bottles; - the wine and a clear bottle of liquid that he had presumed was water. NEVER presume anything! To be fair - the bottles were stored next to each other in a container and at the bottom of a dark cupboard. The 'water' was lamp or candle oil and this is what everyone had tasted - the Rector@6 more so than others. Having checked the small writing on the label to see that this was not a full medical emergency, he joined the congregation for coffee - where the conversation seemed to centre around the strange metallic tasting wine. The Rector@6 owned up to his mistake and was extremely apologetic - pointing out that he would be the first to experience any ill-effects due to the amount he had consumed. It was a very alarming lesson for him to learn. Fortunately all seemed to see the funny side and, I suspect, the Rector@6 will not be allowed to help in the setting up of the Altar on his own for many years!

NB I have it on the church warden's authority - everyone is up and around today!