A Prayer for the Stressed

For all those of you who have just begun your Summer Break, after spending the last term with a mob of children..........................


A Prayer for the Stressed


Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I cannot accept
And the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill today,
Because they got on my nerves.




Help me to be careful of the toes I step on today,
As they may be connected to the feet I have to kiss tomorrow.




Help me always to give 100% at work:- 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday, 20% on Thursday and 5% on Friday.




And help me to remember…..


When I am having a bad day and it seems that people are trying to wind me up,
It takes 42 muscles to frown, 28 to smile
And only 4 to extend my arm and smack someone in the mouth!

Roald Dahl - Storyteller Extraordinary

I receive magazines from three or four "Book Clubs", and from time to time these magazines also offer story tapes and CD's. It must be about a couple of years ago now that I purchased a 27 CD collection of stories by Raold Dahl.

The stories on the CD's were, The Twits, Matilda, George's Marvellous Medicine, Danny the Champion of the World, Charlie and The Glass Elevator, The BFG, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocoate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Enormous Crocodile and Esio Trot.

   

Raold Dahl

Raold Dahl wrote some superb stories for children, which were, and still are very popular. (There are many grown ups [like myself] who also enjoy these stories!)

I have recently got round to listening to some of these stories, and have just finished listening to the BFG (Big Friendly Giant), which relates how a little girl called Sophie sees the BFG and is taken from her orphanage by him, to the Land of Giants, where she meets nine very evil and wicked giants who eat humans. With the help of the BFG and (the Queen!) she manages to thwart these giants and saves the lives of many children in England who they were planning to eat.

Sophie, perched on the shoulder of the BFG.

Both the BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have been turned into films, and both were very successful films.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the story of Willy Wonka, the owner of the Factory who produces golden tickets in just a few of his chocoate bars. The finders get to visit the factory, and one of them (Charlie) is given the factory.

If you get a chance do have a read of some of Roald Dahl's stories, and have a look at the films!

The Numbers Game

650, 65, 6, 74, 75, 76, 71, 78. So what does this sequence of numbers mean to you? Probably absolutely nothing! 

They are, in fact, the road numbers of our route from Cottingley to Ardrossan [A650, A65, M6, A74, A75, A76, A71, A78.]

It's a route that we must have driven at least twenty times over the last few years, and quite honestly I reckon I could press a button in the car and it could probably find its own way there!

Using the Microsoft AutoRoute Programme it tells me I can set off from home and be at the ferry terminal in Ardrossan in 3 hours and 38 minutes by staying within the speed limits and not stopping anywhere, but to be perfectly honest I much prefer to set off with plenty of spare time, and stop off at least twice before we board the ferry.

We usually have a break at the northbound Southway Services on the M6 for a coffee and a light breakfast. It also gives us a chance for Ruby to exercise herself and have a wee (as well as the two of us!) We have a look round the W H Smiths and maybe purchase a bar of chocolate, a soft drink, a magazine etc. then after about 45 minutes we head back on to the M6, turning left at Gretna and heading in a N/NW direction along the A75 towards Dumfries. There is now a by pass round Dumfries, which eventually joins the A76.

It's then a steady run through Border Country [Dumfries & Galloway] until we reach Kilwinning, which is about twelve miles north of Kilmarnock, and here we tend to refuel at a Morrison's Supermarket & Garage [supporting home industries!] and from there it's only a short journey to the ferry terminal at Ardrossan, where we board the MV Caledonian Isles.

The CalMac Ferry MV Caledonian Isles approaches the pier at Brodick on the Isle of Arran.

The CalMac Ferry MV Caledonian Isles approaches Brodick on the Isle of Arran.

The Garden in Summer

Just a few photos of the garden.......

St Swithin's Day

St Swithin (sometimes spelt Swithun)

I imagine that there will be a goodly number of people taking a close look at their barometers this morning. "Why?", you may well be asking yourself. Well if you are of a superstitious nature you will probably already have remembered the ancient rhyme

'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

or its Buckinghamshire variation:-

If on St Swithin's Day it really pours
You're better off to stay indoors!

So just who was this Saint Swithin, and how did he come to be associated with rainy weather?

St Swithin was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester who gained a reputation for posthumous miracle working after his death in 862. One story of his miracle working concerns a lady who dropped her eggs and broke them all. St Swithin picked them up and they were miraculously made whole again.

St Swithin was originally buried out of doors, rather than in his cathedral, apparently at his own request. William of Malmesbury has recorded that he left instructions that his body should be buried outside the cathedral, where it might be subject to the feet of passers by and to the raindrops pouring from on high, which indicates that the legend was already well known in the twelfth century.

In 971 it was decided to move his body to a new indoor shrine and one theory traces the origin of the legend to a heavy downpour, by which, on the day of the move, the saint marked his displeasure towards those who were removing his remains! 

This story, however, lacks proof and cannot be traced back further than the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries at the most.  It is also at variance with tenth century writers who all agree that the move took place in accordance with the saints desire expressed in a vision.

However, according to the Durham Chroniclers, there was a tremendous downpour of rain on St Swithin's Day in 1315. 

According to the Met Office the legend has been "put to the test" on no less than 55 times, when it has been wet on St Swithin's Day and 40 days of rain have not followed!

Whoever told the story about the St. Swithin's day saying was obviously well aware that summer weather patterns establishing by the beginning to the middle of July tend to be persistent throughout the coming few weeks. In fact this is statistically true in 7 to 8 out of 10 years.

No wonder the St. Swithin's day rule is also know in other western European countries. In France they say Quand il pleut a la Saint Gervais Il pleut quarante jours apres - If it rains on St. Gervais' day (19th of July), it will rain for forty days thereafter.



In Germany the Siebenschlaefer or seven sleepers day (July 7th, after the Gregorian calendar) refers to the weather patterns of the following seven weeks.

St Swithin is regarded as one of the saints to whom one should pray in the event of a drought!

Hazlewood Castle - St Leonard's Chapel

I had to play for a wedding at St Leonard's Chapel in Hazlewood Castle today.

The chapel was founded in 1826 by Sir William Vavasour, the first baron. 

The Chapel of St Leonard at Hazlewood Castle

It is a fascinating little building. Despite being in the hands of a Catholic Family, it never suffered from despoilation nor were the Catholic worshippers ever persecuted. It is rumoured that this was because one of the Vavasour Family (who lived in the castle) supplied timber from his estate for the building of the fleet of ships which met the Spanish Armada.

Robert La Vavasour donated stone for the building of York Minster.

The chapel contains some fine marble tombs of members of the Vavasour Family.

On each side of the altar, which is very curiously carved and gilded, are two Corinthian pillars, supporting a frieze and pediment. A fine painting of the Crucifixion is above the altar.

Probably one of the most intriguing features is a glass fronted case situated on the north wall, quite close to the altar, with two human skulls in it!

Hazlewood was inhabited by descendants of the Vavasours for over 900 years, until it was sold in 1908. The site changed hands many times over the following years, serving as a maternity hospital during the Second World War and until 1953, and as a retreat for Carmelite Friars from 1971 until 1996.

In 1997 the house reopened as Hazlewood Castle Hotel. The site is reputedly haunted, which is hardly surprising when you can see two human skulls in the chapel!


The site of the castle overlooks the battlefield of the Battle of Towton.

A Trip out to Slaidburn

We were going to go out for a run yesterday, but the weather wasn't too good when we were going to leave, however it did take up later, so today we went out instead - even though there had been a downpour shortly before we set off!

It would be about 15.30 - 16.00 when we left, so we didn't travel too far.

We went to Slaidburn.

Dot found a new shop where the "Jam Pot" used to be - I think it was called "Gracious Living", and it seemed to sell country antiques - brass pans, wicker work chairs, etc. There was even a vintage Silver Cross pram outside the shop.

We then went on to have a wander down to the church, and stopped for tea in the "Hark to Bounty". This would be at about 18.00, and they were still serving Sunday roasts (2 for £15.00 including a free bowl of either home made Mushroom, or home made Pea and Ham Soup - complete with bread and butter). I plumped for the roast - 2 large slices of succulent local beef with a huge home made Yorkshire Pudding, roast potatoes, boiled new potatoes, runner beans, carrots, & broccoli.

Dot had the home made Lasagne with salad and a bowl of chips.

On the way home, as we were leaving Slaidburn, going over the River Bridge we met John Cowking - the conductor of the Slaidburn Silver Band, and his wife, so we stopped for a chat.

Some years ago I produced them a Centenary Video of the Band, and spent almost a year following them round their concerts and marches at local festivals etc.

A few photos I took below.......

The East Window in Slaidburn Church

 

Slaidburn Church

Brennand's Endowed Primary School - Slaidburn

Noticeboard about Brennand's Endowed Primary School 

Ruby enjoying a breather after a walk in the village

A Wedding at Hazlewood Castle Chapel

About a year ago, a friend of a friend, who is a vicar asked me if I would be willing to play some weddings for him, which he takes at both Rudding Park (near Harrogate) and Hazlewood Castle (near Tadcaster).

Today it was the turn of  Hazlewood Castle, which is situated just the Tadcaster side of the A1(M). If there are no traffic hold ups it takes me about 55 minutes to get there, so after the morning service, it was a quick trip home, grab a sandwich and then off post haste to Hazlewood Castle.

The approach to the castle is down a private mile long tree lined drive.....

The front of the castle is quite impressive, with a shrub lined flight of steps leading up to the door.

Whilst the view from the courtyard side is phenomenal!

The chapel where the wedding services take place is to the left centre of this view

The exterior of St. Leonard's Chapel

The interior of the Chapel

These were the decorations over the porch door way for the wedding I played this afternoon.

Holiday Bookings........

It's getting round to the time when we look forward to our annual holidays, and having left the booking of them a little later than usual, I thought I had better get round to sorting them out! I usually look in late September/early October for a couple of weeks when I have no weddings booked. This particular year, there was very little choice when I could fit in a couple of weeks. It seems that I have had far more than the usual number of weddings booked! 

 I spent last Friday (June 24th) booking our holidays. We usually spend a week at Lamlash (on the Isle of Arran) then drive across Scotland and spend a further week at Waren Mill, a tiny hamlet just a couple of miles north of Bamburgh.

What should have been a simple exercise - book the first week on Arran, book the CalMac Ferry tickets, and then book the second week at Waren Mill turned into something of an extended drama!

We had settled on taking our holidays between Saturday 24th September and Saturday 8th October (a 14 day period when I had no weddings booked), so I rang Stuart, the gentleman who lets Prospect Hill Studio Flat on the Isle of Arran  and arranged for the first week there. This was done on a Friday afternoon, and he said he would let the booking agency know that he had let the studio flat, but it would be Monday morning before he could contact the booking agency.

I arrived home on the Monday morning after having been up to Skipton to collect our kitchen wall and floor tiles, and picked up a "left message" on the answerphone, telling me that someone had already booked the studio for that week, however the week before and the week after were available.

This entailed a hasty look at the diary to see if I had any weddings booked the week before. Luckily I didn't so, I went ahead and booked the preceding week.



Prospect Hill Studio Flat - Lamlash, Isle of Arran

This meant that I now had to move my booking forward for the cottage we rent at Waren Mill. When I looked on the web site, I found that somebody had booked the last two days of what was to be our stay there! The couple who own the property are away on holiday until Monday 11th July, so I contacted their agency with a request to book the cottage from the Saturday until the following Thursday. I won't know for certain if I've got it until they return from their holidays on the 11th!

Cove Cottage, Waren Mill

Now I had to try to get accommodation for the Thursday and Friday nights! Holy Island was suggested, and the couple we stayed with for our Ruby Wedding celebrations, but unfortunately they were booked up! After trying the sister of this couple (who lets two self catering establishments), and the Lindisfarne Hotel with no luck I finally tried the Crown and Anchor. I had been told during my searches that they had recently opened a room where dogs could be taken.

Partial success! They could offer us Thursday night, but were booked for the Friday. So it looks like we may have to curtail our holidays by one day.

The Crown & Anchor, Holy Island