Right. Here goes my second attempt at last nights disappearing post.

On Monday, MLO and I went to the Royal Welsh Show, near Builth Wells. We started out nice and early, and arrived up there at about quarter to eight, and caught the shuttle bus to the show ground from our car park. Each year several fields are rented from local farmers to act as car parks. This year the view from the park was glorious, although you cant actually see the show-ground from here. Where we were was up on quite a bank, which was great going down but one heck of a slog going back up, and when we went back to our car in the evening there were a few people struggling to get up the hill to the top and their cars, which I thought lacked planning somewhat.

When we arrived at the show, we first stopped to have our breakfast, and went to our usual place, right by the bandstand, and had a coffee, whilst listening to a Welshman singing rousing Welsh tunes. At that point the day seemed to be warming up a little, so we decided to visit the food hall while it was still cool, and most importantly fairly quiet.  There was nothing particularly interesting or different to see in there though, although I did notice that our local vodka distillery had failed to show up. Literally five minutes away from us, in the middle of the Herefordshire countryside, but we have never visited them, or drunk their vodka for that matter, but it is supposedly really rather nice.

Back to the show, we next decided to visit the stock sheds, here, are thousands of animals (sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs) all on show and entered into various competitions for their various individual breeds and across all sheep, cattle etc. The sight of all these animals there on display is amazing, with people having brought them from all across Wales, the borders and farther afield in the hope of a win. Each of the animals there is in its prime, and represent all the best of British breeding and farming, some individual animals there , could be worth in excess of 100,000 guineas, mainly because of their breeding, and the traits and family that they will pass on, most of these animals are used purely for breeding and don't mix with commercial herds or flocks, with the exception of the dairy animals, which are milked two or three times daily along with all the rest of the herd. 

We must have spent about three hours looking round all the stock, MLO saw his cousin who was showing British blue cattle (until a couple of years ago they were called Belgian blues). From there we decided it was time for a nice cup of tea, so visited the National Trust cabin there, with a bit of a tearoom round the side, where a cup of tea or coffee and a piece of various home made cakes only costs £2.50, with all the money going back into the National Trust, so money well spent. Delicious carrot cake too. :-) 

After all that, we decided that a spot of retail therapy was in order and we wandered over to the shopping village, where you can buy anything from mugs, to Barbours, and plants to a brand new tractor. If we had had the money and the inclination to do so, we could have come home with a myriad of utterly useless things. On show in the machinery village, was the debut of the worlds most powerful 4wd tractor, an absolute behemoth of a Massey Ferguson, it was huuuge, but rather nice looking for a tractor.

After that we ended up by the main ring, just in time to see tham judging the shire horses, which were followed by the sheepdog handling, with a champion from England,  Ireland ,Scotland and Wales competing in it, they had to get the dog to take the sheep around a set course with various things that they had to complete, such as getting them through a set of hurdles set in the design of a cross, through a gate, into a holding pen and having to separate, two sheep out of the five, and then one from out of the five, not as easy as it may sound.  After all their efforts, Wales came first, and rather unsurprisingly a huge cheer went up from the grandstand.

The day went quite quickly, but then it always does when you are having fun, and it was soon time to get back home. We left just after six thirty, and called in at a pub just outside Hereford (The Bell at Tillington) for Dinner.They do a mean steak, it was delicious.

On to Tuesday, and most of it was spent at work, so nothing to report there, except for the fact that it was mind numbingly dull and quiet again. Nothing happened, and no-one came in.

Back to Sunday, we went to both the morning and the evening services, the morning one was enjoyable and busy, but the evening on was quieter, being evening worship. We arrived a little late which was quite awkward, and led to a bit of a kerfuffle as everyone budged up to fit us in. The vicar did things a little differently this time, and in addition to the piece of music we listen to , and the hymns, we also sang the psalm. Which was nice. The hymns we sang were quite chanty as well. Very enjoyable all the same though.

Onto today, and my mum came down for the day instead of last Saturday when I was working. I had intended for the three of us to go to Cardiff by train for the day, but it would have cost in excess of £50, a completely unjustifiable amount to me, for an hour by train. So instead we spent the morning in Hereford, we had scrambled egg on toast for breakfast from Cafe at All Saints, then went for a wander round the cathedral. Next stop was White Castle in Monmouthshire, a surprisingly large castle, with  the most amazing moat, incredibly deep and steep sided, and most impressively, it was filled with water. Inside was huge, and despite really not liking heights, I braved the climb to the top of the tower, and was glad I did, as the views were spectacularly beautiful in all directions.  We finished looking round and drove into Abergavveny for a late lunch.

On the way back, we tried to find the church at Garway, but yet again failed miserably. It's there somewhere, I just don't know where. Will try to find again. 

Anyway thats me up to date, may post picture of today, tomorrow as I dont have MLOs phone with me, and I took the pictures on that. My phone is poorly and has been sent to the phone doctor for a diagnosis.

SO, ttfn etc. Bye

Sunday is all but over now.

Started the day at work, as usual it was exceptionally quiet, actually more so than usual, have just realised that a couple of the Sunday regulars failed to turn up. Wonder what happened to them?

The weather this morning was positively dreadful, the wettest kind of rain imaginable, horrible mizzly stuff. Yuk. But as the day wore on , the weather improved until this afternoon and it was doing a passable impression of a summers day.  Couldn't go to the town church's morning service due to work, but we did go to the evening service at the country church, got there a little earlier than we usually do, but oddly enough, so it seemed had everyone else. Must have been something in the air I think. Anyway the service started at the usual time, we were all stood up at the beginning, singing our hearts out to the first hymn, then  the door started rattling, thought at first it may have been the wind, but it did it again. Where we sit in church is right by the entrance, so that when anyone walks in they are literally greeted by us (MLO and I) smiling at them. A moment later and the door opens a few inches, then stops,   intriguing. A few more moments later and a head appears, shortly followed by the rest of a body. K who hands out the hymn books leapt to his feet to hand one out, along with the service booklet. The lady looked around and sat opposite us. Most people turned to see who had interrupted, then got on with singing and K went back to his seat. A minute or so later, and the door started rattling again. This time it opened up and revealed another person wanting to come in. Up K leapt again, to hand out the required bits. The gentleman looked a bit perplexed then went and sat down next to the woman who had previously come in late.

As the service went on, they appeared to be a little uncomfortable, and spent a lot of time discussing something between themselves. When ever we needed to stand, either for hymns or the reading,  this entailed a huge amount of face pulling and discussion. When we got to the peace, they did what we used to do and stayed put in their seats. Roll on towards the end of the service and just as we got to the last hymn, they abruptly stood up, but their books on the table and walked out. Smiled at them as they left, but just got frowned at. Not sure what we had done wrong, or what they had a problem with. Wonder if they will be back next week? Just cant work out why they felt it necessary to leave when it would have all been over  in ten minutes anyway. Never mind. Nowt so queer as folk. 

An enjoyable sermon this week, considerably more light hearted than last Sundays, which was pretty deep. All about us becoming reconciled in Christ, that by fully giving ourselves to Him.  By recognising all our faults and admitting them , and being fully aware of ourselves helps us on our way to achieving that. Quite interesting as I had previously done the little exercise the vicar had given me to do with that, but had also just started to read "The interior Castle" by St Teresa of Avila, and had read a fair bit at work this morning. The main gist of the book, from what I have so far gathered, is that in order to know God and Jesus fully, we must fully know and understand ourselves, to look right inside ourselves, and when we have done that, and in the process of doing so , we can know Him more fully, as she believed that God resides in our souls, and only through a thorough understanding of our soul can we ever hope to have a true knowledge of God. Obviously she went into a lot more detail than that, wrote a whole book on the subject, but I think that is the main gist of it. I thoroughly recommend reading it, as what I have read of it so far, is an engrossing and very enjoyable read indeed. The version I am reading was translated by Mirabai Starr, but as this is the only version I have read, I have no idea whether it is better or worse than any other.  

Quite a while ago, I joined facebook, just for the heck of it, and joined a Phil Rickman group on there, really just expecting it to be the kind of group where an occasional member pops up and posts a message, asking whether there are any other members out there. I was pleasantly surprised when I started to get occasional messages from the group. The most recent I was quite excited about. He is bringing out a new book, "Merrily's Border"  containing photographs of various locations that he writes about in his books, along with a bit of information about the places, he will be launching the book in August at Kinnersley Castle in Herefordshire, a place I have always wanted to visit as it looks so spooky from the road going by. There will be music, performed by Hazey Jane II perhaps even with Lol Robinson making an appearance, and a great excuse to eat drink and be merry. I will be going with MLO as it is only about 15 miles away from here. What amazed me was the number of fans he has from all around the world, although to be fair, I shouldn't be that surprised, as he does write ruddy good books. I still think of him as very much a local writer, being able to picture each place he mentions and knowing some of them extremely well. 

Heck, it is late again, I really must get to bed, have been listening to Aled Jones again, and his voice always makes me sleepy. So off to bed it is for me. So nighty night.

Monday already. My day off :-)

Saturday, was my mums turn to come down to Hereford, and rather than wander round the shops in town and spending money, we yet again went on a wander of some of the local churches. Today we visited Much Marcle, Little Marcle and Putley churches. We also went to Woolhope church, but couldn't look around as it was closed.

 The first we visited was Little Marcle, which is a sweet little church on the side of the main Gloucester road. From the side there is a wonderful view across to the Malvern hills in the distance past Ledbury. It is very plain inside, but with a lovely air. I don't think that it is used very often though. Although from what I saw, parking would be something of a problem on the side of the main road. Not the best of places to stop.

Next we went on to go to Putley church. Years ago when I first came to Herefordshire, this was the local church, and was where we all went to the main services for the year, like Easter and Christmas etc. It was so long since I had been here, I had forgotten just how lovely and beautiful it really is inside. Outside is the village pond where witches were supposedly dunked, so I was told anyway. It is surrounded by orchards on 3 sides, and an old farm, and the pond on the other. Inside it is a riot of colour and beauty. It is so long since I had been there. When we arrived there we were sure that we heard someone else inside,  but when we went in there was no-one to be seen, but the floor was still wet on the tiles from being cleaned, and there were dust sheets on the floor. Whoever was doing the cleaning didn't show their face, and we had to creep around the edges trying not to leave footprints on the floor, as it refused to dry. Inside it was clean and spotless, usually when we visit churches the cleaner they seem to be usually reflects the fact that they are used more frequently, although not always. Putley church is used weekly, each Sunday, plus extra services and events too. One that we decided would be extremely interesting to go and see, in a couple of Sundays time, was a choral evensong "Culminating in the beheading of John the Baptist", put quite an interesting image in our heads as to who would be playing John the Baptist, and how realistic the beheading would be! Another service there soon is a blessing of animals, which is a lovely idea, and reminded me of the Vicar of Dibley and an episode where she held a service for animals.. 

The second and third parts are here and here. Very funny.

Back to our day out, the windows at Putley church are also very lovely, and as the interior of the church is quite dark, they seemed to glow. 

My mum spent absolutely ages taking pictures both inside and out, she must have taken at least 200 or more, thank goodness for digital cameras is all I can say, how did we ever manage without them?  I myself took a pile on my mobile phone, some of which I have put up on here, you will have to excuse the quality, but being from a mobile, the quality isn't all that great.

From Putley we travelled the few miles to Much Marcle, infamous as being the birthplace of a certain Mr West. The village however is lovely, with two large houses Hellens and  Homme House, almost opposite each other, with the church inbetween. The other thing that the village of Much Marcle is famous for, locally if not nationally, is its ancient yew tree which sits in the churchyard just outside the porch. (I have put an image of it with my mum sat inside, so you can guage just how big it is from her). An utterly enormous specimen that is believed to be over 1,500 years old. This magnificient tree predates the current church which dates from the 13th C, although there was a church here prior to that, a norman church dating from the 12th C. The only thing remaining is the font which itself dates from the 12th C, and is thought to be a stone copy of an earlier wooden font that was used at that time.

The church itself is certainly imposing, and is one heck of a size for a village church. Outside is also, a large graveyard, and a weather eaten 15thC preaching cross. Inside, the space is enormous, and is filled with all sorts of interesting memorials and monuments. One for a Walter de Helyon dating from the 14th C is carved from oak, and quite rare. Another which is very lovely is for Blanche, the daughter of Roger Mortimer, the 1st Earl of March. The glass in this church is also very lovely with a very interesting window at the top end in a side chapel. I didn't take so many pictures here as at Putley, but to see some more pictures of the church, exterior and exterior click here. (Not ones I took)

Finally, we went to visit Woolhope church but unfortunately it was closed, so we couldn't go in. Mum went for a wander outside while MLO and I watched the cricketers on the green for a while. From there we went for a quick stop at a local pub which had just been renovated, and had a drink and a loo break.  I took a picture of MLO enjoying a pint, and doing a spot of shameless advertising for the local brewery, who make delicious beers. 

We didn't do very much after that, we went into Hereford for a bit of a mooch, but nothing in particular, and mum caught the eight o clock train back to Birmingham.
Onto Sunday, and MLO and I decided to brave it and go to the 10 am service at the town church. We had no idea what it would be like, well actually we thought we did, but our idea turned out quite wide of the mark. We thought it was going to be all arm waving and happy clappy, instead there was a great mix of old and young there, with two modern hymn and two older ones. There were two baptisms during the service, which was lovely. All the while there were children running everywhere, plus a few adults constantly on the wander, manic at times. but as we were sat right by the main entrance and exit that probably had something to do with it. We decided we would be going again in two weeks time when it is my next weekend off, but this time will be sat on the opposite side of the church, where it should be a little less manic. We also went to the evening service, simply because we enjoy going to that one at the country church. He asked us what we thought of the morning service, we said we thought it was a bit manic, and he thought that amusing. Had similar sermons at each service, but the evening one was a lot deeper -if thats the right word for it, and certainly made me think a lot more about what was said than did the morning one. Anyway, must go have a bed that needs to be slept in. So night night.

Back again.

I haven't given up blogging. had a couple of busy days, and getting home late, and feeling too tired to type. Poor excuse I know, but it's the only one I have, and I am sticking to it.

MLO told me everything that he had said to the vicar, at long last, after keeping me hanging about for days on end and not knowing for sure. By what he said, it seems he gave the vicar an abridged version of my life, didn't miss that much out though, so the vicar really does know everything now. But it is all good. Rang him up on Friday, after he had left the message on my phone on Monday, got straight through, unfortunately he was in a meeting, said he would ring back in a few minuted, which he did.  He didn't mention what MLO said, just arranged when could have a chat. So will be talking to him on the 29th. 

Went to Birmingham on Saturday, to meet up with mum, and have a bit of a wander round the shops there. MLO came with me which was nice. We didn't get up there very early though, not until just after eleven, so the day was shorter than usual. The train was packed, unbelievable how busy it was, but I think that train is always busy, with only two carriages, it is no wonder that so many people have to stand up, but you would think that the train company could stick an extra carriage on. I remember years ago when I was still small, you could travel on a cheaper ticket if you stood up, shame they don't do that anymore.

Missed morning church at the town church again this morning, MLO could barely keep his eyes open poor bugger, so we went back to bed. Wouldn't miss evening church at the country church for anything though. It wasn't a communion service tonight, each third Sunday, there is a prayer service, which is held in the lady chapel, and is nice and cosy. I remember the sermon, and the readings from this evening, but I cannot remember which hymns we had. They were good ones which both MLO and I knew and enjoyed singing, just can't remember what they were.  Dreadful isn't it.

Anyway, vicar was talking to someone when we went to leave, so waved, and got a big cheerful wave back. 

There I am now up to date, happy again, now I am. Was being a bit of a prat I think, and feeling far too sorry for myself the other day. Must go for now, as it is time for bed, so night night.

I was reading earlier, that according to a poll 3 out of every 10 people attend regular Sunday worship at a church, with almost half saying they attend a Christmas service of some sort.. Without sounding too derisive (I hope) who did they poll? Did they poll people as they were leaving church, or did they poll them on a midweek morning, when people were too busy to take any real notice of what they were being asked?
Up until a few months ago, I was one of the people who called themselves a churchgoer, even though I wasn't really. Maybe visiting a church to look at the building, or the stained glass, but never actually attending a nuts and bolts service. If someone had asked me whether I was a Christian, I would have answered them "of course I am" without ever really considering what exactly it meant to "be a Christian", likewise if they had asked if I attended church, I would have answered yes, simply because I had, once, and knew that I should do so again, so therefore that counted. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of other people were the same. The other point about it is, if 30% of people really attend regular worship on a Sunday, where are they hiding? Behind the organ, loitering in the vestry, hanging out in the bell tower? I know this probably sounds as if I am being a little holier than thou, given my recent lack of churchgoing, but why do they publish figures, that for the most part, anyone can see are a load of nonsense. Imagine the local church, if a third of the entire parish turned up of a Sunday morning, in some parishes that would mean thousands, or at least hundreds. Not the tens (if the church is lucky) that usually show up. Why do they continue to hide the fact that churches are failing to attract large congregations?
By telling British people "dont worry, the Church is doing all right thanks, in fact we're thriving in some places", all it acheives is to send out the message "if you don't come to Church, dont worry there are plenty that do". Entirely the wrong thing to say. The Church should be doing all it can to encourage more people into Church, let everyone know that churches aren't doing all that well, have different types of service to encourage different people. Have activities that are open to large numbers of people, but most of all, let them see what the church is like, and what being a Christian is like. Let them see it isn't all hell and damnation, fire and brimstone, you don't have to live like a saint, and you can have fun.
Just spread the word, even if it doesn't conform to some Victorians prim and proper idea of Christianity, so long as it gets people involved in the Church community, and however it manages to do it, it is a success.
People want things lively, they want to be entertained, and even to learn something. What they dont want is to be told how bad they are, be bored to tears, and spoken down to. People like me want to know what we can do to make things better, for ourselves and other people.
Back to today.
Well, what can I say about today then? As I have had a day off work, it has been a nice quiet day at home.
On Sunday as we left church the one lady (I really dont know her name) handed us the annual report for the parish, to read through. It was quite interesting reading about all the people who help the parish keep going, aswell as the vicar. As I read it I tried to put the names to the faces that I see each week in church, I think I have figured out a couple of them, but certainly not all of them.
When I was reading, and seeing all the people who contribute both time and money to the church, I began to wonder if I could ever fit in there (to be honest I have wondered for a couple of weeks now). I originally thought (well, hoped) that I could slowly get involved with the church, and get to know the people there, and hopefully have them affirm what I have felt, and what I believe. But looking at the list of people there, everyone seems to have their place, and everything seems nicely sewn up, and also leaves me wondering whether it is the right place for me to be at this time.
I know that that probably seems a little melodramatic, and perhaps even over the top, but it is a feeling that is in me, and one that I cant seem to shake. This has left me feeling quite sad, as I had got to like the church and the people we saw each week.
Having re-read what I have just put down, it does seem a little over the top, but it is a feeling that I have in my gut. I will continue going for a few more weeks, to see how I feel about it then, but I'm not entirely sure my feelings will change. I sincerely hope they do though.
On a lighter note now. I am officially on the t'internet. I have a domain name all of my own, and hosting to take care of me too. Only problem is, I have no idea what to put on a website. I may just take the easy way out and link this blog to it.
One thing I would love to do though is to create a website listing all of Herefordshires churches, along with images and history of them. Somehow though, I think it is a little too ambitious a project for me to undertake, being as I only know the basics of putting together a website, having forgotten most of what I learnt on a course I did.
But, you never know.. so watch this space......as they say.