General Chat

Good morning :-)

Continuing with St. Francis


Over the next few years, Francis began to see visions from God that changed his life. The first vision was when he was sick with a high fever and at first, he thought that God had called him to fight in the Crusades.

He had a vision of Christ whilst praying in a grotto near Assisi and an experience in Rome where he mingled with the beggars in St. Peter’s Basilica and begged alms. He gave alms to a leper and kissed his hand, something he would never have done in the past.

Finally, when praying in a church, Francis heard God tell him to "repair my church, which is falling in ruins." After hearing this, he returned home and gave all his money to the church. His father was furious with him which resulted in Francis leaving his father's home and taking a vow of poverty.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I certainly understand what you are saying Sylvia - I wonder if anyone on here is in touch with David personally?

Harvest is certainly different to what it once was.....the lovely smell of fresh fruit and veg as you entered church - the not so lovely smell on the Monday when you went to help distribute the goods!! I used to be fascinated by the harvest loaf - shaped to resemble a sheaf of wheat - I don't think we have wheat sheaves anymore do we?


Yesterday was St. Francis' Day - one of the most well known and popular saints - even the Pope chose his name in honour of St. Francis.

Saint Francis’s original name was Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone and he was born in Assisi, Italy. He grew up leading a privileged life as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. Francis loved school and learned Latin and French. His father wanted him to become a businessman and taught him about the French culture.

In 1202 Francis took part in a war against the nearby town of Perugia. He was taken prisoner and held for almost a year until his father paid the ransom and he was set free.

In 1205 Francis planned to fight in another conflict, but on his way there he had a vision. In the vision he was told to return to Assisi and wait for a call to a new kind of knighthood. He returned to Assisi and spent time alone and prayed.

More tomorrow.


Start by doing what's necessary;
then do what's possible;
suddenly, you are doing the impossible. - St. Francis.

Cx :-)

It isn't Harvest Festival here, but OH has gone to church ..... he has to do the People's Prayers this morning.

There is a congregation in the Baptist church across the street, the first time since late August. OH watched one late arrival trying to park her car on the street by the side of her house ............... he stopped watching after 5 tries to get it parked in a space for at least 5 cars and still no success :-D

There was even more room in the church parking lot, but she wold have had to walk about 50' to the church, instead of just crossing the street! ;-)


I hope David is doing well, but the sad thing is that we will very possibly not hear if otherwise, because I don't think his wife uses the internet. How many people are on here like that, and who just disappear?

Hello all

Harvest Festival in church this morning. Donations are passed later to the local food banks. A very sad reflection of the hard times some families are experiencing right now.

I hope David is getting stronger each day.

Thoughts and prayers for all patients in hospital with the corona virus and for their families too.

Keep well, stay safe everyone.

Good morning :-)


Today is St. Francis’ Day…….


The Collect (special prayer) for today :
Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Oh dear, just realised I missed yesterday. It's been a bit hectic here what with one thing and another, so I do apologise. <3


I do wonder how David is going on - hope his recovery will be speedy.

For today:

Father, as we celebrate this season of Harvest, we give thanks for the blessings of food, provision and nourishment. Please grow in us a harvest for the world.

Sow a seed of hope within our souls Lord, that we might yield goodness, patience and kindness in abundance.

Sow a seed of peace in our lives Lord, that we might bear the fruits of forgiveness, compassion and righteousness.

Sow a seed of love in our hearts Lord, that others would reap the blessings of family, friendship and community.

May each seed of hope, peace and love grow within us into a harvest that can be feasted on by all. Amen.

Cx :-)

Thinking of you, David. I hope you are comfortable and beginning to recover from your latest setback. <3

Hello all

Thinking of David and hoping all went well for him.

Sylvia, the California fire has caused immense damage to properties and wild life. So very sad.

1st of October already, very Autumnal here today.

Keep safe and stay well everybody.

Good morning :-)

Sylvia, there may be something in that as I suppose those with dementia may get flustered when visitors arrive and they can't remember who they are. I feel for the families though.

Hoping all went well with David.


A new month and autumn has definitely arrived!

In your time, Creator God,
This world was put in place,
And in your time
Became beautiful,
Through the craftsmanship of your love.
Remind us always,
As we look at sunrise,
Landscape and tiny child,
That at the centre of all things,
Is the creative love of God.


Cx :-)

Thank you, Cynthia and kandj.

It is hard to think that we might not be able to see them for possibly 2 years or more ................ and will we even be alive then? Both of us are over 80 :-(


Cyn ........... there was a posting on another site that I am on from someone who works in a care home in the UK. The discussion was about not being able to see relatives in care homes and how bad it was for them ............. this guy said that hey have a number of dementia patients there, and that they were surprised to find that those patients were more settled and calmer during the time when they were NOT having visitors.

Makes you think, eh??


Now we have smoke from the California wild fires ........... an orange sun is really weird.


Wishing David well.

Hello all

Sylvia, I can sympathise with you as restrictions keep me and my family apart too.

Thoughts and prayers for David in RVI having his operation today, and for wife Ellen waiting at home.

A cold/windy day here. Stay safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

Every time I hear about people being separated from their loved ones due to the restrictions, I really feel for them. Pictures of the dementia patients who have no idea of what is going on, breaks my heart. Pictures of families meeting up again are so poignant. But....we will come through this - if they could beat the Black Death in the middle ages, surely we can beat this? Much love to all who are missing their loved ones.

The farmer ploughs through fields of green
And the blade of the plough is sharp and keen,
But the seed must be sown to bring forth grain,
For nothing is born without suffering and pain–
And God never ploughs in the soul of man
Without intention and purpose and plan,
So whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade
Let not your heart be sorely afraid
For, like a farmer, God chooses a field
From which He expects an excellent yield–
So rejoice though your heart is broken in two,
God seeks to bring forth a rich harvest in you.

- Helen Steiner Rice


Cx :-)

Yes, that vicar was quite something!!

It is looking less and less likely that we will be able to take our now-annual trip to spend Christmas with our daughter and family in Nova Scotia.

Ontario and Quebec have both got tremendously high covid cases, and are instituting lock down protocols once again. NS has never lifted the requirement for 14 day quarantine for all visitors (nor has BC). I'm expecting that the sleeper trains will be cancelled soon. At least we will get our money back!

Nor is it looking likely that daughter and grandson will be able to come our way during their spring break, especially if the 14 days quarantine are still in existence in BC and NS ...... that would a total of a month off school and work for a 5 day visit :-(

It is beginning to look as if the earliest that we might be able to get there would be next summer ............... IF the quarantine regulations have been taken down.

That means that we have no hope of seeing them for more than 18 months since last Christmas, and possibly much longer.

Hello all

David, I'm sending positive vibes your way and hope that tomorrow's operation goes well and that you will be back home with Ellen before too long.
I pray that the staff at the RVI will take good care of you. Please keep in touch when you feel stronger.

I love seeing michaelmas dasies in the garden but had no idea that today was Michaelmas Day.
Thanks Cynthia, I've learned something new today.

Vera I'm like you and miss being with the family too.
It's 9 months since I was able to travel and visit them. I'm thinking that perhaps Christmas will be apart this year, but I really do hope that I am wrong

An interesting post Sylvia. Like Cynthia, I have also known clergy in the past whose passion for hobbies have taken them away from their parish duties.

Infection rates are increasing. Keep safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

Lovely to come on and see some interesting topics to chat about :-D First of all though, I think about David and his operation this week. Take heart David and stay strong - we will be thinking about you and praying that all goes well. <3

Oh Vera, you must miss your son so much and I'm sure we can all understand how downhearted it makes you feel at times. Thank goodness for modern technology which makes keeping in touch so convenient and easy. Hopefully, it will not be too long before you can meet up again. <3

No, I don't recognise the name of that clergyman Sylvia so I must do some googling methinks. He certainly sounds as though botany took over his life in many ways, possibly to the detriment of his parish! I knew one who had a similar thing about racing cars :-D :-D

Today is known as Michaelmas Day - as in daisies – The Feast day of St. Michael and All Angels, typically regarded as the greatest of the archangels and a mighty defender of the church against Satan. St. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer (the devil) down from Heaven for his treachery.

During the Middle Ages, Michaelmas was a great religious feast and many popular traditions grew up around the day, which coincided with the harvest in much of western Europe. In England it was the custom to eat goose on Michaelmas, which was supposed to protect against financial need for the next year. In Ireland, finding a ring hidden in a Michaelmas pie meant that one would soon be married.

Michaelmas Day is traditionally the last day of the harvest season which is why churches hold Harvest Services around this time.


Everlasting God,
you have ordained and constituted
the ministries of angels and mortals in a wonderful order:
grant that as your holy angels always serve you in heaven,
so, at your command,
they may help and defend us on earth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Cx :-)

David, it’s natural to feel nervous about any surgical procedure but I am sure the staff will take good care of you and you will feel better when it’s done. I wish you well and will be thinking of you on Wednesday.

I have a lovely picture in my mind of the Reverend Hawker and his menagerie. It sounds as though you found the Rev. Shaw’s interest in you a bit of a mixed blessing Sylvia ;-). When I started doing family history many moons ago I was surprised to find a number of reverend gentlemen amongst my ancestors and some of them were perhaps not quite as good as they should have been.

i have been feeling a little down as I have been unable to see my son and family since last October. We can’t visit as that would make too many people in their house and now, living in West Yorkshire, they have been put under tighter restrictions anyway. Never mind, I must just count my blessings. We have all kept well, they phone and text and occasionally we FaceTime so I have a lot to be thankful for. Thoughts tonight for those who don’t have a loving family or who are sadly estranged from their children or siblings.

Eccentric vicars ...............

Cyn ...... did you ever come across a Rev Charles Shaw?

He was vicar of the church where we lived in Oldham. He was Vicar from 1957-1994 ........ so very long lasting!

He was, I think, one of the last, if not the last, of the "scientific" vicars.

His main interest were geology and plants, not a good vicar even though he lasted so long. He never married, but he seemed to love educating children in those sciences, would take them out on long field trips exploring the geology and plants of the area.

He discovered in early 1959 that I was doing Botany to A level, we didn't go to that church because we didn't like his style, it was very cold. But he took to dropping by our house with sheets of herbarium specimens (dried plants), usually arriving about 8 or 9 pm.

That was usually when I was still studying, and my poor Mum had got undressed and put on a dressing gown to be "comfortable". She spent a lot of time sitting in the kitchen so he wouldn't see her in "such a state".

This is from Wikipedia .........

"The Rev. Charles E. Shaw was a botanist (renowned for finding plants on rubbish dumps) and also a Church of England clergyman. After serving in various other parishes he became vicar of Waterhead in 1957; he remained vicar until 1994 and is commemorated by a memorial window in the church. A song about him called "The' Parson o' Waterhead" was written about him by Harvey Kershaw of Rochdale."

He always made me think of those huntin', shootin' fishin' vicars of the 18th qnd 19th centuries!

He did have one great success ................. I met Roy Lancaster in the mid-1980s, who you may have heard of as a TV plantsman. worked for Hillier's and wrote many books.

It turned out that the Rev Shaw had been vicar or curate in Bolton where Roy grew up and was one of the people who Roy credited with getting him interested in plants and thus led him into his well--known career with Hillier's.

Quite the reverse for me ....... he almost drove me away from botany!!

Hello all

Hopefully we will have a Harvest Festival service (of sorts) in church next Sunday. Donations this year will be passed over to the local food bank... sadly much needed and a reflection of these hard times.

David, it's only natural for you be to anxious about your operation on Wednesday. I have only ever heard excellent words about all RVI staff. I'm sure that you will be in good hands and well looked after.

A productive time today planting bulbs to give lots of colour here in Spring after the Winter passes.

Rising infection rates of corona virus! Take care all.

Good afternoon, leg joints in a lot of pain despite my limited motion. I confess to being scared of the prospect of RVI on Wednesday.

Good morning :-)

The Harvest season is upon us but it's very different this year.

I read where the British tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall. Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" and "All things bright and beautiful" helped popularise his idea of harvest festival and spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service.


Apparently, Revd. Hawker was quite a character! Married, with 8 children, whenever he entered a church to take a service, he was always accompanied by his nine cats. He also rode a mule bareback around the parish, followed by a pet black pig called Gyp. I have known some eccentric clergy in my time but………………


We bless you, God of Seed and Harvest,
And we bless each other,
That the beauty of this world,
And the love that created it,
Might be expressed though our lives
And be a blessing to others,
Now and always
Amen.

Cx :-)