General Chat

Good morning :-)


The Harvest Mouse – what a cutie – and I don’t even like mice!

The harvest mouse is tiny - an adult can weigh as little as a 2p piece! It prefers habitats with long grass, but you are most likely to spot its round, woven-grass nests.The harvest mouse is a native species. It is mainly found from central Yorkshire southwards.

Sir John Betjeman wrote a poem……rather long but well worthwhile.

Diary Of A Church Mouse
Here among long-discarded cassocks,
Damp stools, and half-split open hassocks,
Here where the vicar never looks
I nibble through old service books.
Lean and alone I spend my days
Behind this Church of England baize.
I share my dark forgotten room
With two oil-lamps and half a broom.
The cleaner never bothers me,
So here I eat my frugal tea.
My bread is sawdust mixed with straw;
My jam is polish for the floor.
Christmas and Easter may be feasts
For congregations and for priests,
And so may Whitsun. All the same,
They do not fill my meagre frame.
For me the only feast at all
Is Autumn's Harvest Festival,
When I can satisfy my want
With ears of corn around the font.
I climb the eagle's brazen head
To burrow through a loaf of bread.
I scramble up the pulpit stair
And gnaw the marrows hanging there.
It is enjoyable to taste
These items ere they go to waste,
But how annoying when one finds
That other mice with pagan minds
Come into church my food to share
Who have no proper business there.
Two field mice who have no desire
To be baptized, invade the choir.
A large and most unfriendly rat
Comes in to see what we are at.
He says he thinks there is no God
And yet he comes… it's rather odd.
This year he stole a sheaf of wheat
(It screened our special preacher's seat),
And prosperous mice from fields away
Come in to hear our organ play,
And under cover of its notes
Ate through the altar's sheaf of oats.
A Low Church mouse, who thinks that I
Am too papistical, and High,
Yet somehow doesn't think it wrong
To munch through Harvest Evensong,
While I, who starve the whole year through,
Must share my food with rodents who
Except at this time of the year
Not once inside the church appear.
Within the human world I know
Such goings-on could not be so,
For human beings only do
What their religion tells them to.
They read the Bible every day
And always, night and morning, pray,
And just like me, the good church mouse,
Worship each week in God's own house,
But all the same it's strange to me
How very full the church can be
With people I don't see at all
Except at Harvest Festival.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

That's interesting about a possible new vicar Gwyn as we have our
thrust upon us' and we have to like it or lump it as the saying goes. At the moment, we are 'lumping' it as our Vicar - now called a Hub Leader - is not very popular and is imposing all sorts of things on us with which we are not happy. There is a rebellion brewing going on the discussion after church on Sunday.

Okay.......Harvest.

The harvest season marks an important date in the British farming calendar as crops are harvested for food and animal feed.

Prior to the 1850s, the harvest was marked with lots of celebrations by the village folk. Festivities involved folk music, dancing, and village parades, as well as popular sports of the labourers such as bull baiting and cock fighting.

These festivities descended into drunkenness and promiscuity; and so by the mid -19th century, the clergy organised the harvest celebrations into a Christian context in order to calm things down and establish some kind of social order. After just a few years of the Church’s involvement, Harvest Festival became a day of joy.

Gradually, the Christian Harvest Festival gained popularity and spread throughout the country. New hymns were written to support it, including most famously All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Harvest suppers, were traditionally hosted by the farmer. Today, many churches still hold a Harvest Supper maybe as a fundraiser, but generally as an opportunity for the clergy and volunteer lay folk to spend time together after a busy time at church.


'All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small; all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.'

Cx :-)

Thank you all for your kind and wise words.

I am taking one day at a time and checking the jobs on the phone (I get a few updates each day) I have found a course to do online which will give me qualifications and update my Admin/Typing skills and prepare me should a suitable role come up in a different work area.

At the moment i have a few thoughts and have placed them in my prayers and giving myself a week or two to be a housewife for a change and get use to the idea i can get up and go out when i wan to. For a change i am not governed by a computer system telling me when i can eat or take a break or when i have to be on line for calls and so on. It all feels very strange.

I hope everyone is happy and keeping safe an well.

Take care ;-) <3 <3 ;-)

Good morning all,

Always so interesting and enjoyable to see what theme the postings will be during the coming week.

Thank you Cynthia,

Our parish has been experiencing an interregnum, since our vicar, his wife( also ordained ) and our curate all left last November. The church wardens have done a great job of keeping in contact and 'running' the parish since then, - no easy feat with closures and restrictions to follow.
Unfortunately, a poor financial situation meant the post could not be advertised until more recently.

Applications for the new vicar have now closed, so we wait with interest to see if a suitable candidate has been found.

Sadly, a small church serving one end of the parish has been closed since March lockdown, so we wonder whether with a dwindling congregation it will ever open.
We wait with hope.

Good morning :-)

If your vicar is going kandj, will you get another vicar? That's the problem facing so many churches today and yet, despite being told that there is a shortage, there have been plenty of ordinations this last year from what I have read.



Many churches have, or are about to soon be celebrating the annual Harvest Festival. Most of us have memories of going to church and catching the whiff of fresh fruit and veg as we went in through the door – wherever we lived. We watched as the children lined the aisles clutching bags and boxes full of their harvest goodies. We usually had uplifting hymns…….’We plough the fields and scatter’…… ‘Come ye thankful people come’ which we sang lustily. We went home full of thanksgiving for God’s goodness to us.

Harvest is a Festival of Thanksgiving for several things. It is a celebration of the harvest and food grown on the land. It is also about giving thanks for all the good and positive things in our lives such as family and friendships. This week we will take a look at various aspects of the word ‘Harvest’ – interesting, cute, funny…….you name it.

We come with thanksgiving before you Lord, and thank you for your many blessings to us. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Our vicar plans to retire in March. No great surprise as her husband retired earlier in April but still a concern regarding our small elderly congregation having to go through an interregnum next year?

Still ongoing in-law worries as we now have 5 positive Covid tests since Alan's funeral service last Monday. I do wish that folk would be more sensible

Tabitha, perhaps you should now listen to your friends and step back and take stock of your life changes. Maybe try turning your obstacles into opportunities to do something that you really want.

Vera, I hope that you and your husband are well?

Thank you Cynthia for your ongoing support posts.

Another week gone already and a new one starting. I hope the coming week is calm and peaceful for you all.

Tabitha, I think your friend is right. If finances allow give yourself a breather and take your time in sorting out what you want to do and how you might achieve it. Keep your eye on the employment market just in case the perfect job for you is advertised but don’t rush into anything. A door will open for you somewhere, sometime. Good luck.

Sending a hug to Kandj and anyone else who needs one <3

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer} for today :

O God, forasmuch as without you
we are not able to please you;
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
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.


The gospel reading : Mark 10.17–31


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us Tabitha. I know it won't be easy to start with, but I think your friend has the right idea - take stock of your life. Give yourself a little time to re-adjust before jumping into something which may not be quite the right thing - that's if finances allow of course. Whatever the future holds, place it in God's hands. <3


“Lord, in the morning I start each day,
taking a moment to bow and pray.
Beginning with thanks, I then give praise
for all your kind and loving ways.
if sunshine turns to rain,
if a dark cloud brings some pain,
I won’t doubt or hide in fear.
For you, my God, are always near.
I will travel where you lead;
I will help my friends in need.
Where you send me, I will go;
with your help, I’ll learn and grow.
Hold my family in your hands,
as we follow your commands.
And I will keep you close in sight
when I crawl in bed tonight.”
– Mary Fairchild


Cx :-)

Good morning all.

Apologies ahead of time for withering and sharing thoughts with you. If anyone has any thing they would like to share, i am open to ideas.

After a lot of thought, peaceful prayer, and thinking things through.

I made the decision that what i really needed in my life was time to do what i wanted after many years of doing what others wanted. My lovely husband backed me all the way and said we did it before we can do it again. We survived last time and we will again. I have always had good friends around me and i do today.

I said my goodbyes, arranged to clear out my things and shredded everything i had at home to do with my old work life. There were 70 of us who were given the same choice, 13 stayed and managed to get a job in another area, 5 retired, 5 of us are in that weird age between 58 and 65 so are sort of processing and adding up he pennies, the rest are looking for other jobs in different companies and starting a fresh..

Spoke with a friend who was also leaving after 15 years, who said don't you dare look straight for a new job as it will be jumping straight back into the fire. She is taking at least 9 months off to do what she wants to do with her husband.

At the moment i know we can manage 6 months, but i am still looking at jobs incase something jumps out at me. I am also searching the internet for courses to keep my mind occupied. I need to study something to help me get back in the job market and have as much chance as younger people, but persuading my mind i do need to do the more boring training courses is a very hard thing to do.

I know my learning brain - if i am really interested in something i learn quickly and enjoy it, if its something i know i have to do, i still learn but it takes a lot longer and its harder. If its something i am not at all interested in, i have to go over, and over the same thing for a long time.

My mind sees the really interesting hobby based courses, with things i have always wanted to study and wants to do those instead. Now my mother in law left me 500 pound in her will, which we don't have yet. I am thinking i could do a really interesting hobby type course or two with that money and really enjoy myself.

My sensible head says could i do those courses and perhaps find a better job, one i will really like at the end of the very interesting training. The jobs i would love to do are suited to older people thankfully and who knows one may be there waiting for me at the end of the training course. For once in my life i could do a job i loved and no take he job because of the money it paid and it was a safe job.

I am as you can see wrestling with my conscience a great deal, I think a lot of peaceful thought and prayer will help. I have time to make a decision and i am not going to rush into anything this time.

I was talking to an old friend who did the same several years ago and he has never felt better. He said sit and take stock of your life - since you left school how long have you not worked full time.

Well i left school in the June and my mum found me a job in August - stayed just over a year - hated it - left, my soon to be husbands had a temp job for me, so started the same week and lasted 6 months before i got offered a permanent job where my mum worked and stayed 16 years 6 months - had 2 months off - did my training course for 9 months and straight into next permanent job - which lasted 26 yeas 6 months, there were some really good times.

So since I left school i have had 4 months without a full time job. His words to me were "I rest my case, take a few months off and relax"

So here i am now - 5 days without being in full time work- doing some family tree work, enjoying the fact i can go out during the week, and eating when i want without having to rush back to my desk. Also leisurely searching the internet to see what courses there are for a reasonable amount.

I saw an amazing course i would love to do and really enjoy, with official qualifications at the end and then i saw the cost £2400.00 and slipped back into reality again. Its on my wish list like retirement.

Hope everyone is well and keeping safe and happy.

Take care all


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Good morning :-)

I come before you, O Lord on this morning to offer a prayer of thanksgiving. You have given me another day on this earth to love and serve you better. I pray that you guide me during this day. Fill me with your hope and compassion so that I may see you in each living creature. No matter where the day takes me, guide me so that each action brings me closer to you. I pray that, today and always, I will walk in your path. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Dear loving Father, thank you for waking me up this morning, thank you for your love and care, thank you for everything you have freely given me in this life. As I set to go and perform the work you have blessed my hands to do, I thank you for protecting me from anything that may come my way. Thank you for your grace that will keep me through this day, and may I be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name, I pray and believe.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Dear God, everywhere I walk, let it be on your path.
Everything I see, let it be through your eyes.
Everything I do, let it be your will.
Every hardship I face, let me place it in your hands.
Every emotion I feel, let it be your spirit moving in me.
Everything I seek, let me find it in your love.

My dear God, I thank you for this day.
I ask not to know where I am going, but only to know and feel in the depths of my heart and soul that you are with me. You are guiding me, and I am safe. In Jesus’ name, I offer myself to you. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Amen to your prayer today. Thank you Cynthia.

I was in church on Sunday morning for the annual Harvest Festival service, but no traditional hymns were chosen? It felt really odd afterwards.

So many worries and concerns happening nationally right now. Ongoing prayers needed.

Cast your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter chapter 5:7).

Good morning :-)

A quiet morning prayer

Our Father in heaven, how we love you; how you love us. A new day unfolds, and we desire that it is infused with our worship of you. As we turn our eyes on the beauty of you, so our spirits lift and find peace. Please pour out your spirit upon us today, so we can worship in fresh ways. We humbly ask for a deeper relationship with you, so we can have a heightened awareness of God’s presence in us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A quiet week after our tour of tiny churches – a week in which we wake and thank God for all his blessings…..


This morning I wake and I thank You.
For the gift of seeing a new day begin,
and the energy I'll need, to make it through today.

When the day is over and nighttime comes,
I will thank You.
For the gift of knowing a day has been well-spent
and for the tranquility that comes with a darkened sky.
Morning to night, a precious cycle.
I am each day, grateful.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today :

Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments
and win the crown of everlasting joy;
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 :-)

Thanks Vera, these little places are so tucked away that it's no wonder we miss them!

Last stop of the tour.........Wiltshire.

Bremilham Church lays claim to being the tiniest church, still in use, in England. It can be found, perched on a grassy mound, in the middle of a working farm, where it’s totally dwarfed by the surrounding farm buildings. The diminutive structure has made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest ‘in service’ church in England.

By 1731 the buildings of Cowage Farm and a church were the only buildings in the main part of the parish, which covered roughly 440 acres, excluding roads, water and waste and at no point in its history ever exceeded fifty people. The church in 1809 was larger than the tiny building we see today. It's barely 4 metres long by 3.6 metres wide, has all the appearances of a 'Monopoly House' and is dwarfed by the neighbouring farm buildings of Cowage Farm.

There's scarcely room for a congregation larger than ten, seating for just four on one tiny pew and no room for an altar. Unfortunately, the parish register only dates back to 1813 and the church in not dedicated.

Cowage Farm is still a working farm today and the present farm buildings date from the 18th century. The farm supplies grains to household names such as Quaker Oats and Hovis; and its beef is purchased by McDonalds and Tesco.

For a number of years the church building was used to rear turkeys. It was only when the present day owners took over the farm that the church was reconsecrated.

There’s just one service held at Bremilham per year and that takes place on Rogation Sunday – the service is always very well attended with up to 50 attending. With just the one pew and with standing for a maximum of ten people it means that the service is held outside come rain or shine.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/06/article-2320150-19A464F2000005DC-814_636x405.jpg


Cx :-)

Culbone is a lovely little church in a beautiful area, and I must have been close to it a few years ago without realising it existed. Some of my direct ancestors certainly as far back as my 5 x great grandfather came from Oare and we visited Oare church a few years back. If only I had done a bit more research I might have discovered Culbone and been able to go there.

We have had a most enjoyable tour this week Cynthia. Thank you.

Sending positive thoughts to kandj and Tabitha <3

Good morning :-)

Moving towards the end of our tour, today we are off to Exmoor, to visit the tiny church of St, Bueno in Culbone.

"To Culbone, Oare, and Stoke Pero, Parishes three, no parson’ll go" An ancient ditty describing the remoteness of three Exmoor churches. St Beuno church at Culbone, is only accessible via a woodland walk, but it is well worth the effort.

Sited in a quiet combe looking out to sea, this dramatic landscape was one that Samuel Taylor Coleridge frequented often. It is said that he drew on the mystical atmosphere of Culbone Church for his images portrayed in Kubla Khan’s ‘Xanadu’.

With seating for only 33 people, the Saxon church is just 35 feet long. The nearby woods were the site of a a major charcoal burning industry as well as a 16th century leper's colony. Although the lepers were not allowed into the village, there is a small leper window (squint), in the north wall of the church which they were allowed to peep through. The church boasts a Saxon font and carved head that is part-cat, part-man on the north window. The church is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and is almost certainly pre-Norman.

And even the conical spire, built of deal and slate has a tale to tell. Local tradition says that in 1810 a heavy storm blew off the spire on Porlock church, carrying it over the Exmoor hills all the way to Culbone where it settled.

Even though there is no road access there are still regular services at the church.

https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/culbone-church.html


Cx :-)