Dear Don,
Well, the vicar seemed happy enough to let us explore when we were at Chalfont, though I have to admit, even I found it a little odd to squeeze past him when he was rehearsing the groom and best man… That was a close run thing. The bride must have turned up pretty much immediately after we scarpered, you know.
You’ve only to look at Tideswell though… what did we miss on our first incursion? Pretty much everything really! So much depends on the state of mind… and that was Weird Weekend after all.
As I recall, the pub was one of those uncomfortable ones… and I’m fairly sure they didn’t stock Stowford’s either!
I’m dying to have a read of that poem, you know. St Giles? Really?
Patron saint of the greenwood and outcasts, Giles has an interesting story, you know. Especially from our perspective. His parents died when he was 24… significantly.. and he turned from the world. Taking ship, he landed on a beach where he followed footsteps in the sand to the cave of an anchorite… hairy or not, I have no idea… with whom he stayed for three days before taking ship once more. Travelling through France he found a hollowed rock in a green glade by a stream, shaded by four gigantic oaks. He lived there with the hind and drank only her milk.
The rest of the story, you know… how he took the arrow meant for the hind… Later he became abbot of a monastery and, when it was burned down took refuge with Charles Martel, the first of the Carolingians… and whose name means either ‘man’ or ‘warrior’ of the ‘hammer’.
Giles’s last words were ”Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.” Yep, from the Nunc Dimittis… Simeon’s Song… I thought we were waiting? Seems things want to move ready or not.
Sorry about the digression! To answer your question, yes, the title pages should be illustrated, I think… and that might make a pretty good brochure, all in all, for Leaf and Flame. I shall work on it and see what comes up.
Meanwhile I had a look at a few things. You know that Silbury is thought to derive from either willow or boundary? A boundary between what and what, we wonders… and what banks do the willows fringe?
Looking it up I also came across a nice snippet pulled from the Edda… that whilst the Norse invaders worshipped the worshipped the Aeasir gods, they referred to the previous gods as the Vanir or Giants. No surprise there… The Vanir says the article, are Night, Earth, Moon, Sun, Sea, Underworld and Fertility, all aspects of the Great Mother, and while the Aeasir ousted the old ways, their belief was that the Vanir would return to triumph in the end.
The mesocosm is both an accepted word and idea, referring, as you would expect, to anything between the two extremes. I prefer your concept of what is produced by bringing those extremes into harmony.
The Beast, however, is currently singing a duet with the sparrows.
I’m fairly certain the birds are singing from a different score…
Love, Wen and Anu x
Fascinating reading. Your photos of the old church are beautiful!
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Thank you, Michelle )
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Reblogged this on Stuart France.
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This seems one of the most colorful churches you have visited, and of course I am sure part of that is because of the impending wedding, but still, it does seem to have a very colorful interior. Gosh, that story of St. Giles sounds as though it could be a book all on its own. So much to read and so many stories everywhere. It is as though they are growing out of the rocks themselves!!! Do you all have snow where you are? I wonder because we are besieged with cold and damp weather here, though no snow except in the higher foothills and the mountains. But we had lots of thunder and rain and high winds. Thank you so much for helping our journey and adventure brighter. I know I love it all! Anne
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We were lucky to be allowed in with the wedding about to begin! But it was a beautiful church.
If you wander over to my blog, you can see our version of snow 🙂
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