St Cuthbert's Festival worship

Sunday 2nd September 2018

A well-attended afternoon service at Corsenside as well as ...

...Holy Eucharist and Evensong at Bellingham completed St Cuthbert's Festival for this year.

St Cuthbert's Festival Walk

Saturday 1st September 2018

From this crag we imagined Cuthbert having his vision in the hills.  The thrilling light in the sky inspired him to leave his old life of shepherding sheep for a new life at Melrose Abbey which became a base for his calling to be a "shepherd of souls".

We set out after a good breakfast in St Cuthbert's Elsdon which sustained us till St Cuthbert's Corsenside where we were served with burgers, salads and puddings.

At appropriate points we stopped to enjoy stories of Cuthbert and the animals, illustrating his affinity with nature.  On this bridge it was the story of Cuthbert and the otters. 

The walk ended after fifteen miles, with prayers  at St Cuthbert' Well in Bellingham before we went into the church for tea and biscuits. 

St Cuthbert's Festival

Friday 31st August 2018

The weekend began in Elsdon at St Cuthbert's church where a sizeable audience enjoyed music and stories relating to St Cuthbert written and performed by Peter Ryder

Painful but fruitful day off

Wednesday 29th August 2018

Clearing nettles, thistles and brambles now that the bees and butterflies have finished enjoying the flowers was quite a scratchy and prickly task which yielded far more blackberries than I could pick.

Bellingham Show

Saturday 25th August 2018

Children gathering for mounted fancy dress

 

 

Incredible bike stunts in main arena

A team (of one quad bike and three horses) in the more traditional Inter-hunt relay race

All day the Church stand offers somewhere for quiet rest and refreshment.
My disappointment of the day was that when at the end of my work I went to collect my delicious (though not technically good) strawberry jam from the produce entries, it had disappeared.

Falstone Show

Saturday 18th August 2018

This is what Falstone Border Shepherds Show is really about

Hounds and...

...cakes are also important.
(As expected, my jam came nowhere, my vase of garden flowers was second out of two and my photographs picked up one or two prizes.)

Falstone Show jam

Tuesday 14th August 2018

After a confirmation discussion, pastoral visiting,  and an afternoon appointment at the rectory, there was jam to be made.  Even though I hadn't got the right kind of strawberries, it's important to put in entries in various classes or there wouldn't be a Show!