Seasonal scenes

Friday 29th December 2017

Molly at home whilst I go off on foot to arrange a funeral

The snow decorates our tree more effectively than the lights do, as I set off for a birthday party at Tarset Village Hall.

Boxing Day

Tuesday 26th December 2017

Santa Claus comes to the Boxing Day meet

Christmas Day

Monday 25th December 2017


Just what I wanted!

 

Meanwhile, packed houses for Christingle Service at Bellingham, Midnight Mass, Family Eucharist and the Parish Communion at Thorneyburn.

Before the Carol Service

Saturday 23rd December 2017

Delivery day!

Saturday 23rd December 2017

So far the deliveries received at the Rectory have been firewood,  a Christmas tree, a load of vegetables and photographs of the school procession led by Mary, Joseph and the donkey on the way to church.   I have collected and delivered 80 oranges for the making of Christingles and am now expecting bales of hay.  Next I'll deliver readings for tomorrow's  Christingle Service and then go off to Thorneyburn for St Aidan's Carol Service.

End-of-term Carol Services

Friday 22nd December 2017

Mary and Joseph and the donkey lead the way back to school after the carol service in church.

Winter dawn

Saturday 16th December 2017


The rising sun reflected in the River North Tyne    

 For me it was a day of preparation for four services tomorrow, as well as delivering my share of cards around the parish publicising Christmas services.

A day of school

Thursday 15th December 2017

 

...making the surface lethal

Shut in because of ice...

I went off to take a school assembly, share in a school Christmas lunch, attend a school dress rehearsal for the nativity play, and visit a school staff meeting

Reading in bed

Wednesday 13th December 2017

It's supposed to be my day off, but there's too much to do as we move towards  Christmas and the end of term activities  in all the schools.  No special outing for the dog who has decided to take the newspaper to bed with him. 

Frozen waterfall

Monday 11th December 2017

The temperature has risen from minus 10 to minus 3
but Skittering Linn is still frozen.

Winter on the way

Friday 8th December 2017

The temperature drops sharply as the sun sinks behind the fell just after 3 o'clock

Christmas Tree Festival

Thursday 7th December 2017

My day was as varied as the decorated trees   --    with a Communion service, a re-arrangement of a wedding, a potential candidate for Confirmation, a request from the local paper for an article, a meeting of the Team Council...and visits to the Christmas Tree Festival.

 

The Feast Day of St Nicholas

Wednesday 6th December 2017


The Christmas Tree Festival in St Cuthbert's Bellingham began on St Nicholas' day.  Hence the theme of the Church's Prayer Tree:



Many visitors have been adding their prayers (written on "bags of gold"):

 

Sunday 10th December 2017

More prayers on the Prayer Tree by the time of the service to end the Bellingham Christmas Tree Festival  (which was squeezed into a busy afternoon between Messy Church at Falstone and Advent Parish Worship at Thorneyburn)