New Life

I decided last week, to give myself a weeks "holiday" from Blog writing, hence no posts last week. But now, I`m back to it, and will try to keep things interesting!

My Dad, although not a keen gardener, always used to grow vegetables in our back garden (although he didn`t eat vegetables himself), and on Good Friday each year, weather permitting, he set the seed potatoes and carrot and beetroot seeds, and I spent many happy hours over the years on that day helping him.

The other week, in church, we were given some seeds, compost and plastic cup as part of the theme of the service, so I kept mine to set on Good Friday... and here is the stage they have reached since then. There were three seeds, so hopefully the other one will germinate soon.

It`s several years since I set any seeds, but the wonder of the way something so dead looking can come to life, is still a miracle to me when I look at these tiny green leaves and stems.

I`ll from time to time over the next weeks give updates on their progress.

Good Friday

I again joined in a Good Friday Silent Procession of Witness. This is always a moving experience as a large heavy wooden cross is carried through the town and up on to a hill where it is erected to stand sentinal over a town for a week. (providing vandals don`t again chop it down). Each year the crowd following the cross seems to get bigger and bigger, and to be of all ages. Even people with walking frames and aids took part in the procession.

I`ve been up there in all kinds of weather on Good Fridays, from warm sunshine, rain and wind, to the most atmospheric year when black storm clouds hovered and thunder could be heard not far away. Today there was a mist blowing in off the sea partially hiding the town from the hill, again giving a different atmosphere. (this photo is from a previous year, it was too misty today for one)

The most moving part of it this year though, was after we`d sung 'There is a green hill far away' and said a prayer, instead of people chattering and departing, Everyone just stood there in a big circle and crowd round the Cross, looking up at the cross and there was just something about that silence that seemed unique. It was several minutes before anyone moved and it the silence was broken.