Saturday Round-up

I used to love singing this in primary school, way back and may be it rings bells for you too. The words arent great but the tune has stayed with me and the false idea that Summer is a temporary lend!

Hello all!

Just to let you know I am on my hols for the week now and have invited some of the ministry team to be involved in a daily piece for the blog and I have done other bits. It still will have Sunday and Wednesday worship. Please do still comment etc but I will reply when I am back but will be keeping an eye on it.

I am indeed very grateful to my colleagues - Edwin, Rick, Penny, Catherine, Lynn and Keith - thank you all.

We continue today to celebrate the vast talents we have in this parish and share together how much God has given to us.

Keith has shared,

"I've enjoyed being a Reader since 2008 and with that comes the joy of meeting different people around the churches. I find great fulfillment in preparing services and writing sermons which I usually try to make personal to connect modern times with biblical times. Some congregations will have noticed that I play the organ for the hymns if there is no organist there (for five of our churches); that is not just a stop-gap, I really enjoy music. At school, I played the cello in the school orchestra, as well as having piano lessons. Nowadays I enjoy playing the guitar as well. A pastime which fascinates me (when I've got time to do it) is photography. Years ago I entered these two photographs in competitions - you can see I like landscapes - especially with interesting cloud formations."

I am loving the details in colour of the stone in the abbey and in clouds, sky and flowers. Thank you Keith. You are also talented in producing materials electronically for our churches, worship etc too.

Becky has been having a go at painting and this is one of her pieces. I have told her she needs to keep this up!

Lynn says:

"Most people connect me with the piano or the organ - but I'm not just about 'hymns and arias'! All kinds of music have fascinated me over the years: Songs from the shows, Folk music, Pop music; in fact anything was grist to the mill when selecting music for Pantomimes, Olde Time Music-Halls, The Young Wives Variety Show, and various events where we had 'Sing-along-a-Lynn'. Both literature and history have played an important part too, but not many people know that years ago, when I was young and fitter, I used to go Brass Rubbing. With friends, I would go to the Cotswolds, Herefordshire etc., to beautiful country churches which had unique brasses; even to Hereford Cathedral and Llandaff (Bishop Timothy Rees - the only brass figure wearing spectacles). The earlier the monumental brass, generally the better the quality - there are wonderful knights and ladies from the 13th Century. Out of this grows an appreciation of history and the development of costume, armour and hair-styles. Here is the only local brass still in existence; it is of Wenllian Walsche, 1475, in Llandough-by-Cowbridge. "

This is fascinating Lynn and having once had a go at a brass rubbing can echo it does absorbs you and certainly opens the door to history. Thank you for sharing this talent with us, plus your musical abilities too. Do we know why there are so few brass figures in the Vale?

Di has been walking and sharing what she sees on her journeys. She has a real knack of seeing the changes in the countryside as the weeks pass by and giving us a peek at the changes. Certainly she has a talent of taking photos and seeing those differences, when all so often we would miss them! Thank you.

I bet these smelt beautiful as well as look lovely.

Look like Norman Thelwell cartoon ponies! What characters!

Jan has also found some lovely inspiring photos , so I am sharing some of these today, another real talent. Thank you.

That water certainly looks inviting there!

Look yummy Jan, as always.

So we are a talent parish and have much to share with each other and others. Do return thanks to God for all we have, all we can do, share and that helps us in our daily lives.