03 Sep August 2024 Digest
Welcome back to the blog. Looking back over August, it seems as though we’ve spent as much time out of the monastery as in it, with various trips out. Despite appearances, though, our life of prayer remains the constant heartbeat of our days, giving our life its shape and rhythm. The consistency of our routine also helps me to tune into the seasons; it’s noticeable that as the long summer days begin to draw in, we now get up and go to bed in the almost-dark. The weather too is starting to have a distinctly autumnal edge. Fortunately, though, the weather stayed warm and dry for a whole variety of outdoor activities this month…
Kitchen Garden Days
From 12th to 14th, most of the community, along with a few volunteers, descended on the kitchen garden to Get Stuff Done. Many, many beans were picked and processed; one community member asked what the best receptacle for picking beans was, and was met with an emphatic response: a bucket. In the end, the runner beans have been needing 2 buckets for the past few weeks. After their shaky start to the year, they’ve bounced back with enthusiasm, and the freezers downstairs are rapidly filling up. We also transported a good quantity of horse manure from our next door neighbour’s place up the garden, where it will be mixed in with compost and used to feed the garden beds. Speaking of compost, we also emptied and sieved one of our bays of compost, using the ‘big bits’ to fill in a couple of pathways we were levelling, and storing the finer stuff for use in the coming months. Sr Alison was very grateful for all the work that was carried out!
Community Days
Immediately following the Kitchen Garden days, we had a trio of community days, when our Guest Wing was closed. The first of those days was given over to marking the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the second was partly taken up with a chapter meeting. On Saturday 17th, we had a day out together to visit Coventry Charterhouse, a fascinating little historical site just outside of Coventry, which started life as a Carthusian Monastery, and then passed through various private hands after the dissolution, before being left to the people of Coventry in the mid 20th century. The volunteers who work there now have a real love for the place and for its story, particularly several medieval wall paintings. Both of the main paintings are now incomplete; it was pointed out to us that on the uppermost floor, various bits of painted wall have been moved and repurposed. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the gardens at the Charterhouse, after which some folks went back home. Br. Adrian, Br. Jonny and myself went on to visit Coventry Cathedral, where we were shown around by our good friend Fr. Sacha Slavic, who gave us an interesting and insightful tour. For all three of us, it was our first visit to Coventry Cathedral, and we were all very impressed with what we saw, both in the ruins and the new cathedral.
Time for Tea?
We were very lucky to receive two invitations for tea this month. On Sunday 11th, myself, Br Stuart and Abbot Thomas went to visit the Franciscans at Glasshampton Monastery. Despite it only being about half an hour from Mucknell, it’s the first time I’d made it there in 7 years of being here! We joined the brothers for tea and cake, and while the others were catching up on news, Br. Tobias showed me round, which included a chance to meet their cat, Sienna. We also sung Vespers with the brothers, who were celebrating the feast of St. Clare.
Long-time blog readers may recall that previous Augusts have usually included a trip over to Archdeacon Rob’s for tea at some point; given that Rob retired last year we were concerned that this tradition might have come to an end. Fortunately, though, Rob and his partner Mike have stayed fairly local, and so they once again invited us over for tea, cake and Vespers. It was lovely to see their new place, and a few familiar faces too.
And finally…
I haven’t managed to get my act together to take any photos of Rocky, our cat, this month, but be reassured that he is doing well. He’s been in at breakfast time almost every day, in marked contrast to a couple of months ago! Several of us have also noted that he is developing his range of ‘meows’, from a somewhat staccato “meowp”, repeated for as long as it takes someone to pay attention, to a variety of pitches and lengths…perhaps he’s been sneaking into chapel for inspiration?! He remains friendly and affectionate, and even joined in with our kitchen garden days by showing off his hunting skills while several of us were out there weeding one afternoon.
In adding his contribution, Rocky reminds me that we all have a part to play: this is true in so many aspects of our community life, as we take it in turns to read in the Oratory or at meals, take it in turns to cook lunch, or look after the laundry, or do the cleaning, or answer the phone. St. Benedict is clear in his Rule that all are expected to contribute to the life of the monastery, and we might extend this to the life of the church, or indeed the world. However small they may seem, all our contributions, offered in love and humility, bring us closer together and closer to God, closer to the Kingdom of God here on this good earth.