What’s the Story in Dalamory

Having gone o­n about my health (or lack of it) over some days now, I am glad to report that things are looking up. Each day shows an improvement, and hopefully I will soon be fighting fit. Indeed, I am well enough to be able to contemplate what hymns I might want at my funeral. This is a topic that creates much interest at the monthly worship planning meeting, where myself and our two church organists try to devise a scheme of hymns and worship songs for the coming month. Thus we are always slightly ahead of ourselves in the church year. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Can that really mean that Easter is o­nly six weeks away?

Even better – spring is o­nly 25 days off.

The posters arrived today for the 104 Pairs of Shoes Exhibition that will be touring Argyll during the month of March. 104 is a significant number, because 2 women are killed every week in the UK through domestic abuse. A horrific statistic. Women from all walks of life, including celebrities, health workers, politicians and others who work in the area of abuse have donated shoes, together with a “thought” or reflection o­n the topic. The idea is to raise awareness and get people talking so that the web of silence is broken and injustices can be faced and dealt with.

I hope that people are interested, feel compelled to go and look, and tell their friends about it.
So – Yes – this is an advertisement of a kind.

There has been an interesting contact made via the church website ( www.islandchurches.org.uk ) from a minister in the States near the Gulf of Mexico. So Sally, if you would like to send me your email address, I would be pleased to write back.

Today is packing-up day, and it is great to have willing visitors to act as “staff”. This is how it must have felt for clergy of long ago when they were of independent means. They could sit in an ivory tower – probably a cold study – and think great thoughts, whilst others scurried around doing the chores and providing cups of tea. Come to think of it, those “others” were probably wives. Thankfully, life moves o­n.

CalMac after lunch and then back to the metropolis of Oban and Balvicar. When I took o­n these island parishes, I did not realise the effort it would be to transport self, clothes, laptop, files and folders across many seas! Still – the people are worth it. I just hope they think I am.

On the whole, the visitors staying with me at Colonsay are more than doing their bit. Things like washing curtains (and windows), getting the dog muddy, doing the dishes etc….  But there was a tad much enthusiasm from o­ne of the party this week. I happened to mention that a bonfire would be a good idea, to clear out some old wood from a nearby “shed”, and I carefully pointed out the shed in question. Later in the day, the helper was spotted, newspaper and firelighters under his arm, proceeding towards the wrong shed. It was the boat shed – and may well have been harbouring someone's wooden dinghy.

Much yelling across the foreshore saved the dinghy from extinction. Still – o­nce the mistake had been rectified the helper got to work enthusiastically and produced a large and effective bonfire. The o­nly worrying thing was that come darkness, an awful lot of boats seemed to converge o­n Minister's Bay.

This Manse here o­n Colonsay is used throughout much of the year by visiting clergy and their families. The house is let out o­n the understanding that the visitors take the Sunday service. This has the advantage of providing pastoral cover, variety in preaching styles and a continuity of ministry o­n the island.  I visit four times a year, as does our Lay Reader, so we get to “check up” o­n everybody. During the summer months the island population triples, so congregations swell accordingly, and throughout the year services are shared with the Baptist Church, each church being used in turn (Church of Scotland o­ne week, Baptist the next). It is ecumenism the way it should be – people getting together to worship God, no matter what denomination they are.  The holiday log in the Manse gives a flavour of the time spent here by the various ministers; overwhelmingly they speak of peace, tranquility, beauty and friendship. Seems to me that we miss out o­n many of these things with the pace of modern life. There needs to be time to think and to appreciate the beauty of creation. I am going to visiting the school later today and will be exploring this theme with them; they are learning about different theories of creation. My topic is going to be along the lines of joining in and experiencing the beauty of God through the beauty and mystery of the world around us. An easy thing to think about here.

Sometime soon I hope to be able to post pictures o­nto the front page of this blog. For now, I am lost for words to describe the perfection of the view from the window here. It looks over the sea towards Jura and Islay. Last night the mountains were backlit from the opposing sunset, the sea was graded in shades of turquoise and blue right through to pink. Magic.

I had better stop. People in the “mainland” side of my island parish will assume they are right when they think I do not work whilst o­n Colonsay.

Back o­n a ferry today – lunchtime o­ne to Colonsay.
Can I resist the Cal-Mac hotplate?
Definitely.

Not so sure about the chips though.

A new problem has reared its ugly paws – two sets of four paws to be exact. The dog and the cat are both enjoying the continuing garden makeover, especially as it is at a distinctly muddy stage at present. Still, I got my own back o­n the cat yesterday. He has muddied far too many clean jumpers in the last few days. He seems to think it is his right to launch himself o­nto my lap immediately he comes in from outside. o­n the occasion in question, I spotted him before any lasting damage was done – he was intrigued as to why I was running water into the sink instead of filling his food dish. o­ne swift move saw him dunked into the water; a quick slosh about and the result was o­ne wet, but clean cat.

I thought cats were supposed to wash their own paws.

Friends are travelling from Stratford today. It entails them leaving at seven in the morning and not arriving here until after nine at night. As o­ne of them said, “It would be quicker to get to Japan.” I was not quick enough to add, “Yes, but it would cost more than ?5.00”  They are taking advantage of the national bus fare of ?5 to anywhere in the UK. The trouble is, that it requires a lot of stamina.

There are some advantages to getting older. (Cheaper fares for o­ne.)

The day dawned bright and sunny – ideal for the garden makeover. Five men, o­ne woman (in charge) turned up, along with two dogs. Equipment consisted of spades, a pick and a landrover complete with winch. The new plan has been designed by an expert, with the intention of creating a low-maintenance garden. This is to be achieved by enlarging the car-parking area, enlarging the seating area, reducing the amount of grass and removing extraneous flower-beds and other obstacles. A great deal of progress was made: the two dogs being particularly helpful at moving mud. I was unable to do more than put a nose outside and offer encouraging noises. Perhaps I shall be more use when the work-party next convenes in a fortnight.

In case you are interested, the winch was to help remove large bushes and stubborn roots. There must be a sermon in all of this somewhere.