Easter Weekend

As usual the Abbey looks beuatiful for Easter - the flower ladies have excelled themselves and my favourite arrangement is a 'dancing cross' on the pillar near the Shrine Chapel. But it's hard to have favourites because all the arrangements and the Easter Garden are beautiful.
I have to confess that I've 'lost' my camera at the moment so that I can't bring you any pix!! Anyone who'd like to send some is most welcome!!
On Easter morning a party of us walked to the top of the Wittenham Clumps to kindle the 'Easter Fire' as the sun rose - the idea is to greet the Sunrise on Easter Day in celebration of the Son who has risen!! It was grey and miserable on Easter morning and the only way we knew that the sun had risen was because it gradually became lighter!! This didn't stop our celebrations though - the acclamation 'Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!' echoed on the clumps as the fire was kindled and the large Easter Candles from all the Team Churches were lit from that one flame to be taken back to all the parishes for their services later - we all enjoyed tea and bacon rolls at Little Wittenham therafter!! Sometimes, of course, our lives are a bit like this - we only know that the sun has risen becasue of a lifting of the darkness not becasue we see the sunrise. I remember visiting our friends the Gregson's in Nepal more than ten years ago now and hearing something similar - in Khatmandu during winter you rarely see the hills that surround the city because of the constant low cloud - but, as Lynn said to me - they are still there - just as God is still there when we find it hard to sense him - and just as Jesus is risen - even if we sometimes find that hard to believe because of what else is happening in the world!
Well back to the Abbey and Easter morning. Dorchester families had a great disappointment on Palm Sunday because we were unable to borrow the donkey from the Donkey Sancturary becasue of insurance problems!! We made up for it on Easter day with a lovely collection of two week old chicks who visited the Easter morning service - with a reading from C S Lewis' book the Voyage of the Dawn Treader as well as our normal readings they helped us to think about the new creation - the real 'me' that is within each of us and our chance to rediscover or resurrect that 'me' with Jesus.

The other great event of Easter weekend at the Abbey is alsot he oepning of the Tea Room on Easter Saturday - and the place buzzes into life with families eating delicious cake in the garden and others queueing for a space in the Tea Room itself. If you haven't visited the Tea rooms yet then you really should. As well as the most delicious home made (yes -everything is made by the ladies of the village!) scones and cakes you have the pleasure of sitting a one of two large tables in the medieval Guest House where the company is always different and the conversation very varied! You can wander in the Abbey, visit the museum - or go for a strenouous walk up the clumps to work off the tea!! Everyone who comes is very well looked after by teams of ladies who are only too willing to ply you with tea and cake!! This year I gather we had a visitor from the local press on Sunday afternoon - so look out for us in the papers!! Just in case you don't know the tea room is open every weekend from 3-5pm and Bank Holidays - later in the summer it also opens on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (Thursday's being my particular favourite because of the cheese scones!)

Well I'm about to go on my post Easter Break - if you're near the Thames and see 'Running Wild' then do give me a wave!!