General Chat

Good morning :-)

The Harvest season is upon us but it's very different this year.

I read where the British tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall. Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" and "All things bright and beautiful" helped popularise his idea of harvest festival and spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service.


Apparently, Revd. Hawker was quite a character! Married, with 8 children, whenever he entered a church to take a service, he was always accompanied by his nine cats. He also rode a mule bareback around the parish, followed by a pet black pig called Gyp. I have known some eccentric clergy in my time but………………


We bless you, God of Seed and Harvest,
And we bless each other,
That the beauty of this world,
And the love that created it,
Might be expressed though our lives
And be a blessing to others,
Now and always
Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

Our curate was ordained as priest behind closed doors on Saturday and lead our H C service in church today which was a very special time for all.

David, not long before your operation in RVI. I do hope that all goes well and that you will feel better.

Tabitha ........... It was so nice to hear how well things have turned out for you in having to work from home!

Happy belated birthday to you both xxx


David ....... good luck for your hospital visits next week. Hope all goes well for you.


It is now definitely Fall here ................. one storm after another rolling in from the Pacific. We might make up the whole normal rainfall for September in just these last few days since last Thursday, which was of course Fall Solstice :-D


OH hasn't been to church for 2 Sundays now, and the Baptist church across the street is still closed.

Good morning :-)


David, I wish you well with your surgery and please keep in touch <3


You sound like one happy bunny Tabitha! It's good to know that it is not all doom and gloom in this world and that you are so happy with your new role and surroundings.

I found John Bunyan to be an interesting character as I researched him. We have a modern version of Pilgrim's Progress somewhere - I need to find it and read it I think.

The Collect (special prayer) for today:

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers
of your people who call upon you;
and grant that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Cx :-)

Thank you for all the Birthday wishes its very kind of you all - Our joint birthday was Thursday 24th. All in i have had a good few days off sorting out my husbands study and getting rid of all his work info. Now he has retired he wanted to get rid of it all. We have so much recycling and enough shredding to last us till Christmas.

Now my old bedroom when i was younger is going to be my working from home office, until they decide we should go back to the office. It was his study for 24 years and my office since March. We have been told we will be working from home till at least June 2021 in theory.

Personally i would love to stay working from home. I gain 2 hours a day by not travelling to and from the office, no waiting for busses and hoping they don't go by as too full in the evening. No waiting in the cold and rain at the bus stop with no shelter, no walking to and from the stops in the dark mornings or evenings. I save myself a lot of money in fares as well.

I can eat a decent lunch at lunch time and snack in the evenings and have a better evening as no digestive problems. I get to breath fresh air as i can have the window open - we cant in the office. No catching other peoples germs in the winter as a lot of the office have children at school, so we always got all the bugs.

Peace and quiet and the radio on if i and doing quality checking and proofreading. No office politics to get involved in.

As i work in the travel department and there is very little work, several of us have been loaned out to other departments who are extra busy, like complaints and legal teams. I love his whole new area and new team who are so friendly and made us feel part of the furniture. Its so refreshing no arguments or hysterics.

Move quality time with my husband and our cat who sits with me in the study.
I have a lot to thank the virus and lockdown for.

Good luck with the surgery David I hop it all works out well for you and you get a better quality of life.

I love the stories Cynthia, reminds me of my A level days when i had to pick 5 men and 5 women who made a difference to our world and say why I chose them and what they meant to me. I still remember the hours i sat debating who to chose, getting books and researching at the library and the hours writing them up by hand then. No internet or computers.

Take are all Have a lovely weekend.

;-) <3 <3 <3 ;-) ;-)

ON MON AM IVE TO GO TO FREEMAN HOOSPITAL FOR YET ANOTHER CORVID 1CORVID TEST AND MORE MORE BLOOD SAMPLES THEN ON SEPT 30THE THIRTIETH IVE TO GO TO THE RVIFOR SURGERY ON MY INJURED .WISH ME WELL.
<3

Hello all

It's cold and windy here but dry for now. I have just swept fallen leaves from the long drive.

I have just read all the John Bunyan postings. Very interesting, as always. Thank you Cynthia.

It is always hard to see the purpose in wilderness wanderings until after they are over - John Bunyan.

Good morning..... :-)

My word, it's a bit chilly this morning............ :-)


Concluding the story of John Bunyan........

On 31 August 1688 John Bunyan died in London. He had been on a mission of mercy to Reading, to effect reconciliation between a young neighbour of his and the father with whom he had quarrelled. The mission successfully accomplished, Bunyan continued his journey on horseback to London.

On the way he was overtaken by a great storm of wind and rain, and he arrived at the house of his friend, John Strudwick, on Snow Hill, drenched to the skin and feeling unwell.

In spite of his evident weakness and sickness, he insisted on fulfilling an engagement to preach on the following Sunday, at the Meeting House of one John Gammons in Petticoat Lane. He then returned to John Strudwick's house, where he grew weaker, and a few days later died. Bunyan was buried in the Strudwick family vault in the burial ground of Bunhill Fields, City Road, London.


In all your prayers forget not to thank the Lord for his mercies - John Bunyan


Cx :-)

It’s been good to be reminded of John Bunyan’s story. Thank you Cynthia.

Happy birthday Tabitha for whenever it is or was. I wish you a good year ahead.

Hello all

Happy birthday Tabitha.

It is cool and windy here this morning.

Friday blessings to all who are struggling today.

Keep well and stay safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

Whenever your birthday is Tabitha, I hope you have a lovely day. <3


Continuing the story of John Bunyan.....


This period in prison was used for writing. In 1663 came Christian Behaviour followed in 1665 by The Holy City and in 1666 by Grace Abounding, his spiritual autobiography. It is thought that the impetus for the latter might have been the knowledge of the 40 people who died of the plague on the north side of the river where John Bunyan was imprisoned. It was during the years 1667-72 that Bunyan probably wrote much of the first part of The Pilgrim's Progress.

In 1672 King Charles II issued the Declaration of Religious Indulgence, and Bunyan, like other church offenders, was released from prison. He was immediately appointed pastor of the Independent church in Bedford, which later bought a barn and orchard in Mill Street as their place of meeting.

In 1673 the King was forced to withdraw his Declaration, and early in 1677 Bunyan returned to prison. On 18 February 1678 Bunyan published the first part of The Pilgrim's Progress. During the last ten years of his life he published The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim's Progress - Second Part (1685).

'The more he gave away, the more he had' - John Bunyan.


Cx :-)

Hello all, I would say good afternoon but its absolutely throwing it down. I hope everyone is well, or on the road to recovery. So sorry to hear about David and his trials. I do hope he will be feeling better soon.

Loving the stories Cynthia - i only get to pop in on occasions and always managed to raise my spirits. Thank you all I know i have friends i can come to cheer me and give me time for reflection.

Have taken a couple of days off for our birthday's and trying to do some sorting out and family history, at present don't seem to have managed a lot of either. Its probably the wettest birthday I have had in years.

Keep smiling things can only get better. Take care <3 <3 <3 :-)

Good morning :-)

Hello Sylvia, nice to see you. Definitely much cooler now and rainy too - but not as bad as yours sounds......stay warm and cosy :-D


Continuing the story of John Bunyan.....


In 1660 Cromwell's Protectorate came to an end and the monarchy was restored. In the belief that national unity could only be achieved by religious uniformity, the state attempted to restrain the developing Independent congregations by forbidding preaching.

Bunyan was arrested in the hamlet of Samsell just after he had begun a meeting. He was held at nearby Harlington Manor overnight; appearing before the local justices the next morning, he was sentenced to three months in prison.

Since Bunyan refused to give an assurance not to preach, he remained in the County Gaol for 12 years from 1661 to 1672. In vain, his wife Elizabeth tried to get his case reopened by pleading with Sir Matthew Hale, the Lord Chief Justice of England, when he stayed in Bedford. Bunyan was allowed several privileges as a prisoner since he was not a common criminal.

The prison was only five minutes' walk from his home so food was brought into his cell, often by his blind daughter Mary. He also received daily visits from friends and had occasional excursions from prison, keeping him in close contact with members of the congregation. During imprisonment he supported his family by making "long-tagged bootlaces" which they could sell.

Cx :-)

Indeed, the first day of Fall ................ and it is pouring with rain here!! It is also much cooler.

This is the first in a series of storms that will be rolling in from across the Pacific over the next week.

Hurricane Teddy arrived in Nova Scotia this morning .............. luckily downgraded from the Grade 3 that it was earlier this week. Again pouring rain and very high winds.


Keep safe, take care, everyone

Hello all

First day of Autumn today and it's much cooler.

David, I hope your operation next week will go well and you can soon go back home to be with Ellen.

Interesting reading about John Bunyan. Thank you.

Good morning :-)

Continuing the story of John Bunyan.....

In 1653 he joined the newly-formed Independent church that met in St John's Church, Bedford, south of the river, where he became friends with their pastor John Gifford.

By 1655 Bunyan and his family were living in St Cuthbert's Street in Bedford and it was at this time that Bunyan discovered he was a gifted preacher. In 1656 he became involved in disputes with local Quakers under Edward Burrough and these led to his first book ‘Some Gospel Truths Opened’.

In 1658 his first wife died and the following year he married his second wife, Elizabeth, with whom he had two children. In this year he also published his most ambitious theological work ‘The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolde’d.

By 1659 he was recognised beyond the county border as a preacher. So effective were his words, people would arrive at dawn to hear him preach at noon.


You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. – John Bunyan.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Oh dear David, you have been in the wars......let's hope and pray that your surgery goes well and that you are soon feeling much better.


Continuing the story of John Bunyan......


Returning home to Elstow in 1647 Bunyan resumed his work as a tinker. Two years later he married a local girl who bore him four children, the first of whom, called Mary, was born blind. The arrival of Mary in 1650 made Bunyan reflect seriously on his life for the first time. His wife’s father had given him two Christian books which really made him stop and think .

One Sunday as he played sport, he heard a voice….”Will you leave your sins and go to Heaven, or have your sins and go to Hell? He was so upset and felt that he had sinned so badly that he was beyond forgiveness. He began to question the value of his favourite pastimes and in his book ‘In Grace Abounding’ published in 1666, Bunyan describes this period of spiritual crisis admitting that, "Even as a child I had few equals in cursing, swearing, lying and blaspheming the Holy name of God".


I have often thought that the best Christians are found in the worst of times. -
John Bunyan


Cx :-)

I don't know if my reply yesterday osted or not but but I have been very ill again and further injured. I was hositalised for 2 1/2 following pnumonia and I fractutured my R femur in a fall. Having surgery on R knee 30 Sept. Hope it goes well. I must have cost the NHS a lot of money.

Good morning :-)

Another form of lockdown looming, but let's stay positive and cheerful :-D :-D


I think many people have heard of Pilgrim’s Progress and it’s author, John Bunyan but may not know much about the author of this very famous book. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious, theological fiction in English literature. It has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print. It has also been cited as the first novel written in English.

So.........John Bunyan was born in 1628 in Bedford. His family was so poor that when his father died, John was left only one shilling and a tinker’s anvil. He had little education but learned to read and loved medieval romances and knights conquering villains and monsters.

As a youth, he boasted about his bad language which shocked even wicked men. However, he loved to dance, bell-ring and lead Sunday sports, which was condemned by the Puritans. He attended church but had little religious feeling.

When he was 16, it was the height of the Civil War and so he joined the army. It is probable that he served under Cromwell. One day, whilst on duty, he took part in a siege but another soldier asked to take his place. As this soldier stood sentinel, he was shot in the head with a musket bullet and died. John came to see this as proof God had spared his life for a great work.

Cont.......tomorrow Cx ??

In times of affliction we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God. - John Bunyan


Cx :-)

Hello all

David, it's great to have you back posting, you have been missed. So sorry that you have been having a rough time and even more to come again soon.
I hope you and Ellen can relax together for a little while before you're back into RVI. Take it easy now.

O Lord today, three things I pray.
That I may see you more clearly,
Love you more dearly, and
Follow you more nearly
Day by day.

Keep well and stay safe everyone.