Spring comes to the River Wye with Hereford Cathedral overlooking all.
Please Remember to ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
11th April
(C) David Oakes 2021
Category Archives: Silent Sunday
Silent Sunday….. The Time for Easter Lambs
Its Easter and another sign of Spring…. New Lambs in Hall Dale, Staffordshire
New Life and New Hope…. so
Please Remember to ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
4th April
(C) David Oakes 2021
Silent Sunday……. A Peaceful Place
Nether Largie Standing Stones, Kilmartin Glen, Argyll, Scotland
The many Neolithic and Bronze Age Stones of Kilmartin Glen are part of, probably one of the biggest collection of stones and burial cairns, not just in Scotland, but maybe in the the UK.
This is the Central Group of Stones at Nether Largie. For me it is the most dramatic….. but standing there surrounded by all the stones and cairns it also the most spiritual of places.
The stones are laid out on a North East – South West Axis. There have been many studies into the purpose of this grouping. A Lunar Observatory to help mark the seasons and the passage of the sun and moon seems to be the most accepted premise.
Last weekend we past the Spring Equinox. Today we take the very modern decision to play with time, moving our clocks forward by one hour. Makes me ponder on just what would have happened, at this time, in the cyclical seasonal circle that we have just passed through, all those thousands of years ago, by our ancestors.
Nether Largie Stones could not have been located in Kilmartin Glen by pure accident, we may never know just why. They may well have had a Spiritual meaning all those thousands of years ago….. but my visits always trigger a Spiritual awareness.
One of those very Special Place…
Please Remember to ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
28th March
(C) David Oakes 2021
Silent Sunday….. An Abbey in the Borders
Dryburgh Abbey, nr. Melrose in the Scottish Borders
Long before it became a ruin, Dryburgh Abbey was described as the most beautiful of the Border Abbey’s. Maybe it has something to do with its woodland setting, in a bow in the River Tweed. Or, it could be the creative use of the red tinged stone in which it is built.
Today there is very little left. Not surprising as it has had a violent history. Built in 1150 all started well for this Premonstratensian Order. Being located in the Scottish Borders it later attracted unwanted attention from various English Arm aggressions. Burnt down in 1322 then again in 1385. Restored in the 1400’s it was subsequently destroyed in the 1560 Reformations.
As you walk through the ruins you still gain an impression on just how impressive the Abbey must have been. The stone carving is indeed intricate….. and that previous mentioned woodland setting just adds to the atmosphere that still exists in this fine Abbey.
Dryburgh Abbey may well have been destroyed, since then, it has been the chosen location for interment of several noteable Scots. David Erskine the 11th Earl of Buchan, The Writer Sir Walter Scott and later Field Marshal Earl Douglas Haig…… a peaceful place to rest.
As on every Sunday and indeed everyday….
Please Remember to ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
21st March
(C) David Oakes 2021
Silent Sunday….. Gothic Style
The Gothic splendour of the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Schleswig is still as impressive as when first built (or maybe that should be rebuilt). Dating back to 1134 this giant of a Cathedral, but also needing reconstruction of the high nave after a collapse in 1276, but still a construction achievement.
In contrast to the interior, the exterior is rather austere. The sturdy walls from local red brick or mostly unadorned, the dramatic element being the tall Spires. The Cathedral has long been surrounded by the community it serves. Unlike many Cathedrals, that stand in grand isolation, best to show of their importance, Saint Peters of Schleswig, despite its size, seems to be hidden away….the only sign posts being those Spires..
Step inside and you suddenly become aware of the shear size of the Cathedral. Mosaic tiled pillars, richly carved Alter and Choir Stalls, dominant Wooden Pulpit, whilst various Ecclesiastical works of art adorn quiet corners. It is also,only once you are within the walls of Saint Peters, that the ‘spirituality’ of the Cathedral surrounds you.
Exterior utility style of construction, punctuated by large windows, gives way to the colourful craftsmanship of the interior….. a contrast that creates lasting memories of Schleswig Holstein. Germany and its majestic Cathedral
Wherever you are this Sunday…….
Please Remember to ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
14th March
(C) David Oakes 2021
