Open Gardens

"Rain in a narrow band along the South Coast" - and so it proved, for the start of Lymington's Open Gardens day. Inland, brilliant sunshine; here, dismal. Which sorted out the weeds from the hardy perennials. They reckoned about seventy people came through our little plot to be amazed at how much could be crammed into one tiny garden.

Our gate stewards came well equipped for the weather, and kept a cheerful welcome throughout the day.

From time to time Mrs Barnes appeared to welcome visitors (seen here among the apple blossom - very prolific this season). ( I should say perhaps "Appeared  - to welcome visitors" Lynn Truss was right about punctuation)

Many flowers are very late this year, but Rosa Banksia Lutea (aka the yellow Banksian Rose) made a brave show by our back door.. now if you were to come in a week's time it would be really something!  But then, visits to gardens are always either a week too early or a week too late. There are some lovely yellow tree paeonies out just now, and a spectacular blue alpine clematis. Our Quince (Cydonia - not the mock quince, Chaenomeles Japonica) is beginning a good show and created some interest.


Among the many visitors were some old friends, notably Francis and Tina Cumberledge who are just moving back into the area - we look forward to their garden being on the list next year.



Here they are looking thoroughly cheerful - and the weather brightened too as the visits came to an end. Some had managed to visit all ten open gardens. Ours included a strip of "guerilla gardening" - a neglected plot alongside the police station where extra seedlings find a home. Tomorrow we will join others whose gardens were on show to tour all of them ... I think ours must be among the smallest, and maybe the oddest of them all. It is all in a good cause - Lymington Museum and Art Gallery.

..Books in the Running Brooks...

Our little Ordinariate Group in Bournemouth is going through some teething troubles just now - so we would value your prayers, dear reader. We'll say more about this another time. Meanwhile, for a little refreshment, Jane and I walked across the Salterns. Salt was what made Lymington its money - real money in the 18th Century, in one year alone this local industry paid £40,000 in tax - at a time when £4 a year was a decent wage!



The saltmarshes are now a nature reserve, and there are just a few places where some of the old industrial buildings survive. They were used to boil the brine after the saltwater had evaporated in the saltpans - whose outlines are still traceable here and there. These barns are very ancient, and were probably used for storing salt before it was taken away on barges.



There were lapwings and curlews, and great flocks of geese - probably Canada geese, they were a little far off to identify them postively. There was also this elegant Little Egret. Only a few years ago they were great rarities; recently, we have seen thirteen in one day.

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Today's bird was especially elegant.

Except when the wind blew to ruffle his feathers, when he looked more like a dishmop than the suave hunter of fishes.

I suppose we can all look a bit stupid when our feathers are ruffled. Then we need time to compose ourselves and put a brave face on the world once more.

And although they don't fit in with this piece of sermonising, here are some of the fruits of the forest;


acorns, so plentiful in the New Forest this year that the pigs are being turned loose for longer than usual to consume the pannage - if the pigs don't eat them the ponies will, and acorns are poison to horses. This little herd on the Salterns looked very excited in the windy conditions.



Whereas some stick-in the muds were quite unmoved.

First and Last

Brockenhurst, this morning; the Catholic Church of St Anne (l) is run from Lymington, so today I was there for a first visit - and my last as a Deacon. Next Sunday, God willing, I shall be back at St Anne's to celebrate Mass for the first time as a Catholic Priest. Then there will be a mad dash back to Lymington, where Bishop Crispian is making his last visit before his retirement - and I will hope to concelebrate with him and our parish priest, Fr Danny McAvoy. This morning Fr Danny asked me to preach in Our Lady of Mercy in Lymington for the first time. "Think of us as Christ's Servants" said St Paul to the Corinthians - so I spoke about being a deacon, and how it was not a demotion as some supposed from being a bishop to becoming a deacon. Quite the contrary. Being a deacon, a servant, is the epitome of the Christian's call, the very thing Jesus tells us all to do; and inasmuch as we have done any service to one of the least of our brethren, we have done it to him. I might have said something about the bishop wearing the deacon's dalmatic beneath the chasuble, to remind him and us of his servant ministry - but you can't say everything all at once. There will, I hope, be other opportunities.

Just to cheer up anyone who has stumbled on this blog, here are a couple of local New Forest residents whom I met on the way to Mass in Brockenhurst. They don't look terribly happy, despite the sunny morning - perhaps because they were heading away from church rather than towards it.

Amazing (G)Race

* * * * * * * * * St John's Cathedral, Portsmouth * * * * * * *

Forgive the punning title, but it does seem to have been a sprint rather than a marathon, heading towards Catholic priesthood. Certainly there has been much grace involved, on the part of the Catholic authorities, from the Holy Father via the Diocesan Bishop and our Parish Priest to the local congregation here. Everyone has done everything possible to smooth our path and make us welcome.

So it is good to be able to announce that the intention is that Jane and I should be received here in Lymington, at the Church of Our Lady and St Joseph, at the 9.30am Mass on January 21st. Bishop Crispian says he will ordain me Deacon in his private chapel on the morning of February 11th, and my ordination to the Priesthood will follow three weeks later at 2.30pm on Saturday March 5th in Portsmouth Catholic Cathedral.

It would be helpful if any Catholic priests who wish to concelebrate in the Cathedral could let me know, so that I can send their names on to the Bishop. But whoever you are reading this blog, please be kind enough to remember Jane and me in your prayers at this exciting and slightly nerve-wracking time.

Everything Looks Better in the Snow

Our latest visitors proved how foolish it was to say "though the rest of the country is snowbound, we never get snow here in the South". Frs Page (from Leytonstone) and Elliott-Smith (from Tottenham) came for an overnight visit, and with them overnight came the snow.


The trains are running, though, and Lymington looks much better for its sprinkling of snow. The United Reformed Church has just had a major restoration, and looks better than ever before. Sadly, I hear that the minister there has just died after a very rapid cancer. She had not been here very long. Requiescat.



St Thomas', the parish church, is also improved by a dressing of tinsel.

Good news....

Since no news is good news, here is some no news. A wonderful sunny day in Lymington, and a free Sunday! Our daughter brought 10yr old grandson yesterday to stay for half-term (looking pensive on the right). She has now gone back to Wales but after attending an 8 o'clock said Communion at St Thomas' - very BCP for Trinity xxi - it was good to stroll along the cliffs and on the beach just a few miles Southwest of home. Very restorative. There was even one hardy family with a toddler paddling!

If I weren't an anglo-catholic, I think I'd be a blue-domer. Notwithstanding the claims that science has 'disproved' God, the sea and the sky always set me wondering. The tide has been going in and out from whenever it was that water and land were separated; and when I consider the heavens, the works of His fingers, the moon and the stars that He has ordained; well "what is man that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

Even empty beachhuts can look lovely in such weather. Next weekend will be less restful; three sermons in two days, and a trip to East Kent into the bargain. But that will be All Saints, which is a great time.

The Eagle has Landed

The Vicar was not looking forward to abseiling down his churchtower; but he did it, and showed "the church in the public square" as the MP Desmond Swayne said paraphrasing Pope Benedict yesterday in Westminster Hall. Saturday is Market Day in Lymington, and Fr Peter Salisbury has never abseiled before - indeed is not fond of heights - but all credit to him, he did this to launch an appeal for the renovation of St Thomas', the parish church of Lymington.

Mr Swayne reminded the crowds that there are supposed to be more millionaires in Lymington than in any other town in the country; that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom than for a camel to pass through a needle's eye; and that therefore we must empty our pockets for this good cause. Well, up to a point; but more of that later on the Anglo-Catholic.

The crowds were good humoured and appreciative, it seemed, for what he was doing. It was something of a prophetic action, reminding people the church is still there. In fact, you can hardly miss St Thomas', in its prominent setting at the top of the mostly Georgian High Street of the Town.

Over the top ............ Halfway down ........... And nearly there.
There were crowds to cheer him on, in cassock and safety helmet. Traffic came to a standstill. I even missed the live broadcast of this morning's Papal Visit. But it was possible to catch up later, for TV has been wall-to wall Benedict - great!

Fresh Expressions

Well, it is all happening here in Lymington. The plans are approved, the congregation has had a chance to test the new chairs for comfort, and soon after Christmas the church will be closed for a few months while the exciting new developments take place. The Victorian benches (they are NOT pews, though mistakenly so called- they have no doors for a start) will be scrapped, the chapel in the South Aisle will become a very convenient storage area, the floor will be levelled and concreted, and then tastefully carpeted. Best of all, there will be a removable holy table instead of the present unwieldy High Altar, so that concerts and multi-media events can be staged. There will be a state-of-the-art sound and vision system. The Vicar, very wisely, has chosen next year, including Easter, for his Sabbatical. It will be for the newly priested Curate and such retired priests as are available to keep worship going. I fear this will not include me, thanks to a prior engagement with the Bishop of Rome. Naturally the daily celebrations, already reduced to five, will be further curtailed. Whatever Sunday Services continue will take place in the Church Hall.

To give all this a kick start, and raise the funding, there are events planned for this autumn. These include (see the poster at the top of this page, currently on view outside St Thomas') the Vicar abseiling from the tower. If he is well enough insured some minor accident (absit omen) might pay for the entire transformation. It is such a thrilling time for us all; I think I need to go and lie down to get over the excitement stirred up even by writing about it.

Full details from http://www.lymingtonchurch.org/

For those in Peril...

St Saviour on the Cliff

The SSC Chapter of SS Peter and Paul meets overseas sometimes; that is to say, on the Isle of Wight. We include brethren from the two dioceses of Portsmouth and Winchester. There is a ferry to the Island from Lymington, where I live, so the journey to St Saviour on the Cliff, Shanklin, was not very onerous.

Though I served in the Diocese of Portsmouth for my first three years in the Ministry (and was made a Deacon in Portsmouth Cathedral just fifty years ago this Trinity - my, how time flies when you're having fun!) I'd never before been to St Saviour's. It is an impressive Victorian pile, which has clearly had some wealthy benefactors. The former Vicarage was sold off when the parish was joined with its neighbour of Lake, but fortunately two church families bought it from the diocese and are generous in letting the parish use the garden from time to time. Today, it was a member of one of those families, a Churchwarden, who helped serve us with a ploughman's lunch (though if ploughmen ate lunches like that I doubt if much ploughing would have been done in the afternoon!)

We began with half an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, then celebrated Mass, ate our lunch in the North Aisle (which serves as a meeting place until the Victorian hall is restored) and then had a good and lively discussion on the matter of the Ordinariate. It is clear that in our chapter at least there will not be one single opinion; some are very keen to take the Holy Father's option at the earliest opportunity, other think they might have to be in the second rather than the first lifeboat. We were all concerned, though, to try to understand one another, and "to keep the brethren of the Society united in love and in faith" as our SSC prayer says.

Window of Christ the King
in the Chancel of St Saviour on the Cliff.

We are fortunate in having Bishop Keith as our PEV, and many of us are looking forward to following his lead at the right time, unmoved by those who mock us saying we are too timorous, or that we are waiting for a better offer from the Synod. I have outlined some of the reasons why the PEVs cannot rush our application to the Holy See. They need our continuing prayers for a calm sea and a prosperous voyage.

Where to blog?

High time I added another post, to replace the image which has been staring at me on various kind friends' blogs, recommending Ancient Richborough. I have just taken my first steps on "The Anglo-Catholic" site. My, those Americans are so civil! And they even call me "Your Grace" - I thought perhaps the title went with ex-Richborough as an extension of the Archbishop's ministry, but not so. In America they are accustomed to calling EVERY Bishop "Your Grace". Which set me thinking about titles and suchlike. "Your Grace" is not simply confined to Archbishops; it is also the correct form of address for Dukes. By some strange hangover from pre-Reformation times Archbishops of Canterbury even outrank Dukes in matters of precedence; which I suppose is why they sometimes have to cancel Confirmations so as to be present at State Banquets and such.







Then again, sometimes people still address me as "My Lord"... at least, I think it is an address and not an exclamation of surprise. When asked, I tell people I prefer to be called "Father" - but if that is not their style, then Bishop will do.

Banks and Solicitors used to be able to be relied on to address one properly; now you are quite likely to get a letter beginning "Dear Rt Revd" or some such. I honestly don't mind; though if it is such a problem "Mr Barnes" is still perfectly OK. Costume dramas are always fouling up on this, referring to "Reverend Bennett" .. but then, that otherwise admirable film "Master and Commander" managed to have the crew (during the burial at sea) praying the Lord's Prayer in the ASB form; no dears, not "who art" but "which art" .... perhaps I should offer to be ecclesiastical consultant to the production companies?

The Ordinariate is offering to allow fomer Anglican Bishops to wear the gear. But what gear? The Patrimony would suggest aprons and gaiters, Rochet & Scarlet Chimere, maybe the Order of the Bath or some such bauble. A bit out of place in a catholic setting, I'd have thought.

I think it's better to post this on my own blog rather than the Anglo-Catholic. The C of E is mysterious enough to our American cousins, without adding unneccessary confusion. I think I have been invited onto the team to give a CofE view of events. I have had to warn them that my viewpoint is not neccessarily that of the entire Church of England. A pity, but there it is. Now, back to those sermons for Sunday (a Confirmation) and Tuesday (the SSC Chapter here in Lymington).

Volucrium caeli coetibus

Groups of birds, that is to say - or if not Fr Hunwicke will swiftly correct me... at any rate, they were there in their thousands, down on the marshes today. Geese flying in huge flocks, turnstones and curlews and redshanks busying themselves by the edge of the water. Many seemed agitated; some gulls were mobbing a lone swan, until it stood on its tail and flapped its great wings at them.

It is the time for discerning their future, deciding where the best spot might be for bringing up their young, keeping an eye open for predators. All of which seemed somehow a parable for another group... Anglicanorum...

Despite these musings, the weather was bright if pretty chilly still, and a good walk was called for after the Ash Wednesday Mass in All Saints', Lymington.

That is a shared church with the Methodists. If they unite, as is rumoured, perhaps All Saints will not be needed by either congregation... it would scrub up wonderfully as an Ordinariate church - but not a word to the Vicar.

Crinkle Crankle

How wonderfully friendly everyone is in the snow! The few people who ventured into deepest Lymington today all seemed delighted to see another human being, and we greeting each other as long lost friends.

So I thought a few pictures might not come amiss, to cheer up those spending hours before the computer to avoid going out into the winter weather.

And as for crinkle-crankle, these walls seem to be a speciality here- good for fruit-growing, I'm told, but also aesthetically pretty good. Part, you might say, of Lymington's patrimony.