Wrexham County Borough 104 - Life begins where fear ends. /another church another Poppy display /the plan starts to come together / Two churches

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I read somewhere that Life begins where fear ends . I think over the last few days with Rememberence Sunday on the horizon that thought rang true . I had returned from my visit to see the poppies display at the local church at Worthenbury . Today I was out for a walk along the River Dee and on the way home planned a visit to a second church to see what the display looked like there . As I walked along the river with the levels up due to the heavy rain I pondered the recent budget . Not much of a help for pensioners . Tax rates staying the same but the rate that we start to pay tax on income also staying the same for the next year and the year after that ad infinitum . Councils could put up council tax in England by 5 % if they chose . Wales would probably do the same . The black hole in the economy caused by the recent mini budget that went wrong has to be filled and who will be filling it . I thought of us as the rich get richer and the poor get shafted .

My head was also filled with thoughts of holidays . The travel books had been brought out and without Gabby a different kind of holiday would be needed . Somewhere we could drive to was a given . Somewhere could be France, Belgium , The Netherlands or Austria and Switzerland . I had not given a thought to Italy but then it popped up. Both of us had come up Lake Como as an option . The driver had visited there many years ago . I had always wanted to visit but parking a motorhome was never going to be easy so we always by passed it . How long would it take to drive to Italy ? In the van about five days with stop offs on the way . In the car we would be able to travel further and faster . Two days ? Was that optomistic ? Well we were going to find out . The first job had been to book somewhere to stay on Lake Como. How about ten days ? Somewhere where we can park the car and catch the bus or the ferry around the lake . Would there be enough to keep us occupied for ten days ? We were always the movers and staying in one place was something we had not done for over 10 years . We were about to find out . Which side of the lake should we choose ? . Both had advantages and disadvantages . We chose the quieter side half way up in a village /small town called Lenno. We booked it before we changed our minds . It was going to cost a lot more than camping in laybyes or on aires on the way down but we were prepared to give it a go . Accomodation booked so the next jobs will be to work out where to stop the first night and then the second . Reverse the stop overs on the way back and book the tunnel but that is for another day .

I had reached the church . The tale is of two churches . Both extremely different . Both with differing styles . As I climbed the old stone style I could see the lady with her dog . She was walking away after opening the church doors . She fell into conversation with a man who had the same idea of bringing the keys to open the church . As I walked through the lyche gate I fell into conversation with him . "Our display of poppies is not as good as Worthenbury " he told me . I wondered how he knew I was coming to see the poppies . Not to compare them . But to admire the work put in to remember the war and the communities devasted by the loss of their families . The lyche gate could have done with poppies hanging from it or draped around it . The council had placed large poppies on the church iron railings. There was nothing in the porch . I thought perhaps I should take to knitting again and try to make something for the porch for next year .

Two churches - one Georgian , light and airy and this one St Dunawds in our village Gothid, medieval and darker inside . One church closed due to lack of support . This one a hub in the community with a thriving bell ringing circle , church members keeping the church going and even Keep fit classes once a week utilising the pews and the aisles . Two churches - one with clear windows letting light in , dark box pews and a double decker pulpit and this one full of lighter oak , bells that worked and three altars . On the hearse cart which once was used to carry coffins to the graveyard was a glass vase full of red silk poppies . At the base of the font another glass vase full of bright red poppies . Neither church had white poppies . They are not so popular and here were no sign of the purple poppy for the horses who lost their lives in the First World War . In each window were three glass jars . A milk bottle , a kilner jar and a larger glass jar . One poppy was placed in one jar and two in others . They were simple but effective . I loved them as they shone in the dark interior lit by the light from the windows . None of the altars were decorated . I wondered if perhaps again next year I might suggest I made an altar frontal for one of the side altars . Not the ones used for communion with their fine white linen but a side one that maybe was unused . And perhaps I should suggest we knit and make a cascade to fall from one side of the tower .

Those thoughts went through my head . The ball of red wool came out . Perhaps that might be the project for the next 12 months. Two churches , two different ideas for decorating the spaces . I was pleased I managed to see both .

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Comments

[Home and Away]

Poppies...
That is wonderful that you will knit poppies for the church for next year! As for remembering the horses which served in WW1, there is a large statue of a horse at Canterbury Cathedral which memorializes the 6 million horses killed in that war. When I saw it I came to tears. What did the horses do to deserve this? Your plans to visit Lake Como sound perfect. Stopping near Reims would allow you to get there in two 8 hour days. I just love the Italian Lakes, with my favorite being Lake Garda where I stay in Sirmione. I love Lake Como, too. There is so much to see and do in the area. What time of the year are you going?

[JenGog]

poppies
I knitted a lot of poppies in 2018 for the displays in our office and continued right up to November 2020 . Covid hit and I worked from home from March 2020 to December 2020 so did not do any that year nor have I done any since moving to Wales . I intend to ask the church if they would be interested in a display if I make enough in a year to do an altar frontal or perhaps a big display from the tower . Will have to see how it goes and if they are open to the offer . The holiday is taking shape . Changed now and I will get into a blog sometime . Booked a hotel overnight in Calais - should be able to do home to Calais by 6pm . Then have decided to do the route via Strasbourg down to Lake Como. Staying outside of Strasbourg overnight and then should get to Lenno by lunchtime /evening on the Saturday night . Leaving the UK on 1st May so will miss the coronation of King Charles III. I remember you love Sirmione and Garda is indeed a lovely lake . The weather should be fine . Never been to Como before and can spend ten days just pottering around the southern end of the lake . Plans to visit Monza as Glenn has always wanted to see the Iron Cross crown in Monza cathedral . Can pick up a boat down to Como and train to Monza . Hoping the boats are running well because we may still be on a winter schedule in May which will mean reduced ferries . I have my list of places around the lake to visit , will take a few books and hopefully have a more restful holiday than moving place to place in Gabby every day . It will feel odd but perhaps sitting on the lake promenade with an Aperol Spritz in my hand and being able to eat Italian will make up for it all .

[JenGog]

the horses
Agree about them . They suffered in the war too . I love the purple poppies to celebrate them but I am not so fond on the white ones . I am still very much a Flanders Field red poppy person . A memorial that a lot of people dont like is the one in London to the women of the war . Some say it looks like hanging women but it is just all the clothes they work hung up on pegs . Very poignant with all the uniforms hanging there in metal . I love it as it reminds me of my mum and mother in law who both worked in the munitions factories producing the cordite . She never forgot that experience but the country forgot about those women who faced the risk of being blown up every day by the substances they handled . Medals for Land Army women but nothing for those in the munitions factories. I get really angry when i think how little they were thought of . Same with the animals that had to suffer for such arrogance of war . I just hope we are not on the verge of WW3 . Will we ever learn Bob ?