Wanting to see a little of Edinburgh, I got an all day bus ticket and rode around for a little on Lothian buses before making my way to the house owned by the Fraternity of St Peter. Fr Emerson is away and Fr Brendan Gerard is holding fort. He kindly allowed me to say Mass at the chapel in their house for the Feast Day.
Fr Michael John Galbraith then picked me up for lunch with Fr James Clark (from Southwark Diocese). We went to a very popular pub with a magnificent view over the Firth of Forth.
The 3pm train from Edinburgh to Kings Cross was quite full but I managed to get a reasonable amount of work done as well as saying the Office. The journey includes some lovely views of the East coast of Southern Scotland and Northern England. Here is a shot through the window as we passed Berwick-upon-Tweed:
The journey from Kings Cross to North Greenwich on the Tube was quite unpleasant. Even though it was 8pm, the trains were jam-packed and very hot. I met one of my young parishioners on her way home from a day's work doing people's nails at "House of Fraser". It must be rotten travelling home in those conditions each evening.A total of five and a half hours after leaving Edinburgh, I was motoring homewards along the A2. Busy day tomorrow in the parish ...
3 comments:
It would have been nice to see a snap of my alma mater, Durham, where St Bede lies and St Cuthbert remains hidden til better days return. Earlier you would have passed not too far from Holy Island , Lindisfarne, once home to St Cuthbert and St Aidan. One thinks also of Bl. Thomas Plumtree, martyred after saying Mass in Durham Cathedral when it briefly returned to the old Faith after the Pilgrimage of Grace.
My commiseratioms on your return to the faithless South!
regards, Ken.
When travelling South from Edinburgh to London on GNER, one is treated not only to a wonderful view of Durham Cathedral, but also to a surprisingly good one of York Minster. Between these two I always enjoy looking at the White Horse of Kilburn. It looks down on the famous 'Mouseman of Kilburn' - which I always associate with nearby Ampleforth Abbey. Not only does the Abbots Stall have a mouse carved on it - so does the Choir Altar. In fact I understand the Abbey and College are almost overrun with mice!
You also passed through my home town of Chester-le-Street, a few miles north of Durham, where St Cuthbert's body lay en route to his final resting place at Durham. Cunacestre was an episcopal See in the distant past.
Co. Durham is, of course, for many of us ex-pats God's own County!
Post a Comment