Sunday, September 21, 2008

September...

...has long been my favourite month, and today in wonderful mellow sunshine we were at a cheerful family gathering in a house near the Thames....Mass at the enchanting church of St Birinus in Dorchester, a place of happy family associations. Glorious singing, beautiful liturgy (ad orientem, rousing voices for the Gloria and Pater Noster, a Marian hymn to finish). St Birinus baptised, in the river at this place, the king of the West Saxons, Cynegils, in 635...and the same river flows, and this land still holds the Faith and oh, golly, let's never, ever, let it go from us...


A long and talkative family lunch, a large crowd of us round the table...a walk to the lock on the river, ice-creams, children playing, cousins talking and laughing, Uncle Jamie pushing a small great-niece in a swing...

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