Marion Dante

July Monday 22nd to Friday 2nd August  2019 At Mark and Claire’s home in Kent

Wednesday, 31st July 2019

Ann and I set out at 9:30 on the morning, July 22nd, from Frimley, Camberley. When I drew up outside Ann’s home she had already reserved a parking space with her case. Mark and Claire were very grateful that Ann had agreed to house-sit with me. She had also volunteered to be my navigator. That was just as well because before setting up my SATNAV I was intending to head in the wrong direction! Truthfully, I was feeling nervous about driving the long journey from Frimley to Herne because it entailed being on three motorways. But my car had passed its MOT, been serviced, the tyre pressure was checked and it was tanked up. 

With Ann’s navigation in agreement with SATNAV instructions, we made good progress only needing to stop at the services once. When we were within reach of Mark’s home we WhatsApped them to tell that we were approaching. I drove past the house but once we turned round I located it immediately. I had been there once before.

We were fed and welcomed by Mark, Claire and their daughter Emily. Son, George was finishing off at school and was going to be collected en route to join them on their journey to Gatwick airport. They were staying the night so as to catch an early flight for their holiday to Valencia in Alicante Spain.

After chatting for some time we were shown around their lovely barn-converted home. We wee introduced to their four chickens. There was also a timetable set up for them:

7:30 am Open their home and let them out There is a prescribed amount of food and water for them.

4 pm   A smaller feed/snack

9:30pm To be put to bed and the door and gate

As well as that we were asked to make sure that the trays with the plants in the two green houses were filled and the doors opened in the morning and shut during the night.

The many plants in the four big raised bedding areas were to be watered using a long hose. Claire suspected that as she had already watered them a further watering may only have been necessary after three days.

The unexpected responsibility was that their boiler has broken down and the men were due to arrive early the following morning to commence replacing it. This work was to last for two days.

Mark had made out lists of all necessary information: The address of their holiday destination. (They were holidaying with Claire’s parents.) The TV remote controls were labelled, They left us their annual prepaid tickets for entrance to Canterbury Cathedral. Contact numbers etc.

Mark also set up my computer and activated my mobile phone with necessary codes. So once we  had been shown to our rooms and had unpacked and been given the keys to their front door they set off leaving us in charge.

Their home was ours to look after for the next eleven days.

Two Barry’s arrived at around 8 am the following day. So did excessive heat. The men had to have access to the whole house. They perspired and drank lots of cups of tea, coffee, orange juice , and water while they dismantled the broken boiler. We befriended them offering biscuits and encouragement as they worked in spite of the heat. By three o’clock they were exhausted and were satisfied that they had reached their target for that day.

I was instructed that the immersion heater could be switched on for one hour only and if necessary. I was taken and shown the switch. I was warned that it was never to be left on over night. I only needed to switch it on once for an hour.

On the second day Trevor, the electrician, joined the two Barry’s. He appeared to be a sullen character who expected a cup of coffee with milk and no sugar. Again the heat rose from early morning and increased so that my midday the men were wiping the sweat off their faces and requiring drinks constantly. Trevor disappeared. Presumably he had checked the electrics. Then one Barry said goodbye around the same time that it was announced that Boris Johnson had been elected as prime minister! Ann and i suspect that it will be one of those timings that we will remember where we were when what we considered to be an awful result was proclaimed!

Barry, 1 whom we suspect was in charge, said that the job was completed by midday but that he had to wait for the boiler set up to be checked and a certificate be issued. His son Matthew was contacted to perform this duty.

By the time Barry and Matthew departed it was late afternoon. The heat had soared, Ann and I were too tired to do anything else but feed the chickens and prepare our evening meal. 

On Wednesday 25th Ann and I were delighted to be able to leave the house. As the heatwave continued we departed early and found out way up to Reculver where we could enjoy a sea breeze and acquaint ourselves with the history of the remains of the church and monastery there.

We fell in love with the site. So much history. So many connections. We were so pleased that we revisited this place steeped in history the following day. After which we breakfasted and shopped in Sainsbury’s. 

That evening, 26th July we discovered that the Skybox for the television had collapsed! Mark guided us through several remedies. We changed and changed the batteries in the controls and switched the Sky box on and off but to no avail. 

Initially Ann and I were very disappointed. It was a poignant time in the history of the nation and we wanted to be informed. However, after recalling that we had lived without a television and that we were surrounded by hundreds of good books besides those we had brought with us, we decided that we could cope. Not only that but we would value our this period conducive to retreat and reflection.

On Friday 22nd we visited Margate. Once we had completed out duties of feeding the chickens, opening the nursery doors we departed at before the temperature rose. This was the morning that we learnt about a different method of registering my car for parking.  Being screened on the way in and not having to pay until we put in the car registration on our return. We are experts on it now!

We had fallen in love with Reculver so on Saturday and Sunday we visited again. On Saturday it was very windy. Fresh air on a sea breeze as we walked against the whipping wind was invigorating. The Church service in St Mary the Virgin Church was reassuring that there are kind, welcoming people surrounding us. After joining the singing and prayers and moving coffee we walked along the sea path returning to enjoy Sunday lunch in the King Ethelbert Inn, Reculver, adjacent to the seaside,

Whitstable is a lovely place. After discovering that The Harbour Books Store is where Mark launched his latest book, The End of Magic, we decided to head there first. We were welcomed by Olivia and Gabrielle who praised Emily, Mark and Claire’s daughter. Emily works there part-time. Mark’s book was pointed out to us too. Olivia directed us to the cafe that she often frequents. It had a back garden where we enjoyed a lovely coffee and shared a cake. 

After peering in some of the many charity shops, searching for the museum and resting by the beach we made our way to Prezzo for lunch. That’s when I spied a tall distinguished looking clergy man about to step off the pavement in front of us. As is my wont, I asked him which church he belonged to. He laughed and told us that he had just stepped down from being archbishop of Southwark and had  led  the ceremony for installation of the new archbishop! He had escaped to Whitstable hoping to relax and unwind.

Tuesday 30th July we visited Canterbury. That was wonderful. We were able to avail of the tickets atet Mark and Claire had left us for that purpose. We managed also to use the Park & Ride service from Sturry to Canterbury. 

We each had meaningful experiences. We had separated by default. Ann was in search of Saint Alphege (c. 953 – 19 April 1012) was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury. He became an anchorite before being elected abbot of Bath Abbey. His reputation for piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the episcopate, and eventually, to his becoming archbishop. Ælfheah furthered the cult of Dunstan and also encouraged learning. He was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during the Siege of Canterbury and killed by them the following year after refusing to allow himself to be ransomed. Ælfheah/Alphege was canonised as a saint in 1078. Thomas Becket, a later Archbishop of Canterbury, prayed to him just before his own murder in Canterbury Cathedral.

Ann was overjoyed when one of the guides lifted the blue corden and gave her permission to take a photo of of the memorial stone to St Alphege. That stone was not visible from below the steps.

I instead wanted to locate the exact spot where Thomas Becket, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury was murdered, He was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

I too approached a guide who invited me to join a group that he was leading. They were concluding their tour at the place of the murder. An excellent guide he showed us the door through which those instructed to kill Thomas had entered. His explanation were  graphic, humorous and he assured us, factual:

The monks were at Vespers when they heard the noise of the intrusion. Thomas was knelling at prayer when he was killed. The monks ran to find him seeping with blood, Instead of going staring to him they dipped their habits in his blood. He was now a martyr and would therefore go straight to heaven. They wanted more relics of this saint so they proceeded to undress his body. Under his habit they discovered that he had a hair-shirt. Not only that but it moved because it was alive with insects. Hurray! Thomas even more reasons why he would be proclaimed saintly. possibly canonised. Stripping this big man even further they discovered that his undergarment had possibly worn without washing for seven years. More relics, they rejoiced.

After this the guide asked if all the members of the group were Anglicans. I declared my catholicity and he was delighted. He pointed to a specific spot on a priedieu in front of a small altar and asked me to knell there. Then he indicated to another lady in the group to kneel next to me. It was then that he surprise us by informing us that I was kneeling on the spot where Pope John Paul 2nd had knelt and the lady next to me on the place where Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury had knelt on 29th May 1982. I shook hands with my new friend and wished each other the peace that they had prayed for.

Our guide chap then told us that as there was no crucifix on the altar a special iron sword design with four blades crossing was created and placed above on the wall behind the altar. The spotlights create two more shadows of swords. That reminds people that four men murdered St Thomas. 

A concluding fact on this issue is that swords are banned from the Cathedral. Consequently when soldiers returning from Afghanistan visited the Cathedral they were commanded to leave their swords and bayonets outside under guard.

I wished to see the stained glass window representing Adam Delving:

The strength of colour of the windows are a powerful flowing imagery and the scale of the series of figures depicting the genealogy of Christ beginning with the finest of all “Adam delving” (1170). 

This series of windows remain some of the finest examples of western medieval art

John Corley

Of the series of pictures in the west Window in the nave the most interesting one is that of Adam in the middle of the bottom row. He is shown ‘delving’ with a medieval spade, yellow wood with a pale blue metal cutting edge.  His skirt appears to have the hooves of the lamb still attached.  The single tree symbolises a garden (two trees would have indicated a forest!) and the golden clouds above his head (symbolising paradise). The figure of Adam was created in 1176.

One of the guides told me that for a long period of time this was the only one that depicted a human being.

The reason why I wished to see this particular window is that I remember being taken to the cathedral when I was a novice in the Salesian Order. When we were told to look at the stain glass window that depicted Adam Delving I did not know what I was being expected to find. It took a great deal of courage to call out and ask. Even now I wonder why it is not described as Adam Digging. Maybe not. Adam delving has a certain ring about it. 

As we both were very interested in this huge Cathedral we plan to return again. There are three big celebration being commemorated next year. 800 years since the body of Thomas Becket was move to the main chapel. 850 ago he was colonised and the Lambeth Conference will be held there during the summer months. We suspect that is why there builders are there at present. We look forward to seeing it without all the scaffolding. 

 

Wednesday 31st July. Ann and I have decided to have a quiet day today. I wanted to write this blog and Ann wanted to pursue her work. When we went to let the chickens out this morning we found that the door into the hut was open. They were awaiting their feed. There was a very strong wind last night when we were giving the garden a soaking so we presume that the wind blew the door open during the night. The chickens seemed undaunted. After breakfasting we parted until twelve noon when I drove us to Sainsbury for a light lunch.

I have been concerned that the fuel gauge on my car has not been registering the amount of petrol remaining. Yesterday I phoned a Nissan garage. We concluded that if I took note of the milage and remembered that my four-year old car does 40+ miles to the gallon I should able to calculate how much petrol I have remaining. I am not illegal driving with a malfunctioning gauge and it will be okay to wait until I return home to have it mended. However, I do keep filling up! 

Unfortunately the regular road to Reculver is closed for twelve days. However, we have discovered another route via Sainsbury’s so we intend making a final visit there tomorrow,

Then we will pack and asleep when the Stay family returns late tomorrow night. 

Then on Friday morning early we will be homeward bound. Mark, Claire, Emily and Claire will arrive back past midnight and will surely want to settle back into their home. We plan to be on the road early enough to miss all the Friday traffic.

Ann and I have discovered yet another dimension to our lives while minding the house, caring for  the chickens, writing, exploring the local countryside and much else.

Copyright Marion Dante, 2018. All rights reserved.