Yesterday, I finished the job of making and bottling that third batch of crab apple jelly. Four and a half large jars and two small ones. Clare said it was the best lot I've made so far.
It was heavily overcast and rainy, until early evening, so I was glad to have cooking as well as jam making to do. before getting out for a walk in the dark when the rain finally abated.
Today was similarly domestic, though I attended the Eucharist at St Catherine's in the morning. The urge to continue my long story has weakened in the past few days, so I'm giving it a rest, not even tinkering with it at the moment, just mulling over ideas about its next change of direction. It's been so dark in the afternoon that I haven't bothered to take a camera out with me since Monday. I hate the long nights of late autumn and winter months. It's a struggle not to turn in on myself entirely.
Even so, this time of year has often been an important one for me. I made my first ever retreat at the end of November 1963, and this was a life changing experience for me at many levels, even before I realised I had a vocation to ministry. My trips to East Germany and Sarajevo were both in November, and my sabbatical in Jerusalem at the end of 2000 ran through November into mid-December. It's also been a productive time for writing poetry and theological reflections too. But I still prefer those long hours of daylight and milder weather.
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