Sunday 2nd March - travelling

We looked out of the back door earlier this evening; the moon just a fingernail in the sky

and a few stars. We have a lot of light pollution here, and air pollution too from roads and Gatwick Airport, so we're doing well if we can make out Orion's Belt or The Big Dipper.

New moon was 28th February, so we're heading towards a full moon on 14th March. Isn't the waxing moon the right phase to be sowing seeds? I must check my almanac.

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We're also heading towards Lent; pancakes on Tuesday and then we're in Lent. I will be following the Lent Course written my Andrew Dotchin as I have for many, many years now; a daily extract from whatever he is using as his starting point, plus Bible passage, reflection, prayer and suggested active response. 

His source material is wonderful; something different every year. Maybe the Narnia books, or the Screwtape Letters are not so unexpected, but one year it was Call the Midwife, and another year the TV series 'Glee'. 

He also publishes his Lent Courses on his blog, www.suffolkvicarshome.com. If you go and visit it you should be able be able to find previous Lent courses to sample his style. 

This year he is using 'Mister God, this is Anna', by 'Flynn' for the series. That takes me back to the 1970s! I've got hold of the book to re-read it after - how many? - years? Could it really be fifty years?

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I'm still checking that I can remember the George Herbert poem, 'Prayer'. I have a feeling that it may help me stay focused on the important things in Lent. I always view Lent as a time to try and form good habits that will be sustainable throughout the year, with some connection to my own Christian life. Being able to recite Prayer, like reciting The Lord's Prayer, might be one of those useful habits. 

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Travelling; when I found the piece for yesterday I remembered his Little Train of the Caipira, the second of the Bachianas Brazileiras 

I used to use this frequently in music classes... especially for topics on story-telling in music. Like all good stories, it has a beginning, a middle, a scary moment, and a happy ending! 

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