27th September

I was listening to one of the nature programmes on the radio early this morning and the commentator said, ‘I much prefer damp wet days in Autumn.’ It reminded me that last week a parishioner wrote on the back of their yellow second collection envelope, ‘season of mist and mellow fruitfulness and second collections.’ I cannot share his love of wet days, the memory of the floods back in 2015 is still there. I love the clear sort of days we have at the moment when you get up high and can see for miles in the bright clear Autumn sunshine. Every crevice and path on the fells seems to stand out. From Scout Scar you can see from the Howgills in one direction right round to the Langdales, Great Gable, Coniston Old Man, Black Combe, and then the more scenic sights of Heysham Power station and, of course, Blackpool Tower. Yesterday there was quite a sharp wind, today people are in T-shirts. That is where it is easy to pray, I find. When you are looking at the glory of God’s creation (perhaps not the power station, but as I come from Blackpool I have to say the tower qualifies), it is simple just to stand there and give the praise that this morning’s psalms were talking about. So you can be up there and of one mind with some one writing 2500 years ago.