Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Day 17 Walk 15
Monday, 30 May 2016
Blog 14 (Walking Day 14 - Harwell to Oxford/Cowley)
Today was the first day I had one or more companion all day
(Rachma and Steven had joined me at the end of day 12).
In the morning my friend David and I started from Harwell - we struggled to cross two main roads (one being the A34) and the main GWR line; David's comments were:
b----y roads, b-----y railways and b-----y footpaths.
Despite our careful map work several paths ran out at the boundaries and failed to cross road or rail.
However, eventually we got to Abingdon, late, to a nice pub, Nag's Head.
I was allowed 5 minutes before-hand in a lovely church - St. Helen's - with fantastic
roof-paintings - but we were in danger of being late for our meet with David's wife, Louise and Daff.
After too long and too large a lunch (Bill) we left for a long idyllic walk on the side of the Thames.
Unfortunately, too long - so we made many stops as exhaustion began to set in; the last at a pub on the river in Sandford
(so 2:1 score Pubs to churches, I'm afraid).
We arrived back at Louise and David's exhausted - not having the energy to go out;
poor Louise having to cook us a delicious chilli.
No psalm today, nor tomorrow, rest day when I'll be catching up with sending past blogs. Bill the relaxing Pilgrim
The
Blog 12
For today - Warnborough to Uffington; another version of a Psalm
(NB note to Dane - can they be spaced after every 4 lines - I think the last one
lost its formatting in downloading).
1. Lord, you have been our house and home;
the place in which we make our dwelling.
Before you had created the heavens,
beyond the mountains of human telling.
2. You are God, God for ever and ever,
And yet when all's due, you turn us to dust
You command us to turn back and repent
To do you great deeds, you tell us we must.
3. A thousand years to you flash by,
They are, as it were, one watch in the night;
like yesterday, which came and went past
As but a blink in your eye, in your sight.
4. Our years pass you by, for us like a dream,
In the dew of the morning, renewed is the grass.
As the day goes past, as the evening fades,
our yesterdays, as it were, let them pass.
5. But does your wrath overshadow us
The psalmist, in psalm ninety, tells us so.
Our iniquities and our secret sins,
offend you so much, you tell us to go.
6. Our span is only toil and trouble
Our years come to finish, like a sigh
Seventy, or eighty, if we are strong
But the fear of your wrath makes it nigh.
7. Let us count our days and blessings
So as to give wisdom in our heart.
Turn back, O Lord, relent and save us
Have compassion on us, at least in part.
8.In the morning give us your steadfast love,
May we gladly rejoice all our days.
Let us be glad in all our afflictions.
Let our work serve you, in all of our ways.
9. Give glory and power to our children,
Let your favour return on our lands;
O prosper the work that we do,
O prosper the work of our hands.
Amen.