Reflections Blog

‘When is it ever going to stop raining?’ is a question I’m sure we are all asking. Sitting forlornly looking out at a waterlogged garden through the mist and mirk does nothing to lift our spirits. So, a trip to the garden centre is always a treat. Looking at all the bright coloured seed packets with sowing instructions and pictures of blooms we can expect is a real tonic indeed. With the plant sale in mind, I come out armed with vegetable seeds and some good old cottage garden favourites (probably would have been a good idea to try some rice, I think my veg patch could easily become a paddy field!) 

We shouldn’t complain about the weather, we are quite fortunate in this part of the country, other areas have fared far worse with floods and wind damage, but the dreary winter seems never ending, but there are signs of spring. The days are getting lighter and apart from the cold snap at beginning of new year, it has been relatively mild.

The snow drops are blooming, and the bulbs and early flowering cherry trees are beginning to bud up. The Hellebores are starting to flower and the Witch Hazel is looking its best along with the Viburnum, which has been in flower for a while.

It won’t be long before we are all back to the weeding, grass mowing and moaning about the heat and lack of rain, I can’t wait. 

Rosemary Stratton

SPRING CLEANING FOR THE SOUL

Can you feel it? Even though it’s still a bit chilly, March is finally here, and spring is definitely in the air. I’ve noticed the first crocuses poking through the mud, daffodils popping up, their trumpet heads defiantly announcing the hope of brighter things to come, and the days are getting longer and lighter.  There is something very special about this time of year—a feeling that no matter how dark or cold – or wet - the winter was, new life is just around the corner.

It’s the perfect backdrop for Lent which began quite early this year, on Wednesday 18^thFebruary.

Traditionally, we look at Lent as a time to give things up. For me, it’s usually chocolate or that evening glass of wine – or two!  But honestly, how often do we end up just waiting for Easter Sunday so we can indulge again?  And even worse, sometimes I find myself feeling a bit... smug about it. “Look at me, I haven’t had a drink in three weeks!”

But if we are doing Lent just to prove we have great willpower, we’re kind of missing the point, aren't we? It’s meant to be about humility, self-reflection, and a chance to make changes that will draw us closer to God, not simply boosting our own egos.

If we really want to shake things up this year, maybe we should aim for a harder fast. Something that actually changes how we live, rather than just what we eat.

Imagine how radical it would be if, instead of giving up treats, we tried to give up negative thinking, about ourselves as well as others, and focussed on seeing the good in people and the world instead of the bad?

Now that is tough. It is so much harder to stop ourselves from passing on a snarky comment about someone else, or to silence that voice in our own heads that tells us we aren't good enough. Yet, changing those habits would make a much bigger difference to our lives—and to the people around us—than skipping a dessert or glass of wine.

Fresh beginnings

So, as we watch nature wake up this March, perhaps we could take the opportunity to make our own fresh start.  To use this Lent to be more careful with the words we use and speak more kindly, to others and ourselves, to be thankful for what we have before we complain about what we don’t have, and to actively seek out the good in others as opposed to the negative.  Then maybe we can head into spring not just feeling proud of our self-discipline, but genuinely lighter, happier, and full of hope.

With love

Ginni

A Season of Promise

As the calendar turns and we step into the quiet, crisp air of January, there is a natural instinct to pause and catch our breath. The rush of Christmas—the carols, the candles, and the gathering of loved ones—slowly transitions into the stillness of a brand-new year.

If we choose it, the new year can arrive, not just as a new date on the page, but as a sacred opportunity. We can choose to see it as a time to reflect on all that has happened in the past and also to look forward with a hope that is both grounded and expectant.

The last few years have taught us a great deal about the value of community and resilience, especially since our experiences of the pandemic.  We have learned that "church" is not merely a building with four walls, but the warmth of a phone call, the kindness of a shared meal, the healing power of being seen and heard, and the strength of standing together during uncertain times.

And as we look at the year ahead, we carry these lessons with us. 

We have learned that the power of small gestures, like a simple "how are you?" can be the highlight of someone’s week.  That it is vital to find stillness – in a world that often moves too fast, finding time for prayer and reflection is essential for the soul. And that there is real strength in having faith - even when the path ahead isn't clear, we are never walking it alone.

So, what do we hope for in this coming year? Beyond the usual resolutions, the people of our churches look toward a year of deepened connection with the communities we are called to serve.  We hope to see our pews filled with both familiar faces and new friends seeking a place to belong. We hope to grow in our service to the local community, finding new ways to bring people together and to share God’s love.  Most importantly, we hope to use our time—the most precious gift we are given—with greater intention.

And ‘time’ is a curious thing!  It can feel like it’s slipping through our fingers, or it can be a tool for transformation. This year, especially with Lent arriving so early, perhaps we can all challenge ourselves to use our time differently:

To Listen: To truly hear the needs of our neighbours.

To Serve: To offer our talents, whatever they may be – gardening, baking, offering a lift, or visiting the housebound.

To Renew: To make space for spiritual growth and the joy of fellowship.

 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." — Jeremiah 29:11

As we move into February and beyond, let us walk with confidence. Let us be a people of hope, using every day of this new year to reflect the love and grace we have so freely received.

Wishing you all a blessed, peaceful, and purposeful New Year.

With love

Ginni

GROWING UP IN GOSMORE

I remember a happy wartime childhood. This might sound a contradiction in terms, but I was too young to understand what was happening elsewhere. I was just happy in my own secure world of my parents, my grandparents who lived next door and our many pets.

I was often told by my mother when she brought me home from Benslow Nursing Home some days after my birth in May 1940 the road home was blocked at Gosmore by a barrier of miscellaneous farm machinery and implements in an attempt to block a suspected imminent invasion by the enemy. Dad told me I was born on the day the Germans invaded Belgium and so the threat was very real.

I remember that although my Dad and Grandad Sid and Will Linfield, worked in Munts shop at 21 High Street, Hitchin, it was actually very difficult to obtain new toys and there was great excitement when I was given a sad-looking handmade dog of pink and blue stockinette, who for some unexplained and unfortunate reason I called “Wonk”!

When I caught Scarlet Fever, which in those days was a dangerous illness, I was lucky enough to be able to stay at home and not sent away to the local isolation hospital at Letchworth as my friends were.  Those two words still give me an uneasy feeling even today.

To cheer me up, on one of her visits our family doctor, Winifred Simmonds, who was I believe the first lady doctor in Hitchin (and who caused a stir with her open top car and two cocker spaniels!) brough me a lovely set of doll clothes which I kept for many years, Dr. Simmonds specialised in treating children and her consulting room contained a wall adorned with photographs of her young patients and on her desk was a tin of sweets for the children!

Dad managed to find a little second-hand clockwork trainset for me that Christmas which mysteriously disappeared soon after. I was told later that a customer’s child needed it!

In those days after an infectious illness all toys and books had to be put in the oven to be fumigated, and I still remember the singed smell that hung about them afterwards!

Of course, wartime meant the dreaded “coupons” and even in 1951 when I left for boarding school my ration book went too.

Petrol coupons were so hard to come by that cars were “laid up” for the durations of the war and if we went anywhere, it was either by foot, bus or, more likely, pony and trap. Dad drove to work in the town in his trap and the pony was stabled in Perks and Llewellyn’s yard opposite the shop. Perks and Llewellyn’s was run by Miss Vi Lewis, and I remember the large jars in the windows of her chemists shop. I still have a much-prized tablet of soap made from the lavender grown in the local lavender fields.

Dad was in the local Home Guard at Preston as a despatch rider but early in the war he took messages on horseback. Only later did he graduate to a motorbike. Actually, I understand a great deal of time was taken up by the playing of cards whilst waiting for action which we luckily saw little of it in our corner of North Hertfordshire. 

My contact with the army was with the soldiers stationed at Tatmore Place nearby and soldiers wives and families often stayed with us and became and continue to be family friends over 70 years later.

I remember how coupons played such a major part in our everyday lives. Before walking to the village shop in Gosmore there was much poring over the books by my Mother to see how many “points” for the week remained and wondering what would be available in the shop. Believe me, those amusing episodes in “Dads Army” when “Jonesy” works magic with Mrs Fox’s ration book were very close to the truth! The shop was run by Alf and Elsie Tooley.

Alf being an Arthur Askey lookalike appearing later on “What’s My Line?” Lady Isobel Barnet and Gilbert Harding were on the panel. Gilbert Harding having once been a teacher at Welbury School in Offley.

Of course, sweets were rationed, and a lot of thought and time was taken in the selection for they had to last! Even now a Mars Bar (unavailable then) seems a treat but, is it my imagination, or have they grown smaller over the years? 

I remember, having been told so much about them, how lucky I felt because Dad had managed in 1945 to get a banana for me. Secretly I was hugely disappointed to be presented with a brown, stickly object but proudly took it to school – St Luke’s in Walsworth Road for my mid-morning break. The sickly-sweet smell from the nearby tan yard at the back of the school permeated the gardens where we played. 

Coupons had to be saved up for the purchase of new clothes. Someone gave Mum some parachute silk which needed no coupons and could be made into undies if you were good at sewing – sadly we were not! Nowadays, the only coupons I have in my bag are those to be redeemed at Tesco’s!

Jane More (Linfield) 

Married to Bryan More at St Ippolyts on 4^th May 1968.

FOR DEREK

Derek was one of those people that did everything quietly, he moved around quietly, he got things done quietly, he spoke to you quietly. He was a quiet man; however, he had a loud and caring soul.

That is what I will miss, very rarely did I ever walk around the village and not see Derek, either attending to his allotment or his fruit trees, or the orchard, maybe chatting to a neighbour or just walking round the village with a wheelbarrow.

I was also privileged to see Derek and Cherry every few weeks when they needed a haircut and have done so for the last 46 years. Even before that, he would take pity on me as a school girl, as I walked from the little Wymondley bus stop up to the village, often with heavy school bags, offering a lift, even if I was nearly there.

A number of times, on my regular visits to the church yard, or taking a quiet moment in the church as I often do, Derek would appear, sometimes for a chat, sometimes just a friendly smile as he went about his day. As I said, a quiet man.

However, along with Cherry, they were stalwarts of the village and have done so much for Wymondley. In my opinion, they have quietly done more for the village than any other couple over its history.

For many, many years, between them they have raised tens of thousands of pounds to help fix the church: the roof, the bells and many other problems along the way. Tirelessly they would care for the grounds, nurturing the habitat for the bugs, butterflies and birds and their joy of the swifts returning each year would light up their spring. If you listen now the swifts are probably here or on their way and their loving care has made this a special place.

This world is in crises, but in their way, they couldn't have done more. It's a pity that there aren't more Cherry and Dereks in this world and Derek is a massive loss to it and to us all who are a part of Great Wymondley or its recent history.

Just a few weeks ago I was visiting the church and a couple of walkers came in. Derek happened to be in there too and immediately went up to them, made them feel welcome and was pleased to impart his knowledge about the church building, and the village itself to them. I just listened in the background, proud of the village my family has called home for over 60 years, and proud to have been hearing Derek's passionate view of it.

Like many folk, I will miss him greatly and I join all who are here in being there for Cherry as she goes forward ... with love

Jean Burdett-Coutts