CATHOLIC BLOG AWARDS

I have just found the Catholic Blog Awards and that we have been nominated a few times – a lovely surprise, thankyou.

Our stats show us that lots of you seem to like us so if you would like to vote the address is ( and i hope this works)
http://catholicblogawards.com/
   you have to REGISTER  to nominate – up until NOON on 29th Feb, then VOTE – 3rd-17th MARCH.

Many thanks, Pax Sr Marie-Therese.

Lent 3

Well bloggers it’s Sunday so i’m back again with more snippets of life here at Colwich. I am surprised to find that tomorrow i am one month old in religion as our ‘life’ begins at Clothing and i have to say it is flying by, you know, some people do think nuns sit around praying all day and doing little else; some think we might be bored and need more to do, well, let me disillusion you – life here is full and busy as well as being prayeful, devoted, close to God and fun.

This morning i fully took on board that the year is moving on, very swiftly. Why? Because as i went to breakfast at 6.30, i glanced out of the cloister window and got a shock – there was a rosy, white sky. I stopped and blinked!!! Hang on, what time is it? Who turned the lights on early? It was just like that. It seems only days ago that i had breakfast in the dark and now it is light enough to go for a nice walk – though i didn’t this time.

The weather has suddenly become much warmer too. Last week we had lovely crunchy frosts and wonderful effects in the sky – unfortunately i didn’t manage to catch them on camera – this week it is spring again and i am discovering how little heat can leave my head now i am wearing a veil – phew, i am getting warm and it’s not even a British Summer yet.

The good days have meant we can do more in the garden and there is lots to do. This week i helped Sr Davina to start a new compost heap down by her strawberry patch and she planted some potatoes as well as starting a compost trench – which ‘our’ foxes are enjoying digging up. We know it’s not our dog Chelsea when she comes in with a clean face and paws though she often likes a good dig herself.  When you have a dog there is also another downside to having foxes living with us – Chelsea likes to make herself known to them and them to us so she rolls around in their spore and comes leaping up to us to share it. Result – sisters backing off quickly with hands over noses calling Sr Davina to bath her. One day i noticed a terrible smell in the work room but could see nothing, later Chelsea appeared from under a covered table covered in spore but as it was time for Office she had to be shooed out until later when she had another bath.

This week Mother Mistress and I chose the veggies we are going to grow and have now ordered seeds for:- garlic, leeks, borlotti beans ( to dry for the winter), butter beans, runner beans, spinach, squash, marrow and beetroot. We are having two new types of beetroot – a red cylindrical one and a yellow cylindrical one with white flesh which looks fun so soon our planting will begin. Sr Davina is planting potatoes, the leafy veg (cabbage etc) and salad veg too.

Lent means a review of the house work too so we have all had some slight changes to our cleaning areas though we have kept our main jobs. My jobs are now – laundress; garden; clean noviceship, laundry steps ( Sr D used to do it) and some of the outquarters – main staircase and hallway and hallway leading to Chapel from the front door. As well as these  some of us take turns serving in refectory ( i did it last week), washing up ( i am this week), singing the invitatory and Mass psalm ( Sr Mary-Magdalen and i next week) and lots of other little bits.  I also have a very new job…And… oh gosh theres the bell for Benediction so i must dash, back soon…

Back, phew, the time ran away with me again and i had to run down the cloister to Chapel pulling my sleeves down on the way, not ideal to arrive composed and on time but i managed it somehow!

So, where was i, oh yes my new job – infact a new job in our abbey – i am now the first ‘official’ Compost Maker. This happened because as soon as i entered i started a compost heap and feed it each day or so from a large, lidded bin in our kitchen. It is fed very well from the kitchen and garden with the juicy additions of paper and cardboard.

It’s just as well we did start and well into composting because our local council has just provided us with bins for recycling – blue – plastic, glass and tin; brown – cardboard and garden ( this one is starving) and the normal brown bin for unrecyclables. I get a good feeling feeding the blue and brown bins as every little bit helps to protect our world.

And to end this long post – i had fun in the laundry washing jam jars in preparation for jam making which i love ( an aside – when i first visited here i was asked by our Mothers what i like to do and i said ‘well, i’d really like to be a Brother Cadfael’, i hope you get the idea). I also enjoyed sloshing water with bleach all over the floor without wringing out the mop, so it got a really good soaking and dried in its own time.

In our noviceship class on the Rule we are studying Humility – lots to think about there and lots to learn!!!

Thats plenty for you for this week and almost time for Vespers too. Keep blogging, keep smiling and enjoy the wonderful scriptural readings we are having – some of the ‘greats’ as i think of them – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses – like the old epic films.

Pax et bonum, Sr Marie-Therese.

Lent 2.

I have to admit that it’s difficult to know what to write now because in some ways our life is very routine, it is balanced and rhythmic and i am glad to say no great events at the moment.

In the mornings we all read at the same time now, so the house is very quiet and this seems to linger on through the day. Because of the reading our morning is much slower and we start work later so it becomes – private prayer, breakfast,morning office, a short space, Mass, a drink, reading, noviceship class then work. It’s lovely to find sisters sitting in quiet places praying, reading and taking time to walk around our garden.

Now that makes me think! Just lately we have had some wonderful mornings. There has been a very heavy hoar frost for the last few days, which has been lovely and crunchy underfoot. The phrase ‘hoarfrost like ashes’ kept coming inot my head, i told my novice mistress and she said it was the manna from heaven that the Israelites were fed on in the desert. It is so apt for Lent – the word of God is feeding and nourishing us as we enter the desert time of Lent, before we reach our Promised Land with our Risen Christ on Easter Morn.

The quality of light that has accompanied the frost has been magical and it has felt to me that the veil between us and the other world is very thin at that time. The Chase ( a wooded hill across from us) has been shades of misty grey, whilst the sky above has been translucent and seems to contain a pale wash of the entire spectrum. It really is awesome  – how can we not praise God when we see things like that?

On a more mundane level – we have almost cleared the blackcurrants and are ordering veggie seeds to plant. Then its time to weed, weed, weed again. I have almost finished the laundry spring clean and found some interesting old things – a large metal ‘dolly’ that was used to wash clothes and an old hot iron and stand. These i have to keep, though lots of rubbish has gone!

Spring really does affect me like that – clear and throw out the old to let in the new – which is one of the things to do in Lent really. Lent is a time for a spiritual spring clean and ask ourselves what we are holding onto that keeps us from God – what can we throw out to make room for Him to enter in?

We hope you are all having a prayerful, spring cleaning Lent. Pax, Sr Marie-Therese. Ps – I will try to get some pictures of the inside of the abbey onto photoalbum today.

Lent

Last week on Ash Wednesday we once again began Lent. For me this is another first so i am taking one day at a time and trying to keep my eyes open to look for changes and new things.

On Ash Wednesday after Mass we all, individually went to Mother Abbess and suggested a small thing we wanted to do or work on during Lent – such as keeping the silence better or extra adoration – maybe both. She okayed it – or not, then gave us our Lenten book, which we must read completely even if we also choose other books. I was given a compilation of readings from Henri Nouwen called ‘the only thing necessary’ and i am enjoying it very much. Usually we read at no set time but during Lent we all read at 09.30 though we may choose our own space. I have noticed that there is a new and deeper quietness and stillness during this time and it has made me realize how many little noises there always are despite our best intentions – doors, creaky floors, kitchen gadgets etc. What joy to feel the stillness itself and know that we are all reading – communal yet alone – like our life really – hidden but part of the world. Such wonderful paradoxes.

I am told that traditionally we begin spring cleaning during Lent, but i inadvertantly began early this week. You may know what i mean with this one – i work in the laundry and we have an old stone staircase which is blocked off (it led to other buildings that have long since gone) so gives great storage. Glancing in yesterday i saw fallen rubble (its a very old listed building) so went in to sweep up, i began, then saw a bit more, then thought ‘that could do with a tidy up i might as well do this….’ and it went on and on. The dust rose up, i got covered and found more than i had bargained for. Boxes of old soap with interesting packages that isn’t made anymore, totally covered in dust, a rotted old can of something that i hope wasn’t poisonous as i got it on my hands, and all kinds of bits of metal, rope, wood, a real mish mash. Very interesting, very dirty.

I lost track of time then found i had 15 minutes to get washed and changed before midday office. What a panic i had – the headwear still being a challenge. I made it, just, but i did look slightly disheavelled with a wonky wimple and veil. Oh well, such is life, now i know what not to do. I never did get it finished but have to try tommorow too.

Over Lent i can only post on Sundays so that’s it for now. I have put more pics on our photo album –
http://colwichnov.myphotoalbum.com
for you to see. If there is anything in particular you would like a glimpse of let me know and i will see if it’s ok – there are more to come, but once again time runs away with me and i must be off to prayers.

Tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes so i wish you all a very happy and blessed day. Until next week, keep blogging, Pax Sr Marie-Therese.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

At last bloggers, i have found a way of getting more pictures to you. Thanks for all your help and advice, i did look at your suggestions but i really am not technically minded so couldn’t work some of it out in the short time i have. Thanks for the comment that wordpress have let us have more space – so i took that one up and there are a couple of pics below.

You should be able to find some pictures at
http://colwichnov.myphotoalbum.com
   i will put more on as i can – including some to show you some of the older posts. A friend has also put some on her album at
http://joanmarie.myphotoalbum.com
   i hope you like all of these, please let me know.

Lent is upon us so these are the last alleluia’s until Easter, when the bells ring out again and we sing alleluia to our risen Lord. A few years ago i read a wonderful Lenten book written by Joyce Huggett and she uses this mnemonic:-

      Lay aside the non-essential

      Enter in the fundamental

      Nurture through the sacramental

      Things of worth the transcendental.

there is a lot in there, so have a wonderful and prayerful Lent, I will try to post as i can, life is just so full at the moment, so don’t desert us just yet, there will be more. I hope i can persuade some of the other sisters to post too, as i am sure you could do with a change,

Pax, Sr Marie-Therese.

A couple of pictures of us.

              Sr Marie-Therese with Mother Abbess and Mother Prioress, the whole community above.