Day 16: Arundel and Home
Time to move on, taking our pilgrim experiences back to reinvigorate our daily lives.
Our story starts the night before - Saturday's diary was completed before and during the celebration meal, so that is recorded today.
There were thanks to be paid to the many people who make the pilgrimage tick - both visible and less obvious.
Peter was the MC on our behalf.
Joan was chuffed with her calendar (sorry , poor humour - it shows a steam train - chuff chuff woo woo...)
Frances was thanked for her sterling efforts in feeding us every night, yet again. Despite appearances, it's not Patrick's head on a plate that is the gift.
Patrick is still alive and well and being supported by his young lady friends.
Some couldn't take the pace - Chris asleep with his boots on, and Catherine who was later seen singing Jerusalem from a prone position.
Next morning - an early start to clear the hall before Mass so that the locals could come in and serve coffee - only problem was, we were a week early for coffee! Still luggage was packed, and mostly taken by its owners by various routes to their homes.
Some, awaiting transport, waited with their bags.
We went to the Cathedral for Mass...
...and came back again.
More waiting - sitting on the wall...
..or standing in little groups.
Soon it was time to pose for the final picture together - then we were on the road heading home.
John, Louise, Michael and Bill caught the 11.04. train from Arundel station...
...admired the view out of the window...
...and got off the train at Horsham, Crawley and Redhill - where the car left 2 weeks earlier was still in St Joseph's car park, and had survived the new hall enabling works which had begun nearby.
From Redhill, Louise and John set out down the A23 to Brighton. Heavily delayed in Bank Holiday weekend traffic, by the time they reached Frances' house, the van had been and gone, and only the pictured pile of luggage was left to be reclaimed. Then the drive back home to resume normal life (and start planning the reunion!).
And finally...
As we left the Isle of Wight, "Irish John" thrust a carrier bag into my hand, containing some drawings he had been doing on the pilgrimage, and a floppy disk containing a poem he had written at Southbourne. Two of the drawings and the poem follow.
Getting out of Slavery
Sixpenny Handley
At the top of the hill
Short horn herd as the pilgrim walks
A privilege to visit wells city
Over Shaftsbury true the mound circled by trees
On the left far below smoke like clouds of mist
Rising from the gem green lustering fields and woods
Hoping I hadn’t disturbed the dead
In the hidden valley the striking beauty stuck and struck from above
Buzzards were circling further on beyond a farm dwelling
In Verwood some all black horned sheep
And a lone black ram in a small field wired in
Could be a rare breed
Rowan Ash commonly known as mountain ash I was told
I think of the blackberry jam we had last night
Picked and baked by fellow pilgrims on the land near Gillingham
Like the buzzard and rabbit survived the myxomatosis
In many churches we have said prayers
Fields of wheat ripe crying for sun to harvest
Knee deep in water logged paths in battling through Avon valley
Something very special in Sopley the church was aged and well cared for
From Christchurch Priory crossed by ferry to South Bourne
We rest and wait for the Island ferry
In this Library at Bournemouth the staff are good
There is no fear about accents
I can’t wait now to go down outside to this golden beaches
Freedom in the rolling waves
The hospitality shown on the Isle of Wight is very warm
Arundel is ringing
In the Distance
A small bird that I don’t know the name of is fly jumping in front of me
Could be trying to encourage or tell me something
Befriending
John Sheehy
Email johnjsheehy@gmail.com
16 8 2007
Today's editors: Aidan Simons & John Chenery