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DAY EIGHT Eastbourne to Lewes At some point during the night, Kevin produced a piece of art, and we were greeted this morning by his charicatures of several of the pilgrims. In our weariness on our arrival yesterday we had failed to notice the sign put up by the school especially to welcome us. That picture does show a walker with two hiking poles, doesn't it? The first part of our walk was through fields, now of stubble, dotted with haystacks (or at least their modern equivalent). Angela thought one of these would be a comfortable place for short rest, but Kevin ensured otherwise. The first stop of the day was at St Peter's, Folkington, where Anne, who has worked in hospices, shared the insights she has gained on the subject of death, concluding with 'Sonnet on Death' by John Donne. Monica and Rosemary were ready outside with the drinks. A small welcome sign's one thing, but some people do get a little carried away. It's that hiker again! Anne, obviously on a high after the success of her prayer stop, decided to climb a tree, where she was shortly joined by Simon and Nick. Further field paths . . . . . . lead us to an early lunch at The Cricketers Arms, Berwick. Already waiting for us were John, Lesley and little Joseph. Joseph, hopefully a future pilgrim, is practising an important pilgrimage skill. Other pilgrims joining us for the day were Peter . . . . . . and our founder Bill. Our second prayer stop was just a few yards from the pub at Berwick Church, which is extensively decorated with very impressive murals. John led the stop with a talk on the Taizé Community and its appeal, especially to young people and the prayers themselves incorporated two Taizé chants. Afterwards, Bruce presented new pilgrims with their crosses. Further pleasant walking led us Firle Church for DIY prayers. A couple of miles further on, many pilgrims stopped for a drink at the Trevor Arms, Glynde, a pub well known from previous pilgrimages. From here there were three more miles over Mount Caburn from where there were spectacular views. We were then arriving in Lewes, where some pilgrims attended the vigil mass at St Pancras' Church. Our hall tonight is the smallest so far and so we will be somewhat resembling sardines in a short while. However, for the second times this year, there is an adjoining bar and so out came the guitars for another sing-song. |
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