16 April  2026

Up at Kithurst hill, this morning, the Cowslips are coming into bloom, the Yellowhammer's heads are an even brighter yellow than the Cowslips and we saw our first House Martin! Summer is "icumen in" and will soon be here! I wonder if we will hear the Cuckoo, this year? It usually makes itself heard round about now, towards the end of April, if we are going to hear it at all. It seems to have been such a long, miserable winter so it is so encouraging to see signs of warmer, sunnier days to come. John reminded me, this morning, that 55 years ago we were (horse) riding with a group of friends through the Bluebells in the woods near Canterbury, during the time John worked through his last year of Ordination training - what a lot of experience and change we have seen since then! What a lot of joy and sadness, love and worry, disappointment and excitement! My sister used to say, "Such is life, in all it's phases: when you die, you go to Blazes!": what joy do we have, as Christians, to know that for us, when we die, we have so much more joy, beauty, love and excitement to look forward to; that life will only get even better! The Easter promise of eternal life is ours! Alleluia!

In hope, love and joy,

Jacquie xx