Time For A Bit Of Fun...

One winter morning a husband and wife in Portland, Maine were listening to the radio during breakfast. They heard the announcer say, "We are going to have 8 to 10 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the even-numbered side of the street, so the snowploughs can get through."

So the good wife went out and moved her car. A week later, while they were eating breakfast, the radio announcer was heard to say, "We are expecting 10 to12 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the odd-numbered side of the street, so the snowploughs can get through."

The good wife went out and moved her car again. The following week they were again having breakfast, when the radio announcer said, "We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must park...."

Then, the electric power went out. The good wife was very upset, and, with a worried look on her face, she turned to her husband, "Honey, I don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snowploughs can get through?"

With the love and understanding in his voice that all men who are married to blondes exhibit, the husband replied, "Honey, just leave it in the garage this time..."

New Bible Translation...

According to Anna Arco, the Bible is in the process of being translated into LOLCat... That's cute for about one minute... maybe one minute, thirty seconds... after that, it gets seriously irritating (or should that read "srsly irrtating"...?)

I think I'll stick to the Douay-Rheims...

More Lourdes Photos...

Here are some of my photos taken at the Parish Church in Lourdes.

Fr. Charles and Fr. Tim didn't require much encouragement to pose for a shot beside Monsignor Peyramale's statue. I was actually blocking traffic at this point, but the motorist concerned absolutely insisted that I take the shot before he drove forward and parked just by the bollards. The driver behind him, however, was less amused...

I had a very stark opinion of Monsignor Peyramale from what I'd read and seen a few years back, and was therefore surprised to find so many places in Lourdes named in his honour. It was only after watching the excellent films by Jean-Luc Delannoy that I really appreciated how Monsignor Peyramale had been sceptical only at first, and, once having been convinced that the Apparitions were genuine, he then defended Bernadette fiercely against her detractors. That, together with the reports of his kindness to his parishioners, explains why he is remembered at Lourdes.

I could only get this one picture inside the parish church, as Mass was already underway when I arrived. 

The Crypt chapel was austere, but had a beauty about it too... the stained glass was gorgeous (just at street level outside... we could see people's legs as they walked past) and the acoustics (which I mentioned before) were amazing. I was busy singing the propers of the Mass, so didn't manage to get my usual number of photos, but I did get the important bits...

More Pictures From Lourdes...

Just a few more photos...

Here we have some shots of the outside of the Rosary Basilica, and the altars to the left of the entrance...

Bloggers Of The World, Unite...?

I mentioned previously reports that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was apparently going to accept a position in Tony Blair's Faith Foundation, as well as a Peerage in the House of Lourdes.

I assumed it was a done deal.

Scorn in the Catholic Blogosphere was plentiful... so much so that I didn't pay too much attention to it all.

However, it seems that the Cardinal has decided against accepting any such post. I saw it on EF Pastor Emeritus first, but there were no sources given. Damian Thompson has now added a couple of sources.

So, let's see what happens to the Peerage...

Memories...

A couple of individuals, met while on pilgrimage in Lourdes, not to mention some of my language difficulties, brought the following sitcom to mind... in the nicest possible way, of course!

A Few More Pictures To Admire...

The photos above were taken inside the Rosary Basilica (on the ground level of the Domaine) and show some of the side altars. Fr. George Byers has some close-ups of each mosaic (as he was a chaplain at Lourdes for two years, he had plenty of opportunity to snap away!) 

This last photo (in this post, anyway) shows a photo of the main mosaic of Our Lady, taken by Fr. Tim. My effort this year was a little blurred, and so I used one of his old ones instead.

I used to hate this mosaic, as it was so different from other representations of Our Lady, and the proportions seemed all wrong - something I ascribed to the angle of the mosaic. However, one day I was sitting and praying in front of it, and I suddenly realised that it was my own view which was skewed. The face is actually not that of a woman, but of a young girl. So, the bone structure of the face is different. Once I got my head around that, the mosaic took on a completely different aspect, and I am now very attached to it. I don't know if it works so well on screen or photo, but "in the flesh," it is quite startling.

More Awards...

I didn't win anything in the Cannonball Awards, so I was determined to sulk and not pay any attention to other "awards" for blogging. That lasted until I spotted that the Catholic New Media Awards have taken over from the Bloggers' Choice Awards. Somehow or other, I have been nominated... woohoo!

You only get one vote, and that's your lot, so I have about as much chance as a snowball in hell of hitting the top spot in any category, but I can bask in the fact that I've been nominated. Admittedly, it looks as if the world and its cousin has been nominated, but I shall draw a discreet veil over that little point...

Unfortunately, one needs to register before one can vote. Make the effort... you know you want to!

I have been nominated for four categories... People's Choice Blog; Best Blog by a Woman; Funniest Blog; and Most Entertaining Blog.

I have decided that I despise blatant begging or recounting of sob-stories in order to drum up support. I have only this appeal to your better nature...

Holiday Snaps...

Just a brief selection to be going on with...

On arrival, we were told that there had been a lot more rain than usual in Lourdes, and that the Gave was running a metre higher than normal (and indeed, had overflowed at its lowest point), so I took a photo or two...

I couldn't find the exact corresponding shots from previous years, but this is a photo from 2007... check out the arch under the bridge, and the white struts...

Then there is the French sense of humour, which places a saint at each end of the ramps up to the Crypt Chapel: on the left, nearest to the St. Joseph's Gate, we have St. Remy...

... while, on the right, nearest the Gave River (and the Grotto) we have St. Martin!

This makes me chuckle every time I see them.

This photo, taken from the river wall just opposite the water taps shows the building work being carried out on the outside of the St. Michael's Chapel... we had our Masses in the St. Gabriel Chapel this year, which is the counterpart to St. Michael's Chapel, and is on the opposite side of the Crypt Chapel.

Finally, I couldn't resist a shot of the webcam camera...

I'll post more photos in the next day or so, but now I have to go to bed...

Back To Reality...

This morning, I awoke to find myself aching in places I didn't know existed: the effect of all those Lourdes hills.

I made my way to church and gave some Lourdes water and cards to various people. We then had Mass, Exposition for a Holy Hour and Benediction (our normal Saturday routine) followed by a Latin lesson for the altar servers, given by Fr. Tim. Wendy, the mother of two of the servers, kindly provided bacon and sausage sandwiches.

After this, I went to buy milk and a few other necessities, and came back to find Sylvester looking aggrieved. I curled up on the sofa with him beside me, and settled down to read a "new" Bernard Cornwell book - one of the Alfred the Great series. I enjoyed his Grail Quest and Sharpe books, but I'm not quite sure about this one.

The inevitable happened, and I soon dropped off to sleep. I woke up briefly, realised that I had only fifteen minutes left in which to collect my jacket from the dry cleaners, and rushed out. On returning, I sat back down on the sofa, picked up the book, and...

... woke up at about 9:30pm. Oops.

I uploaded all my photos from the phone - about 120, which is fairly restrained for me. I had been advised by Fr. Tim to reduce the size of my photos used on the blog, or else I'd run out of photo space, and although I'd do it for the occasional photo (along with punching up the contrast and correcting lighting levels) it took so long that I usually didn't bother. Jonathan mentioned that my blog took far too long to upload onto his phone, and, guessing that picture size might be a factor in this, I explored the options on Photoshop Elements 6.0. I discovered a "multiple files" option, and hoped that this would allow me to convert a whole bunch of photos to web-friendly settings without too much time and effort on my part. I'd be interested to know if things speed up...

Home, Sweet Home...

I've finally arrived back home and unpacked. I loaded the washing machine, and made a fuss of the cat. I also edited a few of the posts I submitted via email, as the layout was all wrong...

The morning passed as planned... I managed to get a few things sorted, went to the Grotto to pray for specific intentions, arranged for a few Masses to be said, lit some candles, and renewed my subscription to the Lourdes Magazine. I also paid the photographer for the group photos.

Mass was very emotional for me, as I prepared to say goodbye to Lourdes for another year. At the end of Mass, I went off for a quick lunch at the Brasserie Brancardiers, which had the advantage of being two minutes away from the hotel.

I returned to the hotel in time to load my bag onto the coach, and said goodbye to the proprietress of the hotel. Sylvie was very kind, and indicated that we were very welcome indeed to return again next year. Yes, I have booked the hotel already. The location is second to none and the staff are wonderful... and the fact that even the dining room waitresses and the chambermaids are pretty much the same each year shows that they must be a very special outfit...

The DVD was duly loaded, but the angle of the screen meant that the contrast had a few "issues" that neither Fr. Tim nor myself could resolve... so the picture was rather unclear. The sound was good though... and anyway, we'd had the pictures (without sound) on the journey up!

We arrived half an hour early at Toulouse, but they didn't have a specialised Groups' check-in, and so we waited the 30 minutes until the desks opened. However, they did open an extra desk (I mentioned the number of children again...) and we were able to proceed without any further delays. The flight made excellent time...

And then we arrived back at Terminal 5. Ugh. I do not like this terminal. You have to walk back and forth for ages and ages, as it all seems to be laid out in one long, straight line... and everything is at the furthest point.

Our coach was delayed by traffic problems, and there didn't seem to be any way of contacting the driver, or working out where our coach might be expected. Eventually Fr. Tim discovered that the coach would be at the furthest stand from the exit, and we trudged wearily onwards.

The journey back to Blackfen was an absolute doddle, taking just over an hour. Jonathan, Fr. Charles, Fr. Tim and me then popped in to the club for a swift drink (I was back on the coca cola, for which my liver is, no doubt, eternally grateful) and a brief post-mortem on what needed to be improved for next year.

My services as Pilgrimage Organiser and courier appear to have been retained for another year... though after a few comments about "Sylvester Vindaloo" and "Sylvester fricasse," I am sorely tempted to arrange for accommodation to be transferred to the vicinity of the Pic du Jer (lots of building work, and miles from the Grotto) and Masses to be scheduled in the whitewashed garage (the St. Patrick's Chapel in the Hemicycle) ... I have already indicated that a plate of smoked salmon would form an acceptable apology as far as Sylvester was concerned...

"Sylvester Vindaloo" indeed!

The End...

Today is the last day of our pilgrimage, and, like the first day, it will be mostly spent travelling.

We start off with Mass at 10:30am in the St. Gabriel Chapel, so getting ready in the morning won't be too much of a rush. After Mass we will have about an hour to do some last-minute shopping and praying, and then we'll take the coach to Toulouse airport.

I suppose it will be good to see Sylvester again...

Blonde Jokes In Lourdes

What do you do if a blonde throws a pin at you?

Run like mad because she's holding the grenade...

Not Quite As Planned...

We had hoped to celebrate a Solemn High Mass at the Parish Church this morning, but various events conspired against us.

First of all, one member of the group never made it to Lourdes due to a bout of food poisoning two days before our departure. This was pretty bad luck for him, but also for us, as he was going to lead the chanting of the Mass propers.

Luckily, Leutgeb was also one of the group, and by switching to the Rossini propers, Jacinta and I were able to join her in singing them.We had the Missa de Angelis and Credo III, as most of the children were familiar with these. The acoustics in the Crypt were spine-tinglingly good, and I think we acquitted ourselves well.

The second misfortune to befall us was that Fr. George Byers (a chaplain here for the past two years) was suddenly lumbered with a chaplains' meeting, and so was unable to assist... Solemn High Mass became a Missa Cantata, with Fr. Tim celebrating and Fr. Charles intoning the epistle. The servers did really well, and Mass was superb.

Fr. George joined some of us for a very enjoyable lunch at a local restaurant - I was able to indulge in my favourite dish (roast duck breast.)We had the Rosary at the Grotto and I was able to encourage the children to sit at the front. Fr. Tim blessed the children at the end, and I managed to wave at the camera before and after.

I now need a nap... More later!

Another Day To Remember...

I took this photo last year, outside the parish church - you can see that the crowds were pretty horrendous.

I shall take some more photos today, as this is where we will be celebrating our Mass - Fr. Tim, Fr. Charles, and Fr. George Byers will all be present, and, since we have a couple of musicians to chant the Mass, our Senior MC and several servers, it seemed only natural to try and organise a Solemn High Mass.

Fr. George will be leaving Lourdes shortly to return to America, so it was kind of him to make the arrangements with the parish here in Lourdes when he is so busy (the Lourdes Sanctuaires are separate from the parish church, so I couldn't book this through the Service Planification.)

We will be going to the Grotto for the Rosary and blessing of children at 3:30pm. I shall try and wave at the camera after it has finished - about 4pm - but you might catch a glimpse of our group if you watch carefully, as the camera tends to pan around during the actual recitation of Rosary.

The Blessed Sacrament Procession will start at 5pm - last year my knee and ankle were playing up, so I sat down to watch Our Lord pass by, fully intending to go back to the hotel to rest once the Procession had passed. However, I found myself being drawn to the underground Basilica, and managed to stay for Benediction.

The final night here in Lourdes will end once again with the Torchlight Procession...

An Evening With The Children...

When I returned from the non-event of the Pic du Jer, I had a short nap to recharge the batteries. After dinner, the children had a session with Fr. Tim and myself, while the mums and grandparents had a bit of a break.

Fr. Tim started off by praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, with a brief explanation of and reflection on each Mystery. Then a brief discussion about angels followed.

I had prepared a few different worksheets, and Fr. Tim selected one where the children had to identify photos of different places in Lourdes. I'd included a couple of wordsearches I'd made, and the group was keen to have a go. Fr. Tim also decided to try one, but, not being of the generation which had to do lots of these at school, his technique left something to be desired... 

Several of the children were indignant to discover that he was copying their answers! The session finished at 10pm amid much laughter, and I was delighted that some of the other sheets were (voluntarily) taken away as homework!

More tomorrow.

First Major Hiccough...!

Luckily I was the only one affected!

The brochure advertising the Pic du Jer funicular railway said that the attraction was fully wheelchair accessible. I thought that meant slopes or a lift... It didn't.

When the cable car arrived at the top of the mountain, I realised that I had to step down from the car onto some very steep, narrow steps... and the bannister was too far away for me to reach... It also looked over a sheer drop.

Meanwhile, a lady in a wheelchair was being loaded onto a stairlift. I asked if it was possible to use it, but was told that it was only for wheelchairs.

There was absolutely no way I could manage the steep stairs and so I just had to stay put until the car returned to the ground.

Not the most pleasant of experiences! On the plus side, at least I got to ride the "Petit Train" around Lourdes...

A (Relatively) Lazy Day...

Day 3 of the Pilgrimage will be pretty relaxed. We will start with Mass at 9am in the St. Gabriel Chapel, and then make our way down to the front of the Rosary Basilica for our official Group Photo. I loathe this part of it, but haven't yet been able to squirm my way out of it. Luckily, there are no online versions available...

The morning is pretty much fee for people to do whatever they want, and then, in the afternoon, there's an excursion to the Pic du Jer, a cable-car ride up the mountain overlooking Lourdes. I might skip this. I'm terrified of heights, and while I'm ok on solid ground, balconies and airplanes, I am not too certain how I feel about cable-cars. I have heard that the cars occasionally get stuck, and sod's law being what it is...

In the evening, after dinner, Fr. Tim is going to run a class for the children - I've prepared a short worksheet - and we may go across the Gave to the Prairie. This bit is fairly fluid, no hard-and-fast arrangements - but it gives the parents a bit of a break if they want it. 

Wet, Wet, Wet...

My second day in Lourdes started exactly as planned - I woke up in plenty of time for breakfast, and brought the group down to the Domaine where the tour guide was due to meet us.

Knowing how hilly the town is, I had decided to skip the tour of Bernadette's home, church and so on... Once the group had left with the guide, I wandered around the Domaine.

First I booked a slot with the official photographer. I went to the grotto and said a prayer, had a drink of the water, and then went in to the Rosary Basilica. I sat down to pray my Office in an inconspicuous spot, and then went around taking some photos.

I was pretty tired by this time, so I returned to the hotel for a half-hour power nap... after which I went to lunch... Unfortunately, service in the restaurant I chose was rather slow, which made me five minutes late for my appointment with the Grotto webcam...

The baths were next - and it was freezing... I did remember to pray for all my fellow bloggers - through chattering teeth! I didn't have any children with me and so I had to join the main queue... And the whole process took two hours, which meant that I only just squeaked into Mass on time.

Fr. Tim took the group to the High Stations as planned - I went with Fr. Charles for a leisurely coffee.

The weather took a turn for the worse, but we all went along to the Torchlight Procession - though after walking for a short while, I decided to "cheat" and went to sit down at the side (the constant stop-start motion is hard going on my knee and ankle!) the advantage of this, however, was that I could take some good photos.

Then it was back to the hotel for a few drinks before bed.

Tomorrow is a more gentle affair - but please pray that the weather improves...

Hope They Warm Up The Water...

Day 2 of the Pilgrimage. This year I have done my best to make sure we don't start too early, because of the time needed to get young children up, washed, dressed and fed. I have to admit that I needed prompting for this: not having any children of my own means that the mechanics escape me... by the time I encounter them at school, they've done all that stuff!

So, we will start off with the official tour of Lourdes: In the Footsteps of Bernadette. Last year was the Jubilee year, and there was a special "Jubilee Way" with stickers (and a Plenary Indulgence) to collect. The places connected with St. Bernadette's life were extremely crowded, and I'm hoping that things will be a lot more relaxed this time round. That will take all morning, and I expect that people will want to go for lunch in the town (we always stay half-board, which allows more freedom with regard to lunch arrangements, as well as keeping costs down.)

The Baths open in the afternoon at 2:30pm, but, as I don't have any children with me, I will need to get there some time beforehand to make sure I get in. Priority is given to the sick, the disabled, and parents with young children, so they don't need to queue for long periods.

I shall try and remember to wave at the video camera at 1:50pm (local time) if you want to try and catch me on a screen dump... go on, I challenge you.

Mass will be quite late: 4pm in the St. Gabriel Chapel. This chapel is to the left of the Crypt, next to the road going up the Espélugues Hill. I tried to arrange Mass in the St. Michael Chapel, but there is building work going on there, so it wasn't available.

After Mass, we will have the Stations of the Cross... the start of the High Stations is just a bit further up from the Chapel (how about that for planning!) while anyone unable to tackle the hill (like myself) will be able to make their way down to the Lower Stations, over on the other side of the River Gave.

The Torchlight Procession will finish off the day once more: I plan to take a few photos to use for another You Tube video slideshow.