Walsingham

Date: 22 July 2009 15:35:41

So, I'm back from my walk fifty-miles-in-three-days pilgrimage to Walsingham, with nary a blister (love my socks). The mobile field hospital got a bit of an airing, mostly after Venite had a close encounter with some nettles whilst rescuing my hat from a river (memo to self, do not wear hair up whilst wearing Tilley hat, or hat will fly off, and land in a river, and, being a short-arse with correspondingly short arms, all you'll be able to do is stand there wailing "my hat!" whilst taller people than you fish it out with the aid of a stick).

Praying = lots, and not all of the "please God, don't let my feet fall off" variety, either.

Walking = miles, none of them barefoot. Some people did. Some people are better people than me.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="The Holy Mile"][/caption]

Laughing = lots and lots, mostly at Norfolk placenames (Feltwell reduced two of us to cackling hysteria, for some reason).

Raining = lots and lots and lots. At one point, I couldn't have been wetter unless someone actually threw a bucket of water over me.

Explanations of the difference between Nuns, Sisters and Lay Dominicans = several

Photos = not as many as usual, as getting my camera out in a monsoon seemed... unwise. The photos I did take can be seen here.

Gin and tonics consumed = one (gasp). But it was (a) very nice and (b) well-earned, consumed in the Black Bull after Benediction at the Catholic Church in Walsingham.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="160" caption="mmm, gin"][/caption]

Dominicans and future Dominicans = lots (hurrah).
And we get everywhere. This statue of St Dominic greets everyone who enters the Anglican Shrine. Mwahahahahahaha.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="133" caption="St Dominic"][/caption]

Foolish things done = one. Someone suggested that if I go up to the top of a hill, I'd have a great view down to the Shrine over the cornfield. Unfortunately, in the time between this person being there and me being there, a five-foot high hedge of nettles had grown up at the top of the cornfield. Problem – I'm five foot two. Solution – there was a man with a JCB. It's an experience, being lifted up in the scoop of a JCB digger to take some photographs, it really is.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="view from a JCB digger"][/caption]

Candles lit = many. I said a prayer and lit a candle for you all, with extra candles and prayers for various friends and family for special intentions. And they don't do wimpy tea-lights at Walsingham, oh no. These are serious candles.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="candles"][/caption]

It was a beautiful experience, fantastically well organised by one of the sisters from the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph.