The sacrament of the table.

I have just bought my self a new cook book .

Sacred Feasts from a Monastery Kitchen. by Brother Victor Antoine d'Avila- Latourette

I am fascinated by the link between food and spirituality. Food plays such an important part in celebration and hospitality. I also enjoy cooking  and providing my family and friends with good food. In his introduction brother  Victor -Antoine says:

  ' It  ( the book) is  imbued with the innumerable joys and ways of praising God daily through the practice of food spirituality in the humble sanctuary of the kitchen'

That link between prayer, worship, food and hospitality is what I have been and continue to learn about. Appreciating the seasonal produce that come into my kitchen and what is served from it are one way of demonstrating thankfulness to God from whom every gift is good and perfect.

Another cookbook I have enjoyed using is The Times Cookbook for Feasts and Festivals by C.J. Jackson

Since today is Michaelmas Day here are a few links to recipes for today's feast.

lots of lovely blackberry, apple and other seasonal  recipes at  BBC Good Food  - I tried blackberry and coconut squares

Catholic Cuisine as usual has plenty of ideas

I am roasting a duck ( they were half price at Sainsburys a while ago and this one has been in the freezer!) and also a chicken. Goose being out of our pocket range! I am going to try roasting some apples along side the chicken. I have also made an apple and blackberry pie - wondering if there is too much of an apple theme?

Celebrating Autumn

Next Saturday - September 29th is Michaelmas Day, a feast in honor Michael the archangel and, in English tradition, the last day of harvest. The hard work is over, the abundance of the land is gathered and stored and it is time to celebrate and give thanks.

 For most of us the significance of harvest is lost today since we gather our supplies from Sainsburys or Tescos and can usually find a variety what ever the season - no need to store, preserve, dry and put by for later. Autumn is my favourite season and despite the reliability of my local supermarket I both enjoy and feel an urge to gather and preserve at this time of year. We have been collecting wild apples and blackberries across our local common. So far I have made: apple sauce , blackberry jam, blackberry compote and for the first time blackberry gin (very easy to do - the recipe is the same as for sloe gin). And I have bought myself a proper old fashioned pie dish . Autumn seems the time of year to make pies.

The traditional  way to celebrate Michaelmas is to eat goose. Last year we had a family lunch with roast chicken followed by baked apples and blackberry compote. There is an old folk tale that tells of the devil being cast out of heaven and falling to earth to land in a bramble bush. Enraged he curses the bush and spits on it! Since then it is supposed to be unlucky to gather blackberry's after Michaelmas.

Ordinary Summer Time

'Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.'  ~John Lubbock

So far this summer there has not been much opportunity or enough sunshine to lie in the grass. I remain absorbed in my return to practise course , on sunny days I take my books  and my lunch outside.

We celebrated Pentecost two weeks ago with friends and a large fruit filled,  flower strewn, candle blazing sponge cake representing the fruit, the gifts and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Now we are in ordinary time, when I wind down and take a deep breathe with God. It is good to be reminded that ( in the words of Michael Quoist)

'If only we knew how to look at life as God sees it we should realise that nothing is secular in the world, but that everything contributes to the building of the Kingdom of God'

Even ordinary summer things. Ordinary time is about taking time to learn to see life as God sees it.

Easter for 50 days

Easter is a season of fifty days and not a celebration of one day. Here are a couple of resources that I have found which help to keep Easter and the amazing and joyous implications of this season upper most in my thought and prayer life.

Lent and Beyond  is an Anglican prayer site - often inspiring and thought provoking

 I have mentioned the book 'Living Easter through the Year ' by John Pritchard before. I am using it again this year and highly recommend it.

I would very much like to hear of any ideas or resources that others use ......

An apology

My blog has been very neglected recently. I have started a return to practice for midwifery course and it is absorbing much of my time and thinking space. We still celebrate the seasons but I have little time to write about it! I am enjoying my first springtime Easter in a number of years - today I crystallised primroses and violets to decorate the Simnel cake with. We have shared much of this holy week with our church family and tomorrow we celebrate with my parents and sisters and their families.

I hope that before the end of the year I will have finished my course and will be back to regular blogging. In the meantime -

A very Happy Easter to any readers who drop by!

Ideas for St Valentines day..

Activities that promote discussion..

Listen to some stories of romance
 At Storynory you can download stories for free

Watch a romantic film.- obviously your choice will depend on the age of your kids , how about;
Love Story
Love Actually.
Cinderella - maybe a modern day version like Maid in Manhattan or Pretty Woman
Roman Holiday or another Audrey Hepburn film.
The Time Travellers Wife
Titanic
The Princess Bride
Shrek
.....the list is endless! A Disney list here

Make an appreciation tree. Cut out paper hearts, each heart should have the name of one family member on it, distribute them to family members who then write something they appreciate about every person on the heart with that person's name. Hang the hearts on a branch and place in a jug on the table.

I am going to give my family a quest this year - the one that can find the best definition of true love will win a chocolate heart.

Any other ideas?

St Valentine's Day.

We do not celebrate saints days except for one or two - St Valentines day is one of those exceptions. He is the patron saint of love and love is the very essence of God  who we worship in all our celebrations. To love as God loves is to what we aspire  in our relationships. In our commitment wary and self centred culture of today I would like my children to learn what true love is , and indeed remind myself  of its  height and depth and breadth.

'Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. it does not demand it's own way. It is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices when ever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never looses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance'

1Corinthians 13:4-7

Red roses or heart shaped chocolate boxes do not feature in our celebrations; I do bake a heart shaped chocolate cake for dessert though! But activities that provoke interesting discussions become increasingly pertinent as my children head into the teenage years.

A happy discovery for someone who loves books was that the 14th of February is also International Book Giving Day  What better way to spread love and cheer around on a chilly February day than to give a book away. So, this year our St Valentines Day plans include leaving some books lying around for others to find, maybe in a cafe or a bus stop - I hope they are blessed.

Zoe at playing by the book  also has suggestions  that are relevant to the UK.

Do you celebrate St Valentine?  What do you do?