Thoughts and Prayers
I woke early.
Sunrise over the Bluestone Ridge, Lincolnshire Wolds
As with our previous holiday, I enjoy observing the quirks of cottage, like the motion sensitive lights in Anglesey which I had to activate by waving broccoli at them. Here it is the noisiest fridge I have ever come across. Not that I am a seasoned fridge expert. It is almost constantly bubbling and whirring away to itself. Hang on. It’s just stopped. Like the death of the Martian call in Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, the silence is unbearable.
On the way back from our top up shopping, the promise of a geocache leads us to the little Saxon church at Lusby. It is one of the joys of geocaching that many members place caches in interesting places. It is not all about the numbers. This being a case in point. Not finding the cache didn’t matter. The church was a joy to visit.
St Peter’s Church, Lusby, which has stonework dating from Saxon times.
There was a sign warning of ponies in the churchyard, but they were either elsewhere or very very tiny.
I imagine that if I lived nearby, this would be my refuge as and when I needed it.
On a related note, it is Open Churches Weekend in West Lindsey. Somewhere we had driven past on previous holidays but not visited is St Mary’s in Stow. The church pre-dates nearby Lincoln Cathedral, and boasts Viking graffiti, believed by some to be from the 12th century. Entering the church at the moment is like entering a building site, probably because it is one. The roof is undergoing repairs, costing in excess of £500,000.
The fine stone in-laid vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows.
Above the ceiling is a void with a floor of jagged stone edges. It is said that if you can find the right one, removing it will cause that segment of the ceiling to fall to the floor below.
Someone must have used a step ladder to reach and polish this censer.
It is a majestic building in comparison to the many little chapels and churches in the surrounding villages, second in grandeur possibly only to the cathedral itself. Lusby chapel would fit inside several times over and I would be inside that chapel.
We spent lunch in an elevated lay-by near RAF Scampton with some bikers, waiting for something that never happened. I can’t tell you what it was, because it never graced us with its presence.
Later we make a random choice of b-road and we are presented with a turning signposted Wickenby Aerodrome and RAF memorial. Wickenby was a base for Lancasters in the second World War and a maintenance unit was based here long after. There is a small memorial, sadly devoid of commemorative panels (stolen) and statue (stored in fear of theft). It declares the price paid for our freedom. A freedom that some have chosen to use to deface the memory of the fallen.
Just inside the aerodrome perimeter is a memorial walk. Trees planted and dedicated to individuals and or crews. It is very moving. The words “an uncle never known” are too painful for me to consider dry-eyed.
We continue our walk to the end of one runway and pause a while.
Looking along one of the runways at Wickenby Aerodrome
We are again a little early to return, and head for afternoon coffee in a favourite lay-by near Burgh On Bain. Last time we visited, Si grabbed the cache here before I had got the car door open. We check that it is still present before we leave.
Before dinner, we stroll along the lane and grab a couple of caches, taking in the gentle beauty surrounding us.
View from Clay Lane, Little London, Tetford
It’s a pleasant end to a thoughtful day.
minor6th 