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SITEZINE            Holy Island's Email Magazine          31st October 2011
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     - A bit from me...
     - Comments on 'a 400 foot wind turbine for St. Cuthbert!'
     - Readers' letters
     - Words from 'down under'
     - The 'Yorkshire Post' (More words from 'down under')
     - Holy Island Village Hall Restoration Fund
     - Swallows, confused flowers and berry crops
     - Lindisfarne Castle
     - Kate and Richards Blog
     - A mystery solved
     - From the Community of Aidan and Hilda
     - From our United Reformed Church minister
     - From the Vicar of Holy Island
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A BIT FROM ME...                                               Geoff Porter
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Dear Friends of Lindisfarne: Because I am writing this in advance of the 
publication date I very much hope that I too remembered that British Summer
Time ended at 2.00 am on Sunday 30 October! At that precise moment us Brits
reverted back to good old Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Those that forgot may
well be cursing that they missed the opportunity of an extra hour's sleep!

As we approach mid Autumn I can report a very mixed bag of monthly weather.
Temperatures ranged from +22C down to -2C; from blue skies to dark/overcast
and winds from calm to gale but not yet reaching storm force.

If you are planning to visit the island at this time of year, to avoid 
disappointment, make sure that you check the opening times for our main
attractions and ensure that you only cross to and from the island during 
the safe crossing times. All are published at the following address (URL):
www.holy-island.info/lindisfarnecastle/2011/ . 

Do take particular care. 

With temperatures starting to dip this is not a place to become stranded.
Furthermore, we would sooner our coastguard and lifeboat men safe and warm 
at home rather than placing their lives on the line for perhaps someone who
did not take heed of the tide tables and warning signs.

We have also introduced a seasonal webpage to the website outlining times
when food and refreshment will be available. This is mainly prompted by the 
uncertainty of the weather at this time of year, please note that food and
refreshment availability can vary significantly when the causeway is 
closed. For confirmation contact the establishment you intend to visit.
Times and dates are accurate at the time of publication, however, may be 
subject to change in extreme circumstances. 

Thank you so much to David, Ian, Nick, Paul, Rachel and Ray for their 
regular monthly reports.

In addition to his monthly article, Nick has taken the time to transcribe a
blog about their time on the island by two of their National Trust 
volunteers (Kate and Richard) who have just spent a couple of weeks in 
'Glen House'. He has added a link to their web version because it has a bit
more about the region as well as some great photos:
www.diaryofaproject.com/2011/10/06/saints-soldiers-and-solitude/

Those of you who have visited Holy island will have passed by 'The Barn at 
Beal' just after crossing the railway. Maybe you stopped for a coffee or a 
meal or visited the 'Birds of Prey Centre'. Your children might have played
in the super little playground. Morag Eaton is its general manager. Welcome
and thank you to Morag who has kindly submitted an article of local 
interest. We hope we hear from you again soon.

Enjoy our end-of-October issue and we look forward to seeing you again on 
1st December.

God Bless - Geoff
editor@lindisfarne.org.uk
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COMMENTS ON 'A 400FOOT WIND TURBINE FOR ST. CUTHBERT!'        Readers write
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Hello Editor

I wouldn't assume to feel entitled to an opinion on the Belford wind 
turbine proposal specifically. Much as I love the area, which I've visited 
regularly for over thirty years, I can't return often enough to claim 
sufficient local knowledge.

However the whole tone of the comments in the recent Sitezine seemed to 
assume a consensus about wind turbines in general, i.e. everyone agrees 
they are "a bad thing" because they spoil the view and they will be 
opposed as a matter of course.

May I offer a dissenting opinion?

I find them elegant, and certainly less unsightly than the ranks of pylons 
which have been marching across our landscapes for several generations now.

I've frequently heard it protested "But we just don't notice pylons any 
more." It's rarely needed more than a quizzically raised eyebrow to point 
out what that implies!.... 


....I just wish they'd put as much effort into thinking "We can do this", 
as is put into saying "You can't do that!"

Best wishes

Geoff Thorpe (Stockport UK)

ED: Thank you so much for writing in Geoff. My apologies for not publishing
all you lengthy article but I think folk will get the gist of which side of
the fence you sit. I too can't see a problem with these huge triumphs of 
mechanical engineering. If only local government (and my wife!) would permit
me to erect my radio amateur aerials on Holy Island - which are barely a 
quarter of the height. Or a moon bounce site which would take up barely the
footprint of one of these turbines. Although I do wonder if the trillions 
of GBP in revenue behind wind technology has affected the calculations in 
their usefulness over nuclear or hydroelectricity over the next couple of
hundred years say...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear Editor,

It is always good to read your news: I look forward to regular "armchair 
travelling" to Lindesfarne through your wonderful newsletter.

Someday I want to do more than "armchair" travel!

In the meantime, I want to give you my own response to the wind turbine, 
which is a very complex issue, I admit.  But....I happen to think that 
they are elegant and beautiful, like sculpture, and that Cuthbert, who, in 
the true Celtic tradition, respected God's natural creation and would 
applaud any efforts we make to contribute in our day to our planet's 
health, would be overjoyed!  In this era of "weather weirding" we are 
experiencing all over the globe, your turbine is a symbol of hope.

Faithfully,
The Rev. Nancy Roth (USA)

ED: Hi Nancy and lovely to hear from you again - apart from appreciating
your comments of course!
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READERS LETTERS                                                      Editor
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Hello Geoff,

Just a note to let you know I did not receive the Lindisfarne newsletter at
the end of September.  Fortunately, my wife did, but you should note that 
she received 2 e-mail copies.

My e-mail is: j...@msn.com
Louise's e-mail is: l...@hotmail.com

Thought you'd like to know.

Cheers - Jeff Demetrescu (USA)


Hi there. 

I LOVE Lindisfarne and the news letter is great, however I am getting it 3 
times, so could you please check your mailing list and make sure I'm only 
on once.

Thank you :)
jacqui

ED: Hi Jeff and Jacqui and thank you to several hundred kind folk who wrote
in following the collapse of my home-to-work ISP link. 

How was I to know that the SMPT link wasn't a standard 25 connection but 
required non-standard 465 encrypted SSL connection. Call me stupid or what!
But I did have to penetrate through several layers of commercial-ISP 
support agents, and over several days, before I found someone who could 
help. Have a look in your Internet E-Mail Settings>advanced and you'll see 
what I mean....

But I am sorry for multi-sending and also to our other subscribers who had
to wait before I could overcome the technical problem.

I see this as a final straw so far as my 'boyscout' Perl/CGI sender script
that has served us well since 1997. But the time has come for change.

Over the next few weeks I shall be experimenting with 'Group Mail' a budget
bulk mailer. With several thousand addresses to incorporate safely and 
securely into one of its data bases, hopefully this will be ready to go 
live early in the new year.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hi Geoff

I thought this might fill a space in the Holy Island Times:

   "Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder
    and your hand over my mouth ...  AMEN!"

Dorothy (Holy Island)

ED: Thank you Dorothy. I wonder how many others will feel this applies to
them too!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hi

As a regular reader of your editorial I must congratulate you on your good 
work.

I would point out though that I am disappointed you don't include the 
following:

  a) input from the local residents about everyday life.....
  b) input about the history of the island through the years
  c) input from the local parish council

Regards......Denis Allan
 

ED: Hi Denis. Thank you - We do like to hear praise! I suspect that your 
comments were far from being critical and more an attempt to help me in 
enhancing our contents. Not only will I pass this on to our writers but let
me also request ex-residents living and receiving our monthly newsletter
throughout the world to respond to your call for more information.
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WORDS FROM 'DOWN UNDER'                                          Bryan Cole
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Why Parents Drink:

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had 
not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of 
the main computers resolved, he dialed the employee's home phone number 
and was greeted with a child's whisper. 'Hello ?'

'Is your daddy home?' he asked.

'Yes,' whispered the small voice.

May I talk with him?'

The child whispered, 'No .'

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your Mommy
there?'

'Yes'

'May I talk with her?'

Again the small voice whispered, 'No .'

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss 
asked, 'Is anybody else there?'

'Yes,' whispered the child, 'a policeman.'

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked,
'May I speak with the policeman?'

'No, he's busy,' whispered the child.

'Busy doing what?'

'Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman,' came the whispered answer.

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the
earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?'

'A helicopter' answered the whispering voice.

'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.

Again, whispering, the child answered, 'The search team just landed a 
helicopter'

Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, 'What are they 
searching for?'

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle... 'ME.'
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THE 'YORKSHIRE POST'                                        Malcolm Bentley
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Mayo Clinic – Aspirin

Dr. Virend Somers, is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic, who is lead 
author of the report in the July 29, 2008 issue of the Journal of the 
American College of Cardiology.

Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 a.m. and noon, 
Somers said. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at 
rest, means that something unusual happened. Somers and his colleagues have
been working for a decade to show that 'sleep apnea' is to blame. 

  1. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night.
The reason: Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore, if most heart 
attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the Aspirin would be 
strongest in your system.

  2. FYI, Aspirin lasts a really long time in your medicine chest for 
years, (when it gets old, it smells like vinegar).

Please read on...

Something that we can do to help ourselves - nice to know. 

Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. They 
work much faster than the tablets.

Why keep Aspirin by your bedside?

It's about Heart Attacks. There are other symptoms of a heart attack, 
besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain
on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating; however, these 
symptoms may also occur less frequently. Note: There may be NO pain in the 
chest during a heart attack.

The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their 
sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you 
up from your deep sleep.

If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and 
swallow them with a bit of water.

Afterwards:
  - Phone Emergency (999/911)
  - Phone a neighbour or a family member who lives very close by.
  - Say "heart attack!"
  - Say that you have taken 2 Aspirins.
  - Take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their 
    arrival and ...DO NOT LIE DOWN!

A Cardiologist has stated that, if each person, after receiving this e-mail
sends it to 10 people, probably one life could be saved!

ED: Thank you, Malcolm. As an aspirin taker myself I though that it would
nice to share this knowledge around our readership. And to show that 'us
Christians' also have a sense of fun I couldn't resist passing on your 
weblink also: www.flashfunpages.com/couple.swf
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HOLY ISLAND VILLAGE HALL RESTORATION FUND                    David O'Connor
(Improving amenity and sports opportunity, providing for the Village)
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Greetings All

Sorry to have missed last month's newsletter, but I was away and could not 
meet the print date.

In my August note I suggested that work was to commence on or about the 
beginning of September. Wrong! I should have known little has ever gone to 
plan. The Gremlins almost always managed to influence many of our projected
deadlines. What happened this time? 

There is, running sub-surface, a live power cable. This supply must be 
disconnected and a new feed brought onto site, at our cost, (almost 
6,000.00GBP) to provide a continuity of electricity to the public telephone
and street light as well as a spur for the new hall. Scottish Power was 
unable to work on-site until 31 October2011!

However, after much hair pulling, a few cross words and following a careful
survey, the Trustees agreed that the Main Contractor could work on the site
from 17 October. All ground disturbance to be carefully examined for any 
hazards by the Contractor and monitored by our consultant Archaeologist. 

PHASE TWO OF THE PROJECT HAS BEGUN!

The Trustees were delighted when our Patron, Lady Rose Crossman, agreed to 
start the digging. Lady Rose arrived on a fine sunny, but chilly morning. 
Unfortunately we could not supply Lady Rose with a silver spade to dig out 
the first turf, but the Contractor was able to provide a JCB digger to do 
the job. After initiation the works, as Lady Rose climbed out of the JCB, 
she remarked, "the Grandchildren would have loved that experience".

Phase Two will involve augering in of a number of tubed piles, installation
of drainage,  erection of steel frame work and reinforcing wire, then 
infilling with concrete. The work is likely, given decent weather, to last 
10/12 weeks.

The Trustees thank everyone for their patience and continued support, but 
unfortunately I have to remind you all that we continue to need help and 
support, even a word or two of encouragement helps. However, games, books, 
CD's, donations etc., will all help with our very important village 
project.

Contacts: Clive Massey, 001289 389119 and or David - doconna@hotmail.com

Finally as 'Halloween' approaches, a note of caution for those of you 
visiting the Island, across the years ghosts have been seen around the 
village and crossing the sands. 

I have just heard that a spooky apparition may have been spotted last 
Saturday evening silently drifting along the Big Loanin and floating off 
along the Chair Ends Road. So take care out there!!!!!
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SWALLOWS, CONFUSED FLOWERS AND BERRY CROPS                         Ian Kerr
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The saga of our very late breeding Swallows on the island continued to 
fascinate a lot of folk, if all the questions I received are anything to go
by.

You may recall that last month I wrote about a pair in the long passage in 
Marygate which hatched two young in mid-September when most other Swallows 
had already departed on migration.

I'm delighted to say that by October 1st when I checked the nest again the 
two chicks were extremely lively and well grown, the very mild weather at 
the time obviously enabling the parents to provide a non-stop diet of small
insects. By October 10th the youngsters were out and flying around the 
village with the adults where they remained in good weather conditions for 
a further ten or so days before vanishing, hopefully on migration.

The big question many people have asked is whether these youngsters will 
survive. Most young Swallows hatched on the island have a few weeks to 
strengthen their wings and hone food-catching skills before they set off on
that extremely dangerous 9,000-mile journey to South Africa, the wintering 
area of most northern European Swallows.

Our late chicks will have set out with just a few days flying experience 
making it an even more daunting prospect. However, the weather remained 
fairly warm at that period ensuring that food would still be plentiful. 
Swallows are extremely tough little creatures and, with luck, they could 
well have survived and could return next spring. I'm keeping my fingers 
crossed for them.

A couple of months ago I mentioned the wonderful golden display around 
Robert's barley fields after his decision to sow thousands of sunflower 
seeds to provide a winter food supply for small farmland birds, one of the 
groups which has suffered the sharpest declines in recent years.

His strategy has worked very well: during October, as the flower heads were
ripening and bursting with seed, I was fascinated to see just how many 
birds were  taking advantage. 

In one area of mixed flock of around 200 Linnets, Greenfinches and 
Goldfinches were acrobatically swinging and clinging to the blackened 
flowerheads carefully plucking out the ripening seeds. House Sparrows from 
the village and small parties of Skylarks were also in the area. Even more 
impressive, one morning I flushed a party of around 15 Lapland Buntings, 
winter visitors from the high Arctic, from the edge of one of the fields. 
All this was happening even before most of the flowers had shed their seed 
so everything looks promising for the colder months.

The presence of so many small birds had not gone un-noticed by predators. A
young Hen Harrier was seen regularly and patiently quartering the area 
although from its behaviour it seemed more intent on pouncing on voles than
the more energetic task of chasing small birds.

A couple of Merlins, our smallest falcons, have been regularly in the area 
and I watched one the other day diving into a flock of passing Starlings. 
The falcon caused panic but the Starlings simply scattered in all 
directions and the falcon flew off empty-handed or, more accurately, empty-
clawed.

A superb adult female Peregrine falcon was also present in the barley 
stubble on a couple of occasions when I was passing. Each time she was 
perched, enjoying the late afternoon sun, on a narrow low ridge of bare 
earth thrown up during harvesting when the combine must have hit a wet 
patch in the field. 

I didn't see her attempt to hunt on either occasion but in any case she 
wouldn't have been interested in small birds, a bit beneath her dignity. I 
suspect she was sitting patiently waiting for any Woodpigeons or feral 
pigeons from the village which have regularly been arriving to glean the 
stubble for fallen barley. They would be a much more acceptable meal for 
her.

The unseasonal warm weather we enjoyed earlier in the month has had some 
strange effects on the island. Not only are gardens continuing to look 
splendid but wild flowers have been confused by the conditions. In the 
shorter grass on the southern side of the Heugh and at Nessend and around 
the quarry the odd heads of Thrift or Sea Pinks, to give them their other 
name, have flowered for a second time this year! Thrift always looks at its
wonderful best in June and early July and I can't ever recall seeing it in 
flower in autumn.

There has also been a wonderfully heavy berry crop on the island's 
Hawthorns leading to speculation about what this could mean. The old tale 
about a heavy crop being a harbinger of severe winter certainly proved true
in the last couple of years but not in some previous years where we had 
both bumper crops followed by miserably wet but mild winters.

The fact is that a bumper autumn crop of berries always follows a good dry 
and sunny spring, just like the one we all enjoyed this year before the 
very indifferent summer arrived.

Such springs, with a lack of heavy rain and winds, enable Hawthorn to keep 
its blossom which, in turn, transforms and ripens into berries. In cold, 
wet and windy springs much blossom rots or is knocked from the boughs and 
consequently fewer berries form. Blackthorn in the Straight Lonnen also had
a very good crop of berries - before the island's sloe-gin makers came 
along!

The message seems to be that berry crops have nothing to do with 
forthcoming winters whatever amateur weather forecasters might claim. I've 
always regarded amateur forecasters as being a bit like folk who like to 
put a bob or two on horses - you only hear from them when they're on a 
winner!
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LINDISFARNE CASTLE                                               Nick Lewis
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November 2011

Bad news I'm afraid. My search for the elusive Lutyens photo mentioned in 
last month's HIT ended with disappointment. Lady Mary Percy's photo album, 
which I'd hoped housed the picture and beautiful though it undoubtedly is, 
only covers 1900 to 1902 - the Royal Visit was July of 1908. I say 'ended',
but that's not strictly true, Lady Mary had three sisters and potentially 
any of them could have taken the photo and all four girls were married off 
and had families. There could be some long winter nights trawling through 
the Peerage.com ahead. 

With this setback behind us though we can look forward to the end of the 
season and the inevitable descent of winter. Great. There are plenty jobs 
to keep me out mischief this winter; a fair few leftover from last winter. 
Plastering, pointing, painting, and painstakingly pouring over records up 
at Berwick are all on the cards, although not necessarily in that order. We
are looking to tidy up things inside the Castle both in terms of the 
building itself and the layout and provision of interpretation (laminated 
bits of paper in plain English) in the hope of ratcheting up the visitor 
experience a notch or two. There are walls around the building which need 
lime washing as well as ones which need re-covering after a year or two 
'drying out'. Fortunately we will have the help of our regional builders 
with this. One of the boat sheds needs looking at too; the amount of feet 
stepping down into it has almost totally worn away the wooden board on the 
floor inside. We will have a furniture restorer visiting in November to 
check over the collection; there are usually a few bits to glue back on 
here, a few joints to tighten up there. 

Also, of course, Simon Lee our new Property Manager will be starting in 
his role here on 1st November, which will have been and gone by the time 
you are reading this. Perhaps he can be persuaded to write something for 
this venerable publication next time around by way of introduction, but I'm
sure you will spot him around and about and some point. 

We will of course be throwing open the doors and raising the portcullis 
nearer Christmas for all Island residents to come up and see what we're up 
to, and perhaps have a dry sherry and a bit of cake while doing so. I'll 
even get the Country Life photo album out if you ask nicely. I will confirm
the date in the next issue but keep an eye out in the Shop window for a 
poster of some sort (note to self; 'remember to do poster!').

Nick Lewis
House Steward 
Lindisfarne Castle 
nick.lewis@nationaltrust.org.uk
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KATE AND RICHARDS BLOG                   Kate Hutchings and Richard Wellman
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As our car meandered down the winding Northumbrian lane, we emerged at the 
start of the island causeway. Nothing could have prepared me for the awe-
inspiring views of the flat, sandy plains and huge expanse of bruised-
looking sky. I got out of the car and breathed in the silence.

And so began our two weeks on Holy Island.

We had volunteered to work for the National Trust at Lindisfarne Castle. 
Our shift patterns were dictated by the tides: from 12:00 - 17:00 during 
the first week and from 10:00 - 15:00 in the second week. Having received 
an email before the holiday that read: 'Previous volunteers have suggested 
bringing a good stock of CDs, videos and reading material.'

...we got the impression we'd spend most of our evenings in the cosy 
holiday cottage, staring into the fire while drinking Islay malt whisky. 
How wrong could we be. We spent hardly any time in the cottage, preferring 
to make the most of the beautiful island and its people. During our time 
there we discovered bird sanctuaries and deserted beaches, searched for 
St.Cuthbert's beads, listened to the seals calling on the sandbanks, walked
the Pilgrim's Way across the bay, crossed at low tide to St Cuthbert's 
Island, lay on the grass at midnight to look at the stars in the Milky Way 
and sat quietly, marvelling at yet another magnificent sunset.

However, we did watch Polanski's stunning black and white film 'Cul-de-Sac'
which was filmed exclusively on the island and in Lindisfarne Castle, 
starring Donald Pleasance and Francoise Dorleac.

Wikipedia describes the film as follows: "Cul-de-sac (1966) is a bleak 
nihilist tragicomedy filmed on location in Northumberland. The general tone
and the basic premise of the film owes a great deal to Samuel Beckett's 
'Waiting for Godot', along with aspects of Harold Pinter's 'The Birthday 
Party'."

We met some memorable people too. On our first evening on the island we 
went to The Ship Inn for supper and were lucky enough to participate in a 
rousing evening of folk songs and spoon playing with Canny Crack. I learnt 
a Northumbrian song that has a chorus of "One for the rook, one for the 
crow, one to die and one to grow," which is, apparently, rather annoying 
when sung too often! We also spent an evening in the Crown & Anchor and met
a couple with whom I'd had a chat in the castle. Sharon and John were 
celebrating the last night of their honeymoon and invited us to join them 
with some shots of Glayva. Four rounds later and we were best friends for 
life and Mr W had to stop me from singing 'One for the rook, one for the..'

Sea food is fresh and plentiful on the island with some families still 
deriving their main income from fishing. Our best meal out was at the Bean 
Goose restaurant in the village. The oysters were from the island and had 
been harvested that morning, as had the haddock for the main course. Simply
delicious.

My favourite piece in the castle is the wind indicator above, designed by 
cartographer Macdonald 'Max' Gill, (the brother of Eric Gill) as a focal 
point above the fireplace in the entrance hall. The mechanics for the wind 
indicator run through the castle walls and up to the weather vane on the 
Upper Battery. Visitors spending the night in the East Bedroom were often 
kept awake due to the clanks and whirrs of the cogs if the wind was high. 
The colourful oil painting measures 2.8 metres wide and 1.5 metres tall and
although Hudson commissioned it for decorative purposes it is still in 
perfect working order. On Tuesday 20 September, it was very windy on the 
island and the indicator arm was going bonkers, at times doing complete 
circles of the map!

A huge thank you to the National Trust staff: Daniel, Nick, Steve, Tina, 
Clare, Julie, Little Steve, Laura and Lizzie, and to our fellow volunteers,
in particular Peter, Catherine and Margaret, and the lovely women in the 
National Trust shop next door to the cottage, who all made us feel very 
welcome and were jolly good fun too.

We truly had an amazing, unforgettable two weeks. The Northumbrian coast is
absolutely stunning and we will definitely return to enjoy the views, the 
walks, the food and the solitude.

www.diaryofaproject.com/2011/10/06/saints-soldiers-and-solitude/
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A MYSTERY SOLVED                                                Morag Eaton
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Visitors on the road to Holy island have wondered what the oddly-shaped and
semi-derelict building is on the left between the level crossing and The 
Barn at Beal Restaurant and Coffee Shop. This 18th century Dovecote, 
although in poor condition, is one of the only examples of a lectern-style 
dovecote to be found in England. Our situation on the border between 
England and Scotland, and the local area having changed hands between 
England and Scotland 14 times, may be the reason we have this unique 
feature. Called 'lectern' for their distinctive sloping shape - same as the
Bible stand in Church. The slope of the roof faces south to give the birds 
a sunny surface to rest on, while sheltering them from northerly winds.

Lectern dovecotes, or 'doocots', as they are known in Scotland, become 
fashionable in the late 16th century and were an indication of their wealth
and status of the landowner. Despite their name, it was pigeons that were 
mainly kept in them. The birds that lived in them were not for decorative 
purposes. They were kept as a fresh food source for the owner and his 
family. With the added benefit that the droppings they produced (guano) 
being a very efficient fertiliser. 

The pigeons fed on surrounding crops, and in 1617 a statute was passed 
which restricted the privilege of building doocots to owners of land which 
produced ten chalders or 160 bolls (1.25 cwt) of grain within 2 miles of 
the site of the doocot. This was necessary to attempt to ensure that the 
pigeons fed on the landowners' crops rather than their neighbours'. This in
turn gave a specific  message about the landowners wealth and status.

Today at The Barn at Beal we take our cue from the past and use what the 
land provides for us. With sustainability in mind and the culinary taste 
buds of our customers, Beal Farm harvests birds from its land to use in 
the Restaurant. 

When you next drive over the level crossing at Beal to Holy Island or 'The 
Barn at Beal', you now know something of the function and history of the 
distinctive building to your left before the top of the slope.

For a photograph of the Beal Doocot: www.barnatbeal.com/whatson.php?ID=95
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FROM THE COMMUNITY OF AIDAN AND HILDA                  REVEREND RAY SIMPSON
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Dear Everyone,

'RETREATS MAGAZINE FEATURES HOLY ISLAND'

This year's UK Retreats Magazine has a picture of a Holy Island boat on its
cover, and information, articles and book reviews which relate to the 
island. This much loved magazine lists the programmes or facilities of
retreat houses throughout UK and some in Ireland and continental countries,
including those at Marygate House, The Open Gate and St.Cuthbert's Centre.

Pictures of Mary Fleeson's work from Lindisfarne Scriptorium illustrate her
article on The Journey of Body, Mind and Heart. She writes 'Many people
travel to Holy Island seeking that sense and that your prayers are somehow
re-inforced by all the prayers of those who have worshipped there before.'
Another article on Pilgrimage quotes a youth pastor who said: 'Lindisfarne
was one of the more poignant steps on my journey. Praying one day on 
St.Cuthbert's Island I had the sense of truly being in a coracle - that in 
truth I had actually pushed away from the shore of my life and was now upon
the vast sea with God.'

Karen McIntyre, a London based communications consultant, describes her 
experiment of going on a short retreat to a different place each month. Her
favourite was a mother and daughter self-guided retreat on Lindisfarne, and
a photo of the pilgrim posts illustrates this. A review of Peter Stanford's
book 'THE EXTRA MILE': a 21st century pilgrimage mentions that this former
editor of The Catholic Herald joined Northern Cross pilgrims carrying their
cross to Lindisfarne on Good Friday. Other book reviews include Gavin
Wakefield's Holy Places, Holy People, Mary Fleeson's Life Journey,  Ian
Bradley's Pilgrimage and my own Celtic Daily Light which all include 
material about Holy Island.

Alison MacTier, the Director of the Retreat Association, stayed on the 
island while preparing this year's edition.  We congratulate her! You can
find out more on www.retreats.org.uk 

Ray Simpson
Founding Guardian, The international Community of Aidan and Hilda
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FROM OUR UNITED REFORMED CHURCH MINISTER                     Rachel Poolman
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A reminder of the ministry here came in the form of a letter addressed to 
'The little church with a prayer tree, Holy Island'.  Enclosed was a photo 
of a beautiful 2 hour old baby girl and this note:

"In February my husband and I visited your lovely church.  We had just had 
devastating news that our expected grandchild had only a 1% chance of 
survival.  We asked you to say a prayer for her and our family, and of 
course had a while in your church to reflect.  We wanted to let you know 
all our prayers were answered on the 31st August.  K survived and although 
will have challenges in her life, is happy, healthy and much,much loved.  
Thank you all so much !"

In our daily prayers at St Cuthbert's we remember those who have left 
prayer requests on our prayer tree and those who come to spend time in the 
quietness of our sanctuary; the other places of worship on the Island 
exercise a similar ministry.

We usually do not know the stories of those who come to us in this way - it
was a delight to hear the continuation of K's story - but as we hold people
before God in prayer their story is woven, along with ours, into the 
tapestry of eternity and blessed by the Love that will not let us go.

Rachel Poolman
The Manse
01239 389254
centre@holyisland-stcuthbert.org
www.holyisland-stcuthbert.org
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FROM THE VICAR OF HOLY ISLAND                        Revd Dr Paul M Collins
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The month of October has brought shorter days, which has meant that I've 
not always been able to walk Nila (the dog) before going to church, but the
month has given us some glorious sun rises with the sky bright red some 
mornings. With the days drawing in I thought about exploring more of the 
places associated with Cuthbert before Winter and decided to visit for the 
first time, Cuthbert's Cave, which we did on a hazy sunny afternoon. We 
also climbed up on to the ridge of the Kyloe Hills above the cave and were 
able to take in the panorama of the Island and the Farnes and back to the 
Cheviot. The devotion which Cuthbert and Aidan evoked in those early 
centuries it seems to me continues to be evoked by a site like that of the 
cave and the panorama above it. The site of the cave testifies to the 
connection between the natural world and the 'sacred', between what is 
'ordinary' and what is 'extraordinary' in life: just as Holy Island itself 
does for so many people. Something expressed so well by George Herbert in 
his poem 'Prayer' in which he speaks of 'Heaven in ordinarie'.

The ground for such an understanding of the world and of our experience of 
life is rooted in the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas: an 
ordinary event which faith understands as 'extraordinary' : we will begin 
again to focus on Christ's birth with the beginning of the new Church Year 
on Advent Sunday on 27th November. The details of this year's celebration 
of Christmas will be published in the December edition. In the meanwhile a 
particular date you may wish to make a note of is Sunday 4th December when 
there will be the annual Christingle Service at 4.30pm.

The Christingle is one expression of the symbolic play of light and 
darkness in the journey of faith. We are entering a time of the year when 
natural light gives way to darkness, and many centuries ago it was decided 
to celebrate the birth of Jesus at the time of least natural light in the 
whole of the year - near the time of the Winter solstice. Christ's birth is
celebrated as the coming of light into a darkened world. It is an 
expression of hope in the natural season when it seems that the darkness 
might prevail. We celebrate the Christingle service as an expression of our
hope that the light and what is good will prevail. 

I share this prayer with you, which we often pray at Evening Prayer on 
Saturdays in St Mary's: for me it is a simple, but profound expression of 
faith and hope... set against the background of the daily journey from 
daylight to darkness...

O God our protector,
by whose mercy the world turns safely                                                          
into darkness and returns again to light:
we give into your hands our unfinished tasks,
our unsolved problems,
and our unfulfilled hopes;
for you alone are our sure defence
and bring us lasting peace
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul Collins
The Vicarage
01289 389 216
vicarage@stmarysholyisland.org.uk
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