"Eleanor" and Worcester Cathedral

Our canal boating experience is entering its fourth day and we have settled into the rhythm of a different way of life. It is relaxing in the way that we are completely engaged with the processes which keep us moving, and observing the changing surroundings. Yesterday, for example, the canal was narrow with reeds overhanging on both sides before we entered a 210 metre tunnel and came out to a wide avenue of trees, displaying every shade a green imaginable. Steve, under the tuition of Angus and Roger, is becoming more confident at the tiller, although we have conducted some close examination of overhanging vegetation, and haven’t hit anything important! Helen and I are working on opening locks with maximum efficiency and minimum effort.

Yesterday morning we began our day at Worcester Cathedral, having motored past it yesterday afternoon, as it formed the backdrop to dragon boat races on the Severn River. We were fortunate enough to wander around listening to the organ being played for a “Cathedral Appreciation” group who were visiting. King John’s tomb is in front of the high altar. He has been there since 1216, 800 years under the arches of this magnificent structure, with nearby stone steps worn down by the tread of human feet over these centuries. It is difficult to comprehend that this tomb has been there amidst the changes of the years, and bears testament to the long Christian heritage of which we are a part.