The Glory of Cornwall

While breakfast was cooking today most of the family congregated on the outside deck, engaging Little P in yet another round of giggles whilst checking out the nearby flock of sheep. The sheep were being herded off for their feeding time and it was quite the sight to watch. The modern day 'shepherd' was feeding the sheep from his truck with a dog at the back of the flock to spur them along. It's so nice and quiet here and lovely to listen to the sheep and the various assortment of birds at all times of the day.

Today we volunteered to look after Little P for the day so her mom and dad could go off exploring without a wee one in tow. They headed for a Cider Farm tour whilst Meg, Sir IF and the DJs headed off with Little P to the Sunday 11:00 service at St. Just-in Roseland Church.

This church dates back to the year 1267 and a tower was added to it in the mid-1500s. The church is pretty much the only non-residential building here in the hamlet of St. Just-in Roseland but oh my what a beautiful and glorious building it is, set in a tropical valley setting surrounded by stunning greenery, palm trees and flowers already well into their blooming season. The foliage seems almost contradictory because yesterday Mamma and Daddy P went to the Eden Project where hardly anything outdoors was in bloom yet, but beside the church there was this incredible "secret garden-like" area.

The church itself is not really very large which makes it that much more quaint and practical too. All of the activities take place in the sanctuary including the post-service reception/tea, the bell ringing, and the children's play area which was complete with kneelers in the last row of the church so they and their parents (or as the hostess referenced, 'doting grandparents') could also partake in the services. It was so much more inclusive for families and very different from the Anglican churches we have attended back home. The actual service itself, however, was quite similar to that at home which always makes it nice because you can pretty much go anywhere and attend an Anglican service and feel welcome. The church bells ring every fifteen minutes here all day and night, but there was a special bell-ringer for the Sunday service bells. Our understanding is these small churches do not necessarily have a service every Sunday so we were in luck there was one there today. The visiting reverend gave a thoughtful sermon about glory.

After the service we walked the grounds and toured around but it was too muddy to go down to the coastal path from this area. 

We drove into the town of St. Mawes and strolled along the sea-wall taking in the beautiful sunshine we were blessed with today. A restful nap and lunch of leftovers were followed by an afternoon and early evening on the deck.