Monthly Update - May 2024
Today, Sunday, really has not been the best of days. It rained hard all night as expected. The pit by our house was flooded. The promise of a wet second weekend of Bluebell Walks in the woods at Rushall Farm had come true. At 7am the phone call came that one of the minibuses looking after the DoE campers was stuck and could I tow it out?
I always walk up to church at St Peters Southend. As I passed the shop a friend from Stanford Dingley got out of his car and said “I’ve just read your article in the Parish magazine”. Now, for me, that is always good to know! But then he added that he was off to a bluebell picnic elsewhere, having chosen the date especially because it was when we did ours. The rain immediately got heavier. I was speaking in church that day on the claim of Jesus that he is like a vine and we are like the branches, looked after and cared for and loved by God, who is like the gardener. In the congregation last week Tony spoke about Jesus as the good shepherd. Tony is a gardener, so with my experience of looking after sheep for 40 years I felt I would have been on safer ground talking about sheep.
It stayed dull and wet; we cleaned the toilets vacated by the DoE and encouraged the aging team from Reading MS Society as they laboured on, wet, but now cold as well. Then the sun came out and people came, with lots of children and dogs, looking at the beauty of creation with a special emphasis on bluebells, teas, and delicious cakes. Everyone went home with at least some mud from Rushall Farm. My advice from years of experience to the car park attendants was that it would be a good idea to park cars on hard standing around the Manor site. In fact, all cars were directed into the field by our two youngest assistants, with assurance that there would be no problem. I positioned the tractor plus tow rope at the ready. They were right, and even reconnected the tractor ready for trailer rides for schools on Monday morning, cheerily leaving, saying “we will see you next year.”
My sister died of MS, which led us to start supporting this cause in 1985. Over half a million pounds, including £14,000 this year, has been raised by the Reading Branch using Rushall Farm. It means that prospects for those diagnosed with MS are so much better today, so THANK YOU.
John Bishop