Every few months I meet with a Spiritual Accompanist whose role is to help me to reflect upon my own spiritual journey. Three weeks ago, I was reflecting with her on Mark 6:31,

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He (Jesus) said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

I just about managed to survive a day at Chester-le-Street Riverside cricket ground yesterday on the hottest day ever recorded in the UK. It was probably the first time ever in this country that queues at the water stations were longer than those for the bar! Fortunately I wasn’t sitting in the full sun until after 4pm – I’m not sure how those who had been exposed to the sun since before 1pm managed to cope. As for the players running around out on the pitch, no wonder the drinks breaks seemed to happen every few overs; I especially felt sorry for Jonny Bairstow, who spent much of the hottest part of the day when England were fielding running from one side of the ground to the other every time the South African batsmen scored a single. And he still managed to score 60 when he came on to bat – which was a lot better than most of the England batsmen.

n May I joined a small group of women from all over the country on an MWiB Pilgrimage. Like many things it has been deferred three times due to the pandemic, sadly one early volunteer died earlier in the year and another was too ill to join us but spaces were filled and thirteen of us set off under the guidance of Jill Baker and Gillian Womersley.  For many of us St Mungo and St Ninian were merely names but we learnt a little bit about them as we travelled.  The pilgrimage began in Glasgow where, in the 6th century, St Mungo served the community.  Our journey then took us to Ayr where we picked up the trail of St Ninian walking up the coast to St Ninian’s Cove and Whithorn.