While in the area, and as the sun had (briefly) come out, we took the opportunity today to stop off at Great Oakley Church, where neither of us had been for maybe 20 years.

And what a delight! ‘Untidy’ corners, ‘unkempt’ edges, ‘dead’ wood: the stuff of nightmares for those of a certain mentality, but perfect for those who prefer to commemorate their loved ones with an abundance of life.

Long grass, flowers, attendant insects – all the necessary elements for God’s Acre to provide refuge for the things with which we share the planet.

And our few minutes in Paradise just got better when we spied the grounds manager with his mower… ‘Don’t worry, just doing the paths. Won’t be cutting the grass until the wild flowers are over‘! Manna to our ears, especially when he followed up by telling us of the work going on inside the church, replacing heaters and lights ‘as part of our mission to become carbon-neutral‘!!

Having met with entrenched attitudes, antipathy towards nature and frankly unChristian attitudes so many times in the past, it was the perfect antidote to our long, dreary Spring.