NEWSLETTER
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Mandy's Musings
I can't say that I am not looking forward to having a week away next week as I take some leave to fly away for a little break🙂. It is the last week in October and the clocks will go back on Sunday morning. From November we hunker down and prepare ourselves for the onset of winter and darkness. For me, taking a break at this time is a chance to have one more recharge of the batteries before the winter comes. It is a chance to seek some light and sun and I am very fortunate to be going to Gran Canaria where it definitely will be sunny and warm - a perfect place to recharge.I wonder what recharging looks like to you? For me, it will be sleeping and eating well, taking some sun and exercise and reading a good book. Many of us have jobs or occupations that take up a lot of headspace. We think about a lot of things on a daily basis. They are all important and need attention which we give willingly because the things we care about matter - whether that is our work, our families, our church, our relationships, our causes close to our hearts. What occupies our minds are the things that matter. However, when days get shorter, colder and darker, we start to feel more exhausted by these things and we definitely need to recharge. We wouldn't run our cars on empty, we see the red light come on and we fill up and recharge before the juice runs out. As people we can often make the mistake of waiting far too long after the red light has come on before we do something about it. One of the things that is really encouraging about being a Christian is that God tells me that, whatever I strive to do in life, I don't have to do it all on my own or in my own strength. God will meet me and will give me the strength I need, to do the things that matter and are in my heart to do. In Isaiah 40, it says “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” Over the next week or so, as October ends and November arrives, I hope you find time to recharge your batteries and be strengthened so that the things that occupy your headspace and what you really care about, can be achieved with peace and joy.
Every blessing,
Mandy
Remembrance Services
Sunday 9 November
10.00 Remembrance Service in Newton, followed by Act of Remembrance at the Village Memorial at 10.45am.
2pm Remembrance Service at Hauxton.
3pm Remembrance Service at Harston.
Christmas choir
The Christmas Choir will be rehearsing on Sunday evenings from 9th November in preparation for the following services:
Sun 14 Dec Whittlesford 6.30pm
Sun 21 Dec Newton 4pm
Sun 21 Dec Hauxton 6.30pm
Mon 22 Dec Harston 7pm Carols by Candlelight
The services include traditional carols and choir anthems sung in harmony. Being able to follow music is useful but you do not need to sight-read the parts, as we go through them all. If you would like to join us for some or all of the services please contact Alastair Oatey at alastairoatey77@gmail.com
Concert: The Orsino Singers
6pm Saturday 29 November, All Saints', Harston
Elgar's beautiful Scenes From The Bavarian Highlands form the centrepiece of this choral concert. Written after a family holiday in the Bavarian Alps, this suite of songs was inspired by the pretty villages and mountain scenery the Elgars visited during their stay, and influenced by the words and rhythms of the region's folksongs and dances.
Musical traditions also inspired Vaughan Williams as he took Five English Folk Songs and arranged them for a mixed choir. The melodies range from sprightly (Just As the Tide Was Flowing) to lilting (The Spring Time of the Year). The concert concludes with a mix of familiar - the uplifting How Can I Keep from Singing - and new pieces, including John Rutter's 2023 carol, I too shall walk to Bethlehem.
Refreshments will be on sale during the interval.
Coffee and Chat
7.45 pm, Thursday, 11 December
10 The Limes, Harston.
Bring a prose and/or poetry reading suitable for the festive season of Christmas. There may be an alternative to 'Coffee'!
Food Hub
Wed & Sat 11.30-12.30pm in Harston Baptist Church email: harstonfoodhub@gmail.com
Harston Community Food Hub has two separate sections that operate in different ways and have different aims.
FOOD BANK
The ‘Food Bank’ provides emergency food support to residents of Harston and the surrounding villages (mainly Hauxton, Foxton, Newton, Haslingfield, Barrington and Shepreth). It is part of a network of food banks that operate in South Cambridgeshire. Bags of non-perishable food are made up using food donated or bought with donations. Support from the food bank is intended to help people through a crisis.
FRESHFOOD LARDER
The ‘Fresh Food Larder’ distributes fruit, vegetables and bread and is part of an initiative that helps to avoid food waste. Donations of surplus stock are picked up from local supermarkets and farm shops by volunteers (often the night before) or brought in by local growers. Whilst much of the food is collected by people visiting the food bank, food from the fresh food larder is available to everyone no matter where they live or the circumstances they are in.
Trumpington Memory Cafe
Every third Wednesday of the month,10am-12 noon at The Pavilion, Paget Road, (opposite Anstey Way), Trumpington, Cambridge, CB2 9JF
Run jointly by Trumpington Parish Church and the Rotary Club.
A place where people with varying forms of memory loss can visit with their carers and support each other and have fun. Call 01223 840268 to book a place and please give your name(s).
Free admission to Ely Cathedral
All electoral roll members are eligible for a free pass to Ely Cathedral. If you would like one, please fill in this form and ask Mandy or a churchwarden to sign it. You can then present the form at the Cathedral to get your pass.