My friend, Elizabeth, who lives near the Lake District, has just started a new blog on nature, which I can thoroughly recommend.
This is especially interesting on the origins of the word 'rowan':
http://mossygnome.typepad.co.uk/by_a_mossy_gnome/2007/09/the-bright-berr.html
We spent last night in a tiny synagogue attached to an Old People's Home near the Horev Supermarket, Haifa, which featured in my previous blog on the trials of shopping on erev chag:
http://irenelancaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/10/some-thoughts-o.html
The intimate size of the synagogue made it easier for the women to participate and hear the very fine rabbinical sermon on the meaning of Simchat Torah.
At the festive meal afterwards, I was asked the meaning of the name 'Rowan', as in Archbishop Rowan Williams, and I said I thought it was probably Welsh.
I do like the idea of alcoholic drinks being associated with the 'rowan', as they are also associated with Simchat Torah. So maybe that is the link.
I was then asked how one addresses an Archbishop of Canterbury, and I said probably 'Your Grace'. The hosts were a tad disappointed. Was I sure it wasn't 'Your Eminence' (definitely not: surely that is for Cardinals) and what about 'Your Beatitude'?
I said that it was probably OK to address the present ABC as Professor or Doctor Williams if you are not yourself a member of the Church of England. Certainly that is what I would do, given half a chance.
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/index2a.html
But I wonder what you call a collectivity of Church of England Arcbishops. Beatitude would be nice, wouldn't it?
http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/02ws/ws020523.htm
You might ask, what on earth were we doing discussing the Church of England in any case on the night of Simchat Torah? Well, why not?
Which reminds me that the week before, on the Lebanese border, we celebrated Succot to the sound of the Shi'ite muezzin over the border intoning at the end of Ramadan.
The next festival will be Chanukah and I wonder if Buddhism or Hindusim might feature in that one.
We've just taken down the Succah and put it away for another year. Rains are expected any minute. Not surprising, seeing as we certainly prayed for it this morning.
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