I have my fingers crossed!

16/2/09 5:06 PM

I’m in the Cathedral now, waiting for Evensong to start at 5:30. Let’s see, what has happened since I last updated?

I didn’t get the front desk position. There were over 50 applicants, according to the kind rejection letter I received, so I didn’t even make the long short list. Oh well. Verger is still an option.

Now, I live my life by relying very heavily on what ‘feels right’ and letting it guide me. That’s how it was with Salisbury—it felt right here, more right than it did in Michigan. Hope College just felt right, so that’s where I went. Same with my classics degree. This verger position feels right too. From the moment I saw it on the screen (and thought you had to be a priest to verge) onward, I feel like I’m being pointed and nudged toward this position—forgive this interruption, but I just realized my cat pen from the British Museum is Sarum Green—this nudging worries me, though, because even though God will provide, what if he doesn’t? I mean, he will do whatever is best for me, but what if that isn’t the verger position? I’m trying not to get my hopes up about this position, but it’s so hard when everything seems to be telling me ‘Don’t worry, it’s yours.’

In other news, the vergers enjoyed my cookies, but I bought fresh ingredients to try again.

They’re ringing the bells now, so time to stop!

17/2/09 11:00 PM

That evensong service was almost painful. It’s midterm break for the Cathedral choir, so they have visiting choirs coming in to sing. This time, it was a group from a prep school. They could barely sing together, kept fidgeting, and sounded very unprofessional. Their parents weren’t much better. At least two of them were surreptitiously filming the service, even though any sort of recording devices aren’t allowed during services. They had no idea when to stand, sit, kneel (even though it said on the sheet we all had). Sigh.

I went on a tower tour the other day. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with the sky such a brilliant blue and the breeze fresh and crisp and the Cathedral illuminated by the sun. I approached it from the west and nearly started crying because it was just that perfect.

Oddly enough, the Cathedral and its services have nearly brought me to tears more times than just about anything else that isn’t sad. I’ve taken to sitting in the nave during the Sunday service, and when I see the procession beginning, I just swell with something like pride and happiness and I’m sure I look like a daft idiot as I grin and beam at the verger and the choir and the other verger and the clergy as they pass, dabbing at my eyes. I have no idea why, but it’s just so very, very right. “It is right to give him thanks and praise” and all that.

18/2/09 12:50 AM

Whoops, got distracted.

Anyway.

Let’s see… I took a tower tour. That means I went up through wind-y old stone spiral stair cases, across the front of the West Windows, then up some more stair cases, past the clock, the bell chamber, and up some more to the base of the spire, then went outside and got some great views of Salisbury. Wanna see some pictures? I’m sorry I didn’t take more, only after I got down did I remember that while this was my third tower tour, a lot of my readers have never been up before, so would have been fascinated to see every step along the way. I might have older pictures on my computer somewhere, but for now, here are the pictures from 2009!



This is why I wanted to go up. Just look at that! Isn’t it magnificent!?


The bottom of the great West Window. These shields are original Salisbury Cathedral medieval stained glass, the only original glass remaining at the Cathedral. They used to be in the Chapter House, but now they’re here. There are seven shields in all.


A close-up of one of the shields. This is the coat of arms for William Longspee, a fascinating character. Remind me to take a picture of his tomb and tell you about the rat.


A bit off-center, but a breathtaking shot down the nave nonetheless.


Area around the font is cleared for a baptism, but look at the stonework of the floor. Isn’t it beautiful?

Fun fact: the floor was redone in the 1800s. They did not take care to make sure that all the grave markers were put over the right bodies, or even over bodies at all. We are not certain if the people on the stones are under their stones.



Faces along the Cathedral walls. Details are hard to make out, but they’re beautiful.


The roof. Notice how the left side, the wood is horizontal, while on the right, it’s diagonal? They’re trying something new to preserve the lead tiles. Usually, the tiles last about 70 years before they stop expanding/contracting and just crack. They get very expensive to replace. The worksmen are hoping that by putting the wood at diagonals, they can allow better ventilation and preserve the lead for closer to 200 years at a time.


As part of the Spire Appeal, to raise money for fixing the spire, the Cathedral sold the diamond pieces of clear glass from the tower windows. For £5, you could etch something onto a bit of glass and have it put in the spire. Laurence Whistler, brother of the famous painter Rex Whistler, and amazing glass engraver, a local, bought 3 panes and etched them beautifully. He has also etched a prism, two memorial panels, and a bowl for the cathedral. Truly beautiful.


This railing is new. Health and Safety requires it. Before (just a few years before, since I was last up the tower before), only the stonework there prevented you from tipping over the side.

The lower railing is about knee-height. That’s where the stonework is.
It was FUN.



An example of original stone carving and replacement stone carving. Quite a difference the weather makes.


Mother Ann’s house is at the top of this square, just to the right of the peak.


The stone is touching Sarum College.


Just a pretty view.


I live down there!


There used to be huge floodlights in the Close. They were deemed a waste of energy and dug up. The new lighting is much better, anyway. This is a scar from where one of the lights was.


The Time Team came here last year and dug at the place where the old bell tower stood. You can see the scar from their dig, in a nice little square. In hot, dry summers, the grass dries in the shape of the foundation.


Cloisters!


Chapter House!


Reflection of the Cathedral in the glass roof of the restaurant. Great views up the spire.

Back inside the Cathedral now:

This monument sits on the only original medieval tile visible to the general public in the Cathedral. It is currently undergoing renovations.

Tiles.

It also sits below a bit of the ceiling that had its color restored in the 1800s


Why do I say this? Well, they discovered, when cleaning the monument, that the top was absolutely full of red paint. From the 1800s. It looked like someone had spilled their bucket while tending to the ceiling, but they had just left it, since you can’t see it from the ground. :)

In other news, Jeremy Davies, the Precentor, came over to give Sally a gift from his sister for a favor she had done for her. She invited him in for a drink. He stayed for dinner. We talked. Turns out, he’s in charge of the vergers, so he’ll probably be on the interview panel. He asked if I was Episcopalian (yep!). He agreed with what Sally said about how it would be lovely to have a brace of lady vergers at the Cathedral, and how the Cathedral would be happy to show how they embraced Anglo-American relations. “Consider it done!” were his exact words to me, actually, about the verger position. However, he did immediately go on to say he couldn’t promise anything.

But he’s on my side.

:D

Tomorrow, I’m going to Canterbury to see the Cathedral and to meet with Chris Crookes (I think that’s how his name is spelled), the head verger there. He used to be the head verger here. I am bringing a message from the vergers of Salisbury (we send our love!), and sweets from Sally, who used to baby-sit his kids, and Jeremy, who is the godfather of one of his sons. Maybe Chris will give me a super-special tour!

OH!

Mr. Doughnutman, not only does he remember my order now, but he’s giving me a discount! Usually, his doughnuts are 35p each, 60p for two. He’s giving me 2 for 50p now. :D