Reflect.Reflect.

When I cruised up to max & relax in Durham for a few days there were a few things on my agenda. Durham-y type things - go to the indoor market & buy something VERY practical (eg. an egg timer or tired wrapping paper which had been there since 1920), walk along a cobbled street in inappropriate shoes, have coffee in a little independent shop & be called 'pet' by the staff, eat a jacket potato with tuna & colesaw (I feel this is Durham-y, although I don't suppose it's the typical student lunch choice, but definitely for an elderly Durham local. I want to be associated with the elderly Durham locals) & most imporantantly - chill out in the Cathedral.

Durham Cathedral is amazing. It's page has 3,352 visits, 822 likes & 158 people are 'talking about it' (whatever that means) on facebook & it has 682 followers on Twitter. Now that's what I call a serious virtual world celebrity. AND it's even better in the real world. Seriously. When I lived in Durham I'd often go to the daily Evensong service. I found it very therapeutic & de-stressing to sit in such an awe inspiring place & take time out from rushing here & there along cobbled streets in inappropriate shoes. Another of my favourite Cathedral related pastimes was to sit in a little booth in the Theology library & look incredibly studious, feeling like I was at Hogwarts. I hope I did in fact give the impression of being incredibly studious as the other students did - feverishly flicking through Bible commentaries & philosophical literature - because I was usually in fact doing something incredibly non-studious like drawing of an owl or naked lady.

 
So yes, on my recent visit, a Cathedral service was essential. I went to 'Sung Eucharist' on Sunday morning...a relatively short sermon & lots of singing. Stand up, sing a hymn, sit down, sing another hymn, kneel, pray take communion - all that kind of business. After the service I lit a candle & spent a further half hour sitting in the calm reading a book. Now this is no ordinary book - it's 'The Breathing Book'. A very usful book. 

Half an hour in the Cathedral learning how to breathe. Ideal. 

In an almost meditative state I floated down to the river & watched the rowers, birds & an sweet earderly couple who'd almost certainly had jacket potatoes with tuna & colesaw for lunch.

Reflecting in the Cathedral to reflections in the water. I got so excited with the incredible reflections in the river my camera just couldn't get enough. Surreal & strange colours & shapes - just my kind of thing.

 A surreal reflective self-portrait...