Wick - 1

I recently went on a train journey from Inverness to Wick. The train left Inverness at 7.06 am and arrived into Wick at 11.32 am.



The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. It is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line has many sections of single-track, mostly north of Dingwall (home of the famous Highland Theological College). In common with other railway lines in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered.

Split by the river Wick on the Estuary in the North East of Scotland. On the South side of the river is Pulteneytown the heart of the fishing industry where Wick harbour is located. Wick has a busy shopping centre. Wick was thought to originate in a viking settlement the name coming from the norse word VIK meaning bay.

Happy birthday to my Mother (Jean) - she is 93 today!

Harvest Festival - 8

On this Festival Octave Day we end our harvest celebrations with a great hymn of praise!



All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

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O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

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Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

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Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.

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And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!

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And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

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Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

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Happy Sunday!

Harvest Festival - 7

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for He is kind.

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For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us blaze His Name abroad,
For of gods He is the God.

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He with all commanding might
Filled the new made world with light.

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He hath, with a piteous eye,
Looked upon our misery.

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He the golden tressèd sun
Caused all day his course to run.

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Th’horned moon to shine by night;
’Mid her spangled sisters bright.

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All things living He doth feed,
His full hand supplies their need.

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Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for He is kind.

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Harvest Festival - 6

Here is another fine harvest hymn for us all to join in.



God, whose farm is all creation,
take the gratitude we give.
Take the finest of our harvest,
crops we grow that all may live.

Take our ploughing, seeding, reaping,
hopes and fears of sun and rain,
all our thinking, planning, waiting,
ripened in this fruit and grain.

All our labour, all our watching,
all our calendar of care
in these crops of your creation,
take, O God; they are our prayer.

Harvest Festival - 5

I am particularly fond of today's hymn.



Fair waved the golden corn,
In Canaan’s pleasant land,
When full of joy, some shining morn,
Went forth the reaper band.

To God so good and great
Their cheerful thanks they pour;
Then carry to His temple gate
The choicest of their store.

Like Israel, Lord, we give
Our earliest fruits to Thee,
And pray that, long as we shall live,
We may Thy children be.

Thine is our youthful prime,
And life and all its powers,
Be with us in our morning time,
And bless our evening hours.

In wisdom let us grow,
As years and strength are given,
That we may serve Thy Church below,
And join Thy saints in Heaven.

It looks as though this Harvest Loaf was baked (burnt) by King Alfred!

Harvest Festival - 4

Here we see the traditional harvest loaf - magnificent!



We plough the fields and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God's almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft, refreshing rain.

Refrain:
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord,
O thank the Lord,
For all his love.

He only is the maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey him,
By him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, his children,
He gives our daily bread.

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We thank thee then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food.
Accept the gifts we offer
For all thy love imparts,
And what thou most desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.

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What a fabulous hymn!

Harvest Festival - 3

There were harvest celebrations at Crathie Kirk last Sunday. I have been fortunate in obtaining some of the notices from the pew sheet (the section in italics is from my own personal knowledge.)



This morning we are glad to welcome back a few old friends of this parish. Included in that number are several of The Queen’s Chaplains who, after this service, along with members of our Kirk Session, will formally present, to Her Majesty, the two holly trees which were planted in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation.

A number of individuals from within the parish will also play a part in the service, and of course, particular thanks are due to all those responsible for decorating the church so beautifully, and to those who have donated all the flowers and fresh produce. The fresh goods will be distributed locally, and the rest will be given to support the work of The Cyrenians in Aberdeen. (It is touching to know that Her Majesty The Queen provided many of the flowers and fresh produce from her own garden at Balmoral Castle. She will have given much joy to some members of the local community.)

Here is a hymn which was sung at Crathie last Sunday.

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

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Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

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For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.

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For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

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For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

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