Tag Archives: weather

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“For those in peril on the sea …”

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Storm coming in tonight. A taste of what we’re told we’ll see a lot more of.

Standing on the gnarled Cornish coast, looking out at rocks that have been eroded by storms for centuries beyond centuries, is so humbling. The drama is everywhere. Not parading itself, but just there – evidence of the power of nature and its consequences.

Now it seems that nature’s power is growing, or channelling in new ways, with the consequences becoming more widespread. It is bigger than us, and it’s changing its patterns. The knowledge is unnerving. Bad enough on land. How must it feel to be at sea? These words keep coming to mind “… for those in peril on the sea …”

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea.

The hymn was written by William Whiting (1825 -1878). It’s said that he’d experienced danger at sea first hand, so when a boy at the college in Winchester where he was master, grew anxious about crossing the ocean, Whiting wrote what would later become this hymn to help calm the boy – a prayer for him to hold on to.

I can’t imagine that Whiting had any idea how apt his words would sound two decades into this millennium.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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The sun came out today

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This morning dawned sunny and soft, the light sparkling with moisture and the leaves still clinging on.

It’s been a relief to see the sun after all the rain that has been scrolling over us recently, sometimes pausing, its attention leaving everything soaked. But the conditions we’re experiencing are little more than wet compared to other parts. In the north of England, and in Scotland, in particular its east coast, the rain has been drenching and persistent. It looks like the conditions there became unnerving over the weekend – properly wet and frightening for those caught in the worst of it.

However today, here in the south, this morning came along. It peeped into the room first thing, and has kept shining all day, bringing the warmth with it. It’s been the perfect time to be outside London. The grass is green, most of the trees still have their leaves, roses are budding and blooming, the birds are singing, and occasional bees can still be seen buzzing to and fro. Hard to believe it’s not long until the end of October.

Then this evening I looked out of the window and stopped what I was doing. There was the moon sliced clean in half, right down its middle, hanging like half a pearl in the clear sky, so balanced and calm. Apparently it’s a first quarter moon. It would be nice if some of its tranquillity could be passed down to us.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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The difference a few hours makes

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Still raining in Scotland when we left. Still hot in London when we arrived.

Now we’re all moving on, scattering in different directions, and as confused by the weather as the trees around us. In Scotland some trees we saw were up to their knees in water, while here those that thought autumn was coming seem to be clutching on to their leaves, reluctant to let them go. It’s strange, like suddenly finding St Paul’s blasting rock music rather than the reassuring ring of occasional bells.

And then there’s the news – the shock of an awful earthquake, and the tragedy of another war flaring up, ugly and raw.

These are unsettling times, but they are not the first, and the book I’m reading is a good reminder of that. I’ve now read a little more of The Christian Watt Papers – Memoirs of a Fraserburgh Fishwife, and it is so clear that her life (1833-1923) was full of hardship on a truly daunting scale. First there was the every day business of earning a living, and then there were the wars, and upheaval, the destitution and tragedy that surrounded their communities. It’s encouraging to see through her, that we can adapt and do adapt, and to read her words as she looks back on her life:

“… At the closing of my days, I have encountered so much kindness. I am blest every time I breathe. My life has been hard but I would not say it has been a sad waste …”

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023