Merry Christmas

   This week's Latest Images at Ilkeston Cam (www.ilkcam.com) all come from the Tree Festival held in St Mary's Church and another image from there is the basis of this greeting. One of the trees in the Festival was topped by a simple message and with the addition of a couple of photos and a bit of clipart, it enables us to say "Merry Christmas" to all the visitors to Ilkeston Cam.

The Sounds of Summer

   The clickety-click in the still air of a distant train speeding along the tracks; children laughing whilst at play in a neighbour's garden; the drone of a lawn mower cutting the grass; the buzzing of insects pollinating the flowers; the thud of willow on leather at a cricket match; the crash of thunder as the rain teems down; the bells in the church tower calling people to worship on an otherwise quiet sunny Sunday morning, a Brass Band playing in the park - these are the sounds of summer.

Radioactive

   There was an entirely different atmosphere this Sunday afternoon though as The Carnaby Rocks, Radioactive (pictured) and the Midnight Pumpkin Trucks entertained in an event called "Summer Sounds"from the bandstand in Victoria Park. I suppose one of the sounds I missed in those listed above was the noise of a rock festival but at least we didn't get the squelch of the mud so frequently associated with the likes of Glastonbury!

Merry Christmas

Through the progress of Advent we've been watching the Wreath in St Mary's Church each Sunday as another candle gets lit. Even though today is Saturday, it felt very much like a Sunday with little traffic and the shops closed and an informal service in church this morning saw the final candle representing the birth of Christ lit. The flame on the candle reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world. Merry Christmas everyone and may you always remain in the light.

Christingle

Many people name the annual Christingle service in church as their favourite of the year and it does have a magical quality when the lights are dimmed for a carol to be sung in the candlelight. St Mary's service took place this afternoon and Christingles were lit by passing the light from candle to candle. The name Christingle is from an old Saxon word "ingle" meaning "fire" or "light" hence "Christingle" equals "Christ's light" shining in the world for all to see.

Mistletoe

Every day this year I have managed to take a photo that I have uploaded to this blog. During Advent I've been on the lookout for mistletoe to add to the series of images in December but it has proved extremely scarce this year. I did see some on Saturday and took a photo and the thought crossed my mind that I may have to cheat and upload a photo not actually taken on the day but fortunately there was a market today and the same stall was here again so I was able to get another photo:

It's a strange plant really being an evergreen semi-parasite and relying on the Mistle Thrush to sow its seed. The Druids believed it belonged to the sun god and their name for it meant "all healing" which was interpreted as bringing enemies together. In turn a kiss under the mistletoe became a kiss of peace. It is seldom used in church decorations but a Christian story relates that the mistletoe was once a tree from which the Cross on which Jesus was crucified was made. In shame it shrank and only continued to live as a parasite.

Joy

Following the candles of hope, peace and love lit on the previous three Sundays in Advent, the Candle of Joy became the fourth on this final Advent Sunday before Christmas. The candle also represents Mary the mother of Jesus. Since last week, the pulpit has been decorated ready for the Christmas services and a nativity scene erected which can be seen in the background of today's picture.

Three For Love

On the third Sunday in Advent, another candle was lit on St Mary's Advent Wreath this morning. Following on from the candles of Hope and Peace, this was the Candle of Love to celebrate the love we have in Jesus Christ. It is also traditionally known as the candle for John the Baptist.

Christmas Festival

A Christmas Festival took place all around the town centre this morning and into the afternoon where a variety of events and entertainment was put on for the shoppers. Ilkeston Brass were playing carols on Bath Street, a fairground organ was on South Street, a Helter Skelter stood outside the library and a number of choirs were also scheduled to appear at various times. On the Market Place I caught the South East Derbyshire Music Society also playing carols.

The enjoyment of carols has not always been an acceptable  part of Christmas though as they became a victim of Cromwell's rule in the 1600s when they were banned. They had also been banned from churches in the Middle Ages as they were thought far too frivolous, rowdy and jolly. Thank goodness they've survived until today - Christmas wouldn't be the same without them.

Twinkling

It is Martin Luther that is credited with the tradition of adding twinkling lights to trees at Christmas although in his day it was candles and not electric lights. It is told that he was so struck by the stars twinkling through the evergreen trees as he walked home one night that he attached lighted candles to a tree erected in his home to show his family. I dread to think what the Health and Safety Executive would have made of that if they had been around then.

This tree outside St Mary's is bedecked with small blue lights that have been twinkling all day long among the frosted and snowy branches but thay really come into their own when darkness falls.

 

The Build Up Continues

A tree has appeared today on the Market Place as the build up to Christmas and the switching on ceremony of the lights this coming Friday continues. There's still nothing on the Town Hall yet and I haven't noticed any of those tiny lights in the trees around St Mary's so I'll be keeping a close watch this week to monitor progress.

Foggy Lights

The fog this morning took its time to clear but it didn't stop workmen returning to the town centre to continue to erect the Christmas lights. Work was taking place adding lights to the trees around St Mary's Church and another display was being strung across Wharncliffe Road but front of the Town Hall is still scaffold covered so whether the usual decorations get added before the switch on ceremony later this month only time will tell.

Suck & Blow

Anyone walking through the Market Place this afternoon may have thought that the overnight gales had blown away all the leaves that had settled in and around St Mary's churchyard but I know different. Earlier this morning two council workmen were hard at work. One of them had a machine strapped to his back and was blowing the fallen leaves into piles whilst the other one was operating a super vacuum cleaner to suck them into a vehicle to be transported away.

Out Of Place

Ornamental kale and cabbage plants are grown to add some colour to winter beds when little else is in flower. The tubs on the Market Place have recently been planted as we have already seen with winter pansies but this is one of two planters that contain members of the brassica family outside St Mary's Church. Call me old fashioned and although they make an interesting arrangement, but I still think they belong in the vegetable patch rather than the flower beds.

Turning Back Time

We all know it's impossible to turn back time and the nearest we'll ever come to it is when we change from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time every year. The clock on St Mary's Church today was still showing BST but no doubt will be changed soon. I often wonder though if this messing about twice a year is absolutely necessary.

It usually takes me a couple of weeks to adjust each time so I am out of kilter for at least one month in every twelve. If therefore you espy a zombie walking around Ilkeston in the next fortnight, it won't be a leftover from Halloween - it will just be me as my body clock adjusts!

Soggy Leaves

Well yesterday's fine weather did indeed prove to be a brief respite from the rain as the downpour since turned this morning's journey to church quite hazardous in part where the precipitation had turned the fallen autumnal  leaves into a distinctly wetter shade of soggy!

Who Put The Lights Out?

It's never really got light today and felt more like the last day of November instead of the first of October. This picture taken early (for me) this morning in the drizzle on the Market Place doesn't tell the whole story as the sky was much darker than it appears here.

Seeing the council vehicle parked there, I half expected to see the workers removing the empty tubs but it turned out they were mowing the grass in St Mary's churchyard before the heaviest of the rain arrived. I hope they were wearing wellingtons as well as those bright yellow waterproofs!

Under The Red Carpet

There was a surprise in store at church this morning for the red carpet had been rolled back to reveal  a memorial stone in the main aisle.

A hundred years ago St Mary's Church was extended westwards and the tower had to be demolished stone by stone and the re-erected. The church re-opened on September 20th 1910 with a service of dedication attended by the Bishop of Southwell. The memorial stone to the Vicar at the time marks the point from where the Nave was extended. There was also an exhibition at the back of church this weekend showing old photos and documents relating to the alterations.

Distinctive

Haven't been too far today so photo opportunities were limited but I did spot a couple of pigeons scavenging among the fallen leaves when we came out of church this morning and one of them had quite a distinctive plumage.

Changing Information

It's back to the church wall today for another information board but this is different to the others photographed recently as the information here changes regularly whereas the data on the other boards is of a fixed nature.

Currently this one in the shadow of St Mary's is showing details of coming events at the Erewash Museum plus a sign saying the cigarette butts are litter too. It's a pity little notice appears to be taken of this sign by the smokers in the town centre.

A Different Kind

There's an information board on the wall outside St Mary's Church on the Market Place that shows information of a different kind to the other boards I've photographed this week.

This one shows the town's history from millennium to millennium and includes a time line showing significant dates.