Snippets of Downshire Life – Christingle

The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and to the east 15 miles inland from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between the seaside resort and Pepperstock Green was the rambling village of Brookley and at its heart were the churches of St Lucy and St Mildred’s and the Vicar of St Lucy’s was Reverend Ashleigh Bell, and the third weekend of advent was a test of endurance, which she called her “Miracle Marathon”,

St Lucy’s Day on Friday, The Carol Concert on Saturday night, the Sunday Service with the lighting of the third candle of advent, followed by Christingle in the afternoon, but on the Second Sunday of Advent all was not well.

 

On Sunday Morning Chris Baker awoke alone in his bed and judging by the content of a telephone conversation with his wife Linda, it seemed more than likely to be a permanent arrangement, and when he awoke that morning with images of Libby Barr in his head it seemed to him to be quite poignant.

 

Having completed his ablutions he walked down to the church with his Aunts Amy and Ruth, as usual, and he was surprised to see Libby outside St Lucy’s church engaged in conversation with Ashleigh Bell, the Vicar, and a young man that he didn’t know.

The last time he spoke to her she was away from the village for some family emergency, he didn’t know all the details, she was new to the village and he was still getting to know her.

“It’s just one thing after another” Ashleigh was saying

“It’s St Lucy’s day on Friday and next weekend we have the Third Advent Service, the Carol Concert and Christingle”

“What’s the matter? Is life testing your patience Vicar?”

Chris asked cheerfully

“No, it’s testing my faith,” she snapped without humour and went inside.

“Now look what you’ve done” Aunt Amy said and followed in the Vicars footsteps.

Aunt Ruth just looked at him and tutted and then followed her sister

“I think I’ll go back to bed,” he said to Libby, who blushed, almost as if she knew the contents of his dreams.

“What was the Vicar saying anyway?” he added

“The heating system has packed up” Libby replied

“Oh great” he said

There was a bit of an awkward silence and then he said

“Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were away on family business”

“I am… I mean… I was, I brought it with me instead” she said and then almost as an after thought

“Oh, by the way this is my brother Steven”

Steven was as different from Libby as it was possible to get.

He was the fat to her thin, the short to her tall, and the busty to her flat.

But in one obvious way there was no difference at all he had the same friendly open face, and Chris shook his hand warmly.

“Steven stayed at mine last night” she added

“So, you’re the family business?”

“Yes, pitiful isn’t it?” He replied and laughed

 

As we came out the church Libby said

“I rather enjoyed that, she gives a good sermon, even if it was a bit chilly in there”

“Come on over to the Fiddlers and I’ll buy you both lunch” he suggested “That’ll warm you up”

 

At the Fiddlers Elbow, the conversation turned back to the Vicar.

“I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea, it was very out of character” he said in defense of Ashleigh

“It’s just such a busy time for her”

“Don’t worry” Libby said, “I wasn’t offended, and I like Ashleigh”

“Good” Chris said, “It’s not like her to snap like that, the plumbing problem must really be bothering her”

“I thought the same thing” Libby said and added

“Anyway, Steve and I have been talking”

“What about?” He asked

“The plumbing” she said

“I didn’t know that was your area of expertise” Chris said

“I thought you were property magnates”

“Kind of” Steve replied and laughed

“We buy old houses and do them up, either for sale of let” he said

“But as part of the process we strip out and salvage a lot of stuff”

“So, what did you have in mind?” Chris asked

“Well, it’s not a complicated system,” Steven interjected “We could easily patch it up in the short term, to get them through Christmas, replace a few pipes and put in a better pump, and then we could look at a more permanent solution in the New Year, probably replace the whole thing”  

“They don’t have much money though” Chris added

“Not an issue” Libby said, “we know people who know people, and Steve and I can do the fitting”

“But I thought you were a “suit”” he said to Libby 

“I am” she replied proudly “but I had to do a lot of grafting before I got the suit”

“Are you sure we can do it?” he asked

“We?” Libby said

“Mr. Solicitor is going to get his hands dirty?” she asked disdainfully

“How do you think I managed to fund my education?” he retorted and they both nodded.

Well, he had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with the Vicar, so it was with the most selfish of motives that he suggested they go and make her day.

 

Ashleigh Bell burst into tears when Libby and Steven put their proposal to her.

“It’s divine providence” Ashleigh sobbed as she hugged them both “I prayed for a solution and here you are”

She was so overcome she fainted away in Libby’s long gangly arms.

Steven and Chris made a tactical withdrawal and Libby stayed with Ashleigh for a while afterwards, and they took a walk around the village green and got to know each other.

He was also from Northchapel like Libby, but he was still living there until he sold his house.

His marriage had just ended badly, and he just wanted to off load the house and draw a line under an unhappy episode in his life.

“I wouldn’t mind living here” Steven said “first impressions and all that”

“I wouldn’t live anywhere else” Chris admitted “but houses don’t come up for sale here very often”

“I can understand why”

 

When Libby finally reappeared, it was clear that she had been crying as well.

“Is everything ok?” Steven asked “She was really overcome”

“Yes, but she also has a fever from spending so much time in that draughty old church with no heating on” Libby said “I’ve put her to bed”

“Will she be alright on her own?” Chris asked

“I’m going to pop back in a little while” Libby said

“I don’t mind keeping you company” her brother said, and Chris concurred

“Me too”

Libby smiled at the pair and she was a little quiet for the rest of the afternoon.

 

When Chris went home later in the day, he reflected that it had been a bit of an eventful day for a Sunday.

And if Sunday had been an eventful day then it merely heralded the beginning of an even more eventful week to come.

 

On Monday morning Chris was summoned from his bed early by Libby and Stephen Barr to start working on St Lucy’s plumbing and they had a productive morning.

Just before midday he and Libby were cleaning up downstairs when then heard Stephen call

“Libby! Chris!”

Libby set off at a sprint in the direction of the call, with Chris hot on her heels, and as she got close, she shouted

“What’s going on?”

And when she got closer, she found her brother with the Vicar in his arms.

“Oh God what’s she doing here?” she snapped “She’s supposed to be at the Vicarage in bed”

“Well let’s get her back there then” Stephen said

“I don’t want to go” the Vicar protested

“Well, you’re going” Stephen said “so hush”

“You’re so bossy” Ashleigh said before she faded away again

 

While they returned the errant Vicar back to her home Chris carried on with his previous task until Libby returned but Stephen kept vigil, and then they all took it in turns to sit with her for the next 48 hours, although Stephen did the lions share, with her Verger, Brenda, taking the evening shift, but any time Stephen lost during the day he made up in the evening.

 

By the end of Tuesday old the dodgy pipework was out and by

Ten o’clock that night all the new ones were in, which meant that on Wednesday they just had to service the boiler and install the new pumps.

With Stephen giving so much of his time looking after the Vicar it meant that Chris and Libby spent an increasing amount of time together including lunch and dinner at the pub and Tuesday evening was no exception.

 

They were sitting in the Fiddlers Elbow, having just finished eating dinner when she said

“I hope you don’t mind me asking but… and I don’t want you to think I’m quizzing you… but…”

“But what?” he quizzed

“About you and Linda”

“What about me and Linda?” he asked knowing full well what she wanted to know

“Oh, it doesn’t matter” she said and took a drink

“We’re divorcing” he replied, “She doesn’t want to come back, and I don’t want her back, so it’s time to move on”

“I’m sorry,” she said inadequately

“I’m not” Chris said “it was never going to work”

“What went wrong?”

“Everything was wrong, I wasn’t ambitious enough for her, I’ve found my niche and I’m happy, but that wasn’t enough for her, plus she didn’t like village life, and I don’t like the city, it was never going to work” he said “Look what we’re doing at the church, do you think if Ashleigh’s parish was in Abbottsford or Northchapel that the community would rally round like Brookely has”

“No, I don’t” she agreed “Brookely is a special place, that’s why I love it here so much”

“Me too” he agreed

 

The Vicar was confined to the Vicarage until Wednesday, and it was lunchtime when Stephen walked the Vicar slowly across to the church.

Libby was by the door when they arrived and after embracing Ashleigh, she said

“You’re just in time, we’re about to fire up the boiler”

“Time for a quick prayer then” she said and walked slowly down the aisle, but she only got halfway before she had to use one hand to support her weight on the pew, so Stephen rushed to help her and as Chris joined Libby, they exchanged a look.

 

After a brief prayer Stephen helped Ashleigh down the stairs to the room where the boiler was housed, Chris had already carried a chair down, so the Vicar could sit and have a Grandstand seat.

“I’m alright standing” she said, and Stephen gave her a look, so she sat, and Stephen stood beside her.

“Ok light the pilot light” Libby said as she fiddled with the control panel

“Done” Chris said

“Here goes!” Libby announced, and Ashleigh took hold of Stephens’s hand and after a few moments of anti-climax the boiler roared into life.

“Thank you, God,” Ashleigh said and began to cry, so Stephen knelt down to comfort her and the other two made themselves scarce.

 

While Stephen was comforting the Vicar, Chris and Libby were checking the radiators and pipework to make sure the heat was circulating around the system,

They had just completed their examination as Stephen was helping a clearly exhausted Ashleigh up the steps.

“Is everything ok?” she asked weekly

“It is” Libby confirmed “but we’ll have to leave it running at maximum in order to penetrate the chill”

“Ok” she responded but Stephen interrupted

“I’ll explain it to her later, when she can take it in”

And with that he shepherded her away and back to the Vicarage to settle her down.

“He’s very protective of her, isn’t he?” Chris said

“Yes, he is” she agreed

 

 

Libby was just leaving her house when her brother returned from the vicarage,

“Hi Honey, is she ok?”

“I put her to bed and she’s sleeping soundly”

“Will she be ok for Friday?” she asked

“I don’t know, we’ll know better tomorrow” he said, and she nodded before saying

“I’m going into the office to catch up a bit, are you coming?”

“No, I’m going to stick around the village through the weekend if that’s ok” he said “there’s plenty I can do with my laptop”

“I thought you probably would, stay as long as you like” she replied and kissed his cheek “I’ll see you later”

 

Chris Baker also had to go into his office to catch up on correspondence, which kept him tied up late into the evening, which was when his phone interrupted him.

“Chris Baker” he said

“Hi Chris, its Lib”

“Oh hello, this is a nice surprise” he said

“Are you still at the office?”

“I am” she replied

“Me too” He said looking at his watch “I appear to have lost track of the time”

“I know the feeling” she said “Do you want to meet and eat”

“Love to, just say where?”

“As soon as, and your choice” she replied

“La Florenza” he suggested

“Perfect, that’s my favourite” Libby said

“I know” he said “I’ll see you there”

 

They had an enjoyable meal together in Purplemere before they went their separate ways, they didn’t see each other the next day, due to work commitments, in fact they didn’t meet up again until Friday afternoon, which was St Lucy’s Day, a big day in the Village and an important one in the County.

St Lucy was the Patron Saint of Downshire and as a result there were numerous churches in the County bearing her name and it a special day for those churches and the communities they served.

It all began once the darkness had fully descended with a multidenominational service of celebration and then after the church service, a parade of school children from St Lucy’s and St Hilda’s schools process through the village carrying their Lucy lights and then they throw them onto the bonfire to light the Lucy fire on the village green.

It’s all very pagan and a Swedish tradition originally, a mixture of the Christian and the pagan really, it is believed that St Lucy’s light can lengthen the days of winter.

The St Lucy’s day festival was always well attended as it’s such a unique event in the church calendar.

Christians from churches far and wide attended the service and a healthy crowd both church and secular turned out for the parade and the bonfire.

 

Libby and Chris met at the church; she was downstairs checking the boiler when Chris got down there.

“Hi Lib” he said

“I wondered when you were going to get here” she said and smiled

“I know but the demands on a Legal Eagles time are infinite” he replied pompously

“Well, if it’s not beneath a paragon of Law like yourself, you can help me check for airlocks”

“Yes’m” he replied tugging the forelock

 

They didn’t see each other much once the service started, Libby was on escort duty with the parade of school children while Chris was guardian of the bonfire.

 

But they did manage to rendezvous at the pub for Bacon butties and a Beer, but he could only stay for one as he was taking his Aunts, Amy, and Ruth to Tipton the next day for a family party for their sisters Megan’s 70^th birthday and they had to leave early.

 

The family event, being an all-day affair, meant that he missed the Carol Concert on Saturday night and the lighting of the third candle of advent at the Sunday Service, but more important than that he missed Libby.

Over the weeks, and that one in particular he had grown very fond of Libby, but he didn’t realise just how much until he went to Tipton.

 

As soon as he returned to Brookley he delivered his Aunts to the Church and parked the car outside his house and went in to freshen up before heading to St Lucy’s himself and Libby was there to greet him at the door

“When I saw Ruth and Amy, I didn’t think you’d be far behind them” she said and smiled him a dazzling smile

“And there’s me thinking you’d been pining by the door all morning” he said and then she hugged him, a prolonged comfortable hug

“I hope you don’t greet everyone like that” he said when she released him, and she blushed

“Well, are you coming in or not?” she blustered, and he smiled      

 

After the morning service he took her for a leisurely lunch at the Fiddlers Elbow and then it was back to St Lucy’s for the Christingle Service which had become ingrained in Anglican worship though it has its origins in Eastern Europe and the Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights where very many years ago people gathered in the street, sang carols, and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.

It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations, and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candlelight service and it tells a story.

A story is told with the symbolic use of the following items:
An orange representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets are placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world.
A lighted candle in the centre of the orange represents the gift of the light of Christ to the world.

Firstly, the children make the Christingle lights in Sunday school, and then they carry them proudly in procession into the church where they are lit for the service.

 

It was a very popular family service and was well attended but as soon as the children began to file in with their lighted candles Chris took Libby by the elbow and steered her down the steps.

“We don’t need to check the boiler, I did it already” she protested “and we’re missing the Christingle”

“We’re not here to check the boiler” he said at the bottom of the stairs

“I’m here to check out a Property Magnate I’m rather partial to”

“Oh, really I’ll be sure to let Stephen know” she teased

“I don’t think he’d want me to do this to him” he said and kissed her tenderly

“My mother warned me about you Legal Eagle’s and now I know she was right” Libby said and kissed him in earnest and with real passion

“Wow” he said “you just made Chris tingle”