It was another lovely sunny morning, although cold - it was 0° at 8:30am!
After breakfast at Ed's Easy Diner, we went to Christ's College.
Note the round lawn rather than the square or rectangle at the other colleges.
Inside the Chapel
This lectern was made sometime between 1480 and 1540 making it about 500 years old. It was very lucky to escape the ravages of the puritans.
As greyhounds are a badge of the Beaufort family, it is thought that these were added to the base of the lectern when she founded the College.
This window depicting Henry VI is thought to predate the college, meaning it was created before 1505.
King Henry VII
Edward the Confessor
Lady Beaufort at prayer. This together with the two windows above are thought to have been installed between 1505 and 1509.
This chest was given to the college by its first Master when he left in 1507. It is used to store the hymn books!
Sadly, by the time we got to the Cambridge University Botanical Garden, the sun had gone. Although this time of year is not perfect for visiting a garden, there were lots of beautiful autumn colours and ample opportunities for photos. I will let some of them speak for themselves and label and describe as necessary (or when I have some clue as to what the plant in question might be!).
Japanese Maple
Crocus
The Imperial Wax Flower is a native of Borneo
Two varieties of Nepenthes - a carnivorous plant. Insects are attracted to the "pitcher" by colour and the sweetness of the liquid inside. They lose their footing on the slippery surface and are then trapped by the sticky liquid and drown. Nutrients are then extracted by glands at the base of the trap. Nice!
The hugeness of this tree is difficult to grasp until you look at the tiny dot just under the first large bough on the left of the trunk. This little dot is Satoshi's head! See enlargement below.
I loved the colours and reflections here.
This pheasant was another visitor, or perhaps inhabitant, of the garden.
The third visit of the day was to Our Lady and the English Martyrs Catholic Church.
Two very rude gargoyles!
The Nave
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. It was during this even that Simeon uttered the words that are now known as the Nunc Dimittis which, together with the Magnificat are sung at Evensong.
I never knew that eagles practise Yoga. You learn something every day!
The last moments in the life of Thomas Becket. Lucky he's looking the other way!
St.Edmund, with his arrow. Legend has it that he was killed by arrows when after he refused the some invading Danes' demand that he renounce Christ.
Today was a day that I was not looking forward to - it was our last day in Cambridge. I have just loved being here because of the music, history and architecture. It's almost like being in another world. Of course we went to Evensong twice again.
The 5:30pm service at King's included the responses by Ayleward, the most popular of Stanford's settings of the canticles (in the key of B Flat) and a favourite anthem of mine O For a Closer Walk with God also by Stanford. The choir was in fine form this evening.
The 6:30pm service at St.John's also included the responses by Ayelward (which you can hear here), the canticles were the Truro Service by Gabriel Jackson and the anthem was Malcolm Archer's carol The Linden Tree. We spoke again to Andrew Nethsinga, the Director of Music and thanked him for his work. He comes across as a humble, thoughtful, faithful and generous person - I'm sure these attributes, together with a lot of hard work and patience, help him get the best from his choir.
I am very happy to find that two of the services we attended at St.John's (October 30th and November 4th) were recorded and are available to listen to on the internet. If you have the time, listen to the Psalms - the chanting is so well done!