Now, there is much less sunshine and a more regular cloud cover. The rainy periods have returned and the precipitation can be constant, even approaching 'heavy'. Tonight we attended the worship of the Cambridge Theological Federation (a fortnightly event) and found ourselves walking back through puddles of varying depths on the footpath. (No photo, I'm afraid.)
As it is Autumn, many of the leaves have started 'turning' and the more advanced ones are beginning to litter the ground, making walking a little bit more hazardous. Here's a photo of the same view as above, taken this past week. It is what we see as we look out from our lounge room, across Jesus Lane, into Sidney Sussex College. The leaves are more coloured in this shot.
Autumn marks the start of the academic year, and as well as events relating to the college, we have been to the first meeting of the New Testament Seminar. There were over 30 people present and the seminar included introductions to the research of three new staff members. No pictures from the event, but John has raided Google images to find these two pictures, showing early New Testament texts. The first is the earliest known fragment of a NT book, from the Gospel of John, and is dated to the middle of the 2nd century.
The second is a full page, also from John's Gospel, showing how it was written entirely in capital letters and without any punctuation. The trained eye can detect certain 'clues' or 'hints' which help with separating words and sentences. This aspect of reading ancient manuscripts was actually part of one of the lectures we heard at the NT Conference while we were in Exeter in September.
In between our walks and visits, John has been working away regularly at the introductory book that is his main project for this time of study leave...although he is writing in English, not Greek! Here's where it all happens:
On the weekend just past, we took our usual wander through Midsummer Common and Jesus Green, along the sided of the river Cam, and we saw some 'new' scenes. You might enjoy them:
...the changing foliage...
...a cluster of swans...
...some rowers on the river, starting their training...
...a group of 'supporters'
at one of the rowing clubs
on the other side of the river...
...and a circus with its Big Tent
...and a circus with its Big Tent
pitched on Midsummer Common.
On Thursday we are heading north to our old stamping grounds at Durham, where we will catch up with friends and do more sightseeing for two weeks while we are there. We are also going to visit the New Testament Seminar whilst there. (We have great memories of Durham from our year there in 1997.)
We plan to visit the graveyard where Elizabeth's great-great-great-grandmother, Dinah Raine, is buried--we didn't know about her in 1997. And, we have just discovered that there is an existing and readable tombstone where her 7 times great grandparents are buried in the Romaldkirk churchyard. Christopher Raine and his wife Eleanor were buried there in 1739.
On the way back we will stop over in Derbyshire for two days and visit some Cokayne tombs (Sir Thomas is Elizabeth's 14th great grandfather on the Lowe side, and the tombs of his father and grandfather are also there) in both Youlgrave and Ashbourne church.
So stay tuned for photos of rugged Pennine mountains, dry stone walls, rolling paddocks, church towers and spires, and ancient tombstones!!!
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