Dear Friends,

I recently visited Anglesey Abbey, a national Trust property in Lode near Cambridge. It was a glorious spring day and although the car park was very busy the Abbey, or at least its grounds didn’t seem busy. I enjoyed walking around the grounds, it was too nice to go into the house, I’ve saved that for another visit.

The Wind in the Willows Sculpture Trail was very interesting, dotted around the site were statutes of Mole, Toad, Ratty and Badger. 12 figures in total each one all with information about how wildlife, farming, people and the environment are all connected.

Some of the gardens at the Abbey were not at their best, it was the wrong time of year. I was too late for all the snowdrops and daffodils, too early for the full glory of the rose garden.

It struck me that the gardens like life have fallow periods when nothing much seems to be happening, yet these periods are necessary as plants and humans rest, gather their resources and energy ready to burst further into life when the time is right.

Fallow periods in life can be hard to cope with but like plants, we need these times to rest, reflect, gather our thoughts and then move forward. For us as people of faith, we may liken it to a wilderness experience but God is with us in all the fallow periods as well as the periods of full bloom.

So let us embrace the fallow periods, as times of unseen development, learning to trust God so that we can go forward in faith hope and love.

Alison