There has been a lot of buz about supermarket plastic bags where I’m staying to-night in Preston, Lancashire.

If you’re interested you might want to try searching on ‘Banish the plastic bag’ to find an article at www.guardian.co.uk on the growing campaign to stop the use of plastic shopping bags. The whole business was inspired by a young wildlife camerawoman whose outrage at the pollution of the Pacific ocean marine life by plastic bags led to shops in Modbury Devon stopping using them.

Manchester tomorrow. It will be good to spend a day in ‘my city’.

This morning a small band of us, monks and guests, trudged up the windswept hill side carrying all the necessary to plant a tree. People ask to plant trees in memory of a relative or friend, it’s a great way to establish a lasting and meaningful memorial, and at the same time help forest the land. We have quite a few memorial trees scattered around the property now.

When I first came here the priory, as it was then, was surrounded by fields and moor. We had a neighbours cows grazing in the area which is now the cemetery; we had cows in the fields above the main buildings. Now there are just rabbits grazing, thousands of them, and literally thousands of trees too. Over the years we’ve planted them, the majority surviving the wind and the rabbits. All the same each tree needs a tree guard and every one is staked for support against the gales. We work hard to keep the trees upright and alive.

Our guests favoured a more sheltered spot on the edge of the old hay field, now cropped close by the avaricious rabbits. There are wide views both up and across the valley from there. The rain held off. The hole was dug and the Rowan was eased in. Grown near Aberdeen they said, hardy tree stock from Scotland. Yes, hardy trees and hardy people too from up there. In no time that Rowan will become part of our developing windswept forest protected, while it establishes itself, by its larger and stronger neighbours.

All this mention of wind reminds me I had a major shift in attitude towards wind early this morning. Walking to the mediation hall in the early morning I realized the wind was actually going around and not through me. Seems such a simple thought however up to then I’d hunched myself mentally and physically, braced myself against the assault. The wind was in effect going through me. Now it is definitely going around me. No hunching or bracing, mentally or physically, from now on.

As I write the rain is at the window. I’ll be taking another look at my attitude towards that too.

I’d wanted to link to this touching obituary for a well loved dog a couple of days ago. Better late, than never all.

Darcey. Darcey-Dog. ‘Dee-Dee’ to her many friends. A dog-lover’s dog. Big black amiable giant with a heart of gold. You could roll around on the floor with her for hours. Her sense of fun was just amazing. Cheeky, obsessed with food, she could hear a sweetie paper at two hundred metres in a hurricane.

They say it will be dark when we get up tomorrow morning at 5.45 a.m.

The sense of Autumn is in the air, it has been much cooler today, cold and changeable. Now wind and rain, now sunshine and showers. Now onwards to our normal schedule.

It’s been almost a year since I arrived back in England. And it is at least a year since I took a look at what is out there in terms of Buddhist Podcasts. Perhaps I wasn’t looking that hard however I only remember a small hand full. Now there is a shed full of them. Uh! I’ve been wanting to weave that expression into a blog for days!

It was my sometimes walking companion who told me the origin of the expression, a shed full. Preston Meditation Group, many years ago. Have another chocolate biscuit Reverend, don’t worry we have a whole shed full of them! More than enough for all.

Thanks to Buddhist Village for the link.