Priest House - Easton-on-the-Hill - Family

Easton-on-the-Hill: Priest House [Chantry] 15th Century! (28.7.2025)

Although we have visited the general area a number of time – we had never seen this exhibit or been told about it. As we are currently staying in the locale – this place came-up in an internet search about something else. Like many such attractions, even at the height of Summer, there is only ever a trickle of visitors – which is a good thing for all concerned. We were handed the key, instructed to be careful on the old spiralling stone staircase, and turn-off all the lights when we are finished. There is even a toilet on site that is accessed with a key. Everything was perfectly clean, tidy, and in good order. Our two-daughters watched a short video film about the area, its history and industry! The photographs will tell the story of what we saw. A truly magnificent historical site that emerged out of the single most important and Revolutionary event (the “Dissolution of the Monasteries”) that forged modern Britain and the world!

Adrian - Scarecrow Graduation!

Northants: Adrian & Gee Graduate as Scarecrows! (28.7.2025)

Being fans of the books and various dramatizations of “Wurzel Gummidge” – we were thrilled to lean of a local (Northants) “Scarecrow Course” sponsored by the Labour government as a job creation scheme. As this is a wealthy area – the local landowners are always on the look-out for suitable candidates for this partly government funded training course. Initially, we had to watch all the Jeepers Creepers films and learn to run smoothly through the corn fields.

Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Temple. (File photo/China Daily)

China: Shaolin Head Monk – Shi Yongxin – Under Investigation for Alleged Criminal Offenses! (28.7.2025)

In Japan, a Buddhist monk or nun can get married, produce children, eat meat, and drink alcohol. In other words, these people are lay-people in robes – but are practicing dishonesty. A group of Chinese Ch’an monks had been following the Vinaya Discipline when they travelled to Japan to spread the Ch’an Dharma – but returned with Japanese wives and children – and wearing lay-clothing – eating meat and drinking alcohol. In front of Xu Yun – these “monks” petitioned the post-1949 government of China to permanently abolish the Ch’an requirement for monks and nuns to be celibate and vegetarian. Xu Yun is said to have loudly slapped the table – stating that the Chinese government should do the exact opposite – that is, integrate the Vinaya Discipline into the fabric of China’s secular law. If a man or woman wants to be an ordained Buddhist monk or nun, then it should be a legal requirement – punishable by secular law – if they fail to uphold the rules and regulations of the lifestyle they have chosen to follow. Being a Buddhist monastic is a “job” that requires a strict form of lifestyle.