The Garden Congregation at Canterbury

I loved Canterbury Cathedral when I visited a few years ago. As a christian I have had my faith renewed and inspired by all the different ways all the churches have used technology to bring people together to worship and reflect. With Lent approaching I am looking forward to some really interesting broadcasts. I may give this a try.

keepingquiet please try it if only once. It is not my local church and I only discovered these services during the first lockdown but have watched every day since.
It is watched by thousands all over the world. I think the Dean is a lovely person to listen to. So interested in many things, arts, poetry, history, classics . A real joy to listen to. His cats antics are quite funny too.

Yes I am a member of the Dean’s Garden Congregation too! I have watched every day since I saw a post of yours Doodle last year mentioning the Dean’s cat helping himself to milk from the milk jug on the tray. ?

I think a great deal of thought goes into making each day’s morning service as interesting as possible. He sits in a different part of the Deanery garden each day and often adds in poems and readings from books plus memories from his travels.

I love it when he sits in with the animals, pigs, chickens, turkeys etc whilst they are eating their breakfast. He seems as at home being with them as he does taking part in more formal services in the Cathedral!

Vintagerose I’m so pleased you enjoy it too. Yes I love the animal connection. I loved it when the piglets were tiny and they used to wander round wagging little tails behind them.
I like listening to the Dean. He has such a lovely speaking voice and he is obviously interested I all the different arts.
When I watch now I will imagine you watching too ?

Thank you, Doodle for providing the link. I've come to it rather late, only seeing yesterday's and today's morning prayers, but enjoyed them immensely. I will look in again.

The antics if the animals are amusing, too, aren't they, and it's lovely hearing the birds singing in the background, hinting at spring to come.

The Dean did well to cope with the smoke blowing across him from the brazier this morning. I'm sure the fire helped to keep him warm, but I imagine the smoke was annoying at times.

Mapleleaf the Dean is a hardy soul. He hasn’t missed a single morning service since last March. He has sat outside in rain and in the last week in the snow. Saturday mornings are usually with the male pigs and hens or the female pigs.
He usually has Leo his cat with him or if he’s in the conservatory his three legged car Tiger.
I love his gentle voice and humour and the interesting things he talks about every day. I’m glad you enjoyed it too. ?

Yes, I saw Tiger this morning. He was very amusing. I didn’t realise he had only 3 legs though. It didn’t stop him jumping about then coming back to the Dean for more cuddles. ?

Thank you Doodle will definitely have a look. Sounds lovely with all the animals about.

Mapleleaf, Tiger had 4 legs when I started watching the Dean but he got cancer in his paw. He had to have one leg amputated. When he had 4 legs he used to dip his paw in the milk jugs and lick it. Many of us feared that with only one front leg he would not be able to do it any more. As you can see he has adapted and can still put one paw in the milk jug by sitting on his haunches and balancing himself. ?
Gwyneth the Dean has pigs called Winston and Clemmie and last year they had little piglets. They were a joy to watch growing up. Also he breeds hens and we watch them growing. There are also 3 turkeys ( not for eating) a beautiful white duck called Ducky, an old hen called Mummy and two tortoises and some fish. Plus a beautiful garden with lots of interesting trees and shrubs. It is worth watching for the interesting subjects he covers alone but I do find his style of presentation comforting and gentle. Probably why thousands all over the world watch every day. ?

I'm not sure if Tiger was too keen on his pancake today ?. He knocked it off the plate, had a sniff then went back to his cat food in his dish, didn't he? He's definitely the star of the show - a bit like Nigel was in Gardeners World. ?

Mapleleaf I think Tiger could have anything he wanted they are just pleased he survived his op. He’s got a very pretty little face and a lovely tail. Have you see Leo yet or Lily. Leo is black and grey and the one who spends most of the time with the Dean in the garden. Lily is tiny and black and white and stays indoors most of the time.
I like the fact that we get to hear about their different characters. Some lucky cats I think ?

I saw a fleeting glimpse of one of the other cats the other day, but not sure which one - I think Lily, but it dashed past so quickly that it was hard to tell.
Tiger does seem to have recovered well, doesn’t he, thank goodness.
I agree they seem to be very lucky, very well loved cats.
I enjoyed seeing the piglets with their mum on Sunday, too. They seemed very contented, snuffling for food amongst the undergrowth.
It’s quite hard to remain focussed on what Dean Robert is saying because of watching the antics of the animals ?.

Mapleleaf if you look down the list on the Canterbury Cathedral website itself you can see at the bottom some links to when the piglets were tiny. I can’t believe how much they’ve grown. I too find myself watching them and the other animals. I’m amazed how often the Dean has a red Robin near by. He had three flying around his head the other day.
So glad you are enjoying the services too. I find them a comfort and some stability in this lockdown world.

I saw those links, Doodle, but haven’t looked at them yet, but will do.
I agree that the services (mainly the morning prayer that I’ve looked at) are a comfort and a pleasure in these trying times. Thank you for posting the link ?.