Visit of Fr. Bede
The community was very happy to welcome Fr. Bede towards the end of August, in a well-earned and long overdue home leave from Kristo Buase Monastery in Ghana, where he is Prior. Fr. Bede had to begin his stay with us by self-isolating in St. Benedict's for ten days. Our picture shows him at a community celebration in his honour after that, with Brs. Joseph and Michael.
Canonical Visitation
The canonical Visitation of the community took place between 30 August and 3 September. Our legislation prescribes such Visitations every 3 years. Because of the covid lock downs, ours was well overdue. This was the first Visitation we have had by "ordinary" Visitors in many years. When Abbot Anselm was Visitor of our Province, the Visitor for Pluscarden had to be the Abbot President himself. Fr. Abbot has now been succeeded as Visitor of the Province by Abbot Cuthbert Brogan of Farnborough. Our picture shows Abbot Cuthbert (on the right of the picture) with his Socius, or co-Visitor, Abbot Paulinus of Chilworth. The Visitors live with the community for some days, interview all the brethren, assess the state of the community, and the quality of its monastic life, and at the end issue a report: usually including some recommendations and other useful comments.
Produce
Just now we are enjoying an abundance of produce from the garden. To be mentioned among other items: huge quantities of greenhouse-raised tomatoes (tomatoes are served with everything!); very fine sweet-corn-on-the-cob, and lovely runner-beans. Cucumbers, courgettes and marrows are in such abundance that we are giving them away at the front door.
As for soft fruit: this year was excellent for raspberries and gooseberries: but the blackcurrants and red currants were more or less a dead loss. What a pity! Worse even than that: sharp cold followed by prolonged wet in May proved fatal to our apple blossom. This year will see by far our worst apple crop in living memory. A few trees have fruit. The vast majority of them though have nothing at all to show but leaves.
By way of consolation: quite remarkably 2021 has proved to be an outstanding honey year. In the early Spring the sycamore trees yielded enough nectar to fill honey supers, and set the bees up well for the swarming season. A long hot summer followed. In spite of fears of drought, both the clover and the lime trees yielded very heavily. That already produced enough honey to make this a very acceptable bee year. But the best was yet to come. Sunny days in August, coupled with sufficient rain just beforehand, created perfect conditions for the ling heather. At the time of writing this crop is yet to be completed and removed, but all the signs are for a great abundance of it.
Our picture shows an out apiary on the Dallas estate, looking north over the River Lossie to the Wangie hill, which conceals the Abbey on its other side. These colonies have only a few yards to fly before they are amongst unbroken acres of flowering heather. Ling heather honey is quite unique: deliciously flavoured, of a deep red colour, set off by perfectly white wax cappings.
While on the subject of bees: there was an alarm in mid June when some unhappy-looking brood was observed in one colony. Although it did not look like the dreaded foul brood, there is still a legal requirement to call out Government Inspectors in case of suspicion. If foul brood is found, then the bees are condemned therewith to be destroyed (with petrol) and their hives, with all their contents, burned to ashes. Happily our Inspectors found only sac brood, which bees don't want to have, but can nevertheless overcome. This was present in one colony only. So we simply re-queened that colony. It recovered very rapidly, and went on to thrive vigorously; all traces of the disease having vanished without trace!
Covid
Following National Government and Episcopal guidelines, Pluscarden is now cautiously open to Visitors. People are welcome to look around (some of) the Church, and to attend services: but still with elementary precautions in place. Male and female guests are happily able to stay at the monastery again these days: but only in very restricted numbers. As a prudent precaution, especially with the more vulnerable brethren in mind, the monastic refectory remains closed to our guests. Thanks be to God, the fact remains that the covid virus has not crossed the threshold of the Pluscarden community, to date. Please God it never does!